iTrek vs. onCourse mounts?

chrisrbaker · 01-14-07, 11:34 AM

I recently purchased the iTrek powered mount for my axim x51v from Semsons, because the onCourse powered mount was sold out at buyGPSnow.

The iTrek mount works fairly well, although the vent adapter wont let me rotate to landscape. Most of the time my axim stays seated in the cradle and continues to charge, however in very bumpy situations it does become unseated (not falling out of the cradle, but not charging anymore).

I didn't really like the look of the others (arkon's...etc) out there. They looked kindof bulky.

I wondered if anyone had any experience with the onCourse powered mount and liked it any better. I may consider sending the iTrek back and getting a different one.

mkss55442 · 01-14-07, 07:52 PM

I also have the iTrek because I thought the OnCourse was going to be to thick to fit where I was putting it. I've only had my x50v come off the connector once. I don't know what the fix is. Maybe have to watch the LED on the x50v's power switch a little closer to see if it is lit.

If you want a top notch holder look here: http://www.proclipusa.com/?sectionpa...p_leftorright=

kona_mtbkr · 01-16-07, 10:58 AM

My OnCourse powered mount should be arriving today. I just bought my i-Blue 737 on Friday from buyGPSnow with the mount, but they had just run out of them when I placed my order. Anyways, they already sent the receiver, and as I said, the mount should arrive today. I can post my thoughts on it in a couple days when I get a chance to try it out ... although I've never really tried any other car mounts.

mkss55442 · 01-16-07, 03:25 PM

kona_mtbkr,
When you get it, I'd be interested to know the depth of the holder itself without the mounting hardware.
mkss55442

Galina · 01-16-07, 03:52 PM

I have two OnCourse mounts. One for Axim x51v, and another for ipaq. Very, very happy with them. The axim fits nicely, not moving on bums, etc. As a bonus you have a good sound and can charge you GPS as well. The mount has two mounting options - I am using vent mounting option. Very convinient. The quality of mount is very impressive. Highly recomended.

chrisrbaker · 01-16-07, 04:06 PM

The iTrek mount suction adapter works very well for me, but my vent is too loose (swivels up and down too easily), so the mount "droops". The clips also broke as I was adjusting it.

I guess I'll have to stick with the suction mount, its not in the exact place that I would like it and bounces a little, but it's not too bad. It never falls out and only pops off the charge when driving over very bumpy roads.

kona_mtbkr · 01-18-07, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by mkss55442

kona_mtbkr,
When you get it, I'd be interested to know the depth of the holder itself without the mounting hardware.
mkss55442

For the cradle itself (no mounting attachment), it is:
78mm wide X 118mm long X 47mm deep

The depth measurement is from the deepest part. I'm not really sure why there is so much bulk there on the back, because the speaker is towards the bottom of the cradle, where it's not as thick. But there is the port for the DC adapter, the power output for your GPS receiver (looks like an RJ45 port) and a switch to turn the charger on\off.

Haven't gotten a chance to put it in my car yet ... but the PDA seems to fit in the cradle quite nicely. It seems to me that it would hold through some pretty nice bumps and shouldn't shake loose. Also interesting to note that the vent clip mounting bracket will only work in the portrait position. For you to mount the PDA in landscape, you would have to use the arm mount.

mkss55442 · 01-18-07, 06:09 PM

Thanks kona_mtbkr for the measurements. As I suspected from the pictures it's a little too thick to fit where I wanted it to.

JessieLC · 01-18-07, 07:49 PM

I have the OnCourse Powered Mount using the Windshield suctioncup with the goose-neck adapter. It is very sturdy and if you can rest the mount on the dash, there is little vibration. I like it because it is Powered, charges the Axim v50 and Bluetooth GPS both, fits the Axim like a glove and has a great Speaker with Volume Control! My Bluetooth GPS is the iBlue 737. It works like a charm, gets good Sat coverage and I've not had a chance to run it out of battery yet. Paring it with the Axim 50v is not a problem using the standard Bluetooth Manager.

kona_mtbkr · 02-01-07, 11:09 AM

Finally got around to using the OnCourse mount yesterday (I'm pretty lazy I guess), so I thought I post something quick.

I used the goose-neck mount as well. The suction cup held very strong, wouldn't even budge once mounted, yet releases easily with a flip of a lever. The neck itself it quite sturdy as others have mentioned. I did notice a very little bit of vibration ... but not so much that you could focus on the screen. As JessieLC points out, rest it on the dash and it won't move at all. I had the Axim in landscape orientation, and the cradle held just fine ... no issues with disconnecting from the charger. The speaker is really nice as well, I was pleasantly surprised. The Axim speaker is pretty good, but the speaker on this mount is even louder, but still sounds clean without a lot of distortion. The mount has it's own volume control as well, so it was easy to find a nice balance between Axim volume and cradle volume to achieve a loud but clear sound.

Overall ... I'd say a great purchase. I guess the cradle might be a bit thicker than others, but it works just fine for me. I got a vent clip too ... but it didn't come with any instructions ... and there seems to be a lot of little adjustments that can be made to it. I think I may just stick with the goose-neck mount though ... it's very easy to install and remove.