View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Stanley_Tweedle Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 10, 2005 Posts: 207
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:13 pm Post subject: What are the Nuvi's like when the sat signal drops out? |
|
|
Well I'm shopping for a new GPS, thinking of the 310D or the original Tomtom One (with headphone socket).
One frustration I've had lately with my existing GPS (Navman 530) is what happens when the GPS signal drops out. This is especially the case in cities.
Does the Nuvi correctly extrapolate position based on the previous route/speed? I know the old Tomtom 700 did quite a good in this situation and I'm coming to realise such a feature is critical to not finding yourself going around in circles. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I have never experienced "drop out" with the 310D even in deepest Manchester/ Liverpool, both cities in places have narrow roads with tall buildings either side, the 310D has maintained a solid lock at all times, the reception drops slightly but from a navigation perspective it doesn't appear to matter. Mike |
|
Back to top |
|
|
pandamedic Occasional Visitor
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 50
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
i've never had a problem either except the once, when i took it with me on holiday to hong kong just to see what happened. Never left the hotel room with it though and it never got a signal next to the window in the hotel room either.....that could be due to the typhoon proff windows though |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
How long did you let it try for a signal? the device would need to update its internal memory of where the actual satelites are, this can take between 15 and 30 minutes depending upon local reception. (Inside a hotel room under tropical storm conditions is far from ideal).
If you don't power up a GPS device for a considerable amount of time OR you move it a considerable distance in a de-powered state then it will take considerably longer to lock to a signal and produce a position fix. Mike |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Skippy Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12 Posts: 2946 Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
pandamedic wrote: | it never got a signal next to the window in the hotel room either.....that could be due to the typhoon proff windows though |
I've seen this quite a few times too. There is probably some sort of coating on the windows which blocks GPS signals, similar to the heat reflecting windscreens that some cars have.
It could also be that it was having trouble getting a fix because you had moved half way around the world and it couldn't see any of the sats it was expecting to see. Generally they figure it out after a while but it can take a little longer when you are fresh off a plane.... _________________ Gone fishing! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
pandamedic Occasional Visitor
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 50
|
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
, i was only taking it for a laugh anyway to see what would happen. Not like i had the hong kong maps in there anyway, but it works fine here, gets a sat lock really quick and never lost a signal yet |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
|
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Skippy and I both came to the same conclusions, insufficient time to acquire a signal.
While this is irrelevant now you might want to consider this if you transport the device by air in future. You never know you might want to install some maps for a far away land and actually use them when you get there. Mike |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Skippy Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12 Posts: 2946 Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
|
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yeah, I kind of repeated what mikealder said there.
When the older Garmin units couldn't get a lock within a few minutes they used to ask you if you had moved a large distance since your last fix. If you had, you could then give it a vague idea (~500 miles) of where it was and it could figure out which sats it should be looking for and get a fix much quicker.
As for maps, most Garmin units have a world wide "basemap" these days which will give you a (rough) map of where you are which is of some use even if you don't have detailed maps loaded for your new area.
You can also use the Garmin to mark your hotel location and find your way back using the "off road" routing option which will give you a compass heading and distance to the hotel. Not as good as street mapping but a useful alternative to the "beer compass". _________________ Gone fishing! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
Posted: Today Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising |
|
|
We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?. Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|