Hi and thanks, that makes me feel better, so I just need to replace mapsource with basecamp :)

A shame about the updates, but I guess I only need the European maps for this summer, and after that when I return to Oz, maybe I can sort out the city navigator thing. I have an option for the new maps for 40GBP, on top of the montana cost which will come with European topo

Cheers
TS

YAY! .. :clap:

It works! Made even better as BaseCamp is absolutely free (legally) to download .. although the downloading process did take a while (96.2 MB).

Connected my Zumo 660 - with recently purchased maps on a microSD/SD card in the device's internal slot - to my laptop PC, and after a while all the new mapping software (on the 660's microSD card) showed up on the BaseCamp programme .. all totally interactive. Excellent.

I'm very pleased. Thanks for this useful info Dan .. :thumbup1:

Cheers

KEITH

Cheers, sometimes looking in the manual realy does help lol

Hi, anyone with a Montana finding that the compas goes off by about 45 degrees when in the vehicle mount? My mount means the gps is almost vertical.

When I hold the gps 3inches from the mount, the compass is correct....

Other that, it's awesome!

Sounds to me that you may have a current running through your mount creating a magnetic field. check any electric cables that may be attached to it.

Have you calibrated the compass?

Hi,

Yes, there is a current in the mount, it's the garmin mount that supplies power to the unit, so I would assume they have taken that into account in their design. It's in a unimog (86), so there are some unsheilded wires in the dash, but no fancy electronics.

and yes, i have calibrated it, (spin, flip and flip).

Merv.

The garmin car mount has a speaker built in. Do you have the standard mount? That will probably be why. I have not looked myself yet.

Windshield wiper motors have big magnets in them. If a compass is installed close to metal or worse magnets, it has to be calibrated/compensated somehow. Sometimes you can even see the compass changing when the wipers are running.

tried to watch mine toninght, it's in the garmin mount and appeared spot on except stopped at a set of light when it wondered a bit.

Don't think it would be the mount

Routes vs Tracks
 

Am having trouble importing routes to the Montana ... but importing tracks seems to work fine.

I am sure Bertrand has mentioned it before by what is the point limit on tracks?

The point limit is 10,000

Got my unit, love it :)

One thing though, there can be a an issue where you import a route you have designed on Basecamp, but when it is transferred to the Montana it wil RECALCULATE the route the way the current profile is set up.

As at this time, I do not believe it can import the route as designed, there is no option for it to do that. Also, if you are designing the route in BC using Automotive profile, then import it and use Motorbike, it will change the route to suit that profile and whatever avoids etc that have been enabled or disabled.

A way around that is the route to track option, once the route has been planned, convert it to a track, make the track a different colour and import that too, then when you are following the route, you can see by the colour of the track whether the route you are following is actually correct, or whether you need to make a turn somewhere to get back on track :)

Cheers
TS

finally decided Montana 600 is the way to go for me. prefer GPS without camera and it cost less too.

now trying to find the cheapest place to buy Montana 600 in USA?

If you've got the Montana....
give in to temptation from our friends at Touratech!

just received a Montana 600 and found out no maps are included.

are the open source maps equal to Garmin's City Navigator?
$$$ getting all the maps I'm going to need.

When did they come out with that mate? and what do they want for it?

Have to say, so far I am 100% happy with the rugged AMPS mount.

CY = get OSM maps - they are free
Walter= Rugged mount from Garmin still needed as you can see in pic.
Screwed in the back of the TT one-
Lower cross bar brascket is not included in the TT mount and is a separate part

thank YOU!

just found OSM Maps - Maps for Garmin GPS devices for north & south america

I think quite recently, as the UK store is not stocking it yet, or when I checked a few weeks ago, only the DE store.

http://shop.touratech.de/navigation/...uminium-1.html

You still need the rugged mount with it.

Have had their mount now around 1 - 2 month in my bike.
Personally liked more Zumo 660 mount (which was also lighter).
One thing what I do not like with Montana series (and in their mount) is charging contacts. 660 had those contacts in back of the unit, which I think is better solution.

CY- enjoy but don't thank me but those fab people at OSM:thumbup1:

Walter- TT mount available in silver or anodised black from TT Germany-
The cross bar mount is a separate item- I chose that as I needed to 'clear' my tank bag .
(ps you have a pm- could you make that call and let me know asap pls? thanks Walter)

TIP! I just found the little rubber plug to cover the pins when the Montana is not mounted - it's pushed into the recess of the AMPS mount and I missed that!

Thats a fair bit of cash for a lock ...

Think I will stick with my pocket for now. I have the GPS off the bike every evening anyway, backing up the tracks.

Another quirk is on brutal off road vibrations the battery or electrical connections seem to disconnect momentarily, and often ... resetting the device constantly. Sticking an earplug in the back of the unit between the battery and the battery cover, seems to cure it.

ah, Walter, I suffered the same problem, I sent it back, and they have replaced the unit, but I haven't yet been off road to test it out, as i've blown my engine up. Oops. If it happens again, i'll try that trick!

what are you using to hold the rugged AMPS mount to your bike?
RAM parts?

Good tip about the ear plug! although you could remove the battery altogether when riding as it is powered via the pins then replace o/night or when using to plan.

The jaw mechanism of the TT mount acts as a 'belt and braces' and holds the gps firmly into the AMPS mount ergo the pins.

The key locking is just to stop sticky fingers but won't resit a pry-bar!

Yes but ensure you get the 4 bolt mounting, and not the 2 bolt one. The Montana is not a light unit and I have seen the 2 bolt mounts become very loose very fast because the platform is not wide enough

thanks ... are you using the stainless U-bolt to handlebar mount as base, then short double socket to grab two ball swivels?

looks like it's better to buy Ram parts separately instead of a kit.

got OSM USA maps loaded on montana. can see details of streets, but "where to" search for addresses will not work.

works fine with poi and way points... makes a route with no problems. but when you try to find any address... search cannot find any street

anyone else have this problem?

it's not a problem CY, it's called Adventure!!:D

Beta 4.01 is out for Montana Garmin: Montana Updates & Downloads

Fixed issues with map set selections across Profiles

I'm using basecamp on mac. When I see the various maps that are on my mem card, listed on the left hand side, under 'my garmin devices'

the list of maps, they are all called OSM World Routable , despite the fact I have renamed each IMG after its relevant country. Which means because I can't calculate routes over border crossings, it makes trying to select the next map very difficult. Any tips?

help, there is one very useful, if not critical, feature which I can't find on my Montana, hopefully it is here, I just can't find it:

whenever I enter a destination, I like to check the overall route to make sure that the route is to the right destination, does not include any crazy detours, etc.--this was easy on my Zumo, but on the Montana the only way I can find to do this is to zoom way out on the main map, which takes a long time--is there any easier way to do this?

Not as far as I know, but on the main map, after you have hit GO, you can touch the map anywhere and a red pin will pop up, then you can zoom out and around and look at the overall.

When you have finished looking, hit the 'go back' button, and you are back into your previous view, without having to hit the minus button

Hope that helps

Cheers from Montenegro
TS

4.04 Beta
 

is out as of 18/05. Download link seems to be invalid though...

I loaded the 4.03 beta yesterday and the thing that I liked is that I can calculate a route, avoiding toll roads, for 1000kms plus without it truncating the route:clap: (not that quick to do it, but at least it works).
I complained to Garmin some months ago about it. They said it was down to internal memory and the way its allocated.
My 276c had no such problems and that had very little memory. So, a step foreword I think.

Cheers,
John

4.04 beta is out (didn't like 4.03)... snappier ... my lost profile came back
perhaps this beta will be more stable

TS, thanks, I will try that. I just got back from my first trip with the Montana, and I have to say that in many ways I liked my Zumo 550 better. The only real advantage for the Montana is the configurable data display. I know the Montana has many more features (geotracking! man-overboard!) but I'm not sure how much I'll use them.

finally version 4.10 non beta is out!

use Garmin Webupdater to upgrade

A few good things in 4.10 I like the TrailTech bit.

Changes from version 3.90 to version 4.10: Added new route activity types and improved BaseCamp compatibility. See TrailTech (Get Active with Garmin) for more information.
Added symbol filtering to Where To? > Waypoints and Waypoint Manager
Added ability to toggle map between Track Up and North Up by touching the North arrow
Added ability to set a via point while navigating a calculated route
Added ability to remove the red pin while panning the map
Added support for Kenwood NMEA Waypoint Sentence
Improved GPS response at low speeds
Improved touch screen responsiveness
Improved font sizes for Arabic and Farsi languages
Improved camera white balance
Fixed issues with support for Canada BlueChart g2 maps
Fixed issue with NMEA
Fixed issue with track distance data field when track logging is off
Fixed issue with track log naming when using BaseCamp
Fixed issue with geocache visits in Calendar application
Fixed issue with charging indication when unit is fully charged
Fixed issues with map set selections across Profiles
Fixed issue where current geocache description review would reset to top after leaving page
Fixed issue with changing date on Tide reviews
Fixed issue where imported points from Garmin POI Loader would not alert user after a Profile change
Fixed potential shutdown caused by altimeter calibration
Fixed Where To? > Address searching
Fixed possible shutdown caused by the Small Data Fields dashboard
Fixed 'Go' button in chirp details
Fixed orientation change when viewing Help
Fixed shutdown caused by sorting Photo Viewer multiple times


Cheers,
John

gloves?
 

After a spill my trusty map60csx died.:thumbdown:
I'm now deciding between the Map62s and the Montana. Is the Montana just as capable for overlanding as the
Map62?
Is it possible to operate the touchscreen with gloves on?

Cheers,

Peter

The Montana is the new benchmark. It beats everything else for adventure motorcycling by 5 times.

Yes there are hundreds of us on this forum operating the montana touchscreen with gloves

Thanks Walter, sounds confincing.:thumbup1:.

Cheers,

Peter

A few useful features I discovered recently using the Montana:

Alarm. The unit can be set to activate itself when the alarm goes off. I used this as part of battery saving measures when there is a long leg with no deviation, eg 100miles to next turn; if I think I am averaging 50 mph set the alarm for say +1hr 50mins and it automatically switches the unit on and you will be within 10 mins or so of the turn.

Profiles: if the routing setting is for "prompt" you will not be able to change preferences, avoidances, etc in any profile. You need to select a preferred routing profile then you can change those items.

Reducing screen brightness to the lowest you can get away with (50% for me) and setting the screen to off after say 1 minute are probably the most effective battery saving measures (after switching it off). On mine, single tap the power button brings up the status screen and the brightness is adjusted on a slider (the single tap can be configured to bring up other features though).

The battery will vibrate loose on rough roads. Wedging a folded up business card between it and the battery cover worked for me.

Drag and drop items onto the home screen from the setup menus is useful.

Now I am learning my way round the Montana it is one of my all time favourite gadgets. I wish I had got the 650 with camera though.

On the question of viewing a big route without panning right out, if you tap the bar at the top of the map screen (when its got an active route) that desribes the next turn it will bring up a screen with all the route directions in separate fields. A further tap on each field will open the map for that particular turn which can then be panned in or out. Not perfect but it works for me.

The update that allows removal of that annoying red pin sounds like a good step forward.

Second vote for getting a 650 over a 600 here. I would have got one but the store did not have one when I needed it. The camera would have been really useful on my mountain bike.

Also a good tip is you can config a double tap on the power button to what you want.

Dan

where to store your garmin montana
 

The Montana is a perfect fit inside a Kriega Kube Pocket. Almost like they were designed for each other.

On a recent trip I had my Kube pocket fitted on a ruckstrap strap and as soon as I got off the bike unclipped the montana from its mount and slipped it into the kube pocket - safe secure and protected plus I always knew where it was.

It's a 5 megapixel with autofocus; automatic geo-tagging function. The big advantage of the camera is the fact that it's always with you, and completely waterproof, unlike smartphone cameras. It will never replace a good DSLR with various lens and filters of course.

A bit late, but if you're still wondering how to name your maps properly, try Javawa Device Manager.

It has a lot of tricks; highly recommended.

When using the Garmin Bluechart G2 Vision charts on my Montanna is there a way to disable the photo overlay (satellite imagery) !
On the instructions it states

"High Resolution Satellite Imagery
You can overlay high-resolution satellite
images on the land, sea, or both portions of the
Navigation Chart.
Satellite imagery options:
When you enable the photo overlay on
your unit, you can customize how the
satellite imagery appears on the map:
• Off—standard chart information is
shown.
• Land Only—standard chart
information is shown on water with
photos overlaying the land.
• On—photos overlay both the water
and the land at a specified opacity.
The higher you set the percentage,
the more the satellite photos"

However on the Montana it seems there is no option to disable the satellite imagery so on certain areas this is all I can view however much I zoom in


Thanks a lot
Richard

Does, "Setup" > "System" > "GPS" then select "Normal" from Normal - WAAS/EGNOS/Demo Mode, not work?

John

No doesn't work

:frown:

Are these .jnx files?
Whatever the filename, you could just rename the file extension... assuming you know what they are.

Do they appear in the list of maps so you could "deactivate" them?

John

No the bluechart is just one img file the satelite imagery is not a seperate file

I sought clarification from Garmin that the accessory with the power and audio lead (Garmin stock no: 010-11654-01) will fit in the mount that is supplied with the Moto Bundle. I was informed the power and audio cables (allowing the unit to be hard wired into the 'bike's system) are part of the package supplied in the Moto Plus bundle; is this correct? From what I can see on their website and online description it does not appear to be the case.

Anyone care to inform me if everything is supplied with the bundle enabling me to hard wire the Montana into the 'bike or do I require the additional accessory?

Thanks

All depends how/where you want to mount your Montana
The bundle usualy refers to a Ram mount + the rugged AMPS mount ( part #010-11654-01) which has the power and audio feed cables + a map
so yes- a bundle will give you all the bits you need.
OR
you can buy the Montana of your choice
add a rugged AMPS mount and make your own mount fitting-
or buy some RAM parts
and if you want to protect your Montana from vibration damage, buy the Touratech bespoke mount for it video here

Bertrand, thank you for your (very swift) reply.

:smiliex:

That thing looks enormous! Seems like overkill to me. The AMPS mount works good.
Plus, I always use my Montana in "portrait". Seems better to see what's ahead than at the sides. impo...

John

Hi,

you can do this in basecamp, when you have the map installed on your PC und the SD-Card in the unit (it may take a while).

You can also create an image which you can load on the sd-card plugged into an card reader.

I do not own a Garmin map on CD and I cannot tell you if there is already an usable image on it.

Martin

Thanks, Martin.

If I purchase City Navigator mapping for an additional country, I will only be able to install the whole map and cannot install selected countries?
Therefore the whole map of Europe including Turkey will need to be installed? Thanks.

Does anyone know the size of the audio jack plug that is supplied with the Montana's rugged mount please?

standard 3,5mm stereo mini jack
 

it's a standard 3,5mm stereo mini jack, wildly used with any home audio kit like mp3 player and so on... any bike head set kit would have this plug anyway... no problems... unless you using a product for "iPlonker" kit which may got there own wiring the other way round...

Spooky, I've tried the jack on the Rugged Mount with iPod, MP3 player, radio and 'phone and it is too small for them all, therefore I am unsure as to what is the actual size.

well I tried the 3,5mm stereo mini-jack from a audio "Senheiser HD-25" stereo headset which I'm using with my high-end WAV-mp3-recorder, PC+laptop-output and a cheap standard helmet headset from my local bike shop and both worked without problems.
This audio extension on the rugged mount is build to be used with helmet headsets.
3,5mm is what I was reading out of the Garmin tech-spec at the time I bought it a year ago... this is the same size used on the Montana it self.
Watch out, many of this phone plugs on the market are prohibited hardware, using 2,5mm or 2,8mm plugs or wire them in another way, so you have to stick to there system and spend £$ to this specific brand of phone for instant.

as I pointed out... any iPlot or plug from a rotten Apple will not work regarding there prohibited hardware policy so non of there stuff is compatible with any normal audio kit... they want you to buy there own $$-adapter, which only convert to the normal size and wiring...

you better off paying your local bike shop a visit to get the rugged mount connected to your helmet.
anyway I sealed the audio output of my rugged mount, I don't like wires dangling about and rather got my peace while riding, rather than being nagged by a funny stupid voice... "turn right", "turn right", "you missed the motorway my friend", "turn right" I rather decide my self if I want to take the motorway or country lane... so I switched all the audio off... the routing is not that reliable either, nor always showing the shortest way... I using the Montana for a year and covered 13.000km by now with the latest maps, but do not relay on it at all... rather my common sense, compass and a good map... a GPS to me is only a welcome, convenience addition, while the Montana coming close to being useful.

I was looking into the Montana and thought it was neat device and great for motorcycles, until I saw a video on it. In the video this fellow put the unit on a chair in direct sun lite. When it reached 87F the screen started to act up and switch modes. I'm an old Lowrance XOG user and that unit had a touch screen. The touch screen made it a bear to use with gloves and occasional would get so scrambled in layered maps, that it was useless. I learned my lesson and have never gone back to a touch screen device on a motorcycle. Hence I invested in a Delorme Earthmate PN60. While it is a small, small, small window, it still guides me and has never had an issue in 2 years now.

I have prayed to the GPS gods to deliver a 4 inch diagonal screen, IP7 water proof, with buttons and full 24K topos but no one has delivered yet.

Ill wait until the 600T price drops to $150.00 before test driving.

That was a factory problem and was fixed with all faulty models swapped out under warranty. Mine sits on my bike all day and has never had an issue like it.

That's indeed good news. Now I may consider trying one.

When it comes to Topo Maps, I found that the Lowrance installed base map was the exact maps as the "high end" topo map Delorme offers. Both were made by Info USA. My question is which topo map company does Garmin offer?

Has anyone tried the Birdseye satellite images on the Montana? I'm downloading some for Mongolia now, but wanted to see if anyone had used them and found them useful (or not)?

In a nutshell- no I haven't as I create my own using GE.

Useful? moderate to little use for me, the main issue being one of map sizes created and you will need many especially if you want a high level of detail and of many places.
I use my GE created img's as an overlay, they can be of some use but the above re:space remains- 'maps' will appear as you reach the coords automatically.

Bertrand,

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that GE images could be used like this, or that they would scroll as you move down the road. Is there any secret to being able to use the images like this, or is it pretty self-explanatory?

I thought it would be helpful to have sat images in Mongolia, given the trails which seem to go all over the place. And you're right about the number of images--I've probably already got over 100 and probably have several hundred to go. Luckily these should fit easily on the Montana's SD card, but it is very tedious to download them all. One of my concerns is that as the number of images increses, they will load slower and slower, which could make the whole exercise pointless.

For anyone who is interested, below I've posted images of the same area from both Birdseye highest detail level (top) and Google Maps (bottom). As you can see, at least in this area, Google's image has higher resolution:

http://www.vervecom.net/Birdseye.bmp
http://www.vervecom.net/google.bmp

Downloading a GE image at the altitude you require is the first step.
The data then needs to be worked on to make it useable in your montana.
It is worth reminding readers that GE images are made by a very clever bit of software which
'stitches' pictures, scans, drawings etc to make a 'map'.
Timelines, data and details cannot be accurately determined so remember that what your display
shows you is not necessarily what you will see 'on the ground'.
Then, at times, you'll be amazed how good it can be!
All very time consuming to put together but useful if you don't have any other mapping.
For Mongolia (and anywhere you do not have good maps) IMHO, it would be best to create a datase of as
accurate as possible waypoints, switch your Montana to the compass page (CDI layout), edit the fields and learn/know how to navigate in 'off road' mode.

Thanks, this sounds like good advice, I will check this out.

Guys, I need help with something else on my Montana: shortly after I bought, the internal battery died for some reason. I recently bought a replacement battery, but when I put it in, it didn't work either... So I look closer at the battery compartment and realized that there seem to be only two battery contacts in the battery compartment, even though there seem to be four spaces for contacts, and the battery itself has four contacts. See pic below: on the green plate circled in red, there are two contacts on the left, but not on the right. Before I trudge out to the Motorola service place to have it fixed, could someone else look at their Montana to see how many contacts it has?

http://www.vervecom.net/ADVRider/Montana.bmp

Thanks Bertand.

This is really poor quality from Garmin, I have used the Montana for maybe a couple of thousand of on-road kilometers and two contacts break?? really unimpressive.

IIRC, the Montana will run from a wired cradle even without the battery, correct? And I can always run it off of AAs I guess, but still this is really disappointing.

Take it back for warranty.

It will run from the rugged mount, no battery needed and will run from the AAs

Talk to Garmin, all you can get is nothing if you don't, but you may get something if you do

Good lcuk
TS

Of course the warranty expired about a month ago... doh

I'll see if they can fix it, but am concerned about turn-around time. Not very happy at the moment.

Call them, they can be very understanding, just be nice to them and explain.

The worst they will do is offer a $180 tun around, if in the US, they will even send one to you, then you send the faulty one back

You never know your luck in a big city

Cheers
TS

Yes- the montana will take its power from the cradle and work fine even without a battery inside- BUT see note below:

Vibration is what kills/damages gps a lot of the time hence why I've opted to mount the bespoke garmin powermount into the TT mount as well- Walter feels it is overkill- I very much disagree and I've also added a home made sun shield to it. (not needed in UK!!!) some 11,000 miles aboard my thumper and no problems (to date- darn... did I just invoke Murphy?doh)

NOTE:
The main drawback of not having a battery inside is that the gps will lose its compass calibration- something rather important if you ride using the compass page set display to CDI as I do.

Bertrand,

Thanks for the info. The problem is that I live in Moscow, and customer service here generally kinda sucks.

Thanks for the compass calibration info, I didn't even know you had to calibrate it, so that's good to know. If I can't fix it quickly, I will usually be using it in the cradle with some AAs, so I should be OK as long as the AAs aren't drawn down while it is in the cradle.

From what you say
4GB is more than enough but as the prices are so low, you might as well get the 8GB ones
Class 4 is fine - anything faster does not get used. (unlike in a smartphone)
I prefer Sandisk micro SD cards

Some, like Charlie Brown, swear by 'natural curly hair navigation':wink3:
I prefer to calibrate mine!


They will be fine- Once in the cradle, (assuming it is juiced up!) your montana will work fine but it will not either use nor charge the batteries- IMHO a big oversight by garmin.:rolleyes2:
It would have been a smart move to include a trickle charging system which would kick in when it detects the use of rechargeable AA's.

I spent most of Saturday traipsing around Moscow trying to get my Montana fixed, and the only options I've found so far are to have Garmin swap it out for $$$ or to have a bodge-job done on it by a corner GPS repair shop. I might just stick with AAs, since it will be in the cradle most of the time anyway.

For anyone who cares, as far as I can tell the Garmin shops at Gorbushka in Moscow have now closed or moved, so that is a pain!

Bertrand, once again thanks for your guidance.

always a pleasure :mchappy:

Bertrand, thanks, but I've already been through this--only the first of those shops is of any use, it is the main Gamin rep here and is the only place that can actually fix Garmins, the others are just sales points (according to the one I went to on Saturday). And this main rep of course does not work on weekends and is very inconveniently located.

sorry - it was the best garmin had to offer me:blushing:

Embee
I haver read of so many autocom woes that I have stayed away from one. Apologies but can't help with that device.



A simpler solution ( my opinion only- no flames please!)
Just use in ear buds - works a treat. Most people with an ipod/smartphone will already gave a set.
Alternatives are many such as the Sennheiser ear buds- brilliant!
If you need even more sound then there is an amplifier gadget that boosts the audio - one on fleabay.

Used with a splitter with an ipod so if I really need voice directions :funmeterno:, I can hear the Montana perfectly on my pogo up to 70mph provided the ipod is either 'off' or 'paused' else the sounds get mixed up/
Keeping things simple makes life easier for me anyway!:smiliex:

coming back from the ukrainian border yesterday over a crappy paved road, my Montana flew out of its cradle when I wasn't looking...I went back and looked, but could not find it. doh

So it looks like I'll be buying a new one.

The little security screw on the cradle does not really work because of my windshield (ie, I can't get the little tool into the space). I have a couple of my knobbed security screws from my Zumo, but can't get the stock security screw out of the cradle--it seems attached to the cradle somehow, and I can't get grip on it to pull it out. Any suggestions?

I never used that screw because the driver was attached to my key ring and vibrated out and was lost a long time ago

Instead I make sure it clicks into the rugged mount and I have attached a lanyard(like the ones used for security access or ID cards) and wrapped that around the stem of the mount as a " just in case"

The Montana has 'never' come loose even through the crap roads of Russia and Kaz, and that includes a lot of off road due to road works

I am thinking it was not in place properly in your case. I don't believe I have have read of anyone else on the Montana thread losing one out of the cradle once inserted correctly, that thread on ADVrider is now 5,000 posts long

Well I guess it is hard to say at this point, but I rode about 150k over very bumpy asphalt roads before it fell out, so if it is wasn't inserted properly I'm not sure how it made it that far.

I didn't notice that it had a slot for a lanyard, I'm am pretty religious about using lanyards when possible.

Sorry to read of your expensive loss. Cheap option is a tether.
For 'belt and braces', consider the vibration reducing TT mount.
A few euros of course and it depends how important your gps's health is to you!

I also use a thumb operated security screw. When I tried to get the stock one out I fiddled with it for a good 15-20 minutes without figuring it out how to get it off, then gave it to a mate who had done it before and it was off in a minute or two when i wasnt looking. I will ask how to get it out and revert mate.

There is a slot at the bottom of the unit if held in portrait mode

Got the new unit, attached lanyard...

Colebatch pls let me know if you find out some special trick to take out the original security screw; I'm guessing I just need to stick a knife blade and pry it out, but don't want to screw up the mount (or the knife!).

Motoreiter, don't use the knife. The procedure is described in detail at
ADVrider - View Single Post - Garmin Montana Collected Wisdom and FAQs

The screw used in the instructions doesn't look nice. You can use quite a standard DIN 464 M3 thumb screw for this. No need to spend EUR 10+. You can get it in most bolt shops or on Ebay (1 Stk Rändelschraube DIN 464 M3x6 hohe Form EDELSTAHL | eBay). Put it in a drill and file off a few of the threads, just like in the instructions in the link, using the old screw as a guide. 10 minute affair. After that, you can fit the safety ring again and won't lose the screw if you forget to tighten it.

The torx screw annoyed my from day one. Not a very practical idea.

Oh, just realized you lost your old Montana. Sorry for your loss. That sucks! I assume the security screw wasn't in? To add insult to injury, that still doesn't fix the broken pins in your cradle :-(

That link is perfect, thanks. I've got a couple of knob-screws from when I had my Zumo, so I'm hoping that those will work.

Yes, it sucks, but my fault for not having a lanyard attached, and I guess there is a chance that it wasn't inserted properly in the first place. And no, the security screw was not in when I lost it.

Broken pins in the cradle?! Crap, I will have to check that...

OK, I've checked the pins and now have another question: I have Montana cradles on two bikes, on both cradles there are six pins, and a seventh spot (on the far right) where it looks like a pin might go (ie, a circular indentation), although there are not any indications that a pin was ever there.

However, on the bottom of the Montana there are seven contacts, so maybe there should be a seventh pin?

In any event, when I put the Montana in the cradle and turn the bike on the Montana turns on as well, so hopefully everything is cool.