MountGuys Blog

June 16, 2011

Gooch’s Garlic Run 2011

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories, Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: — mountguys @ 12:09 am

We thought it would be a nice change of pace to blog about something different today.  Each year, around 2,000 motorcycle enthusiasts gather at the big mall here in northwest New Jersey for a ride called Gooch’s Garlic Run.  It’s sponsored by the Blue Knights and benefits kids with heft medical bills.  This is the 24th year of the run, and for the first time, we were able to attend it live.

Walking down the lineup of motorcycles is impressive.  The most popular brand, you guessed it, Harley Davidson.  We did see quite a few Honda Goldwings and the occasional Triumph and BMW.  Being in the business of motorcycle mounts, we did notice quite a few GPS and satellite radios in use.  The most popular mount was the RAM Mount.

Here are a few good pictures:

 

We took the opportunity to take a video with our iPhone.  Quality is so-so, but it gives you an idea of the enormity of the event.

June 14, 2011

My Suction Cup Doesn’t Stick Anymore! Help!

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories, Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , — mountguys @ 3:13 pm

Yes, we sell mounts for a living.  However, sometimes, you don’t need to buy a new mount.  Following our simple tips might save you a little bit of money.

  1. The most common problem we find is a dirty windshield.  This is probably the number one tip.  Clean your windshield thoroughly with Windex or any good cleaner that contains alcohol (no not beer, that is not a cleaner).  While you’re at it, also clean the bottom of the suction cup.
  2. Apply a little water to the bottom of the suction cup.  We find, on some mounts that helps the adhesion enormously.
  3. Make sure you are pressing the suction lever in the right direction.  Usually the direction is down, but we see a few deviants that require it to be pushed up.  Most suction mounts have a vacuum base and it is operating by a lever.

That’s it.

If you have tried all of this and it’s still not working, we’re here for you.

A Naked Garmin Nuvi Mount in Need of a GPS

A Naked Garmin Nuvi Mount in Need of a GPS

 

May 11, 2011

Using a GPS in California or Minnesota

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , , , , — mountguys @ 6:28 pm

What do the states of Minnesota and California have in common?  Tick tick tick tick…

Give up?  Up until fairly recently, it was illegal to put a GPS on your windshield in those states.  Imagine buying a new GPS with the suction mount and getting pulled over a few days later for using the mount in the box.  We got all kinds of stories from people after their wallet was $100 lighter and sold a lot of vent, cup holder and dash mounts as a result.

Luckily, lawmakers have mulled things over in California.  In 2010, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 1567, the GPS Windshield Safety Act (we didn’t make that up) which permits the mounting of portable GPS units in specific areas of vehicle windshields.  The law stipulates that a California driver can place the GPS in the 5-inch square windshield area all the way to the lower left of the driver.  Well unfortunately that excludes the most common place to put a GPS which is right smack in the middle of the windshield.  So we still sell a lot of non suction mounts to California customers!

Meanwhile, Minnesota passed an equally useful law in 2006 known as Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 169.71, subdivision 1.  The law states that it’s ok to use your windshield as the mount point as long as it’s on the bottom portion.

Are these reasons to move out of California or Minnesota?  Probably not, but it sure is nice to be able to stick your GPS wherever you like in the great state of New Jersey!

Vent Mount for Most Garmin Car GPS

Vent Mount for Most Garmin GPS

TomTom cup holder mount

TomTom Cup Holder Mount

April 20, 2011

Magellan eXplorist 510 610 710 Mounting Options

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , , , — mountguys @ 11:19 pm

In an attempt to revive and recapture the geocaching handheld market, Magellan has overhauled their very populat eXplorist line.  Trying to keep up with the Garmins of the world is something that Magellan has struggled with of late.  Garmin introduced their GPSMAP 62 and 78 lines almost a year ago at an excellent price point with a lot of features.  The Magellan eXplorist integrates a touch screen and camera into their GPS units.  These GPS units appear rugged and well made.  Magellan always made a good GPS, and back in the late 1990s, they were the premier name, but today there are a lot of different players.  For high end users, we recommend the GPSMAP 62ST or the Magellan eXplorist 610 (the 710 adds driving maps, and we think the screen is just too small to be effectively used in the car).

Not a lot of mounting options out there for this series, but RAM has recently introduced a well made custom line.  We offer some pictures and links below.

Magellan eXplorist 510 610 710 Suction Mount

Magellan eXplorist 510 610 710 Suction Mount

Motorcycle Mount for Magellan eXplorist 510 610 710 GPS

Motorcycle Mount for Magellan eXplorist 510 610 710 GPS

Car Dash Mount for Magellan 510 610 710 GPS

Car Dash Mount for Magellan 510 610 710 GPS

February 10, 2011

How to Hardwire your Garmin GPS with Traffic on a Motorcycle or Car

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , — mountguys @ 12:19 am

Garmin, why did you integrate the traffic receiver into the cable?  This makes replacing or adding a second cable so expensive.  Did you know a new cable with traffic can cost over $100?  It’s true.  Each cable has a traffic subscription tied to it, hence the higher price.  A new non-traffic cable?  That costs $10.

A lot of motorcycle owners like to hardwire their GPS to the bike’s battery.  You can now do that using your existing car traffic charger.  This handy cable will permit you to use your existing car charger with traffic.  The universal receptacle will act just like your lighter and will allow you to power the GPS using your existing traffic cable.  When not in use there is a cap to keep the elements away.  And the price?  $18!

Universal Hardwire Cable

Universal Hardwire Cable

January 17, 2011

Popular Mounts for Geocaching

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , , , — mountguys @ 6:02 pm

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 or Magellan (eXplorist series).  Garmin seems to cater most to the GPS recently announcing some add-ons for current GPS owners.

Check out the Garmin Chirp which is a wireless beacon that will work with the Garmin GPSMAP 62 or 78 series.  It also works with the Dakota and Oregon series.  The Chirp will act as a wireless beacon to help target the location.  This makes geocaching lots of fun and cheats a bit.  We have seen caches hidden in fake bolts.  Who the heck is going to find a fake bolt and know to open it up?

We’re the MountGuys Blog so you know we’re going to break into a conversation about the types of mounts to use.  Our favorite for geocaching is the belt clip mount.  Having your GPS on your belt beats putting it in your pocket and having it fall out.  By the way a lot of caches are hidden in the woods, so placing the GPS on your belt frees your hands for any balancing acts you might need to do.

You might be on your bike when geocaching.  Having a bike mount allows you to keep both hands on the handlebar and the GPS in front of you.

Whatever you choose to use for geocaching, you will have a lot of fun, and it’s free.  You will also discover new parts of your country that you may not normally travel through so having a good GPS at your side is an excellent idea.

Garmin Oregon on a Belt Clip

Garmin Oregon on a Belt Clip

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Bike Strap Mount

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Bike Strap Mount

 

December 2, 2010

Samsung Galaxy Tab Does GPS Too

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories, Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , — mountguys @ 5:47 pm

We think the Samsung Galaxy Tab is a very exciting entry within the tablet market.  Based upon the number of inquiries and sales generated by these devices, the popularity is not too far behind the Apple iPad.

We really feel sorry for GPS manufacturers lately.  These tablets have very robust GPS capabilities that rival the latest units from Garmin, TomTom and other manufacturers.  Combined with Google maps, the Samsung Galaxy Tab makes a great big screen GPS.  We remember spending over $1000 on a Garmin StreetPilot 7500 around five years ago.  It’s really amazing to see the technology advances in this space.

Galaxy Tab Suction Mount

Galaxy Tab Suction Mount

Samsung Galaxy Tab Floor Mount

Samsung Galaxy Tab Floor Mount

December 1, 2010

Mounting your Garmin GPSMAP 62 62s or 62st GPS

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , , , — mountguys @ 9:41 pm

Garmin’s latest handheld GPS is called the GPSMAP 62 series.  The dimensions are somewhat close to Garmin’s very successful GPSMAP 60 GPS line.  That’s about where it ends.  Extended 20 hour battery life and a color screen are just the tip of the improvements.  Depending upon the model chosen, the GPS will include features like preloaded maps, compass, altimeter, tide tables and a hunting / fishing calendar.

Well, this is the MountGuys Blog, so you probably decided to visit to learn about how to mount a Garmin GPSMAP 62 62s or 62st in your car, on your motorcycle or on your boat.  Well, we got you covered on the land, on the water or on the trail.

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Marine Mount

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Marine Mount

Motorcycle Mount for Garmin GPSMAP 62

Motorcycle Mount for Garmin GPSMAP 62

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Suction Mount

Garmin GPSMAP 62 Suction Mount

November 30, 2010

iPads for Pilots

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , — mountguys @ 10:01 am

Each day, apps are developed for the iPad that make this device even more useful.  The iPad functions quite well as a big screen low cost navigator.  The typical car mounts available for iPads may not work well on a plane.  Not to worry because there are mounts that are made specifically for pilots.  Instead of suction cups, they deploy glare screen and yoke attachments.  While we cannot recommend iPad apps, we can recommend these very well constructed mounts by RAM.

iPad Glare Shield Mount

iPad Glare Shield Mount

iPad Yoke Mount

iPad Yoke Mount

November 24, 2010

A Little GPS Comedy from TomTom

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , — mountguys @ 10:09 pm

We recently uncovered some pretty funny videos released by TomTom.  Not sure who the intended audience was, but take a few minutes to watch these videos.  Then take a look at some cool mounts for your TomTom.

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