t mobile co-pilot

[si2252]

Why is it that 50% of the time when i switch on my co-pilot receiver which is suituated on the car dashboard i cannot receive any signals from the satelites.
This seems to happen more frequently after i have reached a destination and everything is working fine. The moment i switch the receiver back on to do the return trip no information is received.

I have tryed switching the phone and receiver off and back on but no difference.

[pav]

Have you checked in the co-polot setting as to the signal strengh of the satelites and the number of satelites the gps receiver is tracking.

It could also depend on what type of car you have, as some of the newer cars have winscreens that have a metallic coating on them which blocks the signal from the satelites.

Have you tried checking if you can pick up the gps signals with the receiver out side the car. If you can get a satelite lock with the receiver out side the car you may need an additional gps antenna

[baloo]

some cars have a filter in teh windscreen which prevent a good signal lock. at work we have had to get our cars external ariels because of this.

[si2252]

With the filter in the winsdcreen would this not mean that the problem would be there all the time. My problem is intermittent.

I used it this weekend to go to Edinburgh and back and the thing worked perfectly.

Can you tell me roughly how long the receiver should be switched on to receive a signal from the satelites?
Can the weather conditions effect the signal?

[pav]

Buildings, weather, type of windscreen can affect the reception of the satelite signals. Its one reason you need to check the signal strengh of the satelites you are receciving.

On my co-pilot it shows that on average (in my area) it is tracking 7 satelites. Out of those 2 or 3 will show a very poor signal strengh, while only 2 will show good reception with the rest some where in between.

The receiver needs to lock onto a minimum of 3 satelites to identify your position and track your movements. As you move around the contry the receiver will change satelites as the signal strength changes.

As to how long a receiver should be switched on,this info is from another gps receiver.

Cold Start: 50s (average) / 60s (95% possibility)
Warm Start: 35s (average) / 40s (95% possibility)
Hot Start: 2s (minimum) / 6s (95% possibility)