OnCourse SiRF Star III Bluetooth GPS Receiver WAAS enabled

DarkyX · 07-14-06, 12:52 AM

HardWare: Axim x50v & OnCourse SiRF Star III Bluetooth GPS Receiver WAAS enabled (bought from buygpsnow) & TomTom 5 GPS Software. My location Los Angeles California.

Symptoms: Turning on the OnCourse SiRF Star III Bluetooth GPS Receiver little green light appears solid. Roughly takes 5 to 15 mins to get a GPS signal. Totally not acceptable by my standards. Once took 45 mins. I been testing this the first day I received and I am less than happy. I get into my car and before I can plany going anywhere I have to wait for this bogus GPS receiver 5 to 15 mins to get a bloody signal. Its location is on top of my dash. Its a bright hot sunny day and not a freaking cloud in sight. Clear skies as far as the eye can see. Now once it grabs a signal typically get 3 bars on the TomTom 5 Software and it does a descent job. I bought this unit because I want a fantastic job not a descent job.

Solution Anyone???

JakeRich · 07-14-06, 08:25 AM

Do you have the metallic coating on the windshield of your car? If you do, it blocks the GPS signal from the satellites. You may have to relocate the receiver to someplace that doesn't block the signal. If you don't have that coating, contact buygpsnow.com, it shouldn't take that long to get a lock.

One experiment--how long does it take to get a lock if you put the unit on the hood of your car? If it's under a minute, as it should be, then you definitely have something blocking the signal. If it still takes a long time, then something is wrong in the receiver.

DarkyX · 07-14-06, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by JakeRich

Do you have the metallic coating on the windshield of your car? If you do, it blocks the GPS signal from the satellites. You may have to relocate the receiver to someplace that doesn't block the signal. If you don't have that coating, contact buygpsnow.com, it shouldn't take that long to get a lock.

One experiment--how long does it take to get a lock if you put the unit on the hood of your car? If it's under a minute, as it should be, then you definitely have something blocking the signal. If it still takes a long time, then something is wrong in the receiver.

Its normally located in the middle of the dash under the windshield no metallic thingies in its way. I did a experiment walking to mcdonalds out in the wide open no clouds in the sky and on a very hot day and still took 15 mins to get a signal. I am contacting buygpsnow.com its been 17 days which I didnt read their policy right the first time so an exchange will not be possible which really sucks. However I am confident that buygpsnow.com and their reputation as a OUTSTANDING vendor I am sure they will help me either exchange the unit or help me obtain mfg warranty to get this fixed. Thanks to AXIMSITE help and BuyGPSNow.com I am sure I will get this matter resolved fairly quickly and continue my quest for obtaining a good GPS system for my car.

Anyone know if there is a GPS software with voice command?

D

JakeRich · 07-14-06, 11:29 AM

Mapopolis, iGuidance, DestinatorPN, TomTom, and others all do voice directions. OCN5 does voice input for destinations, but the developer (Navigon) has recently ended the relationship with the US distributor, so the future is looking bleak for that package.

JakeRich · 07-14-06, 11:31 AM

BTW, moving when it is trying to get the first fix will significantly delay that process. Even small movements (perhaps as little as inches) can change the signal processing and force the unit to restart the fix process from the beginning. Let it sit still to get that first fix, then it can track as you move.

Nevertheless, it should get a fix, assuming open sky and no/few trees, buildings, etc, to block it, in a minute or so, not 15.

07-14-06, 12:29 PM

Return / Replace. If you're not happy, and you're satisfied you've tested the product as thoroughly as possible, you should try for a replacement. I usually give a product a second chance knowing defective units for anything do exist. It's your money, so be happy with what you received. I have the same receiver, and mine works flawlessly.

DarkyX · 07-14-06, 12:31 PM

I agree the unit should take no longer than 2 mins max to get a signal. I already contact buygpsnow.com this morning to see if they can do a exchange or maybe its still under mfg warranty which I am sure it is. Hopefully I can get a unit that gets a fix a lot faster than what I am getting now. I heard nothing but great reviews on this unit I think my bum luck I just got a dud.
D

digital_nomad · 07-14-06, 07:14 PM

I agree with what others have said.
Place the unit outside on the hood or roof of the car, after you've left
the garage. Only then turn the unit on, and do not move it until it is locked.

If it hasn't had a fix lately or if it was reset / lost all battery power then less than
5 minutes would be a reasonable "time to first fix" given a relatively
unobstructed view of the majority of the sky.

Subsequently you should be able to turn it off and turn it on again any time later
in the same general region under similarly reasonable conditions of view
and have it fix within between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, most probably by
the time the car warms up and you're ready to go.

The poster above who made comments about metallic compositions of the
windshield blocking the signal LITERALLY meant what's IN the windshield --
even though it's a clear glass-looking windshield, some models of vehicle have
a transparent metal film in and / or on the window for purposes like defrosting
the window, radio antenna, tinting, sun UV blocking or sun polarizing, etc.

In vehicles that have that kind of windshield, you MUST put the GPS antenna
somewhere else where the film is not present -- on roof, on hood, on a side
window which might not be metallically coated, etc. Tha's why you see if it
works a lot better *outside* on the hood, not moving until it locks in.

urasso · 07-15-06, 01:16 PM

hi, soory that u had a bad experience. for me, the unit is godsend. I consider myself tobe the worst axim user and complete imbecile when it comes to tech.

I don't even notice any wait time to get a lock with satelites. I just turn the gps, then turn the bluetooth of my axim, and then the software and wolla...connected instantly.

only one time I did not get a lockdown, that's due to skyrises. so make sure u r in open area.

good luck.