The reception on the Garmin 60c is somewhat lacking compared to the newer models. It also takes AA batteries, which seems rather wasteful while driving. I've never been a fan of cords strewn throughout my vehicles, so I decided on a cleaner approach.
I ordered a 16' Glisson Amplified External Remote Antenna, along with a Garmin GPSMap Bare 12v DC power wire. All from www.gpsgeek.com, with a total cost of around $35.
I mounted the antenna near the third brake light. The hardest part was fitting the antenna plug through the existing rubber grommet, into the jeep. While there was plenty of room for it to fit, it was difficult to fit the awkward end of the antenna plug through the grommet. I ended up tying a piece of bailing wire to the antenna plug, and pulling it through that way. The solution worked well.
The antenna cord was routed along the upper trim near the spare tire. I then routed the cable down the b pillar, and behind the carpet along the rear seat. I then followed the driveshaft tunnel into the center console area. This left me with approximately 2.5 feet of antenna cord to work with. I already had an existing hole in my center console. Otherwise, it's a 5 second drill through the thin plastic.
The DC power cord was spliced into the cigarette lighter outlet, on the left side of the accessory switches. Note that the cig lighter is powered by the ignition switch circuit, so the keys must be turned for it to activate. The accessory power plug is 'live' all of the time. I chose the cig lighter port since it would be used less frequently. I added an inline fuse, purchased at checker auto for $3.99. The wire gauge was rather ridiculous compared to the microscopic GPS power wire, and the small gauge cig lighter wires. The GPS power wire was routed underneath the length of the center console. It is not necessary to remove the center console to route the wires. There are 6 screws that hold the inner liner of the center consol cubby.
All in all, it makes for a clean setup. The GPS struggled inside the XJ. There was no real good place to mount it on the windshield, and that still resulted in patchy reception. I now pickup every satellite listed on the reception page of the GPS. The handheld sits nicely near the parking brake, or in the cup holder. The cords are long enough to place it in another location, or hold it by hand.
