Posted by Ernest__CT on 7/14/09 8:08pm
Msg #295902

Semi-OT: GPS problems in summer?

My wife gave me a TomTom One for Christmas, and I love it! MapQuest used to be my method, but I've gotten spoiled by the TomTom.

Is anyone else having problems with their GPS not seeing the satelites, not figuring out its location, etc.? The last month or so mine has been slow to figure out where we are, at times lose its mind and tell me to turn right when there's no exit, and sometimes not be able to figure out where we are at all.

Thanks for your input!

Reply by Jim/AL on 7/14/09 8:34pm
Msg #295907

No problems with my two year old TomTom n/m

Reply by LKT/CA on 7/14/09 8:59pm
Msg #295910

I have a Garmin Nuvi and it also does the things you described, not a lot, but sometimes. One thing I've learned about my GPS - I do not rely only on it when I have a scheduled appointment. I print out mapquest or yahoo map directions as a back up. One time, the GPS took me 21 miles on the street during rush hour when I KNOW a particular place was faster by freeway. Today, when I arrived at a destination, I realized the GPS took me the LONG way around. I would have taken two other freeways and arrived faster.

It's great for finding places like restaurants, the post office, etc. during a leisure outing, in unfamiliar territory. However, if you have someplace to be and you want to get their ON TIME, I review the mapquest or yahoo map directions before relying solely on the GPS.

Reply by Tom/NJ on 7/15/09 9:05am
Msg #295949

That is the drawback of GPS devices in general. Sometimes they choose to guide you on a route to a highway when there is traffic. Sometimes this can be avoided by choosing to avoid certain roads which you know will be a problem.

Reply by Michelle/AL on 7/14/09 9:05pm
Msg #295911

I use the dash mount so that I can easily

remove the unit out of the heat when it's not in use. It gets so hot down here that I get worried about the heat making it go hay-wire. The only wierd thing that happened two weeks ago is that it updated itself without me doing a thing. Cleared all of my old settings and favorites. Sounds like a new lady's voice too. Other than that, my Garmin is working fine.

Reply by parkerc/ME on 7/14/09 9:57pm
Msg #295918

I've noticed mistakes on my Magellan, which only seem to happen in the summer. I think it's not picking up the satellite . . . especially when I'm on a rural road with heavy overhanging tree foliage (a lot in ME). I've learned to print out Mapquest directions first, verify with BO, and then use my GPS as a backup. (I should also probably pay for an update.)

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 7/14/09 11:14pm
Msg #295921

I love VZ Navigator on my Verizon Phone

There are no satellites to lose. It's not perfect, but a lot better than my old Garmin. It updates automatically.

Reply by Jim/AL on 7/15/09 1:44am
Msg #295931

VZ Navigator question, how do you talk on cell and use for

your navigation? Can you use an earpiece and still use the navi? Always wondered how Verizon handles this.

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 7/15/09 9:06am
Msg #295950

Re: VZ Navigator question, how do you talk on cell and use for

While you're on the phone, the navigatioin is temporarily suspended. It will go back as soon as I end the phone call. It takes a few seconds to catch up. With my Garmin, I was losing the satellites all the time. I still have backup directions from Yahoo Maps and sometimes from the borrower as well. There isn't any navigation device that is perfect, I don't think.

Reply by Tom/NJ on 7/15/09 9:07am
Msg #295951

Re: VZ Navigator question, how do you talk on cell and use for

You can call out while using the navigation...Never tried it with bluetooth though so I don't know. Might also depend on the model phone you are using with it.

Reply by Ilene C. Seidel on 7/15/09 5:36am
Msg #295934

Sometimes you have to do a reset have you tried that? And don't leave the unit in your car it can't take the heat. And when you put a destination address in the gps why not look at how it's taking you there and go the way you know is faster/shorter it will reroute itself. What's the use of having one if someone is still using mapquest. I have a NUVI and that's how I use it. Very rare I have a problem.

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 7/15/09 9:10am
Msg #295954

Mapquest is a good backup. The best part of a navigation device is not having to find street signs that can be small and obscure or maybe even missing.
I thinki it's great if you don't need a backup. What do you do when you lose the satellite?

Reply by MW/VA on 7/15/09 7:50am
Msg #295942

I don't think it's your equipment. I've seen things on the news lately that there are problems with the GPS satellite system & the AirForce is trying to get it resolved. I, for one, have come to rely on my Magellan in this business. There's a lot going on in our world that depends on satellite communications.

Reply by Jim/AL on 7/15/09 9:55am
Msg #295963

Re: Semi-OT: GPS problems in summer? Use both paper & GPS.

I use yahoo maps (my opinion the easiest of online free maps) to map out my appointments and I input the mileage into my spreadsheet to keep up with mileage for taxes. I also choose the best/quickest route for me this way.
I do use my TomTom always as a back up to remind me when to turn, to keep my lead foot under control (set to warn over 62MPH) and to let me know what road I am on if I get sidetracked. It is rare I losse a signal/sat unless I am next to a cliff that is facing the NE since the sats are coming from the SW.

Reply by Bernice/CA on 7/15/09 10:58am
Msg #295974

I've had problems recently with my Tom Tom (started freezing screen)... and remembered purchased warranty on it so I returned it to Best Buy and exchanged for another one. Was told can exchange, upgrade for up to 1 year under extended warranty.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 7/15/09 7:02pm
Msg #296022

GPS units are "line of sight" to the satellites - I've experienced problems connecting occasionally if there's heavy cloud cover or heavy foliage (the latter being more likely in the summer). I've never experienced my Garmin getting "confused" and offering wrong directions, unless I'm in an area where there's new development that doesn't show on the installed maps - which usually means it's time to update the maps.

The one oddity I haven't been able to correct is that it doesn't "know" where I live. I'm in an apartment complex, and each apartment here has its own address, even though the address is actually a unit number rather than an actual street address. USPS is fine with that - mail gets delivered without a problem - but the GPS thinks I live two blocks away and on the other side of the street from where I actually am. Once I drive into my complex, it has no idea where we are - this area has never been mapped. Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Mapquest have the same problem - they can't pinpoint me, so they sort of guess based on the street name. A minor annoyance...

If your Tom-Tom is giving you bad directions, you need to either do an upgrade or have the unit checked out - it could just simply be defective.

Reply by Ernest__CT on 7/17/09 1:27pm
Msg #296264

Re: Semi-OT: GPS problems in summer? Thanks, all!

Thank you all for your opinions and suggestions. What has worked the best (so far) is to sync the TomTom One with the computer. Somebody told me that the unit needs to know where the satelites are going to be in the relatively near future. I'm not thoroughly believing that, but as long as the GPS works, i don't care why....

For those of you who have the TomTom One, here's how to see the satelite signal strength: When the GPS is displaying your position, tap the lower right of the screen. The next screen should show the battery and the number of satelites on the right. Tap the satelite bar graph and you'll get to a screen that shows your last known lattitude and longitude, the direction you were last heading (in degrees [0 == North, 90 == East, etc.]), a diagram of the satelites' positions that were last valid, and along the bottom a satelite strength meter. Very handy!