Article 54801 of sci.geo.satellite-nav: Path: matra.meer.net!finagle.jlw.com!not-for-mail From: woolsey@jlw.com (Jeff Woolsey) Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav Subject: Re: DGPS Automotive Mounting Date: 7 Jan 1998 21:41:09 -0800 Organization: JLW Consulting Lines: 48 Message-ID: <691otl$1gm@finagle.jlw.com> References: <34B426A2.1E5F@ix.netcom.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: finagle.jlw.com X-Trace: matra.meer.net 884238089 4832 (None) 204.188.96.27 X-Complaints-To: usenet@matra.meer.net Xref: matra.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:54801 In article <34B426A2.1E5F@ix.netcom.com>, Dennis wrote: >Seems as though my 16' Oldsmobile came without 1"/24-thread standard I thought it was 14 threads per inch. >marine mounts. Am valiantly trying to mount a Shakespeare 4' whip (with >Garmin DGPS "Coupler" and having little success finding appropriate >hardware. I really wanted to find a magnetic marine mount, but I guess most boats aren't made of sheet metal.... >The "Coupler" contains a preamp and is therefore a necessity; >it has the 1" marine mount. I would prefer a non-permanent mounting >arrangement. The only suggestion from Shakespeare was to modify a Radio >Shack CB magnetic mount (6" minimum magnet). Has anyone faced this >problem of marine-based mounts on a land-based vehicle? Except for the 4' whip (I do own one and used it on an actual boat last summer), I have pretty much the same setup (the car is an 87 Accord LXi hatchback with rear-window louvers). When I bought the DGPS, there was a 1-foot metal rod antenna element (screws right in) with it, and I didn't ask questions about it. It works, though there are parts of town that lose the beacon, repeatably. In any case, the car with the 4' whip on it won't fit in my carport, and I don't want to forget and break something. The length and mass of the 4' whip just may be too much lever arm for my installation. I ended up doing the following: West marine carries a plastic flange-mount for about $8. I mounted that to the upper right corner of the louvers with three squares of 3M double-sticky mounting tape. It's not going anywhere without a knife. The fun part is screwing the coupler on, as the 30-feet of coax is integral and will be a lovely mess if not managed properly. The coax fits through the gap between the body and the hatchback, and the ground wire I stuff between the louver clip and the hatchback. The paint on the louvers is flat black and could easily be touched up if needed after slicing off the mounting tape. Depending upon the vintage and finish of horizontal surfaces on the 16' Olds, this may not be a viable method, but it's working for me. Without the louvers, I'd try the rear window glass next. -- Jeff Woolsey +1 408 487 7177 woolsey@{jlw,mri,microtec}.com "Tried working once. Didn't work out. Too much like work." -Steed Why do wrong numbers leave messages in languages that I don't understand and are not present in my greeting???