Review on 🔌 Garmin Marine Power Cable Mount by Marco Mooney

I have a couple of boats in different locations and they both need a new GPS. One boat had an old GPS navigator that gave up and on the other I used a battery powered Garmin Map 76S navigator with a small black and white screen. Replacing batteries and maintaining sufficiently charged rechargeable batteries has been a challenge. Needing a portable GPS navigator with a large color display and touchscreen, I chose the Montana 600. I also wanted to avoid the hassle of changing batteries (the 600 drains the batteries with constant use), so I bought a Garmin Marine. Bracket with power cable for each boat. The mount is easy to install and plug into a power source and it works really well. The mount holds the device in landscape mode and offers both vertical and horizontal movement to set the GPS in any viewing position. Adjustment is easy, but adjusting the tension both horizontally and vertically prevents the block from moving unintentionally due to adverse conditions or accidental bumps. The Montana is assembled by aligning the plates with the pins and pressing the top of the Montana into a spring loaded latch that will engage when the Montana is installed correctly. This latch keeps the GPS securely in place on the mount; Removing the GPS is quick and easy by pressing the latch and tilting the Montana forward and out of the mount. The device is powered by a set of brass pins (?) on the bracket and flat (brass?) plates on the bracket. The mount's power cable uses the standard Garmin GPS fused cable assembly, which includes an NMEA output for marine radio or serial/USB connections for a computer or other electronics. The connection cable can be connected to a permanent power supply or to a power supply with a switch. Montana turns on when mounted on a permanent power mount and turns on and off with a switchable source. Montana has an option to stay on or turn off after "x" seconds if power goes out or Montana is unsocked. Montana's lithium-ion battery stays fully charged in the docking station. The mount has a "rubber" cover that attaches to the mount with a loop and can be placed on the mount to protect the brass pins when removing the Montana. The only downside to the mount is that the power cord cannot be detached from the mount. This makes it difficult to remove the binding off-season when the boat is not in use. This exposes the mount to prolonged exposure to UV radiation, which tends to degrade the plastic. The mount doesn't claim to be UV resistant so I have no idea how long it will last in constant sun exposure. I have a method that allows me to remove the plate that the mount is attached to and put it out of the sun when I'm down. The power cord and audio cable need to be drilled or use an existing large-diameter hole due to the combination of fuse and dual cable. If the power/audio cable could be easily detached from the mount, sun exposure and cable routing would not be an issue. If you are looking to use one of Montana's latest touchscreen marine GPS navigators, I highly recommend using this mount.