Sat Nav Mount: Running Aero Screen

[A7 OOH]

Has any member developed a way of mounting a Sat Nav when running an aero screen.

Much appreciated.

Gordon

[Wrightpayne]

I dont but like problem solving!

1) Vent mount clamped to the edge of the skuttle.

2) disc of polished ally / perspex sikaflexed to the dash  big enough for the suction mount.

3) suction mount to speedo glass - sat nav usually has a more accurate MPH.

Ian

[nic.day]

I use my iphone as my nav and have used a gopro to iphone holder plus a long reach gopro 'bar' attached to the scuttle with a normal stick on gopro mount. Lots of different mounts and accessories to make what I needed.

Now I am out of the country and away from the car until the end of the month - can take photos then.

The phone sits now just under the dash infront of the gear stick (so out of the weather) and quite neat and tidy.

[Jonathan Kay]

My recolection of what's been described, or at least suggested previously:

1. From dash in front of or to L of gear lever.
2. On tunnel in front of gear lever.
3. On boss of steering wheel.
4. Flat on dash to R of steering wheel.
5. On top of dash.

For me 3 and 4 are now threatened by the combination of the length of my arms (which is constant) and my visual near point (which isn't).

I'd only do 5 with a fully waterproof device. That probably means one from the motorbike world. 

My intention is 1 with an iPhone. Sounds very much like nic.day's but using an open-jawed clamp on the rail at the bottom edge of the dash and some proprietary mount system attached to that. (Suggested components are in the archives.) In that position it can be operated from either seat and the wire to the power socket doesn't trail across anything.

3) suction mount to speedo glass - sat nav usually has a more accurate MPH.

True. And can show current speed limit and warning.

Jonathan

 

[Strangely]

I use my phone for satnav. I used to have a holder with a sucker stuck to the passenger side of the transmission tunnel, so that my phone was down by the gearknob, but I found that was too far away from my line of sight.

Now I have a tiny mount with a sticky pad on one side, stuck near the top of my carbon dash, and a magnet on the other side for my phone, with a small metal disc stuck to the back of the phone. There are many similar-looking mounts; I bought that one because it was all-black and all-metal. It has worked perfectly so far.

In the photo, my shift lights also use the same kind of mount, so you can see it from a different angle. In this case, I have the magnet on the car side. This holds the lights up high, close to my line of sight, and it easily pulls away from the car when I meed to fit the tonneau.

[Jonathan Kay]

Very neat. I've got some gauges there, but I'm off to the garage for a play...

Jonathan

[John Vine]

Thanks, Strangely, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

JV

[A7 OOH]

Thanks to all for the options.

I am old school so need to run with a Sat Nav.

Would be interested is seeing the Go Pro mount options from nic.day.

I have a small sat nav and a set of magnetic mounts which I could try as used by Strangely

Cheers 

Gordon

[John Vine]

I am old school so need to run with a Sat Nav.

Me too.  I have a Garmin Nuvi with Garmin's own very neat screen-mounting cradle.  This will also adhere to my dash (c/f) if needed, although the only possible spot is next to the water gauge.

JV

[pugwash]

Hi Strangely,  that’s really neat.  I also use iPhone for satnav and keep it plugged into the 12 v supply while doing it.  Is there enough “stickiness” in the magnet to prevent the phone twisting/sagging at an angle with the drag of the cable to one side?

[nic.day]

Let me see if I can get a photo from my wife while I am away.

I did a search for iphone and gopro and found a small mount to hold the phone that had the gopro connections on the back. That way I could use any of the gopro mounts, arms and connectors to stick from the skuttle to get the phone near the gear stick. That way it is easily removable (plus I get more options with the gopro too!!) 

I also have a 12v socket on the skuttle to for power (wires out of the way) and my autocom is down there too. So I get music and directions if i am wearing the headphones!!

Very happy with it - its not line of sight, but that does not worry me - its an aid only - and its out of the weather.

 

Photo shows the mount I got and the gopro arm, then used a normal stick on gopro mount to the skuttle. It finishes up under the dash resting on the tunnel top in front of the gear stick.

Hope that helps - can get more photo if the wife is happy or when I get back from this work trip

 

/sites/default/files/images/users/41615/medium_iphone%20to%20gopro%20holder.jpg/sites/default/files/images/users/41615/medium_gopro%20arm.jpg

[Strangely]

Pugwash, my USB socket is under the dash, on the bulkhead, and I have tied the cable so that it comes up pretty much vertically from the bottom of the dash. By the time it's mounted, the bottom of my phone is quite near the bottom of the dash anyway, so you hardly see any of the cable. In that arrangement, the mount holds the phone perfectly in position.

I've not tried "pulling" the phone to the side with the cable. The mount obviously will move, so that you can position the phone, so if there is enough force on the cable then it will pull the phone. If that happens then you could perhaps use a longer cable so that it's not under tension?

[Garth]

Interesting how old school is now a satnav - not long ago it was maps!

[pugwash]

Ah, ok.  For some reason I seem to prefer to mount landscape, whereas it sounds like you go portrait.  Hence my cable goes in the side.  I should try it like you suggest and there won’t be a sideways pull downwards.

[anthonym]

I still use maps.. and a satnav for the next village. Sick and tired of suction mounts, I have maybe eight or so ALL of which now fall off after a short period of time. These magnet/glue ideas offer some real hope at last.

[Doug phillips]

I have mine just I front of the gearstick, it keeps dry there even in a big downpour 

And again for some reason, my image is upside down 

[EEK]

I mount down under the dashboard using a system based on RAM mounts, lots of choices to make something up and they are really solid https://www.ram-mount.co.uk, note there are local country distributors with their own web sites if not in UK.

[Jonathan Kay]

More photos, please. (Even if they are inverted!)

Thanks

Jonathan

[Nick Chan]

I use a TomTom Rider sat nav on a RAM mount attached to the centre mirror mount.  Fully waterproof as a biker sat nav, blue tooth enabled if you want to connect to a headset and has the excellent twisty roads feature. They are around £100-200 2nd hand off ebay or motorcycle websites with the powered mount or quite a bit cheaper with the non-powered mount.

 

[A7 OOH]

Looks good Nick, strangely enough I was only looking today at using the Centre mirror mount and trying to adapt a Go Pro mount. I will check out Tom Tom Rider and the difference between powered and non powered? 

[Nick Chan]

Hi.  Powered mount are those that can have the 12v lead attached to power on the move.  Non-powered simply hold the sat nav and cannot be attached to 12v power.  Not sure if these have better batteries than the car equivalents but my unit is a few years old and still will run for a couple of hours with no power connection.  I have the powered mount though.

A quick search on eBay shows there are several available inlcuding the ram mount - check if the winding roads option is on unit though as not sure it was all of them.  Or maybe its not on the very early units, I can't quite remember!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TomTom-RIDER-2nd-Edition-Europe-Motorcycle-GPS-Receiver/223142181523?epid=97488201&hash=item33f44f7a93:g:0WcAAOSw~X1bmOgP

[A7 OOH]

Thanks for the info Nick

[John Vine]

More photos, please.

This is not an aero installation, but it's how I've set up my phone mount.  All I really wanted was to see when I'd received an incoming call (or, more likely, a text) from my wife while on the road.

The phone mount is in fact a RANVOO unit, but seems to be identical to Strangely's one (post #5):

And a driver's-eye view:

JV

[A7 OOH]

I tried the mag mount on a blat today but on test it was found the sat nav fell off ( small tom tom 4.3 screen) Magnet not strong enough - although it does give a neat solution, probably ok for a phone.

Will have to consider alternatives, still enough posted.

[Terence]

Running an aeroscreen 7, and needing my satnav tomorrow  I have just fabricated a bracket and plate which attaches below the dash on the passenger side. Basically it is an aluminium upper clamping piece and lower  plate, curved to match the profile of the dash cross bar with a thin rubber coat where it clamps to the rail. There are two holes in the flange which carry 6 mm bolts through the bottom plate to wing nuts which clamp both parts together, for easy attachment and removal.

The plate is angled to hang vertically, and the Garmin sucker attachment mounts onto that. This is a quick and dirty fix for tomorrow, and Mk 11 will be profiled to the size and shape of the Garmin mounting.

The green background is to match the car - Mk 11 will be matt black!