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Gilsson Antenna


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Got a Gilsson antenna for my Garmin GPSMAP76c. I thought I had Good reception before while driving around, but man, WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

It is sheer joy being able to drive around and get 10 FULL bars PLUS one or even both of the WAAS 'lites. I'm getting something around ±10 ft, and even ±6ft a good part of the time while driving! :unsure: I even was getting 2/3rd a bar or better for most of the 'lites while under a gas station canopy!

 

Count me in for a positive review!

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They are very reasonable ($19.95), and they work! You can get them in black or white and with (I believe) 3', 9', and 16' leads. They also have a very nice powder coated suction cup windshield bracket for $5.95. I have two; a short lead black for the car and a 16' lead black for use at work. If you are caching under a tree canopy or using your GPSr in the car in a big city, you really won't believe the difference. :unsure:

Tom

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They are very reasonable ($19.95), and they work!

My wife gave it to me for a birthday present, it was $40. She said that they had some $20, but they even admitted that they weren't as good. Regardless, the $40 one is wonderful, and I still consider it a bargain considering I dropped over $500 on the GPS and software..... ;)

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I bought mine 2 months ago from NavSphere through amazon.com:

 

amazon link

 

It was/is 24.95 on amazon, and 22.95 on navsphere. It was cheaper for me to order from amazon when I calculated the shipping charges.

 

This price includes the window suction cup mount.

 

EDIT: Looks like navsphere is having a liquidation sale on the compact model here. 17.95, add $3 for window mount. Has 3' and 16' lengths available. At first glance, it looks like it's the same as the regular one, just smaller. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. ;)

Edited by Gremalkin
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Looks like navsphere is having a liquidation sale on the compact model here. 17.95, add $3 for window mount. Has 3' and 16' lengths available. At first glance, it looks like it's the same as the regular one, just smaller. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. ;)

The listed power consumption is almost twice as great as for the normal Gilsson model. Without seeing some test results I wouldn't assume they perform the same - there's a lot more to antenna performance than just the raw gain figure.

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Where do they draw power from?  Do they take an internal battery or do they suck juice directly from the GPSr's antenna port?  Seems a little awkward for hiking, with the radome dangling at the end of a 3' or longer cord.  Wonder if they make a model with a cord about 3" long?

They take just a few milliamps, like only 10 milliamps, of current off of the GPS's internal batteries.

 

You can get a baseball cap and sew a pocket in the top of it, then place the antenna in that pocket for maximum best view of the sky, and this way you don't have to walk around like the Statue of Liberty with it's torch held up high.

Edited by GOT GPS?
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Thanks, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to make myself look more geeky, a hat with an antenna sewn in and a cable hanging down ought to be just the ticket! I guess I could route the cable down the inside of the shirt and out the sleeve. I think I still have one of my old fencing jackets thats already set up for a wire like that.

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I use the right angle one in my Jeep. I doubt that the performance is any different than the straight one. I've got mine set up so the antenna is under the dash on the same little shelf that the WJ's navigation system's antenna uses. It gets incredible reception from there and is a really clean installation.

 

I can't imagine wandering around in the woods with the powered antenna, however. Waaayy too geeky.

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Hi all

 

You can see an idea of a portable 76C/Gilsson antenna combo pack in the link shown below (scroll to the bottom of the page). The text is in Spanish but the pictures are self explanatory. I made this device for my old 76S that the photos show but I use it now with my 76C

 

http://www.bicimapas.com.mx/Llevar%20GPS.htm

 

I agree, this antenna really improves the 76C performance.

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I've had one for a while, and really helps zero in on the GZ when there's dense foliage or a low signal area. I've actually made a metal plate and welded a 1/4" nut on one side so I can mount it on my walking stick in times that I want to raise it up to get better reception. Most times, I use the same plate under my hat and mount the antenna on my head. Now granted I kind of look a little strange :D , but most times there are very few people around to see this rather odd sight (except for the wife) and it works wonderfully.

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thanks for the tip on where to find them cheaper. i received a 16ft lead antenna, which is nice for the car, but i wanted a 3ft for narrowing down location at ground zero, when under dense tree canopy. $40 is too much for that luxury, but $20 is more reasonable.

 

i was kicking myself because i had waited to order one and i saw that gilsson had raised their prices, i guess because distributors didn't like being undercut by them... woohoo, eBay!!

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I have the right angle connector, reasoning to myself that it would be sturdier when banging around the front seat. In retrospect, I think the straight connector might be more prudent. When getting in and out of the car, chasing caches, or working on the National Map, it's a pain to wrnech the right angle connector off. And you need to pull on the connector, NOT the wire coming from it. Pull that wire loose, and it would be trouble.

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I have a 90° MCX connector on a Gilsson and it does indeed require a tool to remove it. Once that clip ring snaps in place, it's going to stay there until forcibly removed. I'd considered tying a lasso of fishing line or something around it just to get a handle.

 

A wire dangling out of a GPS running to an antenna stuck in a hat isn't for me.

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I have the 90 degree Gillson, and it disconnects fine without any tool.

Same with my 76C :lol:

Likewise on my eMap. The right-angle connector lets the antenna cable lie flat on the back of the eMap case making it much more convenient than a straight connector.

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I had bought one of these a couple of weeks ago mainly for travel. I had not had a chance to test it out yet but after reading this forum thought that I should. WOW is the only word that comes to mind when using it. I had 11/12 satellites at all times driving around the city and even 12/12 sometimes. The amazing thing was that the signal of 8 of these 11 (or 12) was totally full! On top of that I was getting differential data that I would normally not be able to. I have never seen such good reception...truly amazing!

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