Home PageFacebookRSS News Feed
PocketGPS
Web
SatNav,GPS,Navigation
Pocket GPS World - SatNavs | GPS | Speed Cameras: Forums

Pocket GPS World :: View topic - Satellite lock
 Forum FAQForum FAQ   SearchSearch   UsergroupsUsergroups   ProfileProfile   Log in for private messagesLog in for private messages   Log inLog in 

Satellite lock
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Pocket GPS World Forum Index -> Satmap Active 10
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
chrissyboy2241
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Nov 05, 2007
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:49 pm    Post subject: Satellite lock Reply with quote

Like many other people i have a problem getting my Satmap to lock on to any Satellites at all. It takes an age to find them and then the signal strength jumps around. Is this a hardware problem or is it something that could be fixed in a future update?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
GJF
Frequent Visitor


Joined: Feb 08, 2007
Posts: 894

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm having the same problem, depend what you call ages, my A10 takes up to 10minutes but it doesn't always keep the lock, it loses it and has to start looking again.
_________________
TomTom Go 60
Garmin Nüvi 660, Firmware v4.90
Drive-Smart GPS with Loader v1.4.16
HTC Advantage X7500 MS 6.1 Tchart Speed Sentry
Satmap Active 10, Software v1.16
Fuzion 32 HUD Bluetooth GPS receiver
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Physicist
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Nov 08, 2007
Posts: 57
Location: Cambridge

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One S10 of mine took an eternity, meaning it never locked though it did show a single satellite at the 12 o'clock position on the screen (early Garmins were prone to do this too though Garmin did provide a work-around based on pressing various key sequences). Satmap gave me a replacement receiver - they are outstanding in this respect - which will sometimes locks on rapidly (if you are turning it on in the same area as before) or take up to 20 minutes and then lose lock again at some random later time...... only to have to repeat the whole process again. Desperation has driven me back to use my Garmin 60CSx despite the inferior mapping available for this set.

The Garmin Colorado 300 with its large screen and long battery life (their screen can be read without backlight) would demolish the A10 in its present incarnation if Garmin were able to provide OS mapping in its raw form (rather than the subset available on Garmin UK Topo software).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lucevans
Frequent Visitor


Joined: Mar 21, 2007
Posts: 261
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Physicist wrote:
One S10 of mine took an eternity, meaning it never locked though it did show a single satellite at the 12 o'clock position on the screen (early Garmins were prone to do this too though Garmin did provide a work-around based on pressing various key sequences). Satmap gave me a replacement receiver - they are outstanding in this respect - which will sometimes locks on rapidly (if you are turning it on in the same area as before) or take up to 20 minutes and then lose lock again at some random later time...... only to have to repeat the whole process again. Desperation has driven me back to use my Garmin 60CSx despite the inferior mapping available for this set.

The Garmin Colorado 300 with its large screen and long battery life (their screen can be read without backlight) would demolish the A10 in its present incarnation if Garmin were able to provide OS mapping in its raw form (rather than the subset available on Garmin UK Topo software).


Anyone know the likelihood of OS maps becoming available for Garmin units? I thought that all Garmins (including the new Colorado 300 and 400 series) used vector mapping - and although the OS has 1:50 000 and 1:25 000 map data in vector form for their own internal use, they only make these maps available to third party companies in bitmap (raster) format.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
FrequentFlyer
Lifetime Member


Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 962
Location: London

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:06 pm    Post subject: Help is at hand ? Reply with quote

Recently posted on PGPS....should have been put on here as well.


http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=63520&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lucevans
Frequent Visitor


Joined: Mar 21, 2007
Posts: 261
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Help is at hand ? Reply with quote

FrequentFlyer wrote:
Recently posted on PGPS....should have been put on here as well.


http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=63520&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=


Umm, this link appears to be about SirfInstantFix? Very interesting, but not related to OS vector mapping?! Laughing

Edit: Just read the original post and see what you're getting at. Sorry!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ocam
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Nov 08, 2007
Posts: 46

PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Physicist wrote:

The Garmin Colorado 300 with its large screen and long battery life (their screen can be read without backlight) would demolish the A10 in its present incarnation if Garmin were able to provide OS mapping ...


The Colorado 300 doesn't support raster mapping. I have heard from a source who's looked at it closely that it looks as if Garmin have just stuck car-nav nuvi 200 guts into a hand-held. The Colorado 400 doesn't even support marine charts as it is supposed to. There's not much point in having a unit that is simply capable of getting a good lock.
I and many, many others would say the A10 is by miles the best thing out there. If we want this small start-up business to go on and ultimately be a success that we will all benefit from, then we must be careful not to be over-critical.
Anyone who checks out the Garmin website can see the Colorado screen shots and see the relatively low grade mapping.
The Colorado's wheel control must surely take a prize for poor design. While your thumb/finger is using the wheel, your hand blocks the screen!
It's screen size is 3" compared with the A10's 3.5".
Using the right batteries, the A10's battery life is very good.
There's no way the Colorado would demolish the A10 in its present incarnation. The A10 is way out there ahead of any competition. Actually there is no competition since no other unit can do that which the A10 does (for the vast majority, at any rate!).

It must be frustrating that your second unit also fails to get good lock. I suggest that you've been double unlucky and that whilst it's a pain, surely it's still worth the effort in sending that one back as well.

Regards
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dragsterman
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Nov 06, 2007
Posts: 39

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too have had problems every time when the unit tries to lock-on to satellites. It takes ages for the unit to find them and on various occasions it has soon lost them. This is pretty frustrating when you want to find out your location in a hurry. I'm not impressed...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Yasack
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Oct 22, 2007
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a thought to everyone on this subject. I have found that I have trouble aquiring at lock if I use rechargeable batteries. (I have been using VAPEX 2700mAh), but if I use the ENERGIZER LITHIUM as supplied when I purchased the unit I get a lock in the specified time.

Has anyone else noticed this? I was wondering if it had anything to do with the power supplied from rechargeable batteries?

Regards,


Richard
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Georgie_Clo
Occasional Visitor


Joined: May 25, 2007
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone somewhere else in the forum mentioned orientation / accidental obstruction of the antenae.... I've used my unit in a local forest - just to check sensitivity - and I've NOT lost satellite lock, although satellites being received can vary between five and nine. It even keeps lock when I put it in the top pocket of my jacket! Satellite acquisition time ranges from a couple of minutes to five minutes or so. I HAVE found that switching the unit on and allowing it to get a good lock IN THE OPEN (ie with good view of "the heavens") helps considerably before moving off and using it in anger.
Having said all of that, SMap exchanged my first unit as it singularly failed to get a lock.
But I have to say that my current unit is spot on. Sure - there are niggles, but this is by far the best OS / GPS mapping unit on the market by far.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Physicist
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Nov 08, 2007
Posts: 57
Location: Cambridge

PostPosted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I wear my A10 about my neck (as intended since they provide the neck strap) I lose lock except in wide open countryside. I can only retain lock under more 'average' conditions by holding it in my hand some distance from my body. To those who say your sets never lose lock let me point out that it may lose lock unknown to you..only to join up the positions at which lock is attained by straight lines (easily fooling you into thinking there was no problem). I have no such problems with my Garmin. A good reason to improve the A10's sensitivity!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
finkployd
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Oct 25, 2007
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:16 am    Post subject: no problems on my unit Reply with quote

My unit seems to acquire lock quite quickly...

There are two instances of acquisition...

a cold lock. You've driven somewhere new and powered up the A10. In this case my unit takes upto five minutes to acquire lock, but often only a few minutes.

a warm lock where you haven't moved since powering the device off and back on. In this case my unit acquires lock in about a minute, perhaps two.

It seems I'm not having problems with my unit... sorry
Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Darren
Frequent Visitor


Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40
Posts: 23848
Location: Hampshire, UK

PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My observations are that the unit is very slow to acquire the first cold start fix, very much slower than ought to be expected of a SiRFIII chipset equipped device.

But, once lock has been acquired my unit has held on to the signal without fail even under testing conditions such as heavy tree cover, signal obstruction etc.

Warm starts have given mixed results with a fix being re-acquired quickly on some occasions and much less so on others.

I'll be speaking with Satmap about this as it suggests the initial fix delay is a software issue but that otherwise, the antenna and sensitivity is at the level I would expect.

From some of the reports above it would seem there are some quality issues which is to be expected of a first generation device but Satmap have demonstrated that their customer service is excellent, a rarity these days!
_________________
Darren Griffin
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
LostMike
Frequent Visitor


Joined: Jan 17, 2008
Posts: 369
Location: Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would it be helpful for people posting on the performance of their device to make clear which version of the software they are using?
_________________
LostMike
Satmap A10. Platform 21
Software version 1.5.9193
Satsync 1.525
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Darren
Frequent Visitor


Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40
Posts: 23848
Location: Hampshire, UK

PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LostMike wrote:
Would it be helpful for people posting on the performance of their device to make clear which version of the software they are using?

It would be moving forward. I think it is of little use to discuss anything prior to 1.15 though as we know this has resolved a number of issues and is the 'current' latest release?
_________________
Darren Griffin
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website







Posted: Today    Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising

Back to top
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Pocket GPS World Forum Index -> Satmap Active 10 All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Make a Donation



CamerAlert Database

Click here for the PocketGPSWorld.com Speed Camera Database

Download Speed Camera Database
22.034 (27 Mar 24)



WORLDWIDE SPEED CAMERA SPOTTERS WANTED!

Click here to submit camera positions to the PocketGPSWorld.com Speed Camera Database


12mth Subscriber memberships awarded every week for verified new camera reports!

Submit Speed Camera Locations Now


CamerAlert Apps



iOS QR Code






Android QR Code







© Terms & Privacy


GPS Shopping