Tomtom 3.03 wired loses plot.

copthorneking · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 08, 2004 Posts: 9

Hi - recently my tomtom has been behaving very strangely.
When I stop at traffic lights etc, the map rotates by sometimes up to 90 degrees in either direction even though I'm not moving.
Sometimes it will place me onto a nearby road and then recalculate how to get me out of there even though I haven't moved an inch.
Other times it will tell me I'm around half a mile from where I really am.
Soft re-setting sometimes works, but sometimes not.
I have changed my tomtom navigator gps to version 2.07 in the hope that this would solve my problems, but no better.
Drove from East London into Westminster and back tonight and got no more than 5 satellites, but usually 3 or 4.
Tried uninstalling checkpoint also, but no good.
Any other ideas??

HP Jornada 525, PQI 40X 256MB Compact Flash.

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 3:51 am Post subject:

Any other changes in your car? satellite radio, tinted windscreen?
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Lutz

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MrT · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:27 am Post subject:

The symptoms you are experiencing is lack of satellite signal to the GPS receiver. When you get down to around 2-3 satellite signals and they are close to the threshold, the accuracy of your location rapidly diminishes. As TomTom updates your position every second, it sees you as in a slightly different position and hence the arrow move reflects the slight change in position it perceives.

You say that this happened in town which is fairly common place for signals to drop due to high buildings getting between you and the satellites that are not almost directly overhead. This can vary from day to day in the same place as the satellites are constantly changing position.

It sounds like you need to increase the satellite signal strength to your receiver. As the previous poster suggested, something could be interfering and reducing your signal such as heat reflective screens or other equipment. Moving the position of your receiver so it can see a greater area of sky or away from something (usually metallic) blocking the signal could help. Fitting an external antenna could also help.

copthorneking · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 08, 2004 Posts: 9

Thanks for helping guys.
Would this lack of signal cause my indicated route to swing round, sometimes pointing down the screen instead of up, for instance?

I don't have a heated screen, but will move the receiver and try that.
At the moment I have the long receiver lead doubled back on itself and tied up several times to make it less tangly - could this in itself affect the signal?

Also (sorry to ask so many questions) how does an external antenna attach to the PPC?

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:10 pm Post subject:

The external antenna attaches to the receiver, not to the PocketPC. Your receiver may not have the required MCX or MMCX connector, though.

The folded cable should not have an impact, the frequency of the signal is not high enough for that. But hey- try it out and see if a free cable makes a difference.
_________________
Lutz

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