Garmin 2610 reception and mounting

[AndyT]

I finally got round to fitting my 2610 to the bike for a September jaunt to Europe and was plagued by "No satelite Reception"... I very rarely got this with my old SP3 however that had an external antenna. Has anyone else noticed the poor reception of the 2610. I thing I thought it may be is that my power ;ead is quite long and I had it coiled around the GPS unit, is it possib;e that this was attenuating the signal causing it to loose reception so often???

Also I fitted it to a Motorrad Concepts Mount with a Garmin cradle. This is however so close to the screen that I need to remove the moyunt to allow me to loosen the lock screw in the GArmin cradle and remove the unit from my bike. WHat am I doing wrong??? It seems so hard to removed it.

Any advice appreciated.

Many thanks

AndyT

 

[wessie]

My 2610 works fine, except under trees etc.

Mine is handlebar mounted on a RAM jobbie.

I guess your setup is interfering with the signal. I'm sure the power lead coiled around the unit will not be helping. It will be generating quite a nice EMF.

 

[Ash]

iv.e had a 2610 well two for five years and toured eu many times. only problems i ever had was in city centers with tall buildings.
i had a mate who made a homemade sun visor for his and had the same problem as you.nothing should obstruct the unit.
i have a garmin GA 25MCX low profile GPS antena part no.010-10702.00 for use in my citreon C5 as its got a special anti sun ray/glare screen.if all else fails.you can buy an aftermarket one of ebay.[antena]
ps.hard wired and TT locking mount on handlebar cross member.

 

[Stig]

I thing I thought it may be is that my power ;ead is quite long and I had it coiled around the GPS unit, is it possib;e that this was attenuating the signal causing it to loose reception so often???

Any advice appreciated.

Many thanks

AndyT

Could be.... especially if it performs ok in car etc...

Mines same-ish setup as yours... Morotad Concepts mount etc... and my performance / experience is same as ash19600

 

[beemerboy9]

I felt that I was having the same problem in city centres. I bought a cheap extrenal aerial off e-bay and I'm sure that helped this summer.

 

[Taff]

I'm sure the power lead coiled around the unit will not be helping. It will be generating quite a nice EMF.

Coil the excess cable in a circle and secure it with a rubber band - that should save you coiling it around the unit.

I'm sure the reception on my 2610 is better than my previous SPIII.

 

[judge]

Only ever had a problem with the 2610 reception when I bought the beautifully over-engineered must have bling cradle from Touratech where the nice metal clamp shields perfectly the internal antenna located under the case along the top of the unit.

As soon as I reverted to the Garmin cradle the problem went away. Based on my experience you wrapping several cores of metal strands around your unit would have the same net effect.

Do as Taff says and see if it changes anything, if it doesn't then sounds like the unit needs backing to Garmin (unless my description on the MC cradle matches the Touratech one).

 

[RAM-man]

Only ever had a problem with the 2610 reception when I bought the beautifully over-engineered must have bling cradle from Touratech where the nice metal clamp shields perfectly the internal antenna located under the case along the top of the unit.

As soon as I reverted to the Garmin cradle the problem went away. Based on my experience you wrapping several cores of metal strands around your unit would have the same net effect.

Do as Taff says and see if it changes anything, if it doesn't then sounds like the unit needs backing to Garmin (unless my description on the MC cradle matches the Touratech one).

FWIW .. Its a Faraday cage effect , so its back to 4th form fizzicks..

 

[judge]

Edit:

I was able to cure it by plugging in an external aeria but its yet another thing to mount, route cables on and connect/dis-connect/re-connect at stops - in essence a total ball ache

 

[cookie]

my experience echoes judges.

 

[judge]

FWIW .. Its a Faraday cage effect , so its back to 4th form fizzicks..

Skool lesuns on a Munday - its wot makes this place so grate..

Faraday_cage

I bunked off knowing that when I needed it, the as yet relatively unknown Internet would come to my rescue

 

[mrTickle]

I bought an external antenna on e-bay for £8 and it's the best £8 quid I've spent in a long time. I own the 2610, 2820 & iQue3000 and it improves reception incredibly on all of them. It transformed the iQue from a slug, into a match for the 2820.

I've also had hire cars that have had some sort of reflective coating in their windscreens, preventing my Garmins from getting a signal inside the car. With the external aerial, no such problem

 

[AndyT]

Could be.... especially if it performs ok in car etc...

Mines same-ish setup as yours... Morotad Concepts mount etc... and my performance / experience is same as ash19600

How do you take your unit off the bike when you leave it as with the Motorrad concepts mount and Garmin cradle the locking screw is obscured by the screen preventing removal??

I would post a pic but I'm at work at the minute.

AndyT

 

[AndyT]

Thanks for all the replies guys, It looks like I must need an extrenal antenna which ads Judge says is a PITA

I'll try rerouting the power lead as I want to wire it up direct to the battery but as I was fitting the mounting bracket hours before my ferry I couldn't be fussy.

AndyT

 

[RAM-man]

Skool lesuns on a Munday - its wot makes this place so grate..

Faraday_cage

I bunked off knowing that when I needed it, the as yet relatively unknown Internet would come to my rescue

I was told this minor bit of detail and so stored it.. as one day it would be asked...

As Judge and Cookie says external antenna is the solution, to solve the problem. I had also seen this on SilentG's Boxer with a Quest, can't explain why, it happens.

Warning .. anyone tempted with a re-radiating antenna instead of an external antenna .. do NOT buy or use them .. they're illegal

 

[Berin]

How do you take your unit off the bike when you leave it as with the Motorrad concepts mount and Garmin cradle the locking screw is obscured by the screen preventing removal??

I would post a pic but I'm at work at the minute.

AndyT

Have you tried adjusting the MC mount down? It's adjustable. Big hex key where it fits onto the screen mount thingy.
I have a 2610 in a Garmin cradle on an MC mount and only get problems when deep in trees or cities with tall buildings.

But had a hire car in Belgium and it wouldn't pick up a signal at all, I think the car had a heated front screen so the ariel would help. Anyone got a link?

 

[Ash]

MCX GPS Antenna Aerial Garmin Nuvi 600 610 660 670 680
ebay-Item number: 280156032211
have a look at details it works many units and much cheaper than my garmin unit.

 

[RAM-man]

Have you tried adjusting the MC mount down? It's adjustable. Big hex key where it fits onto the screen mount thingy.
I have a 2610 in a Garmin cradle on an MC mount and only get problems when deep in trees or cities with tall buildings.

But had a hire car in Belgium and it wouldn't pick up a signal at all, I think the car had a heated front screen so the ariel would help. Anyone got a link?

Most French cars have an Athermic windscreen which reflects/deflects (?) satellite signals, so its does need an external antenna to overcome poor reception.

 

[AndyT]

MCX GPS Antenna Aerial Garmin Nuvi 600 610 660 670 680
ebay-Item number: 280156032211
have a look at details it works many units and much cheaper than my garmin unit.

top man - I wonder how long it will take to come from China?? They have loads of good feedback though.

AndyT

 

[Sir James]

My 2610 was better than my SP111 , but did suffer in City Centers or next to high sided buildings , trees or mountainous areas

Switched my Zumo on for the first time today inside the house and it found the satellites immediately