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General Garmin Lost Satellite Problems

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  • 17-06-2013 11:36am
    #1
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,466 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    I'm on my second nuvi 2445 now after i had to return the first to garmin due to lost Satellite problems and general poor performance. The new unit they sent me is behaving exactly the same way. I also have an old nuvi 250 that shows a lot of the same problems.
    I'm wondering is there a general problem with the Satellite coverage in areas across the country as it seems to me that even when my units does find sats it doesn't always have me where i should be on the Map?


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    #2
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,418 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Does this problem only occur in the car itself? What happens if you just leave it outside with a clear view of the sky?

    I ask because some cars have a thin metallic film on their windscreens to cut down glare and UV which reduces the signals significantly. Also some cars, mainly Fords, have heated windscreens which play havoc with GPS signals too.


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    #3
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,466 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    Alun wrote: »
    Does this problem only occur in the car itself? What happens if you just leave it outside with a clear view of the sky?

    I ask because some cars have a thin metallic film on their windscreens to cut down glare and UV which reduces the signals significantly. Also some cars, mainly Fords, have heated windscreens which play havoc with GPS signals too.

    I haven't tested enough outdoors to get any lost satellite errors but it did pick up Sats any time i did test outdoors. In saying that it picks up Sats in the car too and all of a sudden on a journey i would get a lost Sat error.
    Or other problems would be the speed reading on the unit would be way out or if two roads were parallel it would have me on the left road and i would be on the right.
    The previous nuvi 2445 i had did work fine for 4 months so i don't think its the windscreen but it did cross my mind that something was interfering with the signal. :confused:

    Edit: Did a bit of research and it seems my Peugeot 307 has an Athermic Windscreen which can interfere with GPS signals. Still doesn't explain why it worked perfectly for the first 4 months.


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    #4
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,418 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    mickger844posts wrote: »
    Edit: Did a bit of research and it seems my Peugeot 307 has an Athermic Windscreen which can interfere with GPS signals. Still doesn't explain why it worked perfectly for the first 4 months.
    Thought as much :)

    Actually I'd be willing to bet that if you'd taken your original nuvi and put it outside with a clear view of the sky for a good while it'd have got a lock. Certainly if the device had got itself into a state due to continuous bad reception where it needed to perform a cold start, it wouldn't stand a chance of doing so through such a windscreen, especially if you're moving as well.

    You can get external antennae (if your nuvi has a suitable connector) or so-called re-radiating antennae to solve this particular problem.


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    #5
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,466 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    I got a re-radiating antennae from Amazon today via Parcel Motel and the device is working perfectly. Including postage worked out around 50 euro. Pity i didn't post here before i sent my previous unit back to Garmin. At least all is well now :)


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    #6
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,418 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Great news, another victory for the collective hive mind of boards.ie :)

    BTW where did you locate the receiving antenna? As I understand it on cars with these kinds of windscreens there's an area that isn't treated that's intended for locating things like toll tags, usually the black speckled area around the rear view mirror, so I'd imagine this would work for a re-radiating GPS antenna too. Or do you have to locate the antenna outside and somehow get the cable inside somehow?


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    #7
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,466 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    Alun wrote: »
    Great news, another victory for the collective hive mind of boards.ie :)

    BTW where did you locate the receiving antenna? As I understand it on cars with these kinds of windscreens there's an area that isn't treated that's intended for locating things like toll tags, usually the black speckled area around the rear view mirror, so I'd imagine this would work for a re-radiating GPS antenna too. Or do you have to locate the antenna outside and somehow get the cable inside somehow?

    I located the antenna outside the car at the rear roof end close to the radio aerial. The antenna is a little black magnetic box that sticks to the roof of the car. I was able to run the antenna with attached cable from the dash through the car and out the the hatchback which still closes without damaging the cable. Also if i need to take the antenna inside the car its easy to do.
    I did a fair bit of driving today and it worked flawlessly. :)


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    #8
    eirman
    Registered Users Posts: 986 ✭✭✭eirman


    Alun wrote: »
    Also some cars, mainly Fords, have heated windscreens which play havoc with GPS signals too.

    No problems with my NUVI & Ford Focus with heated windscreen

    Alun wrote: »
    As I understand it on cars with these kinds of windscreens there's an area that isn't treated that's intended for locating things like toll tags, usually the black speckled area around the rear view mirror
    I thought that the speckled area you describe was for my automatic windscreen wipers ... perhaps it has a dual function!


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