Has anybody else been having problems with their satellite navigation systems lately? Both my Garmin and my Palm Pre's GPS systems have not been able to find satellites and lock on with any consistency over the past couple weeks. It got really bad yesterday on the drive down from NY to Va. Even though it was a clear day out, both GOS recievers could not lock on to the GPS system. In fact the Pre would just give up and say no satellites found while the Garmin would have me driving over water and veering off the highway as it "awaited better accuracy"

Is there a lot of sunspot activity or something else to cause this to happen? Is anybody else having this issue?

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

I just drove from CO to VA over the weekend, mine worked perfectly. My iPhone gps also seems to work fine.

hmmm I wonder if it is just me...

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

isnt Iphone calculated from cell towers?


my GPS in both vehicles has been fine this week. do you have bad weather? I know Ohio right now is just a sheet of thick gray clouds

__________________

1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Maybe something in the Northeast? I was driving in Philly and NYC a couple weeks ago and my GPS had me driving through buildings, into water, etc. and kept recalculating. It was particularly bad in downtown Philly getting onto the Ben Franklin Bridge to go to NJ. My GPS is rock-solid reliable here in DFW, in Chicago, and other parts of the country, and has never acted up on me like that. Only in the Northeast.

__________________
08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

No Sunspot activitity at all right now. Sun's completely quiescent.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Actually there has been a bit of solar activity. Not enough to effect anything here. A small sunspot today (http://www.spaceweather.com/) and here is a picture of one of the largest in a few years I took on October 27th-


But in the grand scheme of things, the Sun is still closer to a minimum than a maximum in the solar cycle. I highly doubt it is the Sun's activity that is causing your GPS to malfunction. Wait until about 2012 when the Sun is at a high point in the solar cycle...then you may have some problems.

__________________
2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

I knew I should have checked Spaceweather.com before I made that statement. Nice spot by the way. Did you take that pic with the 14 inch at your observatory? Or a dedicated solar scope?

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Mine has only given me trouble the last few days inside San Francisco multistory parking garages, and in tunnels, which does not surprise me.



Otherwise it is okay except for a sometimes faulty connection that seems to be at here at the the plug (near where you plug it into the power point, does anyone know were you can get a new plug for a Garmin 260 nuvi?)

I bought it in Las Vegas last year but here at the end of the plug is where the problem seems to be.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Yes, with the 14" reflector. We have a solar filter that goes on the front. It is the best sunspot pic I have taken yet. The photography equipment is rather, inexpensive to say it nicely, so my pictures aren't that crisp comparitively.

__________________
2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

My GPS was "flaky" on Tuesday, Nov 10. Kept recalculating and wanting me to go away from what I know to be the quickest route. No problems beofre, or since.
Its either,
a) an Obama plot to take away our rights,
or
b) Bush's fault.
Or maybe,
c) both.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

There are models of the iPhone (3G, 3GS) that have a GPS chip/reciever, in addition to the cell tower and GSM/wifi triangulation.

I vote C.

__________________
2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

Mine is working fine.


Maybe the Government was doing a test. They can turn up the interference anytime they want.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

you forgot to wear this...

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL