Protecting and

Mounting Your GPS

AGPS represents a significant investment as a single electronic device that you’re going to take into the outdoors, expose to the elements, and possibly treat roughly. While modern GPS units are quite

robust, they are still electronic devices made of plastic, and as such dislike getting wet and knocked about. Moreoever, you may take PDAs and other mobile devices with you that are far happier in the office than on the trail. Even though GPS receivers are waterproof to a certain extent (most to IPX-7, which means that they can handle submersion to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes), they can benefit from a little bit more protection just to err on the safe side.

This chapter examines the steps you can take when you’re outdoors to protect your devices from minor cosmetic damage such as scuffs and scrapes, and more extreme treatment such as impacts and submersion. You also look at ways to mount your GPS, both in the car or on foot.

Screen Damage

The screen on a GPS or other electronic device is obviously a highly vulnerable point. Not only is it more easily broken than the rest of the device, it is susceptible to minor but annoying cosmetic scratches. In fact, the screen picks up scratches easily, as you can see from Figure 5-1, which shows a well-cared-for (well, reasonably well-cared-for!) Garmin Vista.

If you are taking along PDAs that have touch-sensitive screens, such as the iPAQ, these are even more prone to screen damage. In fact, it only takes a small amount of pressure on the screen to totally destroy one. When it comes to screens, there’s no such thing as a small amount of damage.

The following sections describe some simple steps that you can take to protect the screen on your GPS unit.

chapter

in this chapter

˛Screen protection

˛Commercial protection options

˛In-car mounting of GPS

˛Mounting a GPS on a bike/hiking stick/ ski pole

˛Make your own GPS holder

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FIGURE 5-1: Normal wear and tear can take its toll on a GPS.

Screen Protectors

One of the simplest ways to protect your screen from minor damage is to apply a thin plastic screen protector to it. These screen protectors protect PDA screens from minor scuffs and scratches picked up during use. A screen protector set is shown in Figure 5-2.

Chances are good that you won’t find a screen protector exactly the right size for your GPS, as most are designed for PDAs. Buy some that you can use for a PDA, and you can cut them down to fit the GPS screen.

The trick to applying screen protectors effectively is to first clean the screen surface thoroughly. It helps if the screen isn’t too scratched to begin with, but protecting a slightly scratched screen and preventing it from getting any worse is better than doing nothing at all. Clean the screen with nothing more than a slightly damp cloth, as solvents or detergents can cause the material to cloud over or even melt. Make sure that you get into any scratches on the screen — a Q-tip is ideal for this. Also get into the edges with a Q-tip or toothpick. I’m using a Q-tip in Figure 5-3.

After you’ve thoroughly cleaned and dried the screen, you can apply the screen protector. The trick to attaching a screen protector is to work slowly and methodically, taking care to eliminate air bubbles from within the plastic sheet as you go.

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FIGURE 5-2: Commercial screen protectors

FIGURE 5-3: Carefully clean the screen before applying the screen protector.

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Your screen protector set should contain the following:

Screen protector sheets

Plastic applicator card

This is the best way I’ve found to apply a screen protector:

1.Start peeling the backing off of one of the screen protector sheets, as shown in Figure 5-4. Start from the narrow end so you can work along the screen. You only need to peel off 5–10 mm of the backing at this time.

FIGURE 5-4: Start by peeling back the sheet a small amount — don’t whip the whole of the backing off at once.

2.Stick the screen protector to the top of the screen as shown in Figure 5-5. Make sure the protector is applied well and that there are no bubbles in the film that will obscure the display.

3.Slowly work your way down the screen at a rate of about 10 mm at a time. Peel the backing a bit and use the plastic card to scrape the film onto the screen surface, as shown in Figure 5-6. This method is the one that give you the best results.

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FIGURE 5-5: Work carefully and methodically from the top of the screen downward.

FIGURE 5-6: Using the plastic card to work out bubbles in the plastic film is vital.

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4.If you do get a bubble in the film, peel back the film a little past the bubble and use the plastic card to scrape the film again. Don’t worry about peeling back the film; you can do this quite a few times without affecting the adhesive.

5.After you’ve covered the screen, it’s time to trim the film. Use a sharp knife or scissors to do this and follow the edge carefully, as shown in Figure 5-7. Carefully work your way around the screen, trimming the film as you go. Be careful not to scratch the screen in the process! If you’ve already made a screen protector, then you can peel the old one off and use that as a template for the new one!

FIGURE 5-7: Carefully cut around the edges of the screen protector.

Never trim a screen protector that’s attached to a touch-sensitive screen, as this will severely damage the screen.

6.And there you have it — a protected screen! The finish won’t be perfect if the screen was already scuffed (as mine was), but it will help to protect it from further scuffs, scrapes, and scratches.

A low-cost alternative to commercial screen protectors is to use a self-adhesive plastic film such as “Frisket” film.