Home > Consumer Reviews > Powerful External Remote Amplified GPS Antenna Receiver for Garmin Nuvi

I came across this item while browsing Amazon for reviews on new GPS. I needed to replace my 30 month old Nuvi 350 which was non-functioning - displaying the dreaded "Cannot Acquire Satellites" error message. The 2 reviews on this antenna both stated that its use had resolved this issue. Further investigation confirmed similar results with other comparable antennae.

I had returned a Nuvi 750 because its performance was inferior to the 350. Seeing that the cost of both the antenna and shipping was so minimal I decided that I did not have much to lose by ordering one.

When it arrived, I connected it to my 350 and dumped them both on the passenger seat. - My hopes were high but my expectations were low.

In a very short time I noticed that my old 350 (previously destined for the garbage) was now fully functional. Further investigation revealed that signal strength is far higher that it had previously been. Signal acquisition is also very much quicker.

The antenna itself measures 1-3/4" x 1-3/8 x 9/16", has a 10' 1/8" diam. cord and has a powerful magnet for easy routing and exterior attachment. Since I am getting such good signal strength, I shall probably place it permanently above the dash where it will attract less unwelcome interest.

My other pleasant surprise was that it had arrived in Maine (from Texas) 3 days after placing my order.

When I finally replace my Nuvi 350, it (and this antenna) will continue to be used in our second car. My new GPS (maybe 765?) will be ordered along with a second antenna - hopefully from the same seller (if not Amazon.com itself).

Update April9 2009:

I was so pleased with this item that I bought 2 more so that they are permanently installed on my cars.

One caveat:
The antenna's plug could be improved. It is tiny and difficult (very hard on finger nails) to remove. I plan to attach a more substantial grip (maybe a 1/2" diameter plastic disc or similar shape) using epoxy glue to eliminate this minor problem.

This is not enough of a problem to reduce my 5-star rating.

FYI:
The Nuvi has a direct connection for an antenna rather than through its quick-disconnect mount (a design upgrade would be a major improvement!!!) therefore this item must be unplugged whenever removing the GPS.

Our Nuvi 660 would no longer acquire satellites. After attaching this external antenna, it now works again. Does not come with any manual or setup recommendations.

This antenna performs as advertised. My Garmin Nuvi GPS was suffering increasingly intermittent connections with satellites. Eventually, it would only rarely locate my car, and several times I had to resort to my phone's GPS to get where I was going. Apparently, from browsing the web, this is a fairly common problem for Garmin units.

I was procrastinating before spending hundreds of dollars on yet another GPS, when I spotted a claim of this solution on a random web page, and then found it on Amazon and saw favorable reviews.

It still might take up to 30 seconds to locate the car when starting, but then the connection is rock solid. At about $20, it is a tiny fraction of the cost of a new GPS unit. The cable is longer than necessary, about 6 feet rather than the necessary 1 or 2 feet, but the antenna itself is compact. It makes putting the unit out of site slightly more cumbersome, with the extra wire emanating from the GPS, a minor hassle.

[a few days later - after looking at the extra for a while, I wrapped it around, out the door, and used the magnet under the antenna to stick it on my car roof - the extra cable is actually a good thing.]

Instructions were minimal. The user simply plugs the cable into the little connection on the GPS antenna flap that lifts up from the back of the unit.

It worked for me, thanks Amazon and its diligent and accurate reviewers.

I bought the antenna to fix my reception problem with Garmin 350. The signal reception has been restored and looks like works even better than original Garmin chip that broke.
So, if you need cheap fix for Garmin - I recommend to try this before spending money on new device.
Disadvantage in my case - the cable is too long

My Garmin Nuvi 350, after about 20 months of use, suddenly became incapable of tracking satellite signals. This attaches an external antenna and now the signal is better than it ever was, including in cities where even in the best of days it would constantly lose signal. In open roads I have no less than 10 simultaneous satellites being tracked.