Gilsson External Antenna

[+wayless wayfarer]

We gotta tell somebody...My new Gilsson external ant for my Gpsmap 60 arrived today. What a difference in signal strength while riding in the Jeep. don't get me wrong, the signal is darn good without it, but hey, we're gadget people. Accuracy stayed at +- 7ft and 10 sats were pinned while driving up and down and all around!.....gpsgeek.com

[+Olar]

Where did you have it located W-W?

 

Olar

[+CompuCash]

I got the same thing along with the windshield mount (metal bracket for magnetic antena and suction cups for the glass. Works great. And the price was much less than I expected too. Magnet mount can go on the roof also.

Edited April 6, 2005 by CompuCash

[+wayless wayfarer]

On the top of my Jeep (roof),nice ground plane.

[mal69]

I have a stupid question. When roof mounting the antenna, how do you route the cable to the inside of the vehicle?

[peter]

When roof mounting the antenna, how do you route the cable to the inside of the vehicle?

The cable is very thin so you can just close the door on it and the weatherstripping will give the cable enough clearance.

[+wayless wayfarer]

Thats right Peter, I just shut the door on the cable it's so small, no kinks, everything hunkie-doorie. Nice price on this antenna, I got the model that comes with suction cup mount for the windshield, works great. You don't always need it, (external ant) but nice to have when you do

[hiker102]

I bought two Gilsson external antennas because they are incredible. I have a 60CS and an iQue, and the difference is amazing. I'm very impressed with the quality and the price (bought mine on eBay).

 

When I bought my second antenna Gilsson told me that they're developing a new antenna that will have 30 dB gain.

 

I usually just run the antenna cable along the side of the door as well, and it gives plenty of clearance without interfering with the signal.

[240GL]

I am very happy with the Gilsson antenna. I always hook it up when I use my 60CS in the car, and I also find it useful in the field from time to time (forests etc.). Just be aware that this is an active, amplifying antenna that draws energy from the GPS. This does not matter when the GPS gets power from the car's cigarette lighter, but may be worth noting when used hand held. Gilsson states that power consumption is around 12 mA. My uneducated guess is that this will shorten battery life with up to 10 pct - depending on battery type and other factors. I'd be happy if someone can offer more precise calculations.

Edited April 27, 2005 by 240GL

[ImpalaBob]

We bought ours through Amazon.com for $22 plus shipping. We found that it made little difference between the roof and just sitting it up under the windshield. Get the autokit for a nice mount and the 12 volt supply cable. Screen stays in backlit mode and no drain on the batteries. Coupled with MapSource City Select 6.5 this unit is incredible. We get driving directions to the cache sites and then switch to "off road" and walk to the cache. Make sure you get the 3.80 latest firmware for the 60C off the Garmin website.

 

If you want MapSource N/A City Select 6.1 and the autokit .... provantage.com has a great price. Update to latest 6.5 MapSource is available from Garmin for free.

 

We are going to make a hat mount for the Gilsson antenna in the near future.

 

ImpalaBob

[hiker102]

If anyone's curious, here is a screenshot of how Gilsson's antenna compares with Garmin's.

 

I also got a Gilsson neoprene case for my 60cs from The GPS Store if anyone is interested.