Garmin GPS - Signal loss with GPS-18

Author

Signal loss with GPS-18

williamsg4713@juno.com

2007-03-16, 4:33 am

I have recently acquired a Garmin GPS-18 receiver with their nRoute
software. I had been having extreme signal loss problems (driving in
residential neighborhoods and on a divided highway with no buildings
taller than six stories, and those at least 100 yards from the
roadway); during a 30-minute drive I lost reception 14 times, and in
total was without a signal for about 15 of the 30 minutes.

I wrote to Garmin's customer support and was referred to a driver
update which I downloaded and installed (or attempted to instal; I
don't know how to tell whether I succeeded or not). Since then, the
lapses in reception have been less lengthy (none over fifteen seconds
and most only a second or two), but no less frequent. On one occasion
I
lost reception three times while stopped waiting for a light to
change.
Unless there was a very large buzzard circling above my car, I can't
imagine what could have physically interrupted the signal.

In many cases of both the momentary and the long losses of reception,
the "satellites" screen has shown from six to nine satellites in
green.

My questions are
1) How can I tell whether I have, indeed, successfully installed the
driver update?
2) If I have done so, should I delete the old driver and, if so,
where do I find it?
3) Is this frequent, even if momentary, loss of reception normal for
a GPS receiver, or is the GPS 18 a piece of junk? (Here may be a
chance for you to get back to the science of GPS: once locked on to a
satellite, wouldn't the software always know where the satellite is
and will be five seconds or five minutes from now, the orbits being
either geosynchronous or of known speed and direction?)
4) If this degree of loss of reception is not normal, can you think
of anything I might do to improve it. I have been placing the
receiver beneath an unobstructed windshield; low or high seems to make
little difference.
5) If the GPS 18 is a piece of junk, are there other receivers I can
use with nRoute? (I like the software pretty well, and in the
majority of respects better than the ALK, which I have also had.)

Garmin was quick with a response to my first
query, but has not responded after several days to my follow-up
email.

Thank you very much.

Gary Williams

MikeK

2007-03-16, 12:33 pm

On 15 Mar 2007 22:26:55 -0700, "williamsg4713@juno.com"
<williamsg4713@juno.com> wrote:

>I have recently acquired a Garmin GPS-18 receiver with their nRoute
>software. I had been having extreme signal loss problems (driving in
>residential neighborhoods and on a divided highway with no buildings
>taller than six stories, and those at least 100 yards from the
>roadway); during a 30-minute drive I lost reception 14 times, and in
>total was without a signal for about 15 of the 30 minutes.
>
>I wrote to Garmin's customer support and was referred to a driver
>update which I downloaded and installed (or attempted to instal; I
>don't know how to tell whether I succeeded or not). Since then, the
>lapses in reception have been less lengthy (none over fifteen seconds
>and most only a second or two), but no less frequent. On one occasion
>I
>lost reception three times while stopped waiting for a light to
>change.
>Unless there was a very large buzzard circling above my car, I can't
>imagine what could have physically interrupted the signal.
>
>In many cases of both the momentary and the long losses of reception,
>the "satellites" screen has shown from six to nine satellites in
>green.
>
>My questions are
>1) How can I tell whether I have, indeed, successfully installed the
>driver update?
Look at the menu in nRoute and if there is a help tab click it
and look for a listing like "About nRoute". The version should be
there.

The latest version of nRoute is Ver. 2.7.5 as of Mar 09, 2007

other software updates are:

GPS 18 Ver. 3.00 as of Jul 20, 2006
Spanner Ver. 2.1 as of Feb 08, 2007 Download
USB Drivers Ver. 2.2.1 as of Mar 14, 2007

I don't have nRoute on my PC so I can't say for sure if any version
data will be there.

>2) If I have done so, should I delete the old driver and, if so,
>where do I find it?

Old drivers should be removed or overwritten by the update.

>3) Is this frequent, even if momentary, loss of reception normal for
>a GPS receiver, or is the GPS 18 a piece of junk? (Here may be a
>chance for you to get back to the science of GPS: once locked on to a
>satellite, wouldn't the software always know where the satellite is
>and will be five seconds or five minutes from now, the orbits being
>either geosynchronous or of known speed and direction?)

My Nuvi 660 has never lost a signal that I know of and I have
it mounted on the front of the dash not on the window. I have an
external antenna but do not use it because it only marginally improves
the signal.

>4) If this degree of loss of reception is not normal, can you think
>of anything I might do to improve it. I have been placing the
>receiver beneath an unobstructed windshield; low or high seems to make
>little difference.

Try putting the antenna on the roof for a test, just run the
wire throught an open window. If your signal stays on you can mount
it on the roof semi-permanantly.

>5) If the GPS 18 is a piece of junk, are there other receivers I can
>use with nRoute? (I like the software pretty well, and in the
>majority of respects better than the ALK, which I have also had.)

I used a GPS receiver (US Global BU-353 with M.S. Map Point)
with my laptop for awhile. It worked fine but was too cumbersome to
use. Had no problems with reception with the antenna on top of the
dash.

>Garmin was quick with a response to my first
>query, but has not responded after several days to my follow-up
>email.
>
>Thank you very much.
>
>Gary Williams

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