Inconsistent VIA performance

[redrock3]

I am not a software engineer, I don't write code. I don't design circuitry (but I can solder.) But even I can see there are problems with the VIA 1400 and 1500 (and maybe more VIA model strings which I have not used.) TomTom has said there was a leap year glitch and there was a patch made available for that. But that does not account for abysmally inconsistent performance of this line. At random times, the sensitivity is just not there. It is not because of shielded windows. It is not from a lack of updates. They have not been dropped or exposed to moisture. I can take a 540XXL or 340XL and get a lock inside my living room within 30-40 seconds. When I use a VIA model, it will hunt for 10 minutes from the same location and never get a lock. The reason for writing this today: I have two VIA units which got a lock in the cars last night. Yet this morning, in the same vehicle, neither unit hit the SATS in 7-8 minutes! I waited for about 10 minutes more, rebooted them and they locked within 45 seconds. The lock times are widely inconsistent and unpredictable. There is something else wrong, be it hardware or software related. I have used enough of them to know I have not come across a random bad unit. In my work, I have been hands on with 6-7 of these and have also looked at friends' units. The collective performance is very similar. All units are reported as being up to date in MyTomTom. People (loyal TomTom customers!) do not have the time to play the drums, and wait 5-10 minutes for satellite locks every time they want to use their GPS. Is there a remedy for this?

 

[dhn]

And you do have the latest application?

Many of us have found the gps chips on the Nav3 devices simply are not as 'robust' as on earlier units. That said, it shouldn't take more than 3-4 minutes or so to grab a lock on the new devices upon start-up.

 

[canderson]

I waited for about 10 minutes more, rebooted them and they locked within 45 seconds.

That things returned to normal after the reboot is probably an indication of a need for newer firmware. dhn asks the right question ... what firmware do you have now?

I agree, however, that many (most?) of these new Nav3 devices (GO8xx, GO1xxx and GO2xxx) don't have the sensitivity of the older Nav2 devices. I can set them side by side on my desk - intentionally not an optimum location - and see some significant difference in the number and strength of satellite locks. In my vehicles in open skies, the results of this difference are not as obvious, but can still make a difference.

So while I will agree that there's a difference, the specific problem you report (requiring a reboot to get a lock) should have been cleared up entirely with the newer firmware.

 

[redrock3]

The firmware in the 1405 is: 11.037.920xxx. (3015 - 4-5-2012) Maps are 885.4086. Boot 642776.

The firmware in the 1505 is: 11.037.920xxx. (3015 - 4-5-2012) Maps are 865.3296. Boot 642776

Both seem up to date. Neither is flagged for any updates in MyTomTom. I don't mind an occasional glitch. I usually don't need to know where I am going for the first few minutes but the lag and inconsistency is obvious and it is indicative of an issue. It is not just that they are just a little less sensitive. The XXL's blow their doors off. Granted, I usually don't need or use a GPS in my living room. But it's nice to know the 18 month old XXL can lock on like a bloodhound and the two VIA units just run in circles.

 

[canderson]

Interesting. I do know of one other user on build 3015 who is complaining of a similar problem. I'll be watching that incident very carefully and will do my level best to report back to this thread if we hear something.

Ah -- one more tidbit. What do your two units report for GPS firmware? Something at the 2.16.XXX level or something at the 2.18.xxx level? I'm guessing that it should be 2.18.903.

 

[redrock3]

Via 1505 - 2.16.201 127698 Boot 642776

Via 1505 - 2.16.201 127698 Boot 642776

Via 1405 - 2.16.201 127698 Boot 642776


All three show the inconsistent lock on symptom. One time, they will lock in 45 seconds to a minute thirty. Other times at the same location - 5-8 minutes if at all. I would add that at times there will be 7-8 sats within the blue circle after a boot, and it will decrease to 3 then 2 than 1 and then they will start to come back. Sometimes it locks and other times it won't - same location.

 

[canderson]

I'm most concerned about the occasions where it is necessary to reboot in order to get a lock at all. Again, that should not happen with the 3015 build, but there is one other user that is reporting this, so I'm asking to see if we can turn up any more like this to see if there is anything these units have in common.

I noted that you talk about "...7-8 sats within the blue circle...". Understand that yellow satellites within the circle haven't locked, only the blue ones. So the number of locked satellites is as of much interest as the total count.

The several satellites that appear locked (I am assuming these are BLUE, but please advise) that you are seeing right after a boot, but that quickly disappear, may be the vestige of previous information from the prior use, and the unit is discovering that the information is no longer applicable. Darned if that doesn't sound like some kind of ephemeris problem. I'll keep note of that as well.

 

[redrock3]

I appreciate your interest. As I recall, when the scanning initiates, there will be some pale yellow "stars" in the "sky" circle against a light blue background, some of the 'stars' will pulsate to a more intense shade and may even have a border around them, I don't recall. The overall number will fluctuate, some will appear and then disappear. When the lock occurs, the entire light blue circle turns dark blue and the yellow sat dots intensfy. I have (use) four or five of these units and they all display exactly the same behavior. As I said in my initial post, I am convinced a correctable flaw exists. It does become a drag to have to wait 7-8-9 minutes for a lock. Why so many units you may wonder? I moonlight with some friends serving legal process after hours. My associates and I need to know where we are going.

 

[canderson]

My apologies on the previous explanation. Locked satellites turn green, not blue. That may have confused teh issue. YELLOW satellites do not have a solid data lock, and are NOT used to compute position in that state. Only the green ones are used, and the count of green ones is the one in which I am specifically interested.

I wish we still had the old Nav2 satellite display.

 

[Andy_P]

I wish we still had the old Nav2 satellite display.

But the old one looked like a GRAPH and we all know they are nasty scary things, that most people would never understand.
Therefore, for our own good, it had to be replaced by a pretty animated picture.

The fact it's no blooming use at all should not detract from it's beauty. We should all be grateful.

 

[redrock3]

Trust me, when you are trying to serve papers up a holler in Kentucky and the road fords a crick and you can't get cell service, those ugly ol' graph bars turning blue is/was a welcome sight. I'll take them any day.

 

[- et -]

Trust me, when you are trying to serve papers up a holler in Kentucky and the road fords a crick and you can't get cell service, those ugly ol' graph bars turning blue is/was a welcome sight. I'll take them any day.

So you have hollers and cricks in Kentucky also?

I thought that they were found only in West Virginia.

With best wishes,
- Tom -