Navman 510 keeps losing GPS signal too often.

Hi,

These are the following things that needs to be checked if you dont recievet he GPS Signal, They are as follows

1) Check BAUD rate and PORT of your Device
2) Ensure battery is fully charged ( AC or via USB) prior to use. lesser power gives you poor gignal recieving ability
3) ensure clear view of the sky, if the sky is cloudy you wont able to recieve the signals
4) keep away from mobile phones or other electronic items since they cause interference.
5)There could be damage to the SIIRF chip because you have it plugged into car power when starting engine.So always switch off the device while powering on, If the SIIRF Chip is failure, then you need to replace the chip..

Please revert me, if you need more assistance, i would be very glad to assist you more.
If you were satisfied with the solution please rate this sollution.

Thanks For using FixYa!
Vinod Kumar J

No, you do not need to be on a course for it to acquire satellites, however new units sometimes need to be left outside with clear sky view for up to 30 minutes to fully acquire signals.

a few things to ensure

1) battery is fully charged
2) Thed correct BAUD rate and PORT are set ( see manual)
3) You are oiutside and there is a clear view of the sky.

Still failing? Then possible damaged SIIRF chip caused by starting engine while plugged into power socket

Please rate my help++++Thanks for using FIXYA

Mine did the same, and said no gps no fix. I called the factory, now called Northstar, tech said to reset unit, and it worked. Great signal strength. Turn unit on and access menu, access factory settings,hit factory reset. However you will lose all your waypoints.

as soon as we are what?

try fully chatrging the battery if the signal is intermittent. Make sure it has a clear view of the sky, away from your phone or car radio

Make sure GPS has clear view of sky.

Hello adamant,

In order to determine your current location the GPS needs to receive telemetry information from several GPS satellites. In order to do that it needs a clear view of the sky. This should happen fairly quickly, typically within a few minutes, but depending on how and where you are operating the GPS the process could take significantly longer or the GPS might be unable to aquire a satellite lock at all.

Local geography such as mountains, hills, tall buildings and heavy forest can block the GPS's ability to receive satellite telemetry. The same thing can happen if you are trying to operate the unit indoors or inside of a vehicle without an external antenna. That's why most GPS receivers are installed on the dash board of the car: the windshield and side windows provide it the best view of the sky.

It is also possible that there is a problem with the GPS receiver or the antenna. To test it, try using the device outside in a relatively open area with a clear view of the sky in all directions. It should aquire a satellite fix in about five minutes or less.

Best Regards,
Ken
"Go Ahead. Use Us.

Hello jacke328,

In order to maintain satellite connection your GPS receiver needs a clear view of the sky. If you are operating the GPS in areas where the view of the sky is limited due to tall buildings, hills and mountains, or dense forest, your GPS is liable to lose signal from one or more satellites and this can impact the receiver's ability to determine your current location.

If you are operating the GPS inside your vehicle an external antenna may help significantly. The body of the vehicle can act as a shield, blocking the GPS's ability to receive satellite signals. This is why most manufacturers recommend installing GPS receivers on the dashboard with a clear view of the windshield as this maximizes the amount of visible sky. Installing an external antenna on the vehicle and connecting this to the GPS can help significantly, however.

Depending on the geography of where you are operating the GPS, you may have to live with an occasional loss of connectivity. With proper mounting you can minimize this, however.

Best Regards
Ken
"Go Ahead. Use Us."

There are a few options for you...
1. Check to see under what kind of conditions the GPS loses it's signal. If there are tall buildings, is a cloudy day etc or even the position of the GPS in the car (does it have a clear sight of view of the sky)... In the latter case, you could change the position of the GPS where it gets a clear view of the sky. For Cloudy days, better have a map ready or preplan the route using mapquest/googlemaps, as nuvi 200 series is especially notorious for these type of situations. For tall building problems, what I do is (c330, not nuvi), just tap the route displayed on the top before the signal gets lost and memorize the next few upcoming turns. Or avoid downtown (where those huge skyscrapers are)
2. If you have enabled WAAS setting in the settings menu (it should be somewhere under "GPS mode", disbale/uncheck it and use the normal GPS mode. WAAS may provide you a more accurate position, but at the expense of some avaialble satellites.

3. Or your GPS may have a genuine problem, then your only recourse is to call Garmin and talk to them. Here's the contact info:
Support North America
(for all Garmin products except Apollo aircraft)
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Central time (closed holidays)
Email Product Support: [email protected]
Product Support Phone
1-800-800-1020 (U.S.)
1-888-442-7646 (U.S.)
1-866-429-9296 (Canada) or (913) 397-8200

Good Luck. Personally I would avoid the 200 series and go with the 3xx, 6xx or even better the 7xx series (if you need all the bells & whistles)

• Make Sure the GPS has a good, clear view of the sky. “Clear” does not need to be sunny. Overcast skies have no noticeable impact on GPS performance. But buildings and trees do. So take the GPS outside where you have the biggest sky view as you can.
• Next, wait for the GPS to acquire a signal. If this is the first time you have used it, expect it to take up to 20 minutes to find a signal. Most often it will take less, but prepare for 20 minute. Now for an important step… Once it has found your location, let it continue to sit there for about 30 minutes.