Gpsr Will Not "acquire It's Position"

[+Enspyer]

I've been finding and hiding caches for a few months with my GPSr. Lately (for the past few weeks) it can not acquire its location. I have let it sit outside, in the open, for 20 minutes, and still nothing. I know that cloud cover can be a, but it also doesn't work even when it is very clear. Can GPSrs get ruined from cold temperatures? Last time I had it out and it worked it was VERY cold and it was snowing. Did the snow on the GPSr affect it (I tried to keep it as dry as possible)? Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

BTW, I put new batteries in it just last week, and it shows almost full battery power.

[+Natureboy44]

Have you traveled and geocached a significant distance from your current location recently? If so, you may need to reinitialize your unit. Also, you might want to check that you unit is set to the correct time. If it got changed by mistake it could be "looking" for the satelites in the wrong part location. Hope this helps.

[+Prime Suspect]

I've been finding and hiding caches for a few months with my GPSr. Lately (for the past few weeks) it can not acquire its location. I have let it sit outside, in the open, for 20 minutes, and still nothing. I know that cloud cover can be a, but it also doesn't work even when it is very clear. Can GPSrs get ruined from cold temperatures? Last time I had it out and it worked it was VERY cold and it was snowing. Did the snow on the GPSr affect it (I tried to keep it as dry as possible)? Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

BTW, I put new batteries in it just last week, and it shows almost full battery power.

20 minutes may not be enough time to acquire a new set of almanac data. I'd say give it at least 45 minutes. You might want to do a hard reset first.

[+Enspyer]

I travelled about 4 miles from my last location. I don't think that's the issue, but I'll check it out.

 

Edit: typo

Edited February 8, 2004 by Enspyer

[+Poindexter]

Almanac data is valid for several months and even if you did lose it, it only takes 12.5 minutes for a satellite to transmit almanac data for all satellites and so about 15 minutes is all you need. Are you seeing any signal level bars?

[+sbell111]

I had this problem a few months ago with my Garmin 3+. I did a hard reset and its been fine ever since.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

I've been finding and hiding caches for a few months with my GPSr. Lately (for the past few weeks) it can not acquire its location. I have let it sit outside, in the open, for 20 minutes, and still nothing. I know that cloud cover can be a, but it also doesn't work even when it is very clear. Can GPSrs get ruined from cold temperatures? Last time I had it out and it worked it was VERY cold and it was snowing. Did the snow on the GPSr affect it (I tried to keep it as dry as possible)? Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

BTW, I put new batteries in it just last week, and it shows almost full battery power.

 

It sounds like you have a bad antenna. We would suggest you call the manufacturer and have them talk you through a dianogstic to verify that it is the antenna. They will know what questions need to be asked to help you solve your problem.

 

Good luck,

 

John & Shirley

[ckhd]

What make and model?

 

Some older units have a hard time finding themselves if they get severely confused. The Magellan 4000 XL I used to borrow would take a good long time (1 hr + in some cases). If it's an older Magellan, take it to a place that you already know the coordinates (and have a fairly unobstructed view of the sky), reinitialize it and put in the lat/lon. It will still take a little time to find itself.

 

If it's a newer Magellan, and it didn't find itself in 20 minutes, it has a problem. My MeriPlat can find itself in about 3 minutes after I do an initialization.

 

I don't know anything about Garmins, except that I can't figure out how to use them well...

[+sbell111]

Enspyer uses a Lowrance iFinder.

[+Prime Suspect]

Almanac data is valid for several months and even if you did lose it, it only takes 12.5 minutes for a satellite to transmit almanac data for all satellites and so about 15 minutes is all you need. Are you seeing any signal level bars?

But the signal must be constant for the entire time period. Any signal interruptions can greatly lengthen the time required.

[+SGM & MRS D]

My Magellan 315 did this to me on 31 Jan. A tip from this site fixed it. Clear all memory and reinitialize. Hope this works for you.

[+EWDaron10]

After you reinitialize the GPSr, go to the screen that shows the satellite signals. If you see good signals, my experience has been that you should get a position fix in less than 15 minutes. I have used both Garmin and Magellan GPSrs, and have had the same results with both.

 

If you don't see the unit acquiring satellites, either the antenna or the receiver has a problem and you will need to contact the manufacturer.

[+gallahad]

... it can not acquire its location.

A short time ago my Magellan Meridian Platinum produced precisely the same behavior. I couldn't tell you why (unless it was because I sat on it while it was in my back pocket) but I had visions of a few hundred bucks down the drain.

I cleared all memories, turned it off, removed the memory card (don't know why, just seemed like a good idea) and removed the batteries. Installed new batteries, re-initialized it and re-installed the memory card. Works like new. Give it try; maybe it'll work for you. g-luck!

 

 

edit for text realignment

Edited March 13, 2004 by gallahad