Tom Tom 720 satelite problems

[Mrwickxo]

It worked fine till I did an update and now it won't find the satelites. I did a default rest but still is unable to connect to the satelites so please help asap thnx for any help..... Nate

 

[dhn]

What update were you getting?

 

[cacherjoe]

As with the Previous Post, we would need to know what you were doing when it happened. Did you do a back up via windows explorer before the update? Would forcing a Quickfix update clear the problem?

 

[canderson]

It worked fine till I did an update and now it won't find the satelites. I did a default rest but still is unable to connect to the satelites so please help asap thnx for any help..... Nate

We need to understand better what you mean about "won't find satellites".

Turn your unit on in an open area where it will be able to see satellites well.
Press the little "signal strength" (bars) area on the right or lower right corner.
Press the far right area where the battery and satellite "signal strength" appear.
Now --
Do you see ANY satellite bars after a minute or two? The question I'm driving at is whether you see gray bars or NO bars. BIG difference. Gray bars will indicate that your unit is receiving signal, but not interpreting the information. NO bars means it doesn't see any satellites period. Two very different problems, but both will keep you from using your unit.

 

[Mrwickxo]

It is showing grey bars and says 0 satelites

 

[canderson]

It is showing grey bars and says 0 satelites

OK. Just to be sure we're (literally) on the same page, this is where you have the words "GPS Status" in the upper left corner, and a whole series of bars across the display (well, a few blanks over on the right), correct?

The gray bars - how tall are they? The bottom number is the satellite number, and the top number is the relative signal strength. How many gray bars to you have, and on average, what is that top number?

Over in the upper right corner of that screen - do you see the little black and yellow circle moving, and is there a time displayed there?

 

[Mrwickxo]

Ok I'm on the gps status page it is in my car in an open area it does have the time in upper right with Garry bars all the way across with nothing in them it has numbers but there all on 0 it also has the black and yellow circul moving and says I have a poor gps reception asking if I'm in a building

 

[dhn]

Use Explorer to delete everything in the ephem folder on your unit. Then, go here:
C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\My Documents\TomTom\HOME\Downloads\complete\ephemeris\

and delete any sub-folders you see there.

Now, connect the unit to Home and it should offer a new quickgpsfix file.

Install and see if the situation is any better.

 

[Mrwickxo]

It says that the quick fix is up to date

 

[dhn]

You deleted the stuff on the unit and the computer first??

 

[Mrwickxo]

Well actually there weren't any files on my computer because. I had it on another computer but I do have the program on my new computer and I'm not sure how to delet the oness on my unit. Also thnx so much for taking time and trying to help me I really apreciate it

 

[dhn]

If you have a pc, use Windows Explorer to look at the contents of the unit when you connect the unit to the computer and remove the files in the ephem folder.

If you have a Mac, use Finder instead of Explorer.

 

[canderson]

Ok I'm on the gps status page it is in my car in an open area it does have the time in upper right with Garry bars all the way across with nothing in them it has numbers but there all on 0 it also has the black and yellow circul moving and says I have a poor gps reception asking if I'm in a building

OK - I'd call those white bars. If there's a signal from any satellite reaching you, the bar will appear at some height, and will turn blue if and when the signal can be interpreted. What you're saying is that you've got NO bars (just the white space where they belong). What surprises me is that the black/yellow circle is actually moving and the time is being displayed correctly.

Go with DHN's process for now, but I'm not liking the sound of this.

You didn't just change cars or add a bunch of window tint or something, did you?

 

[Mrwickxo]

I have switched cars but I've also placed the unit on top of the car in case that was the issue

 

[canderson]

I have switched cars but I've also placed the unit on top of the car in case that was the issue

OK - just to be 100% clear, and due to the time required to reacquire, I'm going to pass on the 'roof' thing for just a moment.

Press the little reset button on the bottom of the unit with a paper clip. Turn the unit on. On the satellite page we've been discussing, is the time actually correct?!?

This problem started after you performed an update. It sounds as though you also changed cars right after the update. Even a bad ephemeris file shouldn't kill the ability to see satellite signals. Eventually, they should appear -- just taking longer than usual.

After the update, did you EVER try to use the unit in the original vehicle where it used to work? Did it work there? Or did you move to the new vehicle immediately AFTER doing the update?

By any chance is the newer vehicle a German brand of one sort or another? Several brands are using a metallic material in the glass tint that kills GPS reception entirely and require use of an external antenna. Or if not, does the new vehicle have non-factory window tint added that might cause the same kind of problem?

If your battery still has the poop to do it, I'd recommend sitting out on the front lawn away from any metal with that puppy for ten or fifteen minutes with the power on and see if you can at least get some gray bar signals (and hopefully, see them turn blue).