Roadtorque Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I fly a different helicopter every day. I am going to purchase an aviation portable GPS (Garmin 495) I cant have a permanent mount and really dont care for the suction cup mounts. I'm looking for anyone who has a nice mount or suggestions on how to mount a GPS to a kneeboard, or any other non-permanent, non-suction cup on windscreen advice. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John90290 Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Please refrain from making fun of my bad Microsoft paint drawing but I did not have my kneeboard handy to photograph. I have a Garmin GPS III mounted horizontally so it should work for your 496. I purchased a plastic clipboard from Office Depot and cut it down to fit inside the sleeve of my kneeboard's existing pocket for the clipboard that came with the kneeboard. I filled the entire width in order for it to be stable and not shift around. Make sure to leave plenty of clipboard hanging out in front so that you can shape later. I also choose to add some Velcro to keep it from sliding out when I am transporting the kneeboard with the GARMIN attached. You would then cut along the top of the clipboard (the part hanging out) to allow a mounting surface for the car mount (in the picture attached). I have the cut out shown as a half circle but for mine it was more of a bell curve. The car mount is a low profile design and inexpensive in case you mess it up. I mounted it with rivets but I assume you could bolt it on as well. .. As is said, my GPS III is not as tall but it is about the same width and, mounted on my left knee, it is not in the way at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomer Pylot Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Way back when the Magellan Pioneer was the latest and greatest thing, many of us made up mounts of various sorts. I had one made from thin sheet metal, with a large banker's clip mounted on the bottom with a wingnut and bolt, and the clip was used to attach the mount to the front edge of the glareshield. I've also seen them mounted to various places on top of the glareshield with Velcro. Thoughtfully applied, Velcro works very well for mounting all sorts of things. I use it in the helicopter and in my car, for holding various devices. It's a lot more secure than suction cups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1HeliCFI Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I have used the Ulimate Kneeboard from Harper Aviation for a few years and added the GPS to it in march. I am using a simple Garmin Etrex Vista HCX. To mount it to the kneeboard I cut down an old ASA aluminum kneeboard, drilled holes for the snap rings, then bolted a Garmin Marine mount for the Etrex. The mount has double hinges and two seperate places that will pivot. The clip on the old ASA kneeboard will still hold my chart. I can still flip the entire aluminum piece to the left to get under it for other stuff on the kneeboard board. I have about flown about 150 hours using this setup and am happy with it. The Etrex pretty basic but the bird has a Garmin 400 so that is my primary, I mainly use the Etrex as a backup and to tranfer my ground track to my laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1HeliCFI Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Sorry it looks like only one picture posted, here is attempt #2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MN Heli Flyer Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I fly a different helicopter every day. I am going to purchase an aviation portable GPS (Garmin 495) I cant have a permanent mount and really dont care for the suction cup mounts. I'm looking for anyone who has a nice mount or suggestions on how to mount a GPS to a kneeboard, or any other non-permanent, non-suction cup on windscreen advice. thanks Is this a typo or why would you buy a 495? A 496 is designed for aviation and has much more useful information for the aviator than a 495. MHF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadtorque Posted May 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 No its not a typo. The 495 and 496 are the same unit with the same functions. The difference is the 495 doesnt have xm weather and radio and is a thousand dollars cheaper. The big turn off is the monthly subscription of the xm for the 496, it can run over $100 a month just for xm weather. To all others thanks for the info, I like the idea of "extending" you kneeboard up you knee a little and then mounting the GPS to that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MN Heli Flyer Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 No its not a typo. The 495 and 496 are the same unit with the same functions. The difference is the 495 doesnt have xm weather and radio and is a thousand dollars cheaper. The big turn off is the monthly subscription of the xm for the 496, it can run over $100 a month just for xm weather. To all others thanks for the info, I like the idea of "extending" you kneeboard up you knee a little and then mounting the GPS to that My mistake! I thought the 495 was more for street than aviation. I should have done research before commenting. I agree that an extra $1000 may not be worth it and the monthly fees on top of that is the icing on the cake for the companies. If you were flying in IMC it would be nice to see what you may be running into before you get there, but not everyone will need this option. Good luck with your mount and fly safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggbeater Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I bought a 196 before coming to the Gulf, and it has worked just fine. I use the RAM suction mount, and I haven't had any problems with it. If you want a suction free approach, I would definitely suggest using a smaller unit like the 96 or something of similar size. Looking back, I wish I would have bought a smaller unit - you get the same information, less weight on a knee board, less initial cost, and you use less batteries with that big screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAWg134 Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Necessity is truly the Mother of Invention. Not long ago, I found myself with less than two hours to come up with means of strapping my Garmin 3600a GPS to my knee in preparation for for an upcoming flight. My original plan was to fabricate a mounting plate out of aluminum and then rivet a luggage strap to the backside. However, I spotted a piece of scrap plexiglass and decided it would be much less effort to work with plastic than metal, especially given the time constraint. It's really nothing more than a plastic mounting plate, shaped to fit the GPS mount and drilled to use the mounting screws. I then used a radial arm saw to dado a 1" wide channel between the plate and the mount to allow a 16" length of double-sided velcro to slip between the two pieces. Although I had intended to go back and construct something using an actual Garmin mount (such as 1HeliCFI designed), but found that this worked out so well that I haven't bothered to do so yet. It's light, secure, and totally unobtrusive. I thought that the flat angle would be a problem, but so far it's only been a factor when I get some sun glint on the display, and even then all I have to do is adjust my leg until I can see again. Anyway, I did it for the 3600a, but there's no reason the same approach couldn't be adapted to any other back-mount GPS. Cheap, light, and simple to build. K.I.S.S. Can't seem to insert photos from Picasa online due to "dyanamic tags not allowed", but will try to include as an attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delorean Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Sissions Satchels in St. Louis makes a great kneeboard for GPSs. Just add Velcro to whatever you want to stick to it. http://www.sissonsatchels.com/page2.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppedair Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I bought a 196 before coming to the Gulf, and it has worked just fine. I use the RAM suction mount, and I haven't had any problems with it. If you want a suction free approach, I would definitely suggest using a smaller unit like the 96 or something of similar size. Looking back, I wish I would have bought a smaller unit - you get the same information, less weight on a knee board, less initial cost, and you use less batteries with that big screen. I'm not sure who you work for, but some companies in the gulf will not even allow a suction cup mount in their ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomer Pylot Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 You need to be really careful where you put the mount if you do use suction cups. When (not if) the cups let go, that rig is heading for the chin bubble at a high rate of speed, and the result is not going to be pretty, nor will it be cheap. Suction cups in the windshield of a helicopter is not a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadtorque Posted May 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 I agree, its either mount it to a glare screen, cyclic or knee board. I think the knee board will be the easiest to deal with and the most secure and the one place companies cant prohibit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.