I3 Positioning and routing problems>

[cantgetlost]

Newbie here, but this might be valid as I have said elswhere here.
I find my I3 to be the biz for the money.
I lent the I3 to my brother who was returning some Australian relatives to a hotel in Central London that I had already used the I3 to route me to with no problem. After getting off the Chiswick Flyover he had the unit recalculating and sending him strange ways before it eventually got him to the hotel. A week later I used the I3 to get me to the hotel to callect our relatives for their trip to Heathrow and thir flight home. I had no problems. I couldn't understand why little bro had a problem and I didn't.
I realised a week or so back that my brother stuck the unit in the centre of his windscreen, driving into London last week I mounted the unit in the centre of the car windscreen instead of two muy usual right hand side position. Hey presto I found the unit recalculating and doing strange things in heavy traffic and in the city. Moving from the inside lane to the right hand lane improved things until I got stuck along side a large truck near Euston with large tall buildings to the side. Movimg the unit back to its usual right hand corner and the I3 worked fine again! I have noticed the odd similar problem on small country roads with large dense tree cover to the side. The Sat Aerial having its view to satelites blocked must screw it little brain up my amateur head tels me.
No doubt some Sat Nav Expert on here is falling about laughing. But putting the nav unit near to the centre of the road gives the best line to satelites.
Their are few posts on here about I3 taking strange routes.
WHERE DO YOU MOUNT YOURS?
Or am I as barking mad as my kids think?

[dougconran]

As it happens I also mount mine on the windscreen to the right of the steering wheel and I've never had a problem (as far as I'm aware of ) with either losing a satellite signal or 'strangeness'.

[cantgetlost]

Wel Doug seems like you don't have a problem. With the I3 mounted centrally in built up areas and in heavy traffic (ie large trucks alongside) the unit seemed to direct me along the route and then lost where it was. It did mad recalculating and sent me the wrong way.
How many statelites does the unit lock onto to know your position? I guess that with high things around the unit it is only getting a signal from one satelite and looses track of where it is. Mounting the unit or earial so it is nearer to the centre of the rooad does improve things I was told last night.
I was told of a courier that had similar problems in a merc van with some other unit. He mounted the unit on the right of the window and the problems virtually went away until he went to Paris, as soon as he got into the city his sat nav went mad, realising it was similar to his centrally mounted problems he switched the unit to the far left of the screen to allow for being on the "wrong side" of the road and upped the volume . Hey presto, problem gone!

[London_i3_Newbie]

SO the best place of the screen to have it on in the Uk is on the far bottom right hand side??

If i place the external aerial on the roof on the right hand side or on one of those interior windscreen suction cups (are these any good do you still get 5 bars?*) then place the Garmin i3 in the centre of the screen will this still have the same effect as above?

Or is the thing whatever it uses to track where it is in the actual i3 rather than the external aerial.??????

* i currently have my external aerial hidden under the sunroof on top of the interior trim hider and the wire tucked into the sun visor and the remaining cable hidden round the windscreen... has anyone devised any better locations

[SayCheese]

Are you sure you don't simply have a UV coated windscreen (or heated one) with a "clear spot" on the right hand side? Or does your brother's car have a coated windscreen?
My external aerial is on the left side of the car roof and it works fine. In my limited experience, its the quality of the signal that counts for accurate and timely directions, especially in London. If you are not getting five green bars, get an aerial!

London i3 Newbie - I used the sunroof too for a while with a lot of success. I now route the thing invisbly to the back of the car and out of the hatchback onto the back of the Zafira roof. My route starts from the right side of the dashboard. The wire hides behind the rubber stuff that goes aroudn the door frame (easy to push behind with finger). Then it goes into a joint where the car ceiling meets the walls (a bit of pushing and wiggling needed to get it throught the crack, but no damage caused).

[Skippy]

[cantgetlost]

My brother drives an ancient Fiat, I would be surprised if had safety glass. No way does it have a coated screen a none of the 4 vehicles I drive has coated screens.
In amongst high london buildings with narrowish streets or alongside big vehicles the unit must get blocked. Mounting nearer to the right of the screen puts the unit nearer the middle of the road and must increase the visibility to satelites in some situations. A friend who drives chaufer cars in London has found the same with Navman in 3 cars. They have less problems when they mounted the units on th right rather than in the vehicle centre

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