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GPS City Q&A » GPS Mounts » RAM Cradle w/o Garmin Powered Cradle?

GPS Mounts (5 replies)

Item

Original Question

RAM Cradle w/o Garmin Powered Cradle?

› RAM Mount Garmin nuvi 800 Series Cradle RAM-HOL-GA30U

Author

Reply

Bill
Milford, Ma

Original question asked on Sep 8, 2010, 10:00am

Can the cradle be used without the Garmin supplied insert or is that necessary to secure a Nuvi (in my case, 855) in the cradle? I'm considering it for a motorcycle application and wouldn't neccessarily need the insert to power the unit.

GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #1 on Sep 8, 2010, 10:39am

Hello Bill,

The Garmin cradle is need to power the unit. If you are running it off the battery you will not need the Garmin mount. Keep in mind the battery life is very short in the nuvi 8xx series.

cheers
Jordan

Bill
Milford, MA

Reply #2 on Sep 8, 2010, 11:13am

Jordan,
Sorry for the off-topic question, but can the 855 be powered through the USB port using a Gilson cable? I already have that cable installed on my motorcycle and was thinking of getting a cradle and ball to affix to my already installed RAM handlebar mount.

GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #3 on Sep 8, 2010, 1:43pm

Hello Bill,

I just did a test with the Nuvi 880 and it will get power from the Gilsson USB cable but the backlight is not working properly when plugged into the USB. I highly recommend using the Garmin cradle to power the unit in the RAM mount. Your unit may not have the same issue I had because it is about a year newer. The only Nuvi 8XX I have is the 880 at this time.

Cheers

Bill
Milford, MA

Reply #4 on Sep 8, 2010, 5:27pm

Hi Jordan,
Just to close the loop on the subject for others who may view the Q&A thread, I also did a test with my 855 being powered with the mini USB Gillson cable and it too had the same issue with the backlight not being as bright as with the normal power cable. I suppose that I could always install a powerlet plug and hook the unit into that if the backlight issue were that important to me. Thanks for your diligence in responding.

Jordan GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #5 on Sep 9, 2010, 2:36pm

Hello Bill,

I am glad I was some help. Thank you for the follow up.

Cheers
Jordan

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