Jump to content

Gpsmap 76c, Geocaching And Ext Antenna


TheHFamily

Recommended Posts

I recently got my 76c and am farily new to geocaching (done about 10). I notice, of course, that when I am in heavy woods that my distance and direction to cache jumps all over the place due to crummy reception.

 

My question: How much improvement should I expect if I invest in an external antenna? Is there one that is better for that environment? How much are they? I don't need one for the car, the front glass has not been an issue. But if it works for both woods, and car that would not be a problem as well.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

TheHFamily

Link to comment

I'm in the same boat with my 60c. The 60CS thread raves about Gilsson. The one with the MCX jack fits 60Cs and 76s. 19.95, your choice of 3', 9' or 16' cables, white or black.

 

People put them on top of their backpack, on their car, or in the hat (although that sounds pretty geeky to me).

 

Hopefully some happy (or unhappy) Gilsson users will chime in here.

Link to comment
I'm in the same boat with my 60c. The 60CS thread raves about Gilsson. The one with the MCX jack fits 60Cs and 76s. 19.95, your choice of 3', 9' or 16' cables, white or black.

 

People put them on top of their backpack, on their car, or in the hat (although that sounds pretty geeky to me).

 

Hopefully some happy (or unhappy) Gilsson users will chime in here.

Thanks for the reply. This may be a stupid question, but does more antenna length (i.e. 3ft vs. 9 ft) neccesarily translate to better reception?

 

Also if anyone can chime in on how much better should I expect I would appreciate it. I am assuming an external antenna would not be as good as the regular GPS without the trees...

Link to comment

Cord length is just a matter of convenience. Some people need 16' from the top of their boat or RV to their GPS, I guess.

 

Here is the discussion in the 60CS thread about Gilssons. 28dB gain, whatever the heck that means. One cache said his position error went to 6 feet, which is pretty amazing. Mine is 12 to 15 at best, and often 25 to 30.

 

External apparently improves reception under trees and under clear blue sky. From the little bit I've read, once you hook it up, you want to leave it on.

Link to comment
... does more antenna length (i.e. 3ft vs. 9 ft) neccesarily translate to better reception?

Only if you use the extra length to put it at the top of a long pole so it gets closer to the top of the foliage canopy.

 

In general you want to choose the shortest length cable that will still let you place the antenna in an optimum position and keep the GPS receiver somewhere convenient.

 

Don't expect miracles from the external antenna. I find the main benefit is that it lets me keep the antenna in a good location where it's not blocked by my body and directly faces the sky. So if I hold my receiver up high and in the right orientation (horizontal for my eMap) then I get about as good reception as with the external. But I can't see the screen very well in that position and it's very awkward to keep it up high while walking. Using the Gilsson, which I put in a little pocket inside the top of my cap, gives me good reception while letting me put the receiver in my pocket or holding it where it's easy to read the screen. Having the antenna inside my cap is also essentially invisible to anyone else and much less obvious than walking with the receiver held in a position with a decent skyview.

 

At under $20 I think it's well worth it for hiking - and greatly improves reception when driving in urban or natural canyons by sitting on top of the roof rather than relying on signals that can get through the windshield.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...