+Mudfrog Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 I was at the computer last night getting ready to download some coordinates into my Garmin. Im inside the house about 3 feet from a 30"x60" vertical window that faces almost due west. The darn thing picked up 6 satellites in a matter of seconds, all with great signal strength. In the past ive picked up maybe 3 and tonight when i tried, i could only pick up 3 with low signal strength, even while holding it close to the window. Im sure there are many other variables but this does seem kinda weird! Anyone else see this or have any ideas? Quote Link to comment
shrekTBA Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 My vista will reliably get 5 sats and a 17 ft projected accuracy on my computer desk. It is in a room with a window that has blinds on it, and in the center of the room. It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home. Quote Link to comment
+Justin Sane Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 Just the time of day and where the sattelites were when you powered on. Your satellites must have been to the west. Same thing happens to me, about 5 feet from the double glass doors. Sometimes I get a great lock, sometimes nada. All I'm looking for is a good lock in the canyons! We evolve. The data is in the strata. Quote Link to comment
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 I can lock on to several indoors as well.My Computer sits next to my 10' sat. dish and when the GPS is nearer the ant. the better the signal.I also have tried it with smaller dishes,and can get a better signal in heavy cover.Point to ponder.Though it will give a reading nearer the dish's location if you have a long ant. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* http://www.msnusers.com/MissouriTrails Quote Link to comment
Kerry. Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 Might be great signal strength but the geometry would probably be the other end of the scale and so would any integrity and accuracy. Depending on the time of day this type of occurance is possible but it's one of those instances in which the number of satellites means very little (the number of sats don't mean a great lot anyway) as they are all probably bunched in one small "window" of the sky. The geometry one would expect to be extremely weak and unreliable. Cheers, Kerry. I never get lost everybody keeps telling me where to go Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 My Vista was sitting on the table in my dining room and I noticed it had a sat lock despite the curtains. "An appeaser is one who keeps feeding a crocodile-hoping it will eat him last" -Winston Churchill Quote Link to comment
+Poindexter Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 Your signals may not only be coming through the windows. Check your sat page. I pick up good signals through the roof when on the second floor and in the family room which has no second floor and sometimes even get weak signals through both floors. This is also a good way to see the significant difference between using the internal antenna and an external one. Quote Link to comment
Dinoprophet Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 I can be sitting at my PC in the den, with the door closed and a single 2'x5' window facing NW, and get a strong signal. And mind you, this is with my yellow eTrex. I bring this up whenever someone knocks Ol' Yeller. "Winter's just the curtain. Spring will take the bow" -- Richard Shindell, Spring Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 Your roof blocks signals but not nearly as much as a tree canopy. The latter is full of water while your roof is normally 'dry'. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+RichardMoore Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 To Renegade Knight: I remember reading something about the moisture in tree leaves and clouds blocking the signals, but I can't remember where. Can you explain further or provide a source that I can go to? Thanks. RichardMoore Progress is not created by contented people. www.geocities.com/richardsrunaway Quote Link to comment
+Mudfrog Posted April 1, 2003 Author Share Posted April 1, 2003 Forgot to mention that the blinds were down and closed and that there was also a thick curtain hanging over the window when i had all of the sats come in the other night. I download to my GPS76 all the time and usually notice a couple or three satelite signals, but the other night was definitely different. With the war and all, i was thinking the government might have been playing around with them or something??? [This message was edited by Mudfrog on April 01, 2003 at 06:20 PM.] Quote Link to comment
rag-a-muffin Posted April 1, 2003 Share Posted April 1, 2003 My question is this: Why are we bragging about the reception of our GPSr's while INSIDE the house? Are you trying to track your way back from the bathroom to the den or something? I prefer using my GPSr outdoors...I'm pretty sure most of the geocaches in existence are, in fact, outdoors. Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 I remember getting several satellites, with a good signal in a finished upstairs bedroom, with no windows. I think that if there are no sats when recieving at low power, the GPS will try to amplify the signal of all the sats. In my downstairs bedroom, I get a better signal in the middle of the room, but not at the window. Always different...Hit refresh Quote Link to comment
+Darkmoon Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 I always get really good signals by my computer desk, but I am 2 feet away from a picture window! But I also get great reception in my bathroom, I even have my toilet marked with it's coordinates where I do my thinking! Darkmoon All you have to do to fly is throw yourself at the ground and miss! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 quote:Originally posted by RichardMoore:To Renegade Knight: I remember reading something about the moisture in tree leaves and clouds blocking the signals, but I can't remember where. Can you explain further or provide a source that I can go to? Thanks. RichardMoore Progress is not created by contented people. http://www.geocities.com/richardsrunaway Most of what I've learned was on the net outside of these forums. There have been some good threads in these forums. Once in awhile somone does exactly what you request and they post an informative article. Alas I don't know of one that I can link to or I would. It's been over a year since I did my looking into it. ============================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Rag-a-Muffin sayz- "My question is this: Why are we bragging about the reception of our GPSr's while INSIDE the house? Are you trying to track your way back from the bathroom to the den or something? I prefer using my GPSr outdoors...I'm pretty sure most of the geocaches in existence are, in fact, outdoors. " Well, it is said that Elvis had one of the very first GPS units, but they weren't very good back then, and he got up one night and tried to find his way around the house, but ended up in the bathroom, and look what happened to him after he lost his signal strength.... Quote Link to comment
Wild T2 Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 There is probably a lot of multipath error when indoors. Quote Link to comment
+Hiemdahl Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Recieving signals indoors? Of course, How else am I going to find where I left my glasses! Quote Link to comment
Micqn Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 My Mag 310 picks up 7 sats indoors. Where you all at? Quote Link to comment
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