Guest AngstMonger Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about building an external antenna for a Garmin etrex. I use it in a vehicle quite a bit, and it would be nice to have a way to get a clear signal without having to keep the unit near a window constantly. Is building an antenna even feasible? Quote Link to comment
Guest peter Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 Building one that works well is not likely to be all that easy, especially since the eTrex doesn't have an antenna jack. Unless you want to do this as a learning experience, I'd recommend going with a commercial antenna that rebroadcasts the amplified signal near the eTrex. One such antenna is the Big Brother Re-Radiating antenna available from www.tvnav.com and other dealers. Note that this antenna requires 12VDC power - not a problem in a car, but it's not convenient to use while hiking. Quote Link to comment
Guest AngstMonger Posted April 24, 2001 Share Posted April 24, 2001 anks, Peter. I was afraid that building one wouldn't be feasible... I have an old Trimble Scoutmaster with an external antenna jack, and it's really handy. The lack of one is about the only thing I don't like about the Summit. The site you reference is pretty cool, though, and the re-radiating antenna just might fill the bill. Thanks for turning me on to it. Quote Link to comment
Guest Imperitus Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 How well does the big brother re-radiating antenna work? i'f love to get better reception in my car. ---- Imperitus The best new offroading site! http://www.onandoffroad.com [This message has been edited by Imperitus (edited 09 May 2001).] Quote Link to comment
Guest Anton Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 0 [This message has been edited by Anton (edited 09 May 2001).] Quote Link to comment
Guest Anton Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 The Big Brother antenna receives the satellite signals from wherever you put it, say, at the far front of your dashboard, and literally saturates your eTrex with re-radiated (re-broadcast) radio signals...meaning no cable is needed. This is good, because the eTrex wasn't given an antenna jack. Of course it would be so much better if it DID have a jack. Seems like a good idea. All the other Garmin models before the eTrex series had a jack, so we know Garmin understands about antennas. They even sell GPS antennas. Oy! Go figure. Probably wanted to save on production costs to increase profits. Penny wise, pound foolish, I say. Dumb idea, eliminating the antenna jack. Think Garmin is LISTENING? We can dream. Anton ------------------ Anton Ninno - N2RUD Syracuse, NY 13210 [This message has been edited by Anton (edited 09 May 2001).] Quote Link to comment
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