Choosing the Right GPS Car Mount

GPS systems have been around for many years.  While the technology has advanced considerably, the mounts that are provided by the manufacturer have stayed the same.  To this day, when you open your brand new GPS box, you will meet your new GPS car mount which will typically be a small suction cup similar to what you see being used in the photo.  The issue with these mounts is that you can use them in one place which is the windshield.  The second issue is that, well, what if you wanted to mount your GPS somewhere other than the windshield? … Read more



Garmin TomTom & Magellan GPS Charger and Power Cable Options

We get a lot of questions regarding this topic so figured it was time for an article on the topic.  A GPS charger comes in three different flavors:  AC, DC and hardwired.  We will cover all three but first a discussion about the types of adapters. Most GPS units manufactured over the past five years use a Mini USB ending on the charger (the most popular line which is the Garmin Nuvi has used Mini USB for over five years).  Now before you go and purchase a cheap cable made for an older mobile phone, be aware that Mini USB … Read more



Popular Mounts for Geocaching

The internet and a GPS make great partners together.  Unfamiliar with geocaching?  It’s a modern day treasure hunt using a GPS.  Where do you find out about the hidden treasures?  There’s a lot of websites out there that publish them.  The premier sites are geocaching.com and groundspeak.com but several others are out there as well.  The sites deliver coordinates by state.  Don’t forget to sign the hidden log when you find it. So the question is what GPS should you use and then where do I put it?  Your best bets are the handheld GPS units from Garmin (eTrex and … Read more



How to Prevent GPS Theft

So we’re eating dinner at a local restaurant on Route 46 in Northern New Jersey.  We leave after a 90 minutes meal to find a bunch of glass all over the parking lot.  I look at my car to find the passenger window smashed, my GPS stolen and the glove box all over the floor of the car.  I remember walking into the restaurant and several people from the kitchen staff were outside smoking and checking us out.  This is New Jersey and that’s the way the state rolls so I didn’t think anything about it at the time.  When … Read more



Magellan eXplorist TRX7 Mounts for ATV, UTV and 4x4s

We do not write much about Magellan devices.  No longer the large player they were ten years back, they have a much smaller distribution versus their competition.  The Magellan eXplorist TRX7 was introduced a short time ago to fill an interesting void.  The intended audience of the Magellan eXplorist TRX7 is the off-road crowd.  We’re talking about a 4×4, UTV or ATV vehicle. What makes the Magellan eXplorist TRX7 suited for off-road use?  A few options.  First the device is rated as IP67 which means it’s protected against the effect of water up to one meter deep.  That means it’s weatherproof.  Note the term weatherproof. … Read more



Magnetic GPS Mounts

The mount industry has finally warmed up to magnetic mounts.  We first wrote about magnetic mounts a few years ago and we were puzzled why there weren’t a bunch available.  The only ones that we knew of back then were from a company in Italy who charged quite a bit for these versus where the prices were for the non magnetic models.  We were big fans of magnetic mounts because of the ease in installing and removing your device from your car.  There’s nothing easier.  Well since we first discovered our first magnetic mount, things have changed and the industry has … Read more