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Faust
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Joined: May 02, 2005
Posts: 210
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 Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:28 pm Post subject: GO910 slow to lock and then loses signal - advice please. |
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Can anyone with a GO910 answer this query? My daughter has recently purchased one and is disappointed with the performance, in particular its ability to initially get a satellite lock and then once found keeping it. I was somewhat puzzled as I have the GO300 and whilst not the fastest GPS device at initially finding a satellite, once it does find the sat it never seems to lose it. I asked my daughter if she was near any tall buildings when the 910 has failed to lock on the satellites, she laughed and said there aren't many tall buildings in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. I suspect this unit to be faulty as I had heard the latest TomTom devices have a pretty fast processor so should find the satellites PDQ and certainly shouldn't be losing lock. Any input from 910 users appreciated.
P.S. not a French car with the heat reflective windscreen - VW |
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mikealder
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Does she let the 910 attain a position fix before driving off? - it should work fine if this is the case.
If not the 910 will struggle to achieve a position fix - a 910 used regularly should obtain a position fix in under 2 mins, typically mine does this in less than thirty seconds - Mike |
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DennisN
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14902
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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On the face of it, it does sound a bit dodgy, but before condemning it out of hand, consider how she uses it. Does she drive off before acquiring satellites? - a GO finds it difficult to search whilst moving. Does she switch it off or disconnect, then drive away to somewhere else? so that when she eventually decides to use it again, the device looks up for the satellites, it's still looking from its previous location and the angles will have changed?
With my 710 (more or less the same) I have done "Change preferences" ... "Start-up preferences", "Continue where I left off". As I always have the Go connected for every journey, no matter where or how small, when I disconnect then reconnect, it looks up from where I stopped and looks at the right part of the sky for the satellites it was using before.
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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Faust
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Joined: May 02, 2005
Posts: 210
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| DennisN wrote: | On the face of it, it does sound a bit dodgy, but before condemning it out of hand, consider how she uses it. Does she drive off before acquiring satellites? - a GO finds it difficult to search whilst moving. Does she switch it off or disconnect, then drive away to somewhere else? so that when she eventually decides to use it again, the device looks up for the satellites, it's still looking from its previous location and the angles will have changed?
With my 710 (more or less the same) I have done "Change preferences" ... "Start-up preferences", "Continue where I left off". As I always have the Go connected for every journey, no matter where or how small, when I disconnect then reconnect, it looks up from where I stopped and looks at the right part of the sky for the satellites it was using before. |
In answer to your reply and mikealder she told me that she sits outside her house for ages waiting for a sat lock and usually does the same wherever she is. However, I am surprised by both your replies - with my Go300 I almost never wait for a sat lock, I just programme in my destination and soon as it has worked out route I press done and off I go. If the 300 hasn't found a satellite lock by the time I put the car in gear I just ignore it and carry on - I can almost guarantee Jane will be speaking to me within a few hundred yards - been doing this for the last couple of years and I use mine infrequently so disconnected for long periods of time. Perhaps TomTom has not progressed in that time but regressed? I think she should return it and ask for a replacement. |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14902
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Faust wrote: | In answer to your reply and mikealder she told me that she sits outside her house for ages waiting for a sat lock and usually does the same wherever she is. However, I am surprised by both your replies - with my Go300 I almost never wait for a sat lock, I just programme in my destination and soon as it has worked out route I press done and off I go.
...
Perhaps TomTom has not progressed in that time but regressed? I think she should return it and ask for a replacement. |
I don't have to wait for acquisition either - I have GO700 with external aerial for better satellite contact and GO710 with just the same chip as your daughter. By the time I've programmed both, they're champing at the bit. But I CAN get trouble if I forget to have them both running all the time - not very good at acquiring signal on the move.
I agree, go get a replacement whilst it's still new (from the shop, DON'T let them put her off with sending it away or contacting Tom Tom).
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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daznsaz
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Joined: May 29, 2006
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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Think i am right in saying that if you plug the 910 into TomTom Home it will download satalite positions to give you a faster start up.
Might be worth a try. |
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Deus
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Joined: Feb 13, 2006
Posts: 64
Location: Hafilax
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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mines fine, fast aquistion, and good lock.
I am a HGV driver and when I leave my wagon, I remove it from my windscreen and pop it in my pocket. If I am in a warehouse, I can hear it giving me instructions, so the lock seems to be excellent.
Ask the store to try another and see if thats any better. |
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bond007
Lifetime Member
Joined: May 24, 2005
Posts: 63
Location: UK, Bucks
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Same, here the acquistion time is very fast and I don't even use the quick GPS fix utility any more. From a cold start i'd say about less than a minute... from a warm start less than 10 seconds.... perhaps even faster....
Mind you I do generally get 8 satellite fixes every time, so that may help me...
Take it back....
Regards |
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TomDavison
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Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 384
Location: Bedford, England
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| DennisN wrote: | the device looks up for the satellites, it's still looking from its previous location and the angles will have changed?
........., no matter where or how small, when I disconnect then reconnect, it looks up from where I stopped and looks at the right part of the sky for the satellites it was using before. |
Just to clarify, I thought that the 910 doesn't have a directional aerial, so it doesn't "look" anywhere for a signal. As far as I am aware, it gets positional information from all of the satellites in view, and then uses that info to display them on the GPS screen, choosing the best ones to use for location. If it's been switched off a while, it doesn't know they have moved, so ignores any that are not close to the expected position, waiting for the "Correct" ones to talk to it. This causes problems, particularly when one or more of the "correct " satellites is behind the earth, so can't be picked up. It's only when it finally finds out from the satellite transmitted ephemera where the satellites are now in the sky that it can make a new selection to use.
With quickfix, the theory is that when it switches on, it knows where the satellites should be at the appropriate time, so can select the ones to use much more quickly. |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14902
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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Bang goes my useful theory then. I thought they just sat in the vehicle, looking up and around in the precise directions of all the satellites they're in contact with - when they close their eyes (power off), then open them again, they'll still look at the same 9 satellite positions as they were looking at before. I thought the satellites were pretty slow moving, so wouldn't get below the horizon if you're switched off for just a short time (or only one might). But then, I learned my satellite stuff from Gagarin so pay me no attention. 
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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Oldboy
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Dec 08, 2004
Posts: 10643
Location: Suffolk, UK
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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Better have a read of THIS Dennis. ;)
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Richard
TT 910 V7.903: Europe Map v1045
TT Via 135 App 12.075: Europe Map v1140 |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14902
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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Oh  - another damned RTFM - you KNOW I don't do RTFM, Richard. Next thing I'll be having ephemeral stuff in my signature. 
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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Jackalsb
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1
Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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Hi just a thought does your daughter have a heat reflective windscreen as if she does it will block the signal getting through. If she does she will need to get an external antenna.
A good way to check if she does not know is to take the TomTom outside of the car and see if it gets a fix and how good a fix it is. Then put it back in the car whilst still turned on and see if it losses signal again. |
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