We all dislike being at the mercy of the words "No Signal," whether we're on a trail or on the road out in the sticks. Here's my solution.
Components
-
Garmin GLO
- Tablet (Mine is a wifi-only iPad; the GLO connects via Bluetooth to multiple devices so you can use it with your phone too.)
- Nav app such as MotionX GPS, Avensa Maps, etc.
-
Arkon Tablet Mount for iPad
- 3M Extremely Strong fastening strips
Let's start with the last item.
This stuff is golden for mounting items that need to be secure yet can be removed and put back as needed (the GLO for example). The strips stay where you put them, but if you need to remove them (the strips themselves), it takes a little effort but once you get a corner up, you can grab it (needlenose pliers help) and as long as you're gentle, they'll come off with no damage and no residue left behind. So far I'm using them for my dash cam, an extra sunglasses case, the GLO, and the stabilizing bracket for the tablet mount.
Here's how the iPad setup looks from the driver's seat:
The Arkon mount comes with various sizes of easily interchangeable L-shaped brackets that hold the tablet. It's a clever design. The brackets are solid but flexible so the tablet is firmly held in place yet easy to put in and take out.
The mount attaches under the passenger front inbound seat bolt, which I like b/c it's relatively easy to install/remove as needed:
Tip: The plate with the bolt mount attaches to the neck with screws. It comes with the screws on the right side. I changed it to the left as shown here b/c that allows the neck to snug up closer to the console.
The Arkon comes with a u-bracket to keep the mount stable but I wasn't interested in drilling holes in my interior. The Scotch strips were again up to the job. I added a thin piece of foam to the mount to compensate for how the mounting strips raise the bracket an eighth of an inch or so. It's never going to be perfectly motionless but there's almost no jiggle at all.
If you get a GLO (Dual makes a nice unit too), don't give them $15 for a nonslip mounting pad. I used the Scotch strips on the A-pillar and it works great.
So where to put the GLO when it's not on the A-Pillar? I keep my owner's manual in the glove box's "secret compartment" (a 4th Gen feature) and turns out the GLO fits perfectly in the leftover space.
Did I mention I like those Scotch strips? I added a couple to the side of a cabinet to store the mount when it's not in use.
Here's what you have when nothing is mounted. Not beautiful but not horrible either so I can live with it for the outstanding functionality.
One concern I had was whether the GLO could capture a good signal from under the heavy tree cover that's typical on many trails in my area. I haven't tried it on a trail yet, but when I took it out of the box and turned it on in my living room, it immediately got a lock. I connected my iPad to it via Bluetooth and sure enough, the MotionX GPS spinning globe GPS signal indicator came on right away.
I was like, "Is this for real?" It was - I zoomed in and the blue dot moved as I walked from one end of the house to the other. So I figure if it works through a ceiling, attic, and roof, it should do okay with trees.
Looking forward to hitting a trail soon to see how this works in the wild.
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