chadler Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hopefully of interest to others, I thought I'd post a few less conventional modifications and installations I've made to my 90 in preparation for long distance overland travel. The first is a Mast Mounted GPS antenna providing an input for an in-car PC. There are many different options available for a GPS feed, and I've in the past used feeds from a Garmin Etrex handset, and magnetic GPS dongles. There has been a revolution in GPS receivers over the last couple of years, with the most modern chipsets now proving much more capable and able to obtain a solid satellite fix even through windscreens, dense tree cover and structures. I wasn't obtaining a reliable ebough fix by having a receiver inside the car, and the magnetic dongle fittings are not weatherproof enough to be a permanent external fixture, also not helped by the non magnetic properties of the roof! This is my current installation and is able to obtain a fix whilst inside a closed garage. After research I found that marine standard GPS equipment is available for reasonable prices. I thus decided to make a rugged semi-permanent fixture on the side of the 90. It can be removed leaving just the mast anchor point if required. Typical USB GPS dongle Military side antenna mounting point Fixed to vehicle RHS Mast Fitting Aluminium platform cut and drilled to shape Marine GPS receiver wired through platform Detail of receiver Routing the USB Data cable Completed receiver/platform mount Mast mounted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 nice work, could be quite vulnerable being on the side though? is it just that white dome? if so, then surely fitting direct to the roof would be better? especially if you have a roof rack as that would protect it better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Why not just mount it to the roof? It would be a lot cleaner and reception would be much better. In that location, the roof will block half of the signals. If you really want a side mount, put it on the back would be a lot safer from damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Agree with above. Side mount makes it vulnerable, to both trees etc and the ne'er do wells who will rip it off just in case it is valuable. The signal reception will also be compromised. A frenched in roof mount would be much better, out of sight, and positioned well to receive the best signals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I'd go for a roof mounting, as that could be damaged as noted above, my 12XL external antenna is magnetic & sealed to the upright of my front roof bar, it gets great cover from the sats & never fails to find a signal. nice job though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalai Lama Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Hi Mate i tend to mount my GPS ontop of the snorkel for overland travel. I have experienced grief in some african countries where they want to inspect everything bolted onto the landy. The small gps mouse is very reliable although |I have had one fail. more importantly they do not stand out too much Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Mine is roof mounted. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 agree with everyone else, would be much safer roof mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Looks like a useful unit, ideal for roof mounting. Any clues on manufacturer, source, cost etc... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Never mind, managed to read it off the side of the unit. Evermore SA-320, £80 in either USB or serial versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Never mind, managed to read it off the side of the unit.Evermore SA-320, £80 in either USB or serial versions. SO ANNOYING! - on eBay it's $45 in the USA and £85 here! Why are things always so much more expensive here?? (having said that, I will be going for something much cheaper anyway ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.