handlebar mounts for GPS/or 2-way radios?

[tri5ron]

Do any of you use,...
and could you recommend,...

A good solid mount, for holding a GPS unit, or 2-way radio ?

I have a set of GMRS radios, and "in helmet" speakers/mics, for both mine, and my wifes quads.
We use them when trail riding, and it is nice to be able to communicate while on the fly.

Right now, the radios ride inside our tankbags, with the wires coming out of the bags to our helmets, and another to a PTT button on the bars.

They work pretty well, with acceptable range, but I'm thinking that if they were handlebar mounted, the range and clarity could be improved.

I've googled searched, and ebay searched, and found quite a few, But most are for bicycles, and don't look like they would take the abuse of an atv ride.

I have seen a couple that claim to be good for atv use, but thought I'd ask here for any opinions or experienced suggestions.

[deathman53]

look up Ram mounts. I have their gps mounts and they are tough. I had 2 of the magellan bike/atv mounts break, resulting in one lost gps. I went to a Ram mount for the same gps unit and it has had alot of abuse.

[beags86]

hey ron, where did you get the in helmet speaker/ mic and push to talk button for your handlebars? also what type of radios do you use?

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by beags86
hey ron, where did you get the in helmet speaker/ mic and push to talk button for your handlebars? also what type of radios do you use? The radios that have been using came out about a year or so ago. they are the Midland GXT 900vp4 I belive. They do have some decent range and functions, but be forwarned,... ALL FRS/GMRS radio manufacturers LIE, when it come to claimed range.
Sure they may have a 30+ mile range in the perfect vacuum of space, which may be to your benefit whenyou are riding your atv's on the Moon,.... but in the real world, 1 1/2 to 2 miles is pretty good for a handheld GMRS radio.
A good place to research and learn is here...
http://www.twowayradioforum.com/forum/index.php
http://www.twowayradioforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5

The helmet sets that I got were actually from Frys Electroninccs, and again, be careful,... there are models for "OPEN" and models for "CLOSED" faced helmets. You want the "Closed face" type.

I found a interesting site that seems to sell just about anything you could imagine for customizing it to your own application, but I have yet to order from them yet.
check them out,...
http://www.ixcessory.com/

I plan to upgrade to GPS/GMRS radios soon due to the "Ping and locate" function that the Garmin units have, as well as treacking, mapping, and a bunch of other cool stuff too.
When I do, I will still be using the in helmet speakers/mic setup, with the PTT button on the handlebars.

It has really turned out to be nice to have communications on the trail with my wife, and able to warn her of upcomoing obstacles, oncoming riders, etc.,.. but what will be REALLY cool, will be to hook one up on the kids bikes,... and know that even if they get off track, all I have to do is ping their radio from my bike, and I can ride straight to them.
I don't even need to talk to them for it to work.
Just ping them, and it shows up on your radio exactally where they are,... what direction and speed they are traveling, etc. way too cool.

Also, you can set waypoints, and if you set camp as a waypoint, and the kids know how to use the radio,.... then they can never be lost. al they have to do is hit "Go to Camp", and it will take them straight there.

pretty cool stuff, and I will certainly be gearing up for that for the upcoming spring season. Cameron is already saying she wants to do some serious rides and has challenged me to do a 100 mile, overnighter, ride with just me and her. She's got a little learning to do for a 9 year old, but we're working on some of the basics.
She got some basic training with my .10/22 rifle and MkIII pistol last time out, (loved the bipod setup on my fully custom/sniper 10/22),...
and did fire my buddies Mini14 once, but that one scared her a little.
She did ok with a few rounds on the 9 mm.,... cant really hit the target at 25 yds, but made enough noise to scare off anyone who wouldn't know it was a kid, or wanted to take the chance ! Haha!
A little more practice, and she'll be a force to be reconed with.

Heck,... I even got Nickolas to shoot the bipod rifle !
How many Down Syndrome kids get to go shooting ??? !!!!
Maybe I can get the Special Olympics to get a new competition class ??? AHhhh,... probably not,... but it's a fun thought anyway !

But back to the Radios,...
I highly recommend them.
go with the Garmins that have the GPS AND the GMRS if you can,
But,
If not, then the regualr two-way radios are still a GREAT choice to add to your saftey and enjoyment. especially if you are riding with a less experienced wife, kid, etc.

hope this helps.
Ron

[honda400ex2003]

glad to hear you got that stuff working well ron! glad to see you hitting the site again also. it was a lonely few weeks without you around :( :( steve

[beags86]

haha, i was looking at 2 way radios and outdoor gps's for xmas. and both were on my list,
well my old lady stepped up to the plate and got me a handheld outdoor gps, - wow what a gal huh?

well after she had bought it for me (me unkowning she had it) i had told her i really wanted to get one with topo maps on it.

i mean i live in colorado after all, how could you not have that on your gps!?

anyway since she hadn't known i wanted the topo she didn't buy me one with the maps, but she gave it to me for xmas anyway, with the option to upgrade, - wow what a gal huh?

so anyway we go back to bass pro shop to get the upgraded one and i ended getting one that was 60 dollars more then the one she was going to upgrade me to.. which was even more money then the first one. - wow what a gal huh? anyway ended up with this this gps

http://www.basspro.com/Garmin-62st-Handheld-GPS-Unit/product/10206512/-1693730

well anyway do to the price of my gps i doubt i will be going with the garmin gmrs. i was unware that you could do that kind of stuff with the garmins, but i have never really looked into them before.

be able to ping someone is super cool, or having the "back to camp" is also really cool. kind of wished i knew about that before, oh well. one thing that worries me is the life of the radios, have been hunting for yrs and yrs. me and my father have been though many, many 2 way sets. everything from the bottom self wal-mart special to top of the line 800$ dollar set of motorolas.

and basically have come to my own conclusion that they just dont last that long... at least the way we were using them!! you know, dirt, mud, rain, snow, tossed around, thrown around, atvs, back of the pickup truck..etc etc.

so i really don't personally want to throw a bunch of money into these. until they can prove to me that the technology has increased to the point that i can use them the way i want and it not be a "throw away" item at the end of the yr.

it just seams that companys didn't really put any tech into them for a long time. in my opinion. i am sure that has changed- haven't bought a set in about 5 yrs.

(i also realize that garnim puts out a good product)

lastly i really just need to be able to for her to tell me "hey stop i want to take a pic here" or "do you want to stop for a drink here"
you know that kind of stuff.. thats all i really am looking for here.
i don't have kids yet, and shes really comeing along nicely with her riding skill.

i might try the midland ones you have, or they have decent deal on a set of motorolas down at the costco. around 50 a set is about what i want to pay.

lastly, would you have a pic of your ram mount for your gps on your quad?

side note: i also built a little "sniper" 10/22
got a pic?

later beags

[Pipeless416]

my dad just got us some chatterbox helmet mounted GMRS radios and we finally got to test them out on the lakes today. they will definitely come in handy out on the trails. once we have them completely figured out i think they'll be one of the best things we have invested in so far.

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by beags86
lastly, would you have a pic of your ram mount for your gps on your quad?

side note: i also built a little "sniper" 10/22
got a pic?

later beags
I'll have to go take a pic of the ram mount for the radio, but I know Steve has a good pic of his mounted on his snow sled. it's really nice, and I'm sure he'll be happy to post up a pic. otherwise, I'll get one for you tommorow.

to be honest, on the 2 way radios, anything that you can get a fullface helmet headset to fit on will do you just fine, and 'm sure you'll be happy with. You may even be able to get a helmet set-up for one of your existing pairs of radios. check out that website I posted, but the thing to really watch for is the pin size, and if its a single or dual contact pin.

As far as the 10/22 goes, here's a pic of mine with a Dragonov stock, bi-pod, and a few extra goodies...
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/IMG_6978.jpg

here's Cameron trying to hold it to her shoulder. she did ok,...but it was a little heavy for her to hold up, but she really likes sitting down and using the bi-pod....

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Hooligans%20camp%20trip/IMG_2422.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Rasor%20road%20Thanksgiving%202010/P1020629.jpg


Here she is with my MKIII, she really likes this one...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Hooligans%20camp%20trip/IMG_2443.jpg


and here's a pic of Nickolas first time shooting it...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Rasor%20road%20Thanksgiving%202010/P1020631.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Rasor%20road%20Thanksgiving%202010/P1020632.jpg

my wife has been known to bust a cap or two herself, actually she has her own S/W 686 .357 6", but she prefers shooting .38 specials through it.
here she is with my little MKIII...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Rasor%20road%20Thanksgiving%202010/P1020637.jpg

[honda400ex2003]

looks like you guys had a blast! tell everyone congrats on shooting, takes some big ones to shoot for the first time for some people! alot of people are scared of them, even with the proper training. looks like you guys have the bases covered, eye protection, ear protection, in a line. :D lots of fun shooting thats for sure. it gets expensive quick though if you shoot stuff that isnt .22 or so and comes in bulk. i shoot my 9mm 92fs quite often and that gets expensive quick just popping them off 10 or 15 at a time. lol fun and a good stress reliever though! steve

[beags86]

hey steve, quit bickering with yfz and post me a pic of that ram mount/gps setup. i want to know see it mounted on something before i buy one!:D

[beags86]

hey ron, who makes that flash hider/muzzle break you have on that? i have a bull barrel on mine. do you know if they make one for a bull barrel?

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by beags86
hey ron, who makes that flash hider/muzzle break you have on that? i have a bull barrel on mine. do you know if they make one for a bull barrel? Your probably going to "Hershey bar" your shorts when you see the price on this,... but it sure is SWEET !
http://www.eabco.com/store/products/Ruger_10_22_Muzzle_Brake_INSTALLED-1478-54.html

Funny thing about the 10/22 is,...
it has MORE accessories and modifications available for it,..
than the 400EX does !! LOL !

I'm thinking about getting rid of my Dragonov stock, and going with something else.
I'm kind of liking the Thumbhole styles, but who knows, I may just leave the 10/22 the way it is.

I've also got a couple of old Marlin Model 60's, that may be up for some of the effects from A.A.D.S. LOL!
Been doing a little research on those, and if you know where to look, you can get some pretty wild stuff for them too.
I'm not positive yet, but it SEEMS that it is possible to modify it from a model 60, to a 795.
And if that is actually so,... then that will open up the possibilities even MORE as to what I can do to it,...
and I may even turn one into a Bullpup.

(I'm thinking that Cameron might be able to hold that up a little easier than a standard length stock),....

And besides,...
If I'm going to have to get used to the idea, of having a Daughter, with legs that go practically up to her earlobes,...
is a lean and mean offroad riding queen,...
that's most likely, going to end up, lookin' like a freakin' runway bikini model,...
and the probability that there is soon to be, more than a few "Hound Dogs" just sniffing around,....

Then I'm gonna make damnsure she can shoot the nosehairs off of a flea at 100 yards, before those "Hound Dogs" start coming around too much.

She and I already have an understanding...

I am Perfectly Receptive, and Willing for her to have a boyfriend....
v
v
v
v
v
v
( AFTER SHE IS 35 YEARS OLD ! )



here's some other stuff,
Enjoy...
http://www.eabco.com/store/products/Tactical_Ruger_10_22_Muzzle_Brake_Silver-1805-54.html

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=10/22+muzzle+.920&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10783572762476428538&ei=_xQdTfrWLpK-sAOqxK2EDw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEEQ8wIwAQ#

http://www.cabelas.com/10-22-accessories-tactical-solutions-10-22-picatinny-scope-rail-compensator-1.shtml?type=product&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=741607&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=987F9052-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=996221&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Gunsmithing%20-%20Gun%20Parts%20-%20Rifle%20-%20(Aftermarket)-_-PriceCompListing-_-996221

http://www.google.com/search?q=10%2F22+muzzle+.920&hl=en&tbs=shop%3A1&aq=f#q=10/22+.920+compensator&hl=en&tbs=shop:1&ei=kxgdTcjqDoPSsAOX_PiUCg&start=10&sa=N&biw=1094&bih=532&fp=7abca7ded92a1c3