New/Updated Unit Is Slow To Get Satellite Lock

MaFt

Q. Why doesn't my brand new GPS get a satellite lock? or
Q. Why doesn't my GPS get a satellite lock after I upgraded the firmware/cleared all user data.

A. If you are outside and you have a good view of the sky then the unit unit may have no satellite ephemeris / almanac data or the data was wiped after a reset or firmware update.

Take the StreetPilot to a place with a good view of the sky and not obstructed by too many buildings/trees etc. Large outdoor carparks, hilltops or your back garden are good places to try. Don't move the StreetPilot while it downloads the data.

Skippy

bazg13 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 01, 2006 Posts: 4

How do you know when it is actually finished downloading the data? i have left my unit on the back garden for 3 hours before, it had a satellite signal but then when i tried to use it in the car again it couldnt find any satellites Sad

zogman · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:27 pm Post subject:

zogman · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:28 pm Post subject:

not 'sta' but sat lock Confused

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Skippy · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject:

Skippy · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:22 pm Post subject:

Here's a good picture of an athermic windscreen on a Zafira , see how bronze the windscreen looks in a certain light. These windscreens block a lot of the GPS signals, though the newer SiRF III GPS chipsets seem to be sensitive enough to still work reasonably well through them.
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Gone fishing!

peter34

My Garmin StreetPilot i3 started to take forever (actually 5 - 20mins) to acquire a fix, even if it had been switched off for just a few seconds after previously operating normally. I thought that the unit was about to suffer a major hardware failure, and started to make moves to get it replaced under warranty. It then dawned on me that I had upgraded the operating system from its original V2.6 to V2.7 to V2.9 and finally to V3.1 over the 10 months I had owned the i3.

Having read on these forums of difficulties with later versions of Garmin software, I decided to experiment and reload with good old V2.7. This was a revelation - the slow startup had gone - now the unit acquired a fix within 10 to 15 seconds of power up. OK, I had lost all my "favourites" in the reload, but this was a small price to pay for proper operation. Just to prove the point, I reloaded V3.1 software, and the old slow startup returned exactly as before. Loaded 2.7 again and situation normal - unit is now even able to obtain a decent fix indoors!!

A friend suggested that the problem with V3.1 might be that the almanac was getting corrupted or marked as invalid at power down, so the unit naturally went into "recovery mode" to re-establish both almanac and ephemera data bases at each power up.

Has any one else experienced this problem with V3.1 on the i3, as I intend to advise Garmin of the situation to see what their response is. In the meantime treat V3.1 with extreme caution - it may not be fit for purpose!
Hopefully V3.2 will soon be available with this bug fixed.

north_country_boy · Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:00 am Post subject:

When I bought my i3 in January it was on 2.7, worked perfectly, then like an idiot I updated it to 3.1, what a mistake! Takes ages to lock onto satellites, in fact on Sunday it took 50 minutes. I have been reluctant to go back to 2.7 as a couple of people on here have done that and had even more trouble. I emailed Garmin about the problems I am having but they never replied.

Ian38 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 22, 2006 Posts: 2

Bought new Sept 10, worked out of the box within minutes had a signal capture. However yesterday and today it would not acquire a satellite after the following sequence: Batteries fully charged and fitted and unit on and also plugged into the 12v supply, route selected and "start navigating" initiated. Turned ignition back from auxiliary position to "off" in order to be able to start the car engine. The Garmin initially went into the 30 sec countdown to off followed by reverting to fully on as I started the car and thereby re-establishing the 12v supply to the i3. It immediately lost the satellite signal. Yesterday it recovered it after 5 minutes driving but today it did not recover it over the 15 minute journey to my destination ( an outdoor table at a high location cafe) where I placed the internal battery driven i3 on the table and where it did not recover the signal in the whole hour I was there. Oddly, as I type this with the i3 sitting next to the computer at least three feet from a window it has achieved one red bar on the reception scale so at least I know I don't have a failed unit. I suspect the sudden power surges caused by interrupting/ resuming the 12v supply are wiping its satellite memory. I will in future turn off the unit before starting the car and see if this fixes the problem.

mikealder · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:22 pm Post subject:

Ian, First off check the batteries are in fact correct in terms of polarity and is the battery door lid shut correctly on the device (fully locked) - make sure the batteries are fully charged, try them again on the charger, also make sure the i3 is selected to the correct battery type, Select Settings/ System/ Battery Type then make sure the entered value matches the type of cells fitted - although this should not cause the device to loose its memory - Mike

Also I should add it is bad practice to drive around without a sat lock, sitting still until the unit has acquired a lock within a couple of mins normally is all it takes. If you drive off without lock the unit can take ages to work out where it actually is on the planet - give a few mins in the morning and see if there is a difference

Ian38 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 22, 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks mikealder,
Yes I have already done all the things mentioned in your first para but I wasn't aware of the points in your second para. Interesting, I will follow that advice.

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