Old handheld GPS

Alexis

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I have an old (probably about 8-10 years) GPS, that looks a lot like the one on the left in the picture. It turns on, one can go thru all the menus, but it fails to connect to satelites: it keeps on going round and round, and doesn't pick any up. Tried in several locations without any success.

Why doesn't it work anymore?
Cheers, Alexis

gps2.jpg
 

Alexis

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Good point, I will check next time I'm on the boat.

Do you know whether there has been any alterations in frequencies used by satelites r anything of the kind?
Thanks
 

colvic987

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have you been changing the batteries and acquiring sats every six months or so, or have you taken the batteries out and chucked the gps in a drawer and forgotten about it for a couple of years.

If it is the latter you will have to reset the gps and leave it out for a couple of hours to collect new sat almanac, you might have to get the setting for a reset from magellan..

i had to do the same with a garmin gps 76 which i had inadvertantly left for months, at the time it was a new product and was easy to get reset once i had spoken to garmin to get the reset sequence...
 

l'escargot

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Not that I know of. I have GPS of similar age, the next one down from that I think. It was working fine last year although I haven't switched it this year. I did have a problem a while back when it wouldn't pick up satellites and it was because I hadn't run set up properly. I just keep it as a back up now - next time I am down the boat I will switch it on and see if it is still working.
 
G

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I have an even older Magellan Meridien job ... and that works fine ...

To do it justice - you really need to have the 12v power cable ... Why ? The length of time you will need to leave it switched on and searching will likely be far more than the life a set of batterys ...

My Magellan takes near a day to reset if left off for long period ... yes - that's right a day !! But 0once done - it's fine and picks up sats on next switch on within a minute or so. As a service guy told me - the old ones will never lockon as quick as the newer models and if I'm getting lock in a few minutes - then all is fine.

Your machine needs reset, approximate loaction fed in ... and then left switched on as long as you can untill it stops searching ... has acquired a few sats .. downloaded the almanac ... and then locked in for position.

All you have to do then is make sure you switch on at frequent intervals to keep the internal data up ...

The other possibility of course is that the internal memory battery is dead ... if that is the case - then a replacement is needed. It is possible to change yourself ... if you are a dab hand at opening cases etc. but generally advised to have an electronics workshop or Manufacturers service centre do it.

But do not despair ... given time and a little work - it will perform !!
 

mikejames

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Make sure when you try to show it to the sky you do it somewhere with an unobstructed view of the sky and that it is not moving much , or moving relatively slowly in a straight line at a constant speed during the initialisation time (acceleration adds more to the difficulty of startup). To keep a quick startup, power up every three months or so, as the satellite orbits dont change that much during that time.

Make sure you set the Lat/Long to within a couple of hundred miles and the time and date (if possible). Fast startup relies on the unit guessing that it is still in the same place.
It has probably also lost its temperature calibration, this makes for a much longer startup.

When I had a GPS of that generation it often ran batteries flat while re-acquring the satellites, or would fail to lock in while driving 60 miles along a motorway.
 

Talbot

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My old magellen Meridian had the same problem (much older machine than yours. It had been getting slower and slower to lock on as well. I left it switched on for a complete weekend with an unobstructed view of the satellites, and hey presto, it worked like new - apparently downloaded a complete new almanac of satellite positions and lock-on was faster than when it was new. A good GPS until some thieving toerag nicked it - wont do them any good cause they forgot to nick the aerial!
 

lw395

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I think that on some receivers the frequency reference drifts with old age. It may self calibrate given enough opportunity, but this would explain why units that are rarely used can give more problems. Putting it on a 12V lead and letting it see the sky for a week should be conclusive.
Thanks for the timely reminder, I must look at the spare one that I keep just in case, before heading off for the summer.
Cheers,
Chris
 
G

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Why Forethought of Gosport replied to me - having done this to my Magellan a few times ?? I take it Quick Reply box again ?

I advise forget batterys - get it on a 12v power lead ... stick in cockpit and leave it .... or out in back garden .... whatever - anywhere you can literally forget the beast till its locked on.

Don't play with it .. don't move it .... just give it approx. settings and leave it searching.
 

MarkJohnson12345

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I had an old Phillips Sportsman circa 1998 at a guess, maybe earlier. It had to be rechipped after 2000 or whenver the week count ran out.

It worked OK for a year or two before I replaced it.

I tried to get it to work recently, but it never got a fix after several 9v volt batteries worth.

Its in the tip now,

Mj
 
G

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Re: Old handheld GPS thrown in Tip !! Ye Gods !

in the tip ?? Where's that ?? International Rescue called out !!

As I mentioned to other guy - connect to a good 12v battery source via power cable ... internal battery will usually run out long before its updated ... mine took over 24 hrs first time and subsequent when I forget it 10 - 12 hrs .... if I switch on at regular intervals then its only minutes ...
 

Topcat47

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Re: Old handheld GPS thrown in Tip !! Ye Gods !

I have the magellan on board. My only problem is reading the display in daylight, the backlight's OK (just) at night but I need a torch to read the D**** thiing when it's daylight....as for in bright sunshine.....

SWMBO says I should chuck it and buy a new one, it owes me nothing, but I guess I'm just too tight.
 
G

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Re: Old handheld GPS thrown in Tip !! Ye Gods !

My display fades as it stays on ... needs a new LCD ... but NMEA still bangs out to PC etc.

I have the plotter as nav station ... so magellan is used more for COG and SOG display .... and back-up.
 

cyrilslugg

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Had the same problem with my Magellan 310 (which I still use) after it had been left unused for 6 months. Even after going through the setup many times, I couldn't get it to track anything. Magellan support said the memory needed restoring.

Keep the 'down' arrow (I think - if not try the other arrows) pressed then power up. This should get you into the underlying operating system. You'll get a message something like "Delete data?" Select "Yes". Then either follow any instructions or switch off and then on again. After that you'll need to go through the set up procedure again.
 
A

Anonymous

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Nigel,

I have been struggling with my Magellan GPS Pioneer (bought as old stock in a chandlery in 1997). It used to capture enough sats for a position within half an hour when I bought it. These days it takes many, many hours. It does not have a battery backed memory - you have to re-start if the batteries are removed or die for longer than a few minutes.

Can it be that the GPS network has changed making it harder for these old sets to lock on?

I'm notionally a member of your GPS navigator group but I haven't been taking emails for a long time and anyway it is probably appropriate to ask you here.....

"Which handheld would you buy if the object is only to get a lat/long (no plotting or charting), for it to keep safely in a drawer for months or a year or more without use, start up within fifteen minutes, low cost, fully waterproof for cockpit or tender/liferaft use?"

Any special offers, old stock, etc., worth looking out for - or avoiding!?

Many thanks. David
 
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