Posted on 11/29/2007 1:03:30 PM PST by trumandogz
For last two weeks I have been using a Garmin Nuvi 200W GPS Navigation systmen and have had problems with the unit keeping its connection with the Satellites. The loss of connection appears to be random even occurring in areas without tree cover or large buildings.
At times the unit can go 20 to 30 minutes without a connection all in areas where a connection with at least one satellite should not be a problem.
I returned the first unit in exchange for a second and both units have had the very same problem.
I have placed the unit(s) on different parts of the windshield with out resolution.
My question is:
Do other people have the same problem with their GPS units?
Do other people have better experience with Tom Tom or another manufacturer?
Is this a problem that I will have to deal with no matter what brand of navigation system I use?
What part of the country do you live in? Are a lot of hills?
You might have a bad or intermittent link to one or more of your sats.
I thought the windshield may be a problem but I have taken the unit out of the car and that only solves the problem sometimes.
The only thing worse than one that loses lock is one that lies.
Is the unit well forward on the dash? Or better than that is detector outside? Signal will not go through metal - roof of the car. My brother rented a car this week w/ one and the detector was mounted on the trunk. Detector was small - smaller than a box of matches. I have used a hand held unit on planes and it works well if you have a window seat. Won’t work if on an asile. To use my hand held in a car, have to put it against the windshield as far forward as possible.
Hope this helps.
The cell phones are actually calculating their distance from various towers rather than using satellite signals directly, so if the frequencies the cell phones use don't have trouble with the film, it won't matter that the film blocks the satellite signals.
There are also places where a cell phone GPS will work where a real GPS receiver will not and vice versa. The cell phone ones may still work indoors or in a city with tall buildings where you can't get line of sight to the satellites. However, in rural areas where cell service is hit and miss, the satellite is your best choice.
Thanks. I will try to update it.
Good idea.
Doesn’t sound right at all. We’ve “lived with” the Nuvi 350 for about a year with no complaints. The performance has been outstanding. FWIW, the unit needs to “see” 3 satellites to find its location — 4 or more (of the 27 in the constellation) is better.
Where do you have it located — the front windshield is where ours is, but it will work fine just held in your hand or sitting in your lap. I’ve used the Garmin handheld GPS units for years — inside a boat. Never needed an external antenna, but, again, its mounted near a windshield, so it can “see” at least a third of the sky at all times.
It could be the car itself interfering with the signal. Some units can be connected to an external antenna mounted on the roof of the car so if you can get one it should help. Do you get a clear signal when you take it out of the car?
It runs on a battery, car charger or an ac adapter, but it loses signal inside a building.
I have placed it on all parts of the windshield within sight excluding those that would cause me to not see the road.
I use a bluetooth receiver that connects to a laptop or PDA. I keep the receiver in the trunk of my bike and have a mount on the handlebars for my Pocket PC.
Sometimes yes, other times no.
I bought a tomtom a week ago and have used it almost every day to get used to it in a couple of different vehicles. It very rarely drops the signal and even then for only a few seconds. One place it drops is parking right in front of my house...which makes sense. I love it.
Used a INS, but the gyroscope took up the entire trunk!
I always check mine on a point I've repeated many times which happens to be a local control monument with Lat and Long. Yes, I'm obsessed!!
Real GPS is accurate to 33 feet lat/lon and 16 feet vertical. How accurate is the cell phone pseudo-GPS?
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