rosenbu

http://www.geocities.com/scholardollarsearch/GPS.html

http://www.geocities.com/scholardollarsearch/GPSMountBack.JPG http://www.geocities.com/scholardollarsearch/GPSMountFront.JPG http://www.geocities.com/scholardollarsearch/GPSonWindshield.jpg http://www.geocities.com/scholardollarsearch/GPSPattern.GIF

I made a very inexpensive, quick and easy car mount for my SporTrak Pro GPS. I cut a piece of Plexiglas plastic (get it at a hardware store as unbreakable glazing). Then I cut a metal wall switch plate to match the upper area of the Plexiglas. The switch plate is attached to the Plexiglas with four small screws. The nose of the switch plate was bent out to fit the SporTrak’s slot on the back. I drilled a 3/32” hole at the location shown. It fits the screw removed from a serial port connector, which happens to match the threads on the back of the SporTrak. The string knotted around the screw keeps it from getting lost. A triangular piece of foam rubber glued to the Plexiglas acts as a bed to the SporTrak, and keeps it from rocking. A jumbo size rubber band was threaded through the two large holes at the top of the Plexiglas, and then the small suction cups were hooked on the rubber band. The suction cups attach to the windshield. By adjusting their placement, I can control the direction that the GPS points, on all 3 axes. The GPS does not block my view of the road because it is low on the dashboard.

I have a yellow ETREX with a data cable with Delorme TOPO USA 3.0. The combination works nicely for driving waypoints and storing tracks. I recently bought a Magellan Sportrak Pro with MapSend Streets. (Total cost about $280). The Sportrak's map display is like having a tiny section of a map with an X marked "you are here". With the ETREX all you can see is where you are relative to your other waypoints. TOPO USA is superior to MapSend both in detail and accuracy. If you want to set waypoints and follow a route the ETREX is fine, and a good bit cheaper. I am sure that you can find a cable for less than $50. If you want cool features with more data then the Magellan is nice.

I purchased a Sportrak Pro and MapSend Streets from two different places. The rebate request was rejected because "PRODUCT PURCHASED NOT INCLUDED IN THIS OFFER" according to the email. I have sent a protest to Thales, and they seem to be following up, but its not over until its over.

If you want to see how much variability there is in your GPS, you can set a waypoint and make that a destination. Then back off from it about 10 feet and look at what your GPS says for the distance to go.

If you look at the trak display, it will show you the relative positions of the waypoints. Then you could pick the order to visit them.