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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Garmin GPS > January 2008 > setting time and date
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setting time and date
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| I am trying to set the time for a friend on his GPS. The unit says
Garmin, Etrex, Vista. I see the time in setup, but there is no way to
change it, besides the time zone. Also, the date is way off. A guy
from Garmin sent us a program to set the time, but when I connect the
unit to the computer, the program says connected, but times out when I
try to send the time to the unit. Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Peter
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| skmort@lanset.com 2008-01-22, 3:33 pm |
| On Jan 21, 11:08 am, Peter <i...@sheogaflooring.com> wrote:
> I am trying to set the time for a friend on his GPS. The unit says
> Garmin, Etrex, Vista. I see the time in setup, but there is no way to
> change it, besides the time zone. Also, the date is way off. A guy
> from Garmin sent us a program to set the time, but when I connect the
> unit to the computer, the program says connected, but times out when I
> try to send the time to the unit. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter
Hmm, sounds like there is something wrong with the GPS? Among the
first things the GPS does, when it acquires a satellite, is set it's
clock to the satellite time,, I assume it also would set the date?
I just checked my GPS, which has not been turned on for several
weeks, against my radio controlled clock and found it was about 20
seconds slow! I then enabled the satellite search and it reset the
clock as soon as it got a satellite lock!
Just a guess, but the date may not be set until it gets an almanac,,
which can take 15 to 20 minutes? You didn't say if this was a new
unit that was just turned on for the first time, or if it has been
sitting around with dead batteries for a while? The initial date and
time may be from a first boot-up, (new, or after sitting without
batteries for a while?), and may require a new almanac to bring it
up to the current date?
SKM
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| peter 2008-01-22, 10:33 pm |
| On Jan 22, 2:14 pm, skm...@lanset.com wrote:
> On Jan 21, 11:08 am, Peter <i...@sheogaflooring.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Hmm, sounds like there is something wrong with the GPS? Among the
> first things the GPS does, when it acquires a satellite, is set it's
> clock to the satellite time,, I assume it also would set the date?
>
> I just checked my GPS, which has not been turned on for several
> weeks, against my radio controlled clock and found it was about 20
> seconds slow! I then enabled the satellite search and it reset the
> clock as soon as it got a satellite lock!
>
> Just a guess, but the date may not be set until it gets an almanac,,
> which can take 15 to 20 minutes? You didn't say if this was a new
> unit that was just turned on for the first time, or if it has been
> sitting around with dead batteries for a while? The initial date and
> time may be from a first boot-up, (new, or after sitting without
> batteries for a while?), and may require a new almanac to bring it
> up to the current date?
> SKM
Thanks for your reply. It is for a friend. It is definitely not a new
unit. The batteries seem ok now, but I don't know, they may have gone
dead and he replaced them. Will it get an almanac after 15 or 20
minutes automatically? Or is there a way I can download an almanac?
Again, thanks.
Peter
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| peter 2008-01-22, 10:33 pm |
| On Jan 22, 1:41 pm, peter <plaz...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thanks for your reply. It is for a friend. It is definitely not a new
> unit. The batteries seem ok now, but I don't know, they may have gone
> dead and he replaced them. Will it get an almanac after 15 or 20
> minutes automatically? Or is there a way I can download an almanac?
If the unit is working properly then it should automatically reset its
internal clock once it gets a good satellite lock. Getting that
initial lock may take up to about 5 minutes if placed in a location
with an unobstructed skyview (and longer if there are significant
obstructions). It will take some additional time to gather an entire
new almanac which gives the expected orbital motions of all of the GPS
satellites.
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| Black 2008-01-22, 10:33 pm |
| Peter wrote:
> I am trying to set the time for a friend on his GPS. The unit says
> Garmin, Etrex, Vista. I see the time in setup, but there is no way to
> change it, besides the time zone. Also, the date is way off. A guy
> from Garmin sent us a program to set the time, but when I connect the
> unit to the computer, the program says connected, but times out when I
> try to send the time to the unit. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter
Have a look here:
http://www.fixya.com/support/t26060... />
ate_problem
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| skmort@lanset.com 2008-01-22, 10:33 pm |
| On Jan 22, 1:41 pm, peter <plaz...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks for your reply. It is for a friend. It is definitely not a new
> unit. The batteries seem ok now, but I don't know, they may have gone
> dead and he replaced them. Will it get an almanac after 15 or 20
> minutes automatically? Or is there a way I can download an almanac?
> Again, thanks.
>
> Peter
There is a way to download the almanac, but I never bothered,, as
slow as I am, if I set the GPS out where it has a fairly good look at
the sky, (then go to the computer and internet, to find the "fast"
way), by the time I figure out where to find the info on the web and
download it to the GPS, an hour or two will have passed and the GPS
will have collected the almanac a long time ago,, ha! Sorry, I
don't have details!
It takes a full twelve minutes to download a complete almanac from
satellite,, and it can take several minutes for the GPS to find a
satellite,, (thus the 15 to 20, or more minutes). All the
satellites use the same frequency,, it is like 30 or so radio
stations using the same frequency,, the GPS goes through a list,
listening for and comparing each call sign, (Pseudo random code),
until it finds one! Now days most hand-helds have 12 receivers so
they can go through the 30+ list a little quicker,, (it probably
only needs to find one to start the almanac download?). Once the
GPS has an almanac, the next time it is turned on, it knows which
satellites it is looking for before it even gets a signal, as
indicated by the little numbers under the signal strength bars! (it
gets that info from the almanac). If the almanac is lost, or too far
out of date, or if the GPS receiver has been moved a great distance,
it may have to go through the process of finding itself again!
Good luck, SKM
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| On Jan 22, 8:19 pm, skm...@lanset.com wrote:
> On Jan 22, 1:41 pm, peter <plaz...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> There is a way to download the almanac, but I never bothered,, as
> slow as I am, if I set the GPS out where it has a fairly good look at
> the sky, (then go to the computer and internet, to find the "fast"
> way), by the time I figure out where to find the info on the web and
> download it to the GPS, an hour or two will have passed and the GPS
> will have collected the almanac a long time ago,, ha! Sorry, I
> don't have details!
>
> It takes a full twelve minutes to download a complete almanac from
> satellite,, and it can take several minutes for the GPS to find a
> satellite,, (thus the 15 to 20, or more minutes). All the
> satellites use the same frequency,, it is like 30 or so radio
> stations using the same frequency,, the GPS goes through a list,
> listening for and comparing each call sign, (Pseudo random code),
> until it finds one! Now days most hand-helds have 12 receivers so
> they can go through the 30+ list a little quicker,, (it probably
> only needs to find one to start the almanac download?). Once the
> GPS has an almanac, the next time it is turned on, it knows which
> satellites it is looking for before it even gets a signal, as
> indicated by the little numbers under the signal strength bars! (it
> gets that info from the almanac). If the almanac is lost, or too far
> out of date, or if the GPS receiver has been moved a great distance,
> it may have to go through the process of finding itself again!
> Good luck, SKM
Thanks to both of you for the advice! I will try both solutions
tomorrow at work. I hope one works.
Peter
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