Old handheld GPS

My old Magellan Meridien ..... even older than yours !! has exactly same problem. But it does lock on eventually.

I have no idea why it takes longer than a new set .. but take new sets ... compare SIRF2 to SIRF3 ... they have different lock-on characteristics ... and also 3 will pick up better in shadow areas. I can only assume it's to do with the electronics inside ... I know my Meridien is useless inside the cabin ... but my eTrex is ok ... so is my Lowrance plotter.

A cheap Lat Long machine ... as you see on the web - most even HH's now have some map capability ... and pure lat-long obnly are getting fewer - don't know if manufacturers think our eyes are getting better ?? (Bit like Mobile phones ... I can't read most now !! I actually carry a folding magnifying glass in pocket for some stuff !!)
I have a simple basic eTrex .... it is accurate ... hardly ever used ... but when called on .. is up and running in minutes first switch on ... then sec's if not left too long before next outing.

So eTrex gets my vote ... but there are many out there ... eBay is full of relatively modern 12ch and more HH's ... don't forget there are PDA's like Mio that iffer SIRF2 / 3 GPS built in ... I have a Mio 168 ... excellent but can't be read in the sun ..

If I was buying a cheapo again ... dunno ... toss up between eTrex and Magellan ... ... eTrex at moment as its so small and goes in pocket without problem ...
 
I had the same issue with my 310 - I think that it is the 'right' arrow that you keep pressed. If you have waypoints(landmarks) stored then they will be deleted as well, so take a note first.
 
Thanks, Nigel,

I don't find it surprising that a new set should lock on better than an old one .... improved s/n of the electronics, improved algorithms, etc., but I can't understand why old handhelds should, today, take longer to get a fix than they did in 1997 when they got a fix within fifteen minutes. I would have expected the satellites to have got better - or have they reduced the power, maybe?
 
Dunno ... I believe that redundancy on sats is higher than what you would expect and that may mean updated transmission style ?

I really don't know ... I'm a user and navigator ... not an electronics person ... so in the dark as you / others ...

I know that with my Meridien ... I have to switch on when I get on the boat ... leave it ticking away while I get sorted / load up etc. - hopefully its locked on by time I've finished all that ... often it's not. It hates boat moving while searching ... but thats true of any GPS really ...
 
I have found, in the past, with old GPSs that there is an "internal" battery (something like a CR2032) which keeps the internal memory of the unit alive when the main batteries are not about. If this goes flat (as it inevitably does) then the GPS loses all of its base tables for working out whats what. Normally if you can run the unit off a supply for long enough (anything upto 4 hours or more) where is can see satalites it will eventually workout when and where it is, and work properly. However, the moment you turn it off again, it forgets it all. Only solution (again, in my experience) is to replace the battery inside the unit.

Regards,
Jeff.
 
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