Gps

[Earl McMillan]

Few weeks ago a thread on GPS came up. At the time somebody said you
could plug them into 6 volt. Not sure what to search for. Any ideas.
Tanks
Earl McMillan

[Big John]

check with mfr.....

[msmaron]

yes you can

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Big John

check with mfr.....

Well I just purchased a pair of Nuvi50lm GPS' which I am going to convert one of the for 6 volt negative ground. I do question the logic on asking the manufacturer because I would think they will not want to discuss that to protect themselves from liability.

[quickchange]

Mine works on 6v or 12v but must be negative earth so when running in the A you need a insulated lighter socket as vehicle is positive earth,

[Dick Deegan]

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Yes, the Garmin charger is a smart charger and can be used (mine at least ) on any voltage from 5 - 30V, but must be negative ground. I got an external outlet and just changed the wiring so that the ground side was negative.

Dick

[Bob Johnson]

Check the voltage output of the wall charger that came with your GPS. If the output is 6 volts or less there is a good chance that the cigarette lighter adapter that came with your GPS will work with the Model A 6 volt battery. Install a cigarette light receptacle. JUST BE SURE THAT YOU GET THE POLARITY CORRECT. If your GPS is charged through the USB port then you can get a car USB adapter. The car USB adapters are built to work on 12 volt systems. However they will also work on 6 volt systems. Just be sure to get the polarity correct.


Bob

[Earl McMillan]

Thanks fellows have my answer.

Earl

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

I have run Garmans in two 6V A's for several years. I bought plastic lighter sockets with two wires. With a coarse sandpaper scuff a patch of paint under the fuel tank to the left of center. I put a dab of body fill on the lighter mounting pad and stuck it under the tank. Run the center wire of the socket to the hot wire on the starter and the ground wire to ground, again on the starter, which would be +. They're an accurate speedometer and trip meter.

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

OOPS, Did I get that wiring backwards! The center wire goes to Ford ground (+) and the ground wire on the socket goes to hot on the starter. That sound better?

[eagle]

One more chiming in, MAKE SURE THE POLARITY IS CORRECT! No second chances. Reversing the polarity WILL destroy either the power supply, the GPS, or both. Not trying to yell here, just make sure. I deal in commercial electronic products and its amazing how many times people reverse the polarity and, yes, its usually trash when that happens. The electronics of today are amazingly resilient to most forms of abuse, however not that form.

[QGolden]

Originally Posted by eagle

The electronics of today are amazingly resilient to most forms of abuse, however not that form.

You are right, and all it would take is a Diode in the negative (ground) circuit to protect the device.

[Napa Skip]

Or, sacre bleu!, convert to a negative ground system...

[Tom Wesenberg]

Speaking of GPS, I saw some good deals on several at the pawn shop the other day. I'm still using my AMCOR that I bought about 6 years ago, and yes, it works fine on 6 volts.

[eagle]

BTW. When buying a GPS, always go with a model that includes LTM. Thats Life Time Maps. Otherwise the map upgrades are quite expensive.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by eagle

BTW. When buying a GPS, always go with a model that includes LTM. Thats Life Time Maps. Otherwise the map upgrades are quite expensive.

Last time I was in this situation, it was cheaper to buy a new unit with LTM than to update the maps in my old unit.

[CarlG]

For you guys that have a GPS in your Model A, what do you use for a mount?

[John Butts in CT]

My Garmin NUVI has a realistic battery life of about 8 hours, so why add more electrical clutter to the "A?"

I use a suction cup mount on the windshield.

Slightly off topic, but related...I feel the same way about my "sound system."

My Ipod touch with long battery life... pumping through a cheap omni-directional speaker with its own long battery life... both tucked into an old cigar box on the floor. Open the lid and I have instant access to my entire music library, including 15 hours of period music (great for when I pull up to the bank drive-in).

At the end of the day, everything recharges in the house, although, in a pinch, I could also power everything for about 11 additional hours via USB connection to my laptop.

I suppose my point is that I see no compelling reason to modify my "A" for 2013 technology.

In 30 years, someone else would just have to tear out all of the modifications to accommodate some other accessory as yet undreamed of (which would prompt a lot of posts about mystery wires and holes in the firewall and dash rail).

I'll stick with external battery power

[w.michael]

If you use a suction cup mount on the windshield, and if you swing the windshield out, and when (not if) the suction cup lets go . . ..

You need to use some type of tether on the device.

Don't ask me how I know.

W.Michael

[Jim/GA]

Originally Posted by CarlG

For you guys that have a GPS in your Model A, what do you use for a mount?

My Garmin came with a suction cup mount that sticks to the inside of the windshield glass, directly above the gas gauge. My navigator can reach it there and I can see it easily.

It is easily removed when I arrive and stashed out of sight (or not -- depending on my mood).

[QGolden]

Rubber cement can be used to stick a small piece of plexi glass or similar to an inside surface. Or you can screw a piece of plexi to one of those extra dash holes. . The suction cup mount can be attached to it. The Rubber Cement rolls right off of the surface when dry. Also, if you do not have a steel roof, the GPS will work anywhere in the car.

[pat in Santa Cruz]

I tether mine from the mirror with a piece of yarn tied to the mirror mount and the arm of the GPS suction cup. When the suction cup lets go, the GPS swings free, but does not drop.

[Jim/GA]

Interesting. I have never had the suction cup come loose while driving. I open the windshield a bit most of the time. I guess I have just been lucky.

[Bob Johnson]

I made a mount for my tablet/gps.

[mhsprecher]

I just use Google maps on my iPhone. It may not be as flexible or as capable as a GPS, it's enough for me. Given that we typically want to stay off of some roads, the old fashioned map still works well. That said, knowing speed and time elapsed might be handy, too. To throw in another opinion, I think that GPS makes you stupid. When you get lost with a GPS, you are really lost.

[mngreen]

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Originally Posted by John Butts in CT

My Garmin NUVI has a realistic battery life of about 8 hours, so why add more electrical clutter to the "A?"

I use a suction cup mount on the windshield.

Slightly off topic, but related...I feel the same way about my "sound system."

My Ipod touch with long battery life... pumping through a cheap omni-directional speaker with its own long battery life... both tucked into an old cigar box on the floor. Open the lid and I have instant access to my entire music library, including 15 hours of period music (great for when I pull up to the bank drive-in).

At the end of the day, everything recharges in the house, although, in a pinch, I could also power everything for about 11 additional hours via USB connection to my laptop.

I suppose my point is that I see no compelling reason to modify my "A" for 2013 technology.

In 30 years, someone else would just have to tear out all of the modifications to accommodate some other accessory as yet undreamed of (which would prompt a lot of posts about mystery wires and holes in the firewall and dash rail).

I'll stick with external battery power

Yes, absolutely! I do exactly the same and use both my Garmin NUVI plus my old iPod with iHome speakers that have rechargeable battery power (great sound!) in both my Model A and my Model T. The Garmin windshield suction cup mounts quite nicely on the right side of my gas tank in the A and on the metal dash on the T. It has never come off unless I take it off.

In my view, with today's technology, messing around with the wiring of an antique vehicle is ridiculous.

[Cape Codder]

Are there any GPS's that can be programed onto the roads that I want to travel versus the GPS telling me what roads to travel. I want to program it for back roads then I know with the GPS when the turns are coming.
Thanks for your time.

[Tom Endy]

Here is how I mounted my GPS

Tom Endy

[sidhartha]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Are there any GPS's that can be programed onto the roads that I want to travel versus the GPS telling me what roads to travel. I want to program it for back roads then I know with the GPS when the turns are coming.
Thanks for your time.

I've not seen one that you can program your roads into. I think that defeats the real purpose of the GPS. I do have a Tom Tom that let's me choose to avoid toll roads, highways and unpaved roads.

[John Butts in CT]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Are there any GPS's that can be programed onto the roads that I want to travel versus the GPS telling me what roads to travel. I want to program it for back roads then I know with the GPS when the turns are coming.
Thanks for your time.

Like Sidhartha, I'm not aware of any GPS with this capability. However, you can use Google Earth on your computer in conjunction with your GPS to accomplish the same thing, transferring locations saved in Google Earth over to your GPS as points of interest.

First, use Google Earth to scope out the roads you want to take on a particular drive. I find it much easier to use a keyboard and a big screen to plan a trip. Then choose a series of locations along the way that you can only reach by taking the roads you prefer; save them and name them in some obvious sequence (Stop A, Stop B, etc., or restaurant, covered bridge, lunch, etc.).

Here's the catch: you have to convert the files you just created from Google Earth's format to whatever format your GPS uses. There are free programs online for this. Then import the re-formatted files into your GPS (mine imports them as points of interest, so I'll call them "POI").

Tell the GPS to take you to your first POI. When you arrive, punch in the second POI, and so on.

Carry a paper list of your POI names and a marked up paper map, too!

I used this method in Ireland recently for day trips where we knew we'd have to hike the last couple of miles to our destination. I used Google Earth's satellite imagery to find the nearest parking area and made that my next-to-last POI. On arrival we'd slip the GPS into a day pack and hoof it across the fields to our final destination. (On perfect days, the next-to last stop was a pub parking lot.)

In many ways you can't beat a paper map and a competent navigator, but the GPS is great for true speed and ETA, especially in an "A" or on foot. I also like the GPS' ability to recalculate when a bridge closure, an unfamiliar but tempting road, or a spur-of-the moment ferry ride disrupts the best laid plans.

This thread has me thinking. There's probably not enough demand from go-slow old car drivers to convince anyone to create a "backroads" app for smart phones, but maybe, if we combined with serious touring cyclists? Hmmm. The dead flat State of Delaware is a haven for cyclists, and the state publishes a counter-intuitive road map on which the widest roads are the most cycle friendly, the narrowest roads are the busiest, and all road surfaces are color coded. It's a perfect map for "A" drivers.

P.S. I don't have a smart phone yet, so if there IS a backroads app or a cyclist's app, could someone please share the info?

[Bob Johnson]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Are there any GPS's that can be programed onto the roads that I want to travel versus the GPS telling me what roads to travel. I want to program it for back roads then I know with the GPS when the turns are coming.
Thanks for your time.

I wanted to do the same thing with my tablet. I tried man GPS applications. The only one that worked on my tablet was Mapquest. It is a little complicated but it does work. I use my desktop computer to access Mapquest where I am able to pick whatever route I want with as many location as I need. Then I email the route to my tablet. I open the email on the tablet and there is a link to the route. I click on the link and open it with the tablet application for Mapquest. Recently one of my local clubs had a back road trip that started and ended in the same place and took a route that would not be selected by the GPS programs. I was able to set up the route on my computer and send it to the tablet. Here is a picture of the route.

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by Bob Johnson

Check the voltage output of the wall charger that came with your GPS. If the output is 6 volts or less there is a good chance that the cigarette lighter adapter that came with your GPS will work with the Model A 6 volt battery. Install a cigarette light receptacle. JUST BE SURE THAT YOU GET THE POLARITY CORRECT. If your GPS is charged through the USB port then you can get a car USB adapter. The car USB adapters are built to work on 12 volt systems. However they will also work on 6 volt systems. Just be sure to get the polarity correct.


Bob

Been here and done this twice! Very good advise. I had to buy two new adapters.

[eagle]

The easiest way to travel the route you want on a gps is to enter your destination first, then pick addresses that are off the beaten path that are on the route you want to travel. Put them into the gps as via points. It will then route you from point to point along the way. Most Garmin gps also have options of "quickest" or "most direct". The "most direct usually brings you the most scenic route. Also, just take off cross-country whenever you see an interesting road. The gps will re-calculate the route as needed. Turn down the volume so you don't have to continually listen to the annoying "RECALCULATING!" voice...