jonesey65244 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I had my Meridian mounted on the dash of my full size van. I really liked it. But fuel prices were getting me, so I got a Chevy Venture minivan. I placed the velcro on the dash and mounted my Meridian, plugged it an, and turned it on... ... ...sats never locked in. I was discouraged figuring my unit had puked. As I fiddled with it a bit, I happened to hold iy out the window and poof, all the sats locked in. I pulled it back in the car and they disappeared. Turns out, my new (to me) van has some kind of antenna or something throughout the entire windshield, except for a small strip around the edges. To say the least, I am irritated. Short of yanking the windshield and replacing it with a "normal one," are there any suggestion as to what I can do? Gets my hand kinda cold holding it out the window. Thanks. jonesey Quote Link to comment
+Snake & Rooster Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 External Antenna? Quote Link to comment
+qlenfg Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 If you vehicle has a heated windshield it may also block any GPS or satellite radio signals. Does the windshield have a gold or metallic tint to it? Quote Link to comment
yogazoo Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) If you have a Meridian Color you could simply buy an external antenna. If you have one of the "lesser" models of the Meridian I would suggest either mounting it somehow on the door window side of the steering wheel or replacing your unit with one that has an external antenna. I had the same problem with the windshield antenna in my mini-van. I had a meridian Platinum. I upgraded to a Garmin 60CSX and, with the new high-sensitivity SirfStar III chips, it picked up sats just fine dash mounted without an external antenna. Edited April 25, 2008 by yogazoo Quote Link to comment
+BiT Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I have the same Chevy van and put my GPSr in the cup holders under the radio. Never had an issue. I'll be interested in see what you find out. Quote Link to comment
jonesey65244 Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 Thanks for the input. I should have been a little clearer. Yes, the window does have the "gold" tint to it. It is the radio's antenna. The wires connect to it just above the rear view mirror. Yes, I have one of the "lesser" Meridians that does not have an external antenna jack. I gave some consideration to the side window thing, but although, I didn't drive down the road with my eyes "glued" to it, I did glance at it frequently, and being mounted at the very left hand side of the dash, my peripheral vision gave me plenty of sight of the road ahead. Putting it on the side window would take my eyes completely off the road, which probably is not that great an idea. I know these stupid windshields are about $700-$800, so a thought I had was to check with the local auto glass place and see about making a trade. I'd be happy to have the lesser expensive non-antenna glass, if I could make a trade with them. Anyway, this was my first post here, and as with all good forums, I got good quick responses from some smart folk. Thank you. jonesey Quote Link to comment
+Snake & Rooster Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I know these stupid windshields are about $700-$800, so a thought I had was to check with the local auto glass place and see about making a trade. I'd be happy to have the lesser expensive non-antenna glass, if I could make a trade with them. jonesey Sounds like a new GPS would be a lot cheaper than a new windshield. Hey, any excuse to get an upgraded GPS Quote Link to comment
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