Hds Question

[j-bones]

I am seriously considering upgrading the electronics on my boat to an HDS-8 or 10. After speaking with the service dept and my boat dealer he said that mounting units with internal antennas behind windshields often cause problems with the gps connect-ability. I was wondering if anyone had any info/experience with that. Any other guidance or recommendations is appreciated.

Thanks

[Long Mike]

Unless your windshield has been tinted, you should have no problem installing the HDS behind the windshield. Many window tints contain metal particles that could interfere with the satellite signals to the GPS. If you think about it, most cars have their portable GPS units mounted behind the windshield.

Because the HDS-8 and 10 are rather large, I would be more concerned about the room available to mount the unit behind the windshield.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Have not had a problem

[basscatcher8]

Im speaking just straight from what i have read on other sites. Guys were reporting problems with the gps speed reading with the internal antenna if it was behind the wind screen. It was a group of walleye guys that said when they were trolling below speeds of 1.0 that the speed would jump around between .5 and 2.0 and they couldn't make it accurate unless they installed the external antenna.

[Todd Driscoll]

Im speaking just straight from what i have read on other sites. Guys were reporting problems with the gps speed reading with the internal antenna if it was behind the wind screen. It was a group of walleye guys that said when they were trolling below speeds of 1.0 that the speed would jump around between .5 and 2.0 and they couldn't make it accurate unless they installed the external antenna.

The internal antennas on HDS units function very well flush-mounted or behind windshields. However, for the specific example you provide above regarding the very detailed need to distinguish between speeds below 2 MPH, I would always recommend installing the external 4000 antenna. Internal antennas update position 1X/sec, while the external 4000s update 5X/sec. You would also need to install the NMEA 2000 network to use a 4000 antenna.

[BRONZEBACK_ADDICT]

I have an HDS 8 mounted behind a full windshield on my Ranger 620...unit works perfectly

[Dwight Hottle]

I have an HDS 10 mounted behind a full windshield on my starcraft with no problems. My internal antenna has no problems at any speed 0 to 60.

[Way2slow]

My HDS-10 won't fit behind my windshield but it's on a Ram mount, partially blocked by the console and it works fine. I also have the HDS-7 on the bow and HDS-5 in the console, all with GPS so they can be used independently (networking doesn't always do what I want) and have never noticed a problem with the one in the console either. However, I've never used it for extreme low speeds.

At that slow of a speed, it could be where they are located. WAAS works much better in the southern hemisphere and they my be getting fluctuations in accuracy.