Does anyone know if the in-dash Nav's antenna is installed in all cars like the Sirius antenna?

If it is, I have seen a post that said that the connection for the GPS antenna was behind the rear seat. Has anyone noticed what kind of connector is on the end? Does the Mini Garmin unit tie into it? Would a normal Garmin 750 need anything special to tie into the factory antenna?

For all you Garmin Nuvi owners out there, would there be any benefit to having an external GPS antenna? Do you loose GPS signal using the Kuda mount very often?

 

I haven't noticed a problem with the signal on my aftermarket Garmin. Currently I have mine suctioned to the speedo, I have a Kuda on order.

 

I'm interested in this as well. I've worked with GPS systems for a number of years. External antennas give you a much better view of the sky. This may not be an issue when you're out in the country, but it becomes important in modern "urban canyons." That's one of the reasons I'm looking to those Nuvi models which support external antennas.

I'd also like to test drive with the two different display sizes -- I have a feeling I want the larger display (205W, 250W, 660) so I can read things without my reading glasses!

Cheers--

 

I think the answer to your first part is no. Vehicles that have OEM NAV have a different wiring package and couple extra components specific to the NAV system (reason retrofit after the fact is not a doable thing). I my R56, the spots that have the extra modules for NAV antenna gear is open and only the mounting brackets are there.

I use my Nuvi 760 with a Kuda mount a lot in the city and between large building that narrow down the sky shine and at worst case, I loose a one bar so far. We have several tunnels in our area and I do not loose signal till 1/2 trough the tunnel and once out, gain it back asap .

Granted California is not as dense of concrete jungle as some east coast cities, but hope that helps.

Cheers,
Roberto