Aquavit
New member
Thanks to all those who offered a information or a solution to our GPS fix loss problem. Had a day out on boat with Raymarine yesterday and we finally tracked down the problem. The culprit was our radar arch mounted TV antenna/booster being left switched on during voyage (in fact left switched on all of the time). We travelled to the 'black hole, around West Lepe buoy in the Solent). When the TV antenna was turned on and we travelled NE, sure enough the GPS lost fix. The fix could be gained and then lost by turing the boat through 360 degrees. It happened in the same area each time, but fix was lost (and GPS signals lost completely) only when travelling approx NE. No problems in any other direction or in any other place. When the antenna was turned off no GPS fix loss was encoutered. An interesting phenomenon - it appears that a TV signal booster (?) on the Isle of Wight (possbly one of the hill top aerials we see from the water) and the antenna on the boat combine effect at
that particular position/alignment and knocks out the GPS. Anyway - problem solved - we just have to remember to make sure that the TV aerial/booster is turned off before we set out. Massive thanks to Raymarine - they have been just great about trying to sort out this problem (thanks especially to Charlie, Scott). This is not just a Raymarine GPS problem, a secondary Garmin GPS on board also had the same problem and was mirrored by a Garmin handheld too. Watch out for those RF signals!!
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that particular position/alignment and knocks out the GPS. Anyway - problem solved - we just have to remember to make sure that the TV aerial/booster is turned off before we set out. Massive thanks to Raymarine - they have been just great about trying to sort out this problem (thanks especially to Charlie, Scott). This is not just a Raymarine GPS problem, a secondary Garmin GPS on board also had the same problem and was mirrored by a Garmin handheld too. Watch out for those RF signals!!
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