February 19, 2006 18:01
Using several GPS units in my car, I've never had any issue with glass or steel limiting the signal. I naturally stick mine in the window, and I've never tried tossing it in the back seat to see if it would still work. I think I did need to put an older Garmin in the window to get a signal.
There is a bigger issue behind this question, and that is whether you want to add this tiny risk to other tiny risks, ending up one day with a single event leading into some catastrophic domino effect.
Is your GPS a cute toy, or do you get stuck at bad times in tight places in heavy fog? Commercial boats have come to rely on GPS as a last resort, even over-riding radar (in some cases) as the final decision maker. That reliance is based on multiple GPS units. I counted eleven separate GPS antenna heads on an Alaska Marine Highway ferry last summer. I never needed that GPS signal in my car, and though I described in a previous post using a USB unit to navigate a commercial tug and barge, I had a variety of other options available if the laptop and GPS quit working. If you already have other backup options running, then setting your USB unit in the window is likely to be more than enough to enhance the day.
There is a bigger issue behind this question, and that is whether you want to add this tiny risk to other tiny risks, ending up one day with a single event leading into some catastrophic domino effect.
Is your GPS a cute toy, or do you get stuck at bad times in tight places in heavy fog? Commercial boats have come to rely on GPS as a last resort, even over-riding radar (in some cases) as the final decision maker. That reliance is based on multiple GPS units. I counted eleven separate GPS antenna heads on an Alaska Marine Highway ferry last summer. I never needed that GPS signal in my car, and though I described in a previous post using a USB unit to navigate a commercial tug and barge, I had a variety of other options available if the laptop and GPS quit working. If you already have other backup options running, then setting your USB unit in the window is likely to be more than enough to enhance the day.