travelinman

I just purchased a DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20. The help section says it can take several minutes for the receiver to calibrate. I have given this thing up to a half hour to calibrate but it hasn't yet. I have the antenna placed where it has a clear view ...sunny day....am I doing something wrong?

MP3Car.com

 

funkymatt

Have you tried letting it sync from on top of the car? Some windows have a UV coating that can block signals.

travelinman

I actually placed my laptop outside my house out in the open. no obstructions...

EricE

You may need to type in some coordinates that are somewhat close to your area before it will sync the first time. After that it will aquire faster. If it doesn't know where it is then it doesn't know where to look for sats.

travelinman

I called tech support for delorme and they say it's the antenna and are sending me another. I have seen lots of posts on this issue and it seems to me delorme has quality control issue. I even went on their web site and there are many issues relating to this and they have a fix for it...I followed their instructions and still no signal.

Spawn12336

have a link to those instructions??

travelinman

there is a fix on DeLormes web site.

JonDubya

That's the biggest crock of **** i've ever heard.

wi77iam

Actually he is quite correct. Here is the definition of GPS initialization from the Garmin website:

Initialization:
The first time a GPS receiver orients itself to its current location and collects almanac data. After initialization has occurred, the receiver remembers its location and acquires a position more quickly because it knows which satellites to look for.

__________________
*******************************
*******************************

JonDubya

What you said is true, but he said specifically "it doesn't know where to look for sats." WHERE they are, not WHICH sats. to look for. Huge difference.

wi77iam

Since the gps satellites are in geosynchronous orbit, they are stationary in relation to the earth. And since each satellite is always in the same orbit and position, then the satellite's position (WHERE) also determines WHICH satellite you're looking at. The only thing changing here is the observer's position. That's why it's so important to initialize your receiver to your current position, so that it can find available satellites to compute a fix. Their WHERE and their WHICH are synonomous. So again I say what EricE said is correct from the perspective of the receiver, and can hardly be called "the biggest crock of **** I've ever heard", unless you've led a very sheltered life.

__________________
*******************************
*******************************

JonDubya

You should get your facts straight before you open your mouth (fingers?).

1. GPS Satellites are NOT in geosynchronous orbit.
2. They are considered MEO satellites.
3. MEO sats opereate at 20,200 km above the earth.
4. GSO sats operate at 35,786 km above the earth.
5. GPS sats orbit the earth twice a day.

Can you please shut up now?

"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid." Man...you must have it hard.

MP3Car.com