The Columbus OK but, missing speed cam and road speed functions of my old Tom Tom, I have invested in one of these for my Yeti. I wonder if anyone has any experience that might help with some of my dilemmas/questions please? I intend to hard-wire into a ignition switched supply - hate trailing leads.

The mount looks flaky for frequent dismounts (for security and updates) so I am thinking of leaving the round clip in, and using velcro or a magnetic, or something, fixing method. Placement is the puzzle, esp as manual says avoid heater vents. They say central position best - behind the central opening dash-top caddy won't work - but actually on the lid might - it will still open OK. To the right of the caddy, to the left of the 'instrument binnacle' perhaps looks most viable in a sort of central position (reckoned to be best for rear laser detection - but not sure how important/useful that is anyway). Next up would be next to driver pillar on the right - just behind the 'side vent' or to the right of the screen vent closer to the screen.

The big disadvantage of all these methods so far is that the wretched thing is in such clear view from outside - it is too big to put into the caddy (a la the brilliant Garmin instal by Great Yeti reported and described earlier). I personally wouldn't want to drive around with the lid open though. On the passenger side might work, and the license disk holder disguises it quite well from the outside (they say 'always remove when leaving vehicle' - ha - they live in another world, otherwise the mount clip would be that much better...)

Anyway, any thoughts that might help me think through this would be most welcome!

Thanks, Roger

i had a tomtom portable for years ...it was ok although i was sick og the cable and the suction cup that kept falling down.............these days i have the COLUMBUS AND I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT i think its the best ttttttttttttttttttttttttt

The Columbus OK but, missing speed cam and road speed functions of my old Tom Tom, I have invested in one of these for my Yeti. I wonder if anyone has any experience that might help with some of my dilemmas/questions please? I intend to hard-wire into a ignition switched supply - hate trailing leads.

The mount looks flaky for frequent dismounts (for security and updates) so I am thinking of leaving the round clip in, and using velcro or a magnetic, or something, fixing method. Placement is the puzzle, esp as manual says avoid heater vents. They say central position best - behind the central opening dash-top caddy won't work - but actually on the lid might - it will still open OK. To the right of the caddy, to the left of the 'instrument binnacle' perhaps looks most viable in a sort of central position (reckoned to be best for rear laser detection - but not sure how important/useful that is anyway). Next up would be next to driver pillar on the right - just behind the 'side vent' or to the right of the screen vent closer to the screen.

The big disadvantage of all these methods so far is that the wretched thing is in such clear view from outside - it is too big to put into the caddy (a la the brilliant Garmin instal by Great Yeti reported and described earlier). I personally wouldn't want to drive around with the lid open though. On the passenger side might work, and the license disk holder disguises it quite well from the outside (they say 'always remove when leaving vehicle' - ha - they live in another world, otherwise the mount clip would be that much better...)

Anyway, any thoughts that might help me think through this would be most welcome!

Thanks, Roger

Hi rougebrit

Your comment about the centre dash-top position: - Just a thought, but I think the "E" & "S" versions of the Yeti come without a lid! Perhaps one might be available as a spare part and the Road Angel sit in it when in use? It would be easy to place a small power socket in the new dash-top caddy in a similar fashion to my own installation and that would eliminate the trailing cables. I made my own holder and placed magnets (sourced from an old PC hard drive) on its base. Using a piece of thin sheet steel under the rubber mat, the whole thing sits very firmly in place but is very easy to detach.

All best wishes for the New Year..............

THE GREAT YETI

Thanks Folks

- John, while I share some of your enthusiasm for the Columbus, it is not a speed camera/laser warning device (even tho it can show speed cams as POIs), nor does it give accurate road speeds, hence the Angel. It is significantly better, IMO, with V7 maps, I have to admit. I still prefer Tom Tom mapping, tho, and dash top mount meant mine was in line of sight, and great for providing warning of tight bends etc on the remote roads I tend to frequent..I miss that. But I agree the many integrated feastures of the Columbus are great - like reducing radio volume during route messages and so on.

Hi Great yeti - yes, thanks, I have studied your instal closely - and thanks for the trouble you went to. Yes, you can have a lidless caddy, I believe, and it would indeed sit in there. It will also sit on the lid quite happily too - and retain the usefulness of the caddy for bits and bobs. I guess my main problem with both solutions are that it is so obvious - definately need to remove constantly from the vehicle, and it is something I really want to avoid. Do you find the rear laser sensor something that is effective and useful? I ask because I am more and more tending towards the 'behind the tax disk' placement, and that is one feature that might be compromised. Otherwise, tests seem to show it would work good - not as elegant a solution as yours, but acceptable for me!

thanks, Roger

And all best for the New Year also!

Thanks Folks

- John, while I share some of your enthusiasm for the Columbus, it is not a speed camera/laser warning device (even tho it can show speed cams as POIs), nor does it give accurate road speeds, hence the Angel. It is significantly better, IMO, with V7 maps, I have to admit. I still prefer Tom Tom mapping, tho, and dash top mount meant mine was in line of sight, and great for providing warning of tight bends etc on the remote roads I tend to frequent..I miss that. But I agree the many integrated feastures of the Columbus are great - like reducing radio volume during route messages and so on.

Hi Great yeti - yes, thanks, I have studied your instal closely - and thanks for the trouble you went to. Yes, you can have a lidless caddy, I believe, and it would indeed sit in there. It will also sit on the lid quite happily too - and retain the usefulness of the caddy for bits and bobs. I guess my main problem with both solutions are that it is so obvious - definately need to remove constantly from the vehicle, and it is something I really want to avoid. Do you find the rear laser sensor something that is effective and useful? I ask because I am more and more tending towards the 'behind the tax disk' placement, and that is one feature that might be compromised. Otherwise, tests seem to show it would work good - not as elegant a solution as yours, but acceptable for me!

thanks, Roger

And all best for the New Year also!

Hi Roger!

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but we are now in Portugal for a winter break and have not had the chance to pick up our emails and Briskoda for a couple of days.

I do not have a Road Angel but my son has, and he swears by them. He lives in Lancashire and they have more speed cameras / Traps than cars!!

He personally has had a number of different models and fitted a good number of them for friends in a wide spectrum of vehicles. I will try and ring him tonight and ask about the positioning and the rear laser sensor in case he can help with comments etc. Will report back ASAP.

Best regards.........Tony

THE GREAT YETI

Hi Roger!

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but we are now in Portugal for a winter break and have not had the chance to pick up our emails and Briskoda for a couple of days.

I do not have a Road Angel but my son has, and he swears by them. He lives in Lancashire and they have more speed cameras / Traps than cars!!

He personally has had a number of different models and fitted a good number of them for friends in a wide spectrum of vehicles. I will try and ring him tonight and ask about the positioning and the rear laser sensor in case he can help with comments etc. Will report back ASAP.

Best regards.........Tony

THE GREAT YETI

Hi Roger,

Managed to contact my son and he says that the Road Angel will work satisfactorily behind the Tax Disc as the Laser detector will pick up the "Scatter" from the laser guns. He did qualify the comment by saying that it does work a little more effectively when it has a clear view. Hope this helps in some way.......

THE GREAT YETI

Tony - thanks so much for your trouble and for your reply. I had written a detailed description of what we have done - using your notes extensively - and when I went to post it - zap - the notes disappeared, and I dont have time to repeat, there is a server problem apparently... I will report in fully in due course - have to be tommorow now!

Thanks again, Roger

Edited 7 January, 201115 yr by roguebrit

Hi again - I wanted just to complete the story in case another Yeti owner sees this. I actually got Halfords to do the instal for me - I know the young guys in our local branch are real enthusiasts and do a lot of ICE etc stuff - and they did a very professional job, I think. I was there throughout, and we used your notes extensively too, thanks.

Using your suggestion, Tony, we took the supply from fuse 6, the rear window one - it is convenient from a position viewpoint also. By removing dash panels to the left and below the box, and undoing the two bolts that hold the fuse holder in place, it is easy to move the holder out, to the left, and access the back of it - where a connection was made into the wire entering the fuse position. The wire was taken up to underneath the top caddy - ala la your installation - again fairly easy using a flexible cable guide. There it terminates in a normal in-car socket, where the Angel power cable plugs in, retaining the 5 volt step-down functionality of the the latter. The socket was earthed to the large steel member visible under the caddy, and all was secured rattle-free to the same by plastic ties. The lead for the Angel unit was taken through the floor of the caddy - a hole just big enough for the plug - and eventually hidden under the rubber mat. The wire emerges out of the back of the lid to - in my case at the moment - the Angel, which is situated to the right of the caddy on a flat part of the dash. This position seems to suit me best - I used heavy duty Velcro coins which provide a bit of 'give' and slightly more clearance underneath. But I have used the round 'clip-in' base which, despite my initial scepticism, seems to work well for removal etc. I have had to relieve the rear of the caddy lid just a touch to prevent it pinching the cable when closed - I used a dremel very judiciously to remove the sharp edge - the effect is virtually invisible with the box in place, but the cable is nice and free now.

So that's my installation - not as elegant as your sophisticated solution - but I think should serve me OK. Many thanks for all the advice which was most welcome and useful!

Roger

Edited 7 January, 201115 yr by roguebrit

Hi again - I wanted just to complete the story in case another Yeti owner sees this. I actually got Halfords to do the instal for me - I know the young guys in our local branch are real enthusiasts and do a lot of ICE etc stuff - and they did a very professional job, I think. I was there throughout, and we used your notes extensively too, thanks.

Using your suggestion, Tony, we took the supply from fuse 6, the rear window one - it is convenient from a position viewpoint also. By removing dash panels to the left and below the box, and undoing the two bolts that hold the fuse holder in place, it is easy to move the holder out, to the left, and access the back of it - where a connection was made into the wire entering the fuse position. The wire was taken up to underneath the top caddy - ala la your installation - again fairly easy using a flexible cable guide. There it terminates in a normal in-car socket, where the Angel power cable plugs in, retaining the 5 volt step-down functionality of the the latter. The socket was earthed to the large steel member visible under the caddy, and all was secured rattle-free to the same by plastic ties. The lead for the Angel unit was taken through the floor of the caddy - a hole just big enough for the plug - and eventually hidden under the rubber mat. The wire emerges out of the back of the lid to - in my case at the moment - the Angel, which is situated to the right of the caddy on a flat part of the dash. This position seems to suit me best - I used heavy duty Velcro coins which provide a bit of 'give' and slightly more clearance underneath. But I have used the round 'clip-in' base which, despite my initial scepticism, seems to work well for removal etc. I have had to relieve the rear of the caddy lid just a touch to prevent it pinching the cable when closed - I used a dremel very judiciously to remove the sharp edge - the effect is virtually invisible with the box in place, but the cable is nice and free now.

So that's my installation - not as elegant as your sophisticated solution - but I think should serve me OK. Many thanks for all the advice which was most welcome and useful!

Roger

Hi Roger. Glad it helped in some way. Sounds like you have a pretty neat installation! A lot depends on the skills of the fitters and you seem to have found some good ones.

Did you happen to see how they removed the "dash panels to the left and below the box"? I would have preferred to go into the rear of the Fuse Box but could not see how to remove the panel below the light switch but could not find my way in! I am wondering if it requires the trim from around the light switch assembly to be removed and maybe giving access to more Torx screws etc. Anyway glad that you are sorted and that the Road Angel keeps you safe!

Best regards....Tony

THE GREAT YETI

Tony - yes - it was a bit of a game to get to the back of the fuse board. The trim was removed around the light swithch etc (mine is the wood effect I ordered from Czech R via Allams). Light switch etc was also removed, I seem to recall. There's a kind of central strap in the lower middle part of the facia which is held in by a screw, and when removed enables the lower facia to be removed. To be honest, I can't recall if there's any other screws to be removed in that facia panel - the disadvantage of not doing it yourself! But the principle is - you need to remove enough so that the fuse board can be passed out to the left, and the back accessed that way - you cannot access the back from the right by unscrewing the two holding bolts. Sorry I can't be more specific. I had gone off for a cuppa at the critical time .

They also put an in-line fuse into the wire prior to the socket - it sits under the top caddy also.

Like your son, I like the Road Angel. With sub etc, it is not a cheap solution, but it does seem to be a well thought out and supported one. I had a couple of queries and, in both cases, spoke to a competent UK human-being within seconds of calling them - that bodes well, I think!

All best, Roger

Tony - yes - it was a bit of a game to get to the back of the fuse board. The trim was removed around the light swithch etc (mine is the wood effect I ordered from Czech R via Allams). Light switch etc was also removed, I seem to recall. There's a kind of central strap in the lower middle part of the facia which is held in by a screw, and when removed enables the lower facia to be removed. To be honest, I can't recall if there's any other screws to be removed in that facia panel - the disadvantage of not doing it yourself! But the principle is - you need to remove enough so that the fuse board can be passed out to the left, and the back accessed that way - you cannot access the back from the right by unscrewing the two holding bolts. Sorry I can't be more specific. I had gone off for a cuppa at the critical time .

They also put an in-line fuse into the wire prior to the socket - it sits under the top caddy also.

Like your son, I like the Road Angel. With sub etc, it is not a cheap solution, but it does seem to be a well thought out and supported one. I had a couple of queries and, in both cases, spoke to a competent UK human-being within seconds of calling them - that bodes well, I think!

All best, Roger

Thanks for that information Roger, Will try and have a look when we return from holiday. (SM = Snow Monster Sun Monster, here in sunny Portugal (only 23 deg today ) ) Saw a Yeti here today! a White SE - a very rare beast here!

Best wishes........Tony

THE GREAT YETI

Thanks for that information Roger, Will try and have a look when we return from holiday. (SM = Snow Monster Sun Monster, here in sunny Portugal (only 23 deg today ) ) Saw a Yeti here today! a White SE - a very rare beast here!

Best wishes........Tony

THE GREAT YETI

Hi - hope you mange to do it - I wouldn't have attermpted it myself. Just back from a week in Scotland - a little different to portugal. Minus 13 at night at beginning of last week, and torrential floods and wind on way back. Pleased to report that the Road Angel performed good! Hope you had good hol!