DO NOT leave this plugged into the GPS for extended periods when not being used.
It consumes a small amount of power, and will flatten the GPS's internal battery within a few days. There was an even worse problem in one of my cars which was not used for several weeks. It left the car battery TOTALLY flat when it and the GPS were left plugged-in to an un-switched 12v outlet (even though the GPS was switched off).
I still rate this item as ***** (5 stars) now that I know how to easily avoid a flat car battery. Just unplug it!!! All 5 antennae I have bought are still working fine (as is my now-ancient Nuvi 350).
Update December 2009:
I continue to be impressed and bought 2 more to give as gifts. AND No! I have no personal interest in the company (unfortunately). Improves speed of signal acquisition in my Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic especially noticeable when the GPS has not been been used for many days. Again, thoroughly recommended.
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Update April9 2009:
I was so pleased with this item that I bought 2 more so that they are permanently installed on my cars.
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I came across this item while browsing Amazon for reviews on new GPS. I needed to replace my 30 month old Nuvi 350 which was non-functioning displaying the dreaded "Cannot Acquire Satellites" error message. The 2 reviews on this antenna both stated that its use had resolved this issue. Further investigation confirmed similar results with other comparable antennae.
I had returned a Nuvi 750 because its performance was inferior to the 350. Seeing that the cost of both the antenna and shipping was minimal I decided that I did not have much to lose by ordering one.
When it arrived, I connected it to my 350 and dumped them both on the passenger seat. My hopes were high but my expectations were low.
In a very short time I noticed that my old 350 (previously destined for the garbage) was now fully functional. Further investigation revealed that signal strength is far higher that it had previously been. Signal acquisition is also very much quicker.
The antenna itself measures 1-3/4" x 1-3/8 x 9/16", has a 10' 1/8" diam. cord and has a powerful magnet for easy routing and exterior attachment. Since I am getting such good signal strength, I shall probably place it permanently above the dash where it will attract less unwelcome interest.
My other pleasant surprise was that it had arrived in Maine (from Texas) 3 days after placing my order.
When I finally replace my Nuvi 350, it (and this antenna) will continue to be used in our second car. My new GPS (maybe 765?) will be ordered along with a second antenna hopefully from the same seller (if not Amazon.com itself).
One caveat:
The antenna's plug could be improved. It is tiny and difficult (very hard on finger nails) to remove. I plan to attach a more substantial grip (maybe a 1/2" diameter plastic disc or similar shape) using epoxy glue to eliminate this minor problem.
This is not enough of a problem to reduce my 5-star rating.
FYI:
The Nuvi has a direct connection for an antenna rather than through its quick-disconnect mount (a design upgrade would be a major improvement!!!) therefore this item must be unplugged whenever removing the GPS.
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This antenna performs as advertised. My Garmin Nuvi GPS was suffering increasingly intermittent connections with satellites. Eventually, it would only rarely locate my car, and several times I had to resort to my phone's GPS to get where I was going. Apparently, from browsing the web, this is a fairly common problem for Garmin units.I was procrastinating before spending hundreds of dollars on yet another GPS, when I spotted a claim of this solution on a random web page, and then found it on Amazon and saw favorable reviews.
It still might take up to 30 seconds to locate the car when starting, but then the connection is rock solid. At about $20, it is a tiny fraction of the cost of a new GPS unit. The cable is longer than necessary, about 6 feet rather than the necessary 1 or 2 feet, but the antenna itself is compact. It makes putting the unit out of sight slightly more cumbersome, with the extra wire emanating from the GPS, a minor hassle.
[a few days later after looking at the extra cable for a while, I wrapped it around, out the door, and used the magnet under the antenna to stick it on my car roof the extra cable is actually a good thing.]
Instructions were minimal. The user simply plugs the cable into the little connection on the GPS antenna flap that lifts up from the back of the unit.
It worked for me, thanks Amazon and its diligent and accurate reviewers.
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Our Nuvi 660 would no longer acquire satellites. After attaching this external antenna, it now works again. Does not come with any manual or setup recommendations.Honest reviews on Powerful External Remote Amplified GPS Antenna Receiver for Garmin
My Nuvi 360 always take long time (more than 15 min is common) to lock in satellites when I am using it in the car. Placing it very close to the wind screen did not help. If it ever work, I got 3 bars in average and frequent "Weak Satellite Reception" message. It got worse when I am driving around tall buildings and fly-over, as in a city like Kuala Lumpur. Weak signal also cause many other problems. It sometime found me on the wrong street (and recalculate), keep moving when I stop at red light (predictive movement ha, smart programmers?), and turn to opposite direction when I am not. So you can guess how helpful this Nuvi was to me.I am living in Malaysia, where we always have at least of 7 layers of clouds, 30" of annual rain, 30-35 deg C day temperature and probably about 70-90% humidity throughout. Adds tall buidings, fly-overs, well grown trees and heat shielding windows film, maybe it is too much to ask from the little Nuvi.
I tried the Nuvi in California and it got full bars all the time, inside the car. Lucky Californian!
I found about external antenna after Googling briefly. Not very convincing (maybe it is no brand?) initially but thought nothing much to lose at $17 (plus shipping) from Amazon. What's a pleasant surprise! Not only the GPS able to lock in within minutes, full bars becomes a norm now. Signal strengths are doubled to almost 80-100% and I can see a lot more satellites are locked. Accuracy improved from 9-15 meters to 5-9 meters. Tall buildings, fly-overs, tall/full grown trees and bad weather would drop the signal to 3 bars at times but it never turn red anymore. All this with simply plug in the antenna to Nuvi and let the receiver lying on the dashboard!
This thing really work and I am buying 2 more as gifts for my friends. I have never tried other more expensive brands such as Gilson and Garmin, but I think this one is near perfect. Why spend more?
I strongly recommend this product.
Pros: Lock satellites much quicker. Improve signal strength significantly. Small, humble looking receiver that blend in with black dashboard and wouldn't draw unintended attention. No power supply needed. Wire is long enough that the GPS unit can be installed anywhere in the car. Excellent value.
Cons: How to route the wire neatly around the car?
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Powerful External Remote Amplified GPS Antenna Receiver for Garmin
I bought the antenna to fix my reception problem with Garmin 350. The signal reception has been restored and looks like works even better than original Garmin chip that broke.So, if you need cheap fix for Garmin I recommend to try this before spending money on new device.
Disadvantage in my case the cable is too long
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