Booster antenna?

        I notice that Garmin is offering a booster antenna as an
accessory for some of its newer models. It's obviously meant to be put on
the roof of a vehicle.

        Can it also be carried, with reasonable comfort & convenience,
while hiking or just sitting in the woods?

        If so, does it do any good?

        In Southern Appalachia we have "rhododendron hells," aptly so
named, which even a weasel might have trouble getting through, absent a
cut and pruned trail -- better named a tunnel, and all praise be to the
kindly souls who keep each pruned back!

        Inside such tunnels, even a Rino (which does much better under
the summer canopy than my old Etrex Vista) routinely loses all track of
any satellites. (And I doubt even the newest Montana will do a lot
better.)

        I would like to map a few such tunnels, if there is a way -- such
as a booster antenna mounted on a hat or cap, or the shoulder of a cargo
vest -- but I haven't had one in hand, and doubt I'd find much other
need or use for one (unless it can connect to the Vista).

--
Beartooth Staffwright, PhD, Neo-Redneck Linux Convert
What do they know of country, who only country know?

On 7/27/11 12:38 PM, BeartoothHbsk3 wrote:

Be sure to poke a neat hole though the aluminum foil you obviously line
your hat with...

Op 27-7-2011 19:55, Small Potato stated the following:

8<


:-D


--

Greetings,
Rudolpho
Carpe diem

BeartoothHbsk3 wrote:


I use this amplified external antenna with my GPSMAP 60CSx:

        http://www.sanav.com/gps_antennas/gpa/mk-76.htm

It's powered from the GPS, and seems to have a minimal impact on
battery life.

It has a magnet for attachment to a vehicle roof. I use it to
get maximum accuracy when logging road data for OpenStreetMap.

I also use it when mapping hiking trails. Having a magnetic
attachment, it isn't suitable for attachment to tinfoil hats
(sorry "Small Potato"). But sew or otherwise attach a small
section of thin steel plate to a cotton hat and you have the
perfect mounting for hiking.

It makes a dramatic improvment to signal strength under thick
vegetation cover.

If you're really paranoid, you probably won't wear it on your hat
:)

John

John Henderson schrieb:

[...]

FACK!


HTH

Reinhard