cold eats batteries, and this year i want to mount my gps on my sled. i have a garmin etrex legend and i am wondering ho wu guys keep the life in your batteries when out riding.

nate

Several options:

Use a thumb or handgrip heater panel running off your sleds AC circuit to keep your batteries warm.

Power your GPS off the sled using one of the following rectifiers/regulators.

Use lithium batteries

http://www.numbskull.com/snowmo/gps/schematic.asp

http://www.rickystator.com/pages/Single_Ph..._Regulator.html (http://www.rickystator.com/pages/Single_Phase_Rectifier_Regulator.html)

http://www.purepolaris.com/Detail.aspx?Dep...arisPGACatalog) (http://www.purepolaris.com/Detail.aspx?Department=Snowmobile(PolarisPGACatalo g)&Category=SnowmobileByModel(PolarisPGACatalog)&Listing=800%2f600SwitchBack(PolarisPGACatalog)&nPage=4&nSet=1&ItemID=2872214(PolarisPGACatalog))

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_cata...leafCatId=31004 (http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=21851&store=Main&productId=p21851&catId=310&leafCatId=31004)

rws, thanks for the info. i may try the hand warmer solution and still use rechargable lithium batteries. with a hand warmer should i get a good 12 hr ride out of 2 sets of lithium recharge batteries?

rws, thanks for the info. i may try the hand warmer solution and still use rechargable lithium batteries. with a hand warmer should i get a good 12 hr ride out of 2 sets of lithium recharge batteries?
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I don't know how long heated lithiums would last...something you'll have to find out.

I think the best option would be to power it off your sled using the Polaris plug listed above. It has a built in rectifier so all you have to do is wire it to your sleds AC accessory circuit (accessory plug is by the servo or under headlight)...mount the receptacle on your dash and plug your GPS in. Another advantage to this setup is you can run your backlight when it gets dark out.

ok, i may try the batteries first or find out from someone who has experience with battiries. thanks

Not really keeping the batteries warm, but I just use the 12 volt adapter.
I wired a cig lighter unter the hood and just use the car adapter.
Haven't had a problem in 5 years of running it this way.

A buddy of mine used a hand warmer packet and just rubber banded it around the base of the unit, but he switched to a 12 volt cable a few seasons ago and it is working well for him too.

Later,

Vman

well i just went on garmin and may just get a power adapter and rig up a cig lighter on my sled. i never thought about the fact that i like to ride at night and leaving my backlight on would be an advantage.

thanks for the info.

Dawg, this is what I did with mine. Works perfectly. The case contains the warmth from the backlit buttons and screen and the screen never fades. Don't know if this would work well enough to extend the life of the batteries...I think it would help some, but prob not enough to keep you from needing to swap 'em on a full days' ride. If I hadn't gone with the 12v battery setup, I was going to use Polaris' plug...it's compact and does the job. I'm glad I went with the battery, it has lasted for 3 days' worth of riding w/out a recharge so far, and I can run other accessories off of it if necessary.

GPS Pouch (http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=47477)

jim, why not just run your gps off your sled? that way no need to place a battery somewhere? just is courious thats all.

Two main reasons Nate. One, I wanted the option to run other items that require battery power, like a helmet cam, communicaters, cel phone if necessary, and anything else that may come along. I also wanted to be able to have the gps on even if the sled's not running, such as when you take a break on the side of the trail to take a look at where you are or where you're going.

jim, well that makes perfect sense to me. so do u recomend running the backlight even in the day to keep the screen warm?

jim, well that makes perfect sense to me. so do u recomend running the backlight even in the day to keep the screen warm?
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You may be able to get by w/out it in the daytime, but I just happen to leave mine on all the time. Maybe this year I'll try turning the backlight off during the day and see what happens.

Boy you guys got me thinking of new ways for this winter. Currently I remove the antennae, have a portable one velcroed to the top of may helmet, run the cable to the unit and just throw the thing in my pocket. Good thing is that its warm and pretty much shock resistant. Bad thing is that you have to take it out of the pocket to see. I wonder how hard would it be to cut a small window in the cowling and have the unit mounted underneath and look through a small window. This way it would diffently stay warm. My concern is the vibration. Had the last one mounted on my 4-wheeler handle bar and the vibrations killed it on one trip. As for reception I would just velcro the portable antennae somewhere on the machine. Also need to change it over to running of the machine battery. Great tommorrow I'll have to look at ides.

another thing that has me worried now is what mlb said about vibrtation killing his gps on his wheeler. i gave it some thought last night, and i am not one to sit back and baby my machine on the ruff stuff. Most times i prefer i chewed up, ruff trial or line over a smooth one because it gives me something to do. now with my gps in my pocket, or in my backpack my body cussions a lot of the hard hits in a days ride. The sled takes a beatting thats for sure. If i did mount my gps near my hbars, it may not be as bad as i am thinking because that area is a pivot point. HMMMM

Somewhat of a two edge sword. Here is how I look at it. Most times I really dont need to see the screen. When I come to a location, I just pull it out and mark a waypoint. I always have the "Mark Trail" on so it shows my last route. But yes it is nice to see were you are. The few times when you need to take a look at it, ie a blizzard, or glacier travel when the fog comes in, then you are usually going slow enough that rought trial riding is not an issue. Now the incident with the 4-wheeler was over some very rough rock fields well above tree line. Dents in rims, dents on the skid plates, well you get the idea. I will have to try my GPS this winter and see how it goes. When I mount it I will have some sort of rubber between the mount and GPS. Cant mlunt on the handlebars since I use the mountain bar quite often. Will look at the cowling. PS: I got lucky, Garmin replaced the unit with a newer model. I just had to pay the difference of the newer model.

I've got mine mounted to my riser and it work well all last season. It was used and abused over some very large moguls and never missed a beat :thumbsup: . As for the cold, I used mine down to around -20f and it worked fine with the backlight on. The cold had more of an effect on my fingers when I tried to work the toggle. There where even times when two tracking that my entire gps was encased in snow and ice with nothing but the screen showing through and it still worked great. I doo have e-start though and I have it wired right to the battery, this way I can leave it on even when the sled is off.

another thing that has me worried now is what mlb said about vibrtation killing his gps on his wheeler. i gave it some thought last night, and i am not one to sit back and baby my machine on the ruff stuff. Most times i prefer i chewed up, ruff trial or line over a smooth one because it gives me something to do. now with my gps in my pocket, or in my backpack my body cussions a lot of the hard hits in a days ride. The sled takes a beatting thats for sure. If i did mount my gps near my hbars, it may not be as bad as i am thinking because that area is a pivot point. HMMMM
[/b]

Here's my experience...

I have used various model GPS's on sleds, ATV's and motorcycles for many years mounted on both handlebars and cowls without problem. Go ahead and mount it...you'll like being able to look down and instantly see where you're at...


I have always wondered about this...here's the question I asked and the answer I got back from Garmin today....

Thank you for contacting Garmin International,

Sir, the backlight in any Garmin unit will not put out sufficient heat for
this. If this were the case, in warmer climates the units would fail.

If, you have any further questions please feel free to contact us.

Thank You,
Jake Dahlstrom
Senior Product Support
GARMIN International
800-800-1020
<http://www.garmin.com/>
Fax 1-913-440-5488
If replying to this message, Please include all correspondence.
AOL Users please select all text before clicking reply to ensure the
original text is included in your reply.



-----Original Message-----
From: rws
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 5:31 PM
To: Garmin Technical Support
Subject:


Contact Information:
First Name: rws
Last Name:
Address:
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Problem:
Do the backlights in a GPSMAP 176, GPSMAP 276c, Garmin V, Etrex Legend or
for that matter
any Garmin put out any usfull amount of heat that would help keep the
screens from fading out in cold weather?

And what kind of light/bulb is used for the backlights?

Request emailed to marine@garmin.com


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Thank you for your cooperation

sweet.... well last night i got the sled out of storage and brought it back home. so i will soon start my winter prep work and one of my first things to do, after clean up will be to mount my gps. Probably on my cowl, i wouldnt mant to hit something hard and go ahead into bars. thanks for the help. if i have any other thoughts u can be sure u will hear from me.
thanks
nate

RWS, just goes to show what they (don&#39;t) know! :D

Nate, as you may have noticed, my mount is bolted to the steering post using the same bolts that secure the riser block. Trust me, my buddy and I do not take it easy very often on the trails, and mine hasn&#39;t missed a beat either, like Jason&#39;s. If you mount yours to the cowl somewhere, I would use very large washers on the underside, or a thin plate if possible to prevent the cowl from cracking when the bolts are tightened up.

RWS, just goes to show what they (don&#39;t) know! :D

[/b]


Exactly, the lack of heat would explain why the screen never gets covered in snow. :lol:

jim i searched back a few threads and found some good pics of your setup. i like that way better than placing the gps on my cowl. i will be copying your mount, or something very simular. hope u dont mind :p
now i just have to figure out which side of my bar to put it on.

JF, really surprised that even when your gps gets snow all around it, it still works great. thats great news, even though we dont see too much powder in my area, it does happen.

RWS, just goes to show what they (don&#39;t) know! :D

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Did a little test on one of my GPS&#39;s...the 176 which would screen fade at about 0 to 10 degrees. Used a digital thermometer on the screen and measured the temperature rise with the backlight on high...raised the temp 3.5 degrees. Seems to confirm what the Garmin tech said. Having the backlight on or off (at least on my 176) isn&#39;t gonna make much difference when it gets cold enough out to fade the screen.

Also had a GPS III+ that would fade out at about the same temp.

My current sled GPS 276c worked just fine all last winter...I think it has a different type of screen and never had any trouble with screen fade.

Nate, if you promise to send some of your snow to us southern folk this winter, I&#39;ll email you the measurements of the plate I used if you want. PM me your email address if you&#39;d like.

jim, Thanks. i promise i&#39;ll blow some snow down your way. we actually havnt had great winters the past 2 yrs in my local area. there wa smore snow just south of us LOL. anyway, if i do need some -measurements i&#39;ll PM u. i should be ok though. i am thinking about placing a hand warmer in my mount to help keep my gps somewhat warm. hope that little 600 still has enough juice to get me where i am going by the time i get everything hooked up to it LOL.

My friend uses an old wool sock , a plastic bag , and a hotshot . He covers his GPS on his bar mount with the bag , and sock , with the hotshot in against the battery cover , never had a problem with battery life..

My friend uses an old wool sock , a plastic bag , and a hotshot . He covers his GPS on his bar mount with the bag , and sock , with the hotshot in against the battery cover , never had a problem with battery life..
[/b]

I thought that you had to keep squeezing the Hot Shots to keep them activated.
Do you just have to open them and move the cristals once to activate it for the life of the it?
Fraz

Well I have to admit I do like the idea of looking as I go so yesterday I mounted it on the "Dash". I also installed a cig lighter for power. I guess I&#39;ll just have to see what happens this winter. Still might use the external antennae since it does get better reception than what is on the unit.

Here&#39;s some pics how I heated my GPSMAP 176 from a couple of years ago...since upgrading to a 276c don&#39;t need a heater.

Kimpex handgrip heater panel wired to the ac circuit with the Hi-Lo-Off switch mounted under the hood out of sight. Needed to turn on Lo at about 10 degrees and Hi when it got to -10 to -20 degrees. Being wired to the ac accessory ciruit the heater only had power when the sled was running so I didn&#39;t have to remember to turn it off when parked.

GPS wired directly to the battery through a fused rec/plug for always on operation.

Two plug ins on the dash for the heater and GPS power.

The GPS was easy to remove from sled when needed.

JF, really surprised that even when your gps gets snow all around it, it still works great. thats great news, even though we dont see too much powder in my area, it does happen.
[/b]

The Garmin Legend is a water resistant unit isn&#39;t it? At least I thought it was, if its not then I guess I&#39;ve just been lucky :ohmy:

jason, oh yes u are right about that.

rws, nice setup. i&#39;ll make sure i take pics when u mount my legend. thanks

RWS, not to highjack this thread, but what did you gain with the 276 over the 176?

RWS, not to highjack this thread, but what did you gain with the 276 over the 176?
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The main reason I bought the 276c is I wanted a color screen with basically the same size display and one that was viewable in bright sunlight. A few differences between the two...higher resolution screen, more tracklog points, more waypoints per route, USB connector, for car use it has voice commands and turn by turn routing (haven&#39;t used this feature yet). And offhand the one thing I don&#39;t like about it is the proprietary lithium battery.

I use the Garmin 76C and I have it pluggged into the plug on the sled so I don&#39;t use the batteries. When I turn the sled off I have the gps set to stay on so when we do a trail stop I can still play with it. By keeing the backlight on high both day and night the screen stays in good shape even in -25C to -30C weather. I have the unit mounted in behind the windshield. I used the Ram mount. The ball plate mounts right to the hood. I used a rubber washer under the ball plate with another rubber washer on the back side of the hood with a stainless steel washer to run the nut up against. I don&#39;t seem to have any vibration problems and I am taking away a lot of the stresses that would be placed on the hood by bolting directly to it. The ram mount allows me to quickly take the gps off the sled when we go in for lunch ( not that I don&#39;t trust all of the people out there).