MountGuys Blog

February 14, 2010

Weatherproof GPS and iPhone Motorcycle Mounts Part II

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories, Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , — mountguys @ 8:03 pm

Since we wrote our last blog post about waterproof GPS and iPhone mounts, we have discovered other vaiations that have proven very popular with our customers.  As you know, we carry the RAM line of motorcycle mounts and they make an excellent array of weatherproof mounts called the Aquabox (RAM-B-149Z-AQ6U).  These are excellent mounts but the price in some cases begins to approach what a lower priced GPS costs.

We recently began to carry a lower priced model.  It’s a completely different type of mount.  The case is made of a weatherproof neoprene type of material and deploys a weatherproof zipper for a tight water resistant seal.  The mount fits bars to 1.5 inches and is a heavy duty plastic. These fit the majority of TomTom, Garmin, Mio, Magellan and Nextar GPS models.  Generally speaking anything that is 4.3 or 3.5 inch diagonal will fit well (that’s 98% of the GPS market).

The excellent feature (besides the price) is that the human touch can be felt through the transparent window.  This means you can interface with your iPhone.  We find this difficult with the RAM Aquabox line.  Our new waterproof mount line overcomes this restriction at a very competitive price.

RAM makes a great mount, but if you would like a lower priced option, take a look at our WaterBike line of mounts.

Arkon's GPS032 Weatherproof Mount

Arkon’s GPS032 Weatherproof Mount

SmartPhone / iPhone Weatherproof Handlebar Mount

SmartPhone / iPhone Weatherproof Handlebar Mount

Weatherproof GPS Handlebar Mount

Weatherproof GPS Handlebar Mount

September 13, 2009

Radar Detector Mounts for Escort, Bel, Uniden and Others

Filed under: Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , , , — mountguys @ 10:09 pm

There are so many different brands of radar detector on the market.  Most come with a bracket to clip to your visor or suction attachment for your windshield.  But what if you want to attach it elsewhere or have lost your mount.  It’s difficult to find replacement mounts.  We have even heard of some that trash the radar detector and buy another because they lost their mount.  We also receive a lot of inquiries from people that would like to mount their Escort, Bel, Uniden, Rocky Mountain, Cobra, Whistler or whatever brand out there in some unusual places (and not so unusual).  In today’s posts, we discuss available options.

The most popular mounting option is the windshield suction mount.  There are two types for the window, both work by placing your device on a platform which uses velcro or double sided tape to keep your unit in place.  One uses a rigid base, the other (which we think looks pretty cool) uses a flexible gooseneck.

We have a lot of people that live in the few states that do not permit attachment of anything to the windshield.  For them, a dash mount is the most popular option.  There are two different options.  The first combine an inexpensive smooth round disk that sticks to your dash.  We partner the windshield suction option with this dash disk.  It sticks to the dash disk the same way it would to a windshield and this makes the mount portable.  The second type combines a non-friction heavy base with the suction mount.  No glue, and easy to remove.

Radar Detectors and motorcycles just seem to go well together.  The problem is that most radar detectors aren’t made to attach to bikes.  We carry a mount line for motorcycles that combine a heavyduty metal mount with an equally heavy mounting base.  Made by RAM Mounts, these look great on a Harley, or any model bike that has a standard handlebar or clutch.

Lastly for those traditionalists, we also have standard visor clips for your Escort or Bel Radar Detectors.

September 8, 2009

My Apple iPhone Keeps Falling Off My Lap

Filed under: Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , , — mountguys @ 11:39 pm

Seems like everyone lucky enough to be within an ATT calling area has or wants an iPhone.  The iPhone might be the single most influential device to hit the mobile market ever.  It has completely changed the way people work and live.  But wait, Houston, we have a problem!

The problem is when in your car or on a motorcycle, where can you put it?  Sure, you can balance it on your lap, hope that it doesn’t slide off (let alone crashing your car while looking down at your thigh).  But that’s neither safe nor effective.  Not to worry, we’re the Mount Guys!

The iPhone comes in three models:  Classic, 3G and 3G S.  The 3G and 3G S are the same exact size, where the older Classic is a little larger.  Solutions are available for all three models.  Car solutions include the vent, windshield, floor, visor, dash, cup holder and the lighter.  Motorcycle locations are the handlebar, clutch,  and mirror.

Now that golf GPS apps are available in the App Store, there are even Golf Cart Mounts for the iPhone.

The most popular car mount for the iPhone is the vent mount.  Inexpensive, somewhat hidden form bad guys, and near eye level, it makes a great location for your device in GPS mode.  The second most popular is the floor / seat bolt.  This is great for using your iPhone for music as it places it close to where your radio is located.  There are lots of other options, our favorite is the dash.

The motorcycle options are just as plentiful.  By far the most popular is the mount for the handlebar.  We sell two different types.  First is an economy model constructed of heavy plastic.  It’s a great mount and quite sturdy, not to mention a great value.  The second type is made by a company called RAM Mounts and is constructed of marine grade aluminum.  We think RAM Mounts are the highest quality sold.  RAM has mounts to go almost anywhere on your motorcycle.

Lastly, it seemed a bit strange when we first saw it, but thigh mounts make a lot of sense on airplane and even driving.  Your arm gets pretty tired when holding the iPhone (or iPod) for a 2-hour movie.  Take a look at the ThiPhone.

September 1, 2009

Where do I put my SkyCaddie?

Filed under: Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — mountguys @ 11:12 pm

Playing that par-5 18th hole.  Second shot is 200 yards away over a slope.  Can’t see the flag on the large green.  What now?  Take out your trusty Golf GPS and scope out the distance to the green and exact location of the cup.

The major brands of Golf GPS units include SkyGolf with their SkyCaddie line, Garmin with the Golflogix, iGolf, Bushnell, and Golf Buddy.  The most popular are Skycaddie and Golflogix.  Each has multiple models.  If looking at Skycaddie, they have the SG1, SG2, SG2.5, SG3, SG4 and SG5.  The newest is the SG5 but the older models are great values and can be purchased on ebay for less than $200.

These units have come a long way since the initial black and white models.  The new SkyCaddie SG5 is color, maps out 40 targets per hole, shows the aerial view of each hole.  Heck it even keeps score for you.

A constant complaint of golfers is the belt mount.  It’s tough enough to hit a golf ball.  Having a GPS tethered to your waist makes it even more difficult.  So in we come with a complete mount selection for your Golf GPS.

Most units have a rear button on the back and we use that as the mounting point on most of our holders.  For GPS units without the button, we offer cradle mounts.

Our most popular is the cup holder mount.  Today’s electric carts all have at least two cup holders.  Why not use one for your GPS?

Playing nine-holes on the executive course with a walking cart?  No cup holder in your golf cart?  No problem.  We have walking cart mounts as well.

Lastly we don’t want to forget to tell about the new iPhone application from GolfLogix.  They have come out with an app that works just like one of these $400 GPS units.  The cost?  $40.  Although we haven’t tried it yet, reports are that it hit the top 10 in the iPhone store in less than a week!

August 31, 2009

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio Mounts

Filed under: Other Mounts & Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — mountguys @ 11:01 pm

Ever wonder how a company started that specializes in electronics mounts?  The first mount we ever sold was a seat bolt mount for a Delphi Skyfi XM Radio.  Tired of having our personal radio plop onto the floor because the sticky tape didn’t hold, we found a mount that attached to the back of the Skyfi cradle that also attached to the car seat bolt.  We were so impressed with ourselves, we put one on eBay.  That was a long time ago.  We now sell thousands of mounts every year for everything from XM radios to Garmin GPS units and even cold drinks!

Satellite Radio has come a long way since we sold our first mount.  There are millions of subscribers and some pretty cool music and personalities on XM and Sirius.  Remarkably though, the mounts are as bad today as they were many many years ago when our radio plopped onto the floor.

Today, there are a variety of mounting solutions available for your car, motorcycle, bike or boat.  All have one thing in common:  they need a car kit to attach to.  A lot of customers are hoping otherwise, but the car kit and accompanying cradle, antenna and power are needed to attach to any mount.  Most XM Radios have a slot on the back and the mounts have a T that fits into the groove.  Most Sirius Radios have a 4-hole mounting pattern on the back of the cradle (called an AMPS mounting pattern).  So you need to ensure that the mount that you purchase can accomodate the pattern on the back of the cradle.

The most popular mount for satellite radios remains the car seat bolt mount.  The attaches to the bolt on your seat bolt.  A lot of people ask us if our mount will fit their car model.  Our answer is always the same:  if the seat bolt is exposed these ought to fit fine.  But just in case the bolt isn’t exposed, we include hardware to attach it right to the floor.  These are the sturdiest mounts we sell for satellite radios.  It sits at the perfect height for you to switch stations and see the display.

The next most popular is the vent mount.  We sell a lot of these for GPS units too.  As long as your vent mounts are horizontal, these should fit fine.  We find they fit most cars except Pontiacs and some Lexus models which have either circular or vertical vents slats.  Satellite radios aren’t very heavy so don’t worry about damaging your vents.  And the temperature of the air coming our of your vents won’t damage your radio either.

All of our satellite radio mounts come with both XM and Sirius attachments to fit the vast majority of radio car kits.  And by the way, if you like that old style mount that sticks to your car dash, we have them too!

August 30, 2009

The Sun and the GPS Live Happily Together with Anti Glare Shields

Filed under: GPS Mounts and Accessories — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — mountguys @ 9:36 pm

We receive a lot of questions about glare on GPS units.  Especially when used on the windshield or motorcycle.  While we aren’t aware of any GPS units that use an anti glare surface, we wonder why they don’t.  For some reason it seems like the glare on TomTom GPS units are the worst.  At least, that’s what our sales tell us as we sell more glare shields for that brand than any other.  Garmin also has a similar issue.  Magellan GPS units seems to be the best at preventing glare.  Not sure if that’s by design.

There are two different types of GPS anti glare shields.  One clips on the unit.  It surrounds the display (not the entire GPS, just the display).  The second uses velcro to attach to your GPS and a fabric hood surrounds the entire GPS.

Which one do we recommend?  Well that’s up to you.  The clip-on is a cleaner look, and when removed, there’s no velcro left on your GPS.  However, the fabric type gives better coverage as it surrounds the GPS including the sides and gives superior glare control.  We seem to sell more of the first type (if that helps).

These are available for most GPS units.  95% of all GPS units sold are either 4.3 or 5.0 inch screens and there are anti glare shields for both.  There are anti glare shields for Fishfinders as well.

Glare Stomper for marine units

Glare Stomper for marine units

Clipboard style for 5" GPS Units

Clipboard style for 5″ GPS Units

The Glare Stomper works well on motorcycles and cars

The Glare Stomper works well on motorcycles and cars

Clip-on Glare Shield

Clip-on Glare Shield

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