Can they die?

[+2ofHis]

We have had our Garmin Geko for almost 5 years now. Lately, it seems to take forever to connect with the satelites. Do GPS's ever die out, and just lose their ability to connect?

[+jgaiser]

We have had our Garmin Geko for almost 5 years now. Lately, it seems to take forever to connect with the satelites. Do GPS's ever die out, and just lose their ability to connect?

 

Own a Garmin GPS III Plus. Close to 10 years old. Still work just fine. No WAAS and accuracy and selectivity isn't up to modern recievers, but it still works. Unless there are changes to the satellites, the old GPSr will work.

[+StarBrand]

Do a master rest.

 

Change the batteries.

 

Turn the unit on and leave out with a clear view of the sky for an hour or so.

 

Power it off and on. Should be all better.

[Forkeye]

My old Garmin12 from the mid 90s still worked perfect when I sold it last month,but all electronic components due succumb to age,though not as much as they used to,it should be ok for it's manufactured life span.Its better to use electronics stuff than not use it as far as longevity of the components is concerned.

[vagabond]

My old Lowrance GN 212 still works and its over 10 years old, although my Magellan gold died and it was only about 7 years old darn cement trucks

[+2Wheel'in]

Post #3 offers good advice, you might also take a look at a thread here in the Tech Forum concerning "Gecko's losing the date"...it's here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=239205

 

If the reset, new batteries, etc., don't do the trick...try asking your question on that thread.

 

Bill

[+keehotee]

I've got a Magellan Meridian marine from the mid 90's that hasn't worked since Jan 1st, 2000.

Thankfully, this was the only piece of equipment I owned that succumbed to the millennium bug

[+Prime Suspect]

Do a master rest.

 

Change the batteries.

 

Turn the unit on and leave out with a clear view of the sky for an hour or so.

 

Power it off and on. Should be all better.

But not before you note down all the customizations you made to the unit, such as Track/North Up, page order, compass on/off speed, etc. Then download and save all your waypoints, routes, and track. Then you can do a master reset.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

You should also check to see if you have the latest firmware.

[+GPSlug]

The oscillator could be drifting out of spec with age. That would make it take longer to get its first batch of satellites because it wouldn't be looking in the right frequency window before it solved for its own clock drift.

 

Another option is that the real-time clock is giving out, and it doesn't know the right time when its first turned on. Is the set of satellites you eventually get more or less the same as it first started looking for?

 

Either way, there's probably not much you can do about it for a reasonable cost.

[+Prime Suspect]

The oscillator could be drifting out of spec with age. That would make it take longer to get its first batch of satellites because it wouldn't be looking in the right frequency window before it solved for its own clock drift.

Garmins, and probably all the other brands, monitor the oscillator change, correlated with the current internal temperature, and stores the info in tables for the purpose of real-time adjustments.

[+jimmyreno]

Do a master rest.

 

Power it off and on. Should be all better.

you can do a master reset.

 

Hi

What is a master rest?

and a master reset?

thanks

[rickctroop13]

Do a master rest.

 

Power it off and on. Should be all better.

you can do a master reset.

 

Hi

What is a master rest?

and a master reset?

thanks

Just the 'reset'. It's kinda like doing a 'system restore' on your PC- setting all back to out of the box settings. Hence 'Prime Suspects' advice- know what you've changed so you can re-do them.

Don't know if Garmin will have the procedure (usually pattern of key pressing) for your unit on it's help/faq/support forums, but you may find somewhere in these forums..

This is for the eTrex series, probably same for Geko..

 

Question: How do I do a master reset on my eTrex?

Answer:

 

If the eTrex is not responding correctly, for example it is not receiving a satellite signal, it may be necessary to perform a master reset. This can also be used if you want to restore the factory default settings. To reset the device please follow these steps:

 

1. Turn off the device

2. Press PAGE, ENTER and POWER.

3. You will see a message on the screen that says "Do you really want to erase all user data?". Select Yes.

4. The device will now reboot, leave it with a clear view of the sky for 30 minutes to acquire the satellite almanac.

 

Please be aware that a master reset will erase all waypoints or favorites and will restore your device to the default factory settings.

Edited March 13, 2010 by rickctroop13

[rickctroop13]

[ above is from Garmin ]

[+Prime Suspect]

Secret Startup Commands for Garmin handhelds (hasn't been updated in a while)