GPS Antenna??

[427435]

Took a drive yesterday to watch my granddaughter in a gymnastics class. I programmed the gym address into the GPS to make sure I took the correct exit off the interstate on the east side of St. Paul and to get to the final address. As I was north bound on the interstate bypass around St. Paul, the GPS started acting up. It showed me to be 1/8 to 1/4 mile off the interstate. It then tried to redirect me back onto the interstate or surface streets to my final destination!!!

Fortunately, I had a pretty good idea where I was to get off the interstate. When I turned eastbound, everything was good again. Everything was also fine when I headed home and was southbound on the same road.

I figure the antenna lost contact with enough satellites to accurately place me as the satellites are typically on the southern horizon.

Anyone else run into this??

 

[EXBMWGUY]

Quite frequently, unfortunately. My verdict on the GPS system is deteriorating with time.

 

[OneFunGenesis]

Where I work parallels the interstate about 50ft from it. My nav thinks I am stopped on the interstate when I'm at work. It just confuses what road you are on if two roads parallel each other. Unfortunate but true.

 

[GenesisCaptain]

This has been my "normal" experience a couple times/year with every GPS system I have used regularly (BMW, Honda, Genesis, Garmin GPS running watch, Blackberry, & iPhone). Occasionally, it will be totally lost or have a very hard time getting a GPS lock. If it happens frequently, like monthly or even every couple months, I would be worried. But, if it has only happened once, then shake it off.

 

[mikec]

In the Nav setup menu areas for the Tech package GPS there is a way to see the number satellites in use, signal strength, etc. Next time this happens check the signal status.

Also... any chance the highway was relocated sometime after it was initially constructed? Given how infrequently the map database is updated it may be the nav system had a good satellite lock but thought the road "should be over here" where it used to be. Nav database updates are not common... and in areas with fewer folks reporting problems it may be that Mapnsoft or whoever literally doesn't know the highway was relocated to tweak their maps a bit.

I've noticed my 2009 Tech nav sometimes takes a moment to determine what road I'm on if I've been driving "off road" in a big parking lot or whatever. My hand-held Garmin is the same way. Especially if I turn it ON somewhere other than where it was shut off - i.e. when it's memory of my last position doesn't match the actual/current position - it takes a while to figure out what road I'm on; it often has me in a field somewhere. I expect that's just the position variation between GPS detected position and the database position of roads; the nav software has to watch up my GPS detected driving path and match that up to nearby streets to identify minor position errors. When that exceeds some distance it probably assumes "off road" or "in a parking lot."

mike c.

 

[GenesisCaptain]

Given how infrequently the map database is updated it may be the nav system had a good satellite lock but thought the road "should be over here" where it used to be. Nav database updates are not common... and in areas with fewer folks reporting problems it may be that Mapnsoft or whoever literally doesn't know the highway was relocated to tweak their maps a bit.

Navteq (the map data source for our cars) is very responsive to database errors. My previous car used Navteq source data for 15 years, and Navteq generally fixed an error within three months. My car's map data was on an annual release schedule, and if Navteq fixed an error in the first half of the year, it would make it into the next update disk.

So, the lesson is, if you find an error, go to the Navteq web site and report it. You will get an email back within a month or so that tells you the status of their investigation and when the change will be released to production.

Now on the flip side, TeleAtlas sucks. BMW switched from Navteq to TeleAtlas in 2010, and the quality took a major dive. I reported a few map errors, and TeleAtlas never fixed them. I would never buy a nav system that used TeleAtlas map data unless there was no other choice.

 

[427435]

No, the road hasn't been changed in 40+ years. I have a 2007 portable GPS----------if it loses enough satellites to not know where it is, it says that. It doesn't show me a 1/4 mile from where I'm actually at and try and re-route me back to where I already am.

Disappointing technology. Hate to think I may have to also carry my dash top GPS.