Very warm outside...

[+boilerroom]

I was out today geocahing and I just found my Dakota 20 very flakey. It was very hot today and I was just wondering if anyone has experienced any condition like this. Thank you.

[+Map Monkey]

Define Flakey and very hot

 

mm

[robertlipe]

All his cache finds are in CA, so we'll assume metric system is in order here. That model is rated for use to 70°C . (That's 158F for us Americans.) We don't know the weather where he was hunting, but it seems unlikely that the ambient outdoor temp in CA exceeded that.

 

It's probably unlikely to exceed that in Canada if the unit was left on, inside the car, in "direct" sunlight unless you were parked near an actively erupting volcano or something.

 

Please don't guess the cause of a problem. If you observe something you want help understanding, just ask it.

[+jotne]

All GPS do have an internal temperature sensor that is used for calibrating GPS. So variation in temperature should normally not influence on GPS accuracy. Extreme high or low temperature outside GPS specification can give wrong results.

On many GPS you can see the internal temperature on the diagnostic page.

[+The Kamikaze Clan]

My GPSr meets the MIL-STD 810G certification for temperature and should work OK in 60 °C. If we gets like 30 °C in Sweden it´s quite extreme. I guess my GPSr is a little over engineered, but only then it comes to high temperatures.

 

But even a professional unit with MIL-STD certification gets a little "flakey" some times. I can´t even guess why and I don´t care about it. It´s incredible that the GPS system works at all IMHO.

[+kevenh]

Battery life is often reduced at temperature extremes.

[NordicMan]

Well, quite often increased heat also brings increased humidity, and one thing I've seemed to have noticed that "wet leaves" seem to blur the satellite signal accuracy somewhat.. I have no scientific analysis to back this up,, just an observation

[+ecanderson]

Well, quite often increased heat also brings increased humidity...

Depends entirely upon where you live as to whether that holds or not. Here in Colorado, they seem to be independent variables. More heat here can bring exceptionally low humidity at times. It's true, though, that the condition of the tree canopy above can make quite a difference, especially after a fresh rain.

[+dakboy]

Well, quite often increased heat also brings increased humidity,

Only in our part of the world. Go to Las Vegas....pretty much any time of the year. Humidity (at least the kind that doesn't come from machines) barely exists there.

[+splashy]

15 - 30 % is very normal, also 105 -110 f, the gps works as long, it's not in the sun for a longer time, but I really don't take extra care, it just works.

[+kwcahart]

Of course temperature will affect your GPSr. Just leave it on the dash in Texas for about 30 minutes, then pick it up with your bare hands, it will burn you!!

[+jeepdelfuego]

I don't know if heat affects my GPS, but it definitely affects me because I don't like to go out when it is over 95 degrees outside.