portable mount for use with rental cars?

[blindbatts]

I travel out of state on long road trips in the US about once a month, and I am in a rental car for these drives.

I have so far been using zip ties to attach my mini 0806 to my radar detector (passport max).

The camera moves around and shakes a lot doing this.

Does anyone else use one of these mini style cameras in a portable manor that can show how you deal with that?

When I'm home, I have the mount permanently attached to the windshield in my truck, so when I travel I pop it off that mount and use the camera plugged into the usb on the camera itself for power with no mount plate.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Welcome to the forum blindbatts

 

[jokiin]

spend a bit of money and get yourself a Mobius as a travel cam, good for rentals

 

[BillE]

If looks aren't important, try using some rubber bands around the 0806 and a couple of long rubber bands to hold it all to your radar detector. That should cause less rattle than zip ties.
I haven't mounted my 0806 because I'm travelling and renting several times this year, and I want to use the camera in the rentals. I taped the 0806 mount to a piece of wood, glued a rubber sheet to the bottom of the wood, and set it on the dashboard. It works fine. On the last rental, I had to lay it on a microfiber towel to fill in some curves on the dash.

 

[Dashmellow]

I agree with @jokiin's suggestion regarding the Mobius. It's video quality, reliability and small size make it excellent for travel. A small suction cup mount that is available for the Mobius is perfect for temporary mounting in a rental vehicle. Another interesting non destructive temporary Mobius mount option for a rental is to use a wad of Blu-tack to secure the camera directly to the dashboard. I've used both methods in rentals with good results.

 

[blindbatts]

unfortunately I cannot have anything mounted to the windshield for my purposes. I drive through CA/AZ/NM and have been pulled over twice so far for things being attached to windshield and given formal printed out warnings that anything on glass was illegal. One was my radar on the windshield mounted behind the rearview mirror, and the other for a rental car that came with a 'fastpass' box attached to the glass. The cop didn't seem very impressed when I told them I had no idea why the rental company stuck that box to the windshield but there's no way I was going to pry it off the glass for him.

Therefore I have my radar sitting on a rubber tac pad directly on the dash - https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00IH5VVHQ and the camera attached to that. I'll give the rubber bands a try, maybe with an old bike tube cut up to act as insulation.

I'm thinking that perhaps a popsicle stick mounted to the detector at a 90* then the mini cam attached to that might help stabilize it a bit.

 

[dash riposki]

If you use a mobius or something else that uses a standard tripod thread mount, there are clip mounts that will attach to the sun visor.

 

[blindbatts]

sunvisor clip is a good thought, thanks!

 

[jokiin]

unfortunately I cannot have anything mounted to the windshield for my purposes. I drive through CA/AZ/NM and have been pulled over twice so far for things being attached to windshield and given formal printed out warnings that anything on glass was illegal. .

which state were you pulled up in?

 

[Daleg]

unfortunately I cannot have anything mounted to the windshield for my purposes. I drive through CA/AZ/NM and have been pulled over twice so far for things being attached to windshield and given formal printed out warnings that anything on glass was illegal.

Just to be safe....next time get out and rip off your windshield wipers. The law is the law.

 

[blindbatts]

which state were you pulled up in?

I believe it was AZ, but could have been NM. Both times were quite early morning and I stay the night in flagstaff/winslow/holbrook on those trips.

 

[blindbatts]

Here's a site that would help others figure out the law for their road trips -
http://gpstracklog.com/2012/06/windshield-mounts-illegal-in-28-states.html

most of the yellow states like CA and AZ, allow things to be mounted in the lower corners in a roughly 6" square area. Not very useful to have a dashcam or radar mounted in either of those spots though.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Just to be safe....next time get out and rip off your windshield wipers. The law is the law.

 

[Dashmellow]

unfortunately I cannot have anything mounted to the windshield for my purposes. I drive through CA/AZ/NM and have been pulled over twice so far for things being attached to windshield and given formal printed out warnings that anything on glass was illegal.

Here in the New England states the same laws are on the books but they were written before the widespread adoption of radar detectors, GPS units, dash cams and toll transponders. The best I can tell from my own experience and everyone I talk to, these laws are not being enforced in this part of the country. It's a good thing too as the fines are rather steep for this infraction.

 

[Dashmellow]

Here's a site that would help others figure out the law for their road trips -
http://gpstracklog.com/2012/06/windshield-mounts-illegal-in-28-states.html

most of the yellow states like CA and AZ, allow things to be mounted in the lower corners in a roughly 6" square area. Not very useful to have a dashcam or radar mounted in either of those spots though.

Unfortunately, the information on that web site and map is not accurate. In some cases, it might apply to GSP units mounted on specific places on the windscreen but typical dash cam placement would be illegal.

For example, the linked web site claims that the law permits windshield mounts in my state but here is the applicable section of the statute in my state regarding windshield obstructions. These windshield obstruction statutes are often quite similar in other jurisdictions.

§ 1125. Obstructing windshields

(a) No person shall paste, stick, or paint advertising matter or other things on or over any transparent part of a motor vehicle windshield, vent windows, or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the operator, nor hang any object, other than a rear view mirror, in back of the windshield except as follows:

(1) in a space not over four inches high and 12 inches long in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield;

(2) in such space as the commissioner of motor vehicles may specify for location of any sticker required by governmental regulation;

(3) in a space not over two inches high and two and one-half inches long in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield;

 

[blindbatts]

Here in the New England states the same laws are on the books but they were written before the widespread adoption of radar detectors, GPS units, dash cams and toll transponders. The best I can tell from my own experience and everyone I talk to, these laws are not being enforced in this part of the country. It's a good thing too as the fines are rather steep for this infraction.

same with where I live in CA. The laws on the books state that it's only allowed in bottom corners, however I've had a radar detector on the windshield and a suction cup/magnetic mount for my phone for -years- and have never been pulled over for it, or had it mentioned when pulled over for other reasons.

like anything with police, YMMV based on how bored they are. But in my experience they look at you with greedy eyes when you come through with out of state plates on.

only reason I was given warnings and not tickets, I am fairly sure, is because I handed my CCW card along with my license to the officer both times.

 

[Daleg]

Generally, you don't get pulled over for things stuck to the windshield....unless, say, it's a pedestrian stuck to your windshield...in that case, you might get pulled over.
Depending on the state, some of those infractions, like things stuck to your windshield, are considered secondary offenses, which means you can only write them for that after they have been pulled over for a primary violation, such as speeding. Either way, unless you totally fail the attitude test, you are likely to get a warning at the most. Being polite to the nice officer goes a long way. In the event that you do get cited, it's a ticket that's easily dismissed. As someone said before...the laws were written before GPS, dash cams, etc. and the large amount of judges are pretty understanding for charges such as this....because most of them, like us...get lost too!