+WanderingWaypoint Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I am requesting the expertise of this forum community. I am wanting to purchase a ram mount for my CO. I think for my needs I like the ram-a-can II the best. My only question is when the unit is in the cradle am I able to charge it with the garmin car cigarette cable (the mini usb end has a bit of a 90 degree angle and wonder if it is deep enough to go over the ram cradle)? Also, ram owners, what are your opinions on your mount, and the one I *think* I may get. Thanks in advance. http://www.gpscity.com/item-ram-mount-garm...ap299-2ga27.htm ps. Is gpscity.com a reputable dealer? Is there a better place to purchase this specific mount online. Again, thanks. Quote Link to comment
eaparks Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ram mounts are about the best made. Can't help you with the CO mount but like mine for a 60CSx very well. I recently got a second one from Amazon for less than anywhere else I found online. GPSCity is a reputable dealer. I may be wrong so verify, but I believe they have a screwy return possible, read the fine print. Quote Link to comment
+Jaffer1979 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) I have a Colorado withte ram cradle and bought the garmin cig lighter adapter. I have the wind shield mount though same cradle. The 90 degree bend caused me problems as I could only put the cord on after it was in the cradle and it was too high for me to see the connector while mounted on the wind shield. I ended up getti g a cig adapter that had a USB port on it and running a mini USB cable with straight end to the unit. However if you are going to have it in the cup holder (depending where it is) you should be able to see the top of the unit while it is in the cradle and be fine. I hope this helps. Gps city is very very reliable and fast I love those guys that's where I got my col and my mounts etc. They even took my cig lighter adapt back when I explained my problem to them. Edited January 30, 2009 by Jaffer1979 Quote Link to comment
+Evshro & son Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have a Colorado withte ram cradle and bought the garmin cig lighter adapter. I have the wind shield mount though same cradle. The 90 degree bend caused me problems as I could only put the cord on after it was in the cradle and it was too high for me to see the connector while mounted on the wind shield. I ended up getti g a cig adapter that had a USB port on it and running a mini USB cable with straight end to the unit. However if you are going to have it in the cup holder (depending where it is) you should be able to see the top of the unit while it is in the cradle and be fine. I hope this helps. Gps city is very very reliable and fast I love those guys that's where I got my col and my mounts etc. They even took my cig lighter adapt back when I explained my problem to them. I have had this exact same experience with my Ram Mount and the Colordo. The mounts are great and well made. However, I use the Garmin mount more than anything right now simply because it is easier to get the CO on and off of it. Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 GPS City is a good, reliable dealer. I use them because it's easier to find RAM mounts and components in their catalog than it is on the RAM site. Quote Link to comment
+qlenfg Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I also have the R.A.M. mount for the Colorado and the factory car power cord with the 90-degree connector. You do have to unplug the cord to get it in and out of the cradle -- I don't think it would be any easier to remove it from the mount with a standard straight USB cable. As stated before, its rather hard to get the cable plugged in while the unit is mounted on the dash or windshield. I always have to loosen the mount and swivel the GPS down so I can see what I'm doing. No big deal, just an extra step. For caching, I just run it on batteries as I'm in and out of the car quite a bit and I don't want to take the chance of damaging the USB connector. For long trips I use the power cord so I can run the backlight full time. I get all my R.A.M. mounts from cyclegadets.com. They have most items in stock, they usually ship within a day, and the shipping costs are reasonable. I've bought probably $300 worth of mounts from them and never had an issue. Quote Link to comment
+Jaffer1979 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I also have the R.A.M. mount for the Colorado and the factory car power cord with the 90-degree connector. You do have to unplug the cord to get it in and out of the cradle -- I don't think it would be any easier to remove it from the mount with a standard straight USB cable. Actually with a standard straight usb cable I can get it in and out of the Ram cradle with no issues with the cord connected. I love my Ram mount STURDY. Just not a fan of the garmin charging cable with the 90 degree bend. Quote Link to comment
+Red90 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have the RAM and have use the Garmin mount as well. The Garmin mount is easier to use. Unless you need to extra robustness of the RAM, get the Garmin mount. Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ok, I'm not sure what 'Garmin mount' you are talking about. Is there a Garmin mount for the vehicle? I have the RAM and have use the Garmin mount as well. The Garmin mount is easier to use. Unless you need to extra robustness of the RAM, get the Garmin mount. Quote Link to comment
+Red90 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ok, I'm not sure what 'Garmin mount' you are talking about. Is there a Garmin mount for the vehicle? Yes. It use the "normal" Nuvi style ball mount so can work with bean bag and clip in bases as well as the suction base. Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ok, I'm not sure what 'Garmin mount' you are talking about. Is there a Garmin mount for the vehicle? Yes. It use the "normal" Nuvi style ball mount so can work with bean bag and clip in bases as well as the suction base. Oh ok, don't know how I missed that. With the ball mount can you adjust the view of the gpsr? I have a Toyota Tacoma and don't really want to have anything on my dash, but will have the unit plugged in to the lighter most of the time. Is it feasible to place the bean bag in between my stick shift and the seat? I just want something that is probably not on the dash, so I don't have cords running everywhere. Thanks for any future suggestions. Quote Link to comment
+Red90 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Well, IMO, it needs to be up and viewable to be used safely. The normal windshield suction mount works fine on most vehicles. Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Alright, thanks everyone for the feedback! I think I'm going to purchase the cup holder mount from gpscity. Quote Link to comment
BlueDamsel Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 (edited) I am requesting the expertise of this forum community. I am wanting to purchase a ram mount for my CO. I think for my needs I like the ram-a-can II the best. My only question is when the unit is in the cradle am I able to charge it with the garmin car cigarette cable (the mini usb end has a bit of a 90 degree angle and wonder if it is deep enough to go over the ram cradle)? Also, ram owners, what are your opinions on your mount, and the one I *think* I may get. Thanks in advance. http://www.gpscity.com/item-ram-mount-garm...ap299-2ga27.htm ps. Is gpscity.com a reputable dealer? Is there a better place to purchase this specific mount online. Again, thanks. I have a Ram-a-Can II and love it. However, instead of the Garmin brand car charger cord, I suggest you try these guys: igo.com They make a car charger/wall charger/combo pack for around $35 that has a retractable cord (I LOVE this in the car) and what's good about it is that it uses changeable tips, so if you have a cell phone/gps/iPod you all need to charge in the car, you just take the three tips with you instead of three bulky car cords. You can also get a little battery pack that uses AA batts that takes the same tips. I really like these systems, and the car cord tip does NOT have the funky angle that the Garmin car charger does. It seems to work great with my Oregon! I drive a Subaru Forester, so my cup holder is right up at elbow level, which makes the GPS exactly high enough to use with the Ram, plus I can see the port to get the cord plugged in easily. I can get that GPS exactly the right distance for using without it being distracting. However, other cars with lower cup holders might not be as well suited to this setup. Hope this helps, BlueDamsel Edited February 3, 2009 by BlueDamsel Quote Link to comment
rjfrider Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I use the Garmin mount in the vehicles and the Ram mount on my motorcycle. Both work fine with a charging adapter/cable. And, yes, the cable is plugged in to the gpsr after the Colorado is placed in the Ram. That's not a problem for me, however because there is plenty of room for the cable in that a windshield is not involved - just a number plate. Hope this helps. rider Quote Link to comment
+Walts Hunting Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) One note that no one has addressed. He asked if he could use the charger in the car. The 12V adapter does not charge the batteries. It only runs the unit. Also any 12V adapter with a miniUSB on the end will work so if you want straight go to radio shack. I use the iGo system since my phone plus my Kindle plus my Garmin use different ends. Edited February 5, 2009 by Walts Hunting Quote Link to comment
BlueDamsel Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 One note that no one has addressed. He asked if he could use the charger in the car. The 12V adapter does not charge the batteries. It only runs the unit. Also any 12V adapter with a miniUSB on the end will work so if you want straight go to radio shack. I use the iGo system since my phone plus my Kindle plus my Garmin use different ends. You're correct. I'm so used to using the term "charger" for these cords, because they do charge on a lot of devices - just not this GPS! But it's still an important thing to have, since it does save batteries for use outside the car. Yes, this poster is correct, you are not locked in to using Garmin's car power cord (there! I did it!) and you can get one that doesn't have the weird angle. I'm not sure why Garmin angled it like this... it kinda makes no sense... but there are other routes to get one that works better and I've found anyway that third party car power cords are usually cheaper than the device's manufacturer has them. This has been true for my iPod, my cell phone, etc. I've been using the iGo system for a while now and I really think it's a clever concept. The absolute best thing about it is the retractable portion of the cord, so unlike the curly cords, you can just roll it up to keep the extra length out of the way. This becomes important when your 12v outlet is really close to your stickshift knob, as mine is, and you don't want everything to get tangled up. Quote Link to comment
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