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GPS mounting - any cool ideas?

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by sechsgang, Oct 18, 2007.

  1. Oct 18, 2007 at 1:45 PM
    #1
    sechsgang

    sechsgang [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Hi everybody.

    I am new to this forum, and I already have a question:

    I ordered a Garmin Nuvi 250W GPS, and am now looking for a good spot to install it. What have you guys come up with?
    I would like a location that is not obvious to thieves, and would prefer a method that's a little more permanent then a friction mount. It would be nice if the power cable could be hidden. Right now I am thinking of the little compartment forward of the shifter (have a 6 speed). Has anybody installed a GPS at that location? How does it work down there?

    Thanks for any replies! Great forum!

    - sixspeed
     
  2. Oct 18, 2007 at 2:09 PM
    #2
    rhoppas

    rhoppas Land of Oz

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    Welcome to TW, sechsgang. I have the Nuvi 200. Garmin is the only way to go IMO. I do not have it permanently mounted because I travel alot for business and I take it with me. I would be surprised if you get a good enough signal with it in the compartment. Hopefully someone on here has tried this before. If I think about it when I get home tonight I will place my Nuvi in the compartment and see how it works...
     
  3. Oct 18, 2007 at 2:24 PM
    #3
    sechsgang

    sechsgang [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks! Yes, I'd appreciate it if you could give it a try!
     
  4. Oct 18, 2007 at 2:59 PM
    #4
    rhoppas

    rhoppas Land of Oz

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    Good news...I turned on my Nuvi 200 and waited until it synced up with the satellites. I had 4 out of 5 signal bars. I then placed the unit in the compartment. It jumped around between 3 and 4 bars. I then turned the unit off, placed it into the compartment, and turned it on, to see if it could do the initial sync-up while in the compartment. It synced up almost immediately. Therefore, I would say that it is totally feasible to mount it permanently in that position. I lost some signal but not enough to matter.

    One issue you may still have is sound volume. The speaker is on the back of the unit (at least on my 200). Therefore, depending on how you mount the unit it may be hard to hear the spoken directions.

    Good luck...keep us posted on your progress....
     
  5. Oct 18, 2007 at 3:07 PM
    #5
    sechsgang

    sechsgang [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Awesome!
    Thanks a lot! I just checked the tracking info, it will be here tomorrow. Will mount it over the weekend, and post what I ended up doing.

    Thanks again for doing the check for me!

    - sixspeed.
     
  6. Oct 19, 2007 at 8:40 PM
    #6
    106Tacoma

    106Tacoma Well-Known Member

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    I orderd the apline iva-w205 and the blackbird navi/traffic sys with it. I cant wait to install it. Also orderd 2 amps and speaker component set. I can never hear the radio when the windows are open.
     
  7. Oct 20, 2007 at 9:56 PM
    #7
    gegundez

    gegundez Well-Known Member

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    Garmin rules!! I recently sold my 2007 BMW X5 Sport with NAV and the Garmin in my Tacoma was much better. The X5 cost me $75k and what a piece of garbage. I though I was buying a PERFECT vehicle for that price, though it sure was beautiful to look at.
    You can see my old X5 on EBAY listing number 330158981861.
    YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE - LIVE LARGE!!!:cool:
     
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    #7
  8. Oct 20, 2007 at 10:31 PM
    #8
    sechsgang

    sechsgang [OP] Well-Known Member

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    You sold an 07 with 7K miles on it? How much did that cost you (I mean how much did you lose on that deal?)?
    I am happy with the Garmin. Works great! Still working on the details on how to mount it, though ....
     
  9. Oct 21, 2007 at 3:19 PM
    #9
    tsilliker

    tsilliker Well-Known Member

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    Personally I would recommend against that location. It requires a long look down from the road while you are driving. Forget even trying to operate it while driving.

    I use a Garmin 276c and the RAM suction mount. It works very well. No the power cable isn't hidden, and yes, it is noticeable by thieves looking in the windows. I remove it when parking in public places. A pain, yes, but the functional and safety advantages make it the only practical place.
     
  10. Jun 18, 2008 at 11:52 AM
    #10
    Johnpa

    Johnpa Member

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    I have mounted my NUVI 660 on the cup holder in front of my stickshift (Automatic).

    My NUVI gets great sattelite reception just about anywhere I mount it, but you should try a number of differant locations before selecting your final spot.

    I have my NUVI mounted underneath my radio head on a single DIN Scoshe kit.

    Look at my pictures in the gallery - both locations are shown.

    I do have a problem with Satellite reception on my NUVI when I use my HD Radio Tuner. Withthe tuner on, sattelite reception is marginal to non existant. When I turn the radio off or use the AUX/CD functions I get normal satellite reception.

    I sent an mpeg video to Garmin showing the problem and asked them to send any ideas for improvement back to me. I will probably remount the NUVI unit so thatthe HD radio doesn't interfere with sattelite reception.
     
  11. Jun 18, 2008 at 3:26 PM
    #11
    Agent7

    Agent7 Senior Executive of Nothing.

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    I suction mine to the upper left hand part of the windshield. I don't want a fixed mount cause I don't want theives to know I even have one. It also gives me piece of mind that I can take it out of the truck when I'm not using it.
     
  12. Jun 20, 2008 at 9:32 PM
    #12
    bledsoe3

    bledsoe3 Well-Known Member

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    I had a Alpine Blackbird and was worried about theft. I had a ride along with our local police and the officer told me GPS units are the most stolen piece from autos. So I went with a more permanent mount.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Jun 21, 2008 at 5:57 AM
    #13
    99TRD

    99TRD Well-Known Member

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    No doubt Garmins are good, but I am quite satisfied with my Magellan Maestro. It has the bluetooth, which works great. I don't think I could mount mine as my road trips are few and far between and I swap it with my wifes car. The lower compartment has my XM in there now.
     
  14. Jun 21, 2008 at 7:02 AM
    #14
    gsm

    gsm Well-Known Member

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    I too use my Taco and my wifes car for trips. So I decided on the Eclipse AVN2210p MK II in dash AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA player with a touch screen Tom Tom interface. It's blue tooth and has a USB slot for thumb drives. The Tom Tom is detachable and the MK II comes with a second vehicle kit (windshield/suction cup bracket, 12v power adapter/cord, Tom Tom face plate for if Tom Tom is removed. It's awsome and a great buy for $500 indash navigation.

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Jun 21, 2008 at 7:09 AM
    #15
    Synapse

    Synapse Well-Known Member

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    I did away with the factory mount and bought a vent gps mount at walmart ($12). Its in a great location out of the sun, nobody else can really see it. I can take a picture and post if you like.
     
  16. Jun 21, 2008 at 9:11 AM
    #16
    wormhole7

    wormhole7 Well-Known Member

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    I hardwired my garmin and my radar detector. I also ran an external antenna and a microphone for hands free phone. The wire that you see on the side of the garmin is from the USA Spec so that phone and music from nuvi are played over stereo.
    P1010037_f8043bda10e8a83d95b62f7a278832242b9865a8.jpg[/IMG]
     

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