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Garmin 550 StreetPilot


jeep'g

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The other day I used my Garmin 550 on a perfectly clear day -- absolutely no clouds in the sky. I traveled from Connecticut to New Hampshire and back. All day long my StreePilot would lose satellite reception. Granted some of the roads were tree lined, but there were enough clear views that the garmin should not have lost satellite reception. I had not used the StreetPilot for several weeks at that point. Is the unit getting old [i have had it for three years] or is there another reason why the unit would consistently lose satellite reception on a clear day with absolutely no cloud cover? Any ideas? :laughing:

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Is it a Street Pilot or Nuvi? I've never heard of a Street Pilot 550. I live in Connecticut (Naugatuck) and have driven all over New England and never had a reception problem with my old Street Pilot 2720. And, that's including the time I had it when I lived in Florda and drove all the way up to CT. My wife has inherited it and has been using it for almost 3 years with no problems. I use it a lot as well and it works great and has the latest 2010.20 map update.

 

As for myself, I have a Nuvi 660. Same as above...no problems all over New England. Well, it got wonky in NYC, but that's not really New England and NYC would throw most any GPS unit without an external antenna for a loop. :laughing: I've used my Street Pilot and 660 as far south as Florida and as far west as Arizona and all over in between when driving cross country. Both units have been great and I always get a quick lock with good reception.

 

As for yours, not having used it for a few weeks should NOT cause a reception problem once the initial satellite lock has been achieved. It might take a while to get the first lock since new almanac data might have to be established. Same as for when I fly cross country with a GPS. That first lock in a completely new area after being turned off and in baggage can take a bit longer than normal and that's to be expected.

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Is it a Street Pilot or Nuvi? I've never heard of a Street Pilot 550. I live in Connecticut (Naugatuck) and have driven all over New England and never had a reception problem with my old Street Pilot 2720. And, that's including the time I had it when I lived in Florda and drove all the way up to CT. My wife has inherited it and has been using it for almost 3 years with no problems. I use it a lot as well and it works great and has the latest 2010.20 map update.

 

As for myself, I have a Nuvi 660. Same as above...no problems all over New England. Well, it got wonky in NYC, but that's not really New England and NYC would throw most any GPS unit without an external antenna for a loop. :laughing: I've used my Street Pilot and 660 as far south as Florida and as far west as Arizona and all over in between when driving cross country. Both units have been great and I always get a quick lock with good reception.

 

As for yours, not having used it for a few weeks should NOT cause a reception problem once the initial satellite lock has been achieved. It might take a while to get the first lock since new almanac data might have to be established. Same as for when I fly cross country with a GPS. That first lock in a completely new area after being turned off and in baggage can take a bit longer than normal and that's to be expected.

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Anything different about how you are using the unit compared to the way you've used it before? Different vehicle? Different windows?

 

That unit has a high-sensitivity receiver, so you shouldn't experience dropping of the satellite lock.

 

Clouds and weather should not make a difference, but metallic coatings on the windows often do.

 

Same vehicle -- no changes. I do have life time maps and traffic updates [i can't imagine how this could affect it]. Has anyone else had problems with this high-sensitivity receiver? Sometimes I have had coverage dropped in a city with tall buildings, but this was out in the country -- some of the roads were tree lined. However, why should there be a drop of the satellite lock?

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