Loss of GPS signal
I have noticed using my (old) GPSMAP 195 that it occasionally messages 'poor gps coverage' but seems to recover.I am using a simple passive antenna that I rest on the coaming pointing skywards.
Do more modern units suffer this/any recommendation for antenna etc? I noticed that the a/c I was flying on Sunday had a BNC socket and cable for a built in antenna but it is really short and on the RH 'A' pillar and my unit only has a MMC socket. ( can you get a 1 metre adaptor cable?) MM |
Yes, adaptor cables are available. Look on Garmin's website under discontinued, portable, aviation GPSs.
jez |
Current GPS chipsets such as SIRF III work well with weaker signals than older units, but are dependant on good design of the RF front-end so there is no guarantee.
My two year old Lowrance gets a 3D fix indoors (within reason) or anywhere in the cockpit, but the older Garmin needs to be on the window-sill or coaming. |
The answer is to use an active (ie amplified) aerial - the older GPS units tend to be a bit 'deaf' compared with the newer technologies. The GPS 195 has 5 volts available on its aerial socket and this supply powers the amplifier in the antenna.
Have a look for a Garmin GA27 remote aerial on eBay (mine cost about £15), mount it with as good a view of the sky (normally well forward on the 'dash' at the bottom of the screen) and you should lose the 'poor signal' warning! |
There's a site to do with this sort of thing you might want to look at.
nano - Report navigation anomalies and help make flying safer (I think) Might be worth tuning in? Sir George Cayley |
Thanks ( and help)
znww5 wrote:
Have a look for a Garmin GA27 remote aerial on eBay (mine cost about £15) I have seen advertised GA27C Low profile antenna-is this the same thing? Thanks for all comments anyway. MM |
I have 1,000s of hours on my 195 and it is still my backup GPS.
Only once have a lost the signal with the 195 during a period when I was not using an external aerial. Simply put use an external aerial and you will never have a problem, use an aerial on the combing and you might very occasionally not receive a signal - some aircraft seem more prevalent to this than others. |
Lost GPS signal
I once lost the signal on my 196 because I inadvertantly left my mobile phone on the coming beside it (it was a deep coaming!). Anything similar may affect the signal.
|
I used to have this problem with a Garmin 90 and a Pilot III.
The problem turned out to be a faulty alternator. I discovered the problem by accident when the alternator tripped out and the GPS started to work perfectly. Just something for you to check out before blaming the receiver. |
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