Satilite reception

[walnut11]

Fellow GPS's
I have had a garmin 2610 for about 7 months and have really been quite pleased, however the past couple of time's I have been in Cities, both big and not so big I have lost reception of satellites this is in a car and on my LT, so my question is, do any of you use a external antenna and if so did it help, and are there better ones than garmin has to offer?

David
Stockbridge Mi
77R100/7
99LTC

[jzeiler]

David,

Unfortunately the GPS antenna must be able to "see" the satellites. So if you are in a forrest of buildings that will be tough. You can expect drop outs as well in the mountains due to the masking. The signals are not strong enough for reflected reception and that would change your actual position.

The GPS measures the time it takes for each satellites signal to reach the receiver and it "knows" where the satellites are at any given time and calculates your position from that time interval.

If it is a combination of the vehicle and the terrain blocking the view then an external antenna will eliminate the blockage only from the vehicle.

[dfinazzo]

I have external antenna's for my 376c on the bike and on my truck. :D

On the truck, an Avalanche, I use an external magnet mounted antenna. Routed it through the truck to the roof outside in the back of the truck facing up. Get really fast start up of the GPS. Most GPS bars always show 100% full strength with few exceptions. Almost never loose signal even in tall building areas.

On the bike I have an external antenna mounded under the tupperware between the arms that hold the windshield. Get really fast start up of the GPS. Most GPS bars always show 90% full strength with few exceptions. Almost never loose signal even in tall building areas. Do loose signals in deep woods and mountains on occasion - not often.

When I use the short antenna supplied for the GPS I never get full strength bars and always loose signals like you are experiencing. BTW I cannot use the standard antenna on the Avalanche is just gives those small antennas a run for their money - vehicle not antenna friendly . . . :confused:

[deputy5211]

Dan,

On the bike, do you have the external antenna on a bracket to keep it level, or do you just have it stuck to the inside of the fairing/nosecone?

TIA

[rdwalker]

I use the 2610 and 2720 in my truck mounted to the center console and an external antenna is a necessity.

One can find these on eBay for not much money. It works best if mounted outside (e.g., on the roof). I did not want to bother with routing the cable through seals and simply stuck the antenna with a velcro strip onto the dashboard, right by the front windshield, a couple of inches away from the A-pillar. Works like a charm.

On the bike, the receiver is mounted on top of the radio stingray, therefore the internal patch antenna works as well as any antenna would.

However, to add to previous note, I did mount the Sirius radio antenna inside the nosecone. I used velcro and some ty-wraps to attach it to the framework. Also worked pretty well for me except under dense foliage, when the radio would go out, but it did that also when I had a temporary setup with the antenna on top of the RCU shelf.

When installing in the nosecone, make sure to place as high and as forward as possible, to give it a field of view if the satelites are from behind.

Regards, R.

[dfinazzo]

Dan,

On the bike, do you have the external antenna on a bracket to keep it level, or do you just have it stuck to the inside of the fairing/nosecone?

TIA

The antenna is a small square puck with a wire that leads to the GPS and it is mounted in the BMW bracket that mounts the GPS. I have a 2002 LT and have always used the bracket that extends out of the dash lite hole for mounting the GPS. It provides a great place to fit the small puck. Note that it it pointing up for best reception. I velcro it to the bracket in a manner to be somewhat level. It is not stuck to the nose cone . . .

I will have the tupperware off in a week or so and will send out picts . . .

[rando]

I searched on ebay and got this: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=garmin+2610+antenna

Several on there for less than $20.

I lost recetion for the first time this weekend in between a bunch of buildings. Wans't a big deal in this case. Did encounter a mapping issue, where it was leading me down a road that had a barricade. The road continued - I could see it, but had to turn around and recalculate. All things considered, it wasn't a big deal. Just interesting as I start to find differences in the mapping software and reality.

Randy