Problems with Magellan Blazer12 GPS
GRC
Magellan GPS Blazer12 (precursor to the 310) to $70.00 CDN (about the same
price as a decent compass). I couldn't resist the price and bought the unit.
2 weeks later and I still haven't been able to get a position fix. The unit
appears to track satellites (I've had it tracking up to 8 for approximately
20-30 minutes) but it never transitions to the navigation mode (i.e. it
doesn't acquire a position fix).
I've played with various settings and attempted the "ez start" a number of
times. One thing that seems to happen consistently is that the clock on the
unit shows significant deviation in time from the original setting. For
example, if I use GMT and set the clock accurately, within 30 minutes the
clock could be off by as much as 8 hours (with our without satellites - i.e.
it happens whether shielded from GPS info or not).
I suspicious about an internal battery problem and wonder if this "clock"
issue is somehow connected to the inability to acquire a position fix?
BTW - I contacted Magellan technical support over 1 week ago with the
details and haven't received a response yet...
Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.
Cheers,
Gray.
Joe Mehaffey
Try this:
Put in a fresh set of batteries, turn the unit ON, put it out of
doors IN THE CLEAR where it has an unobstructed sky view. Come back in
10 hours and tell us if your GPS is now working.
Joe Mehaffey
--
Got a Question about GPS technology? Looking for a GPS FAQ site?
See: http://joe.mehaffey.com
The CO
"GRC" <gra...@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:C4mm8.10983$_L....@news02.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
> I was recently in a RadioShack store and saw that they'd marked down the
> Magellan GPS Blazer12 (precursor to the 310) to $70.00 CDN (about the same
> price as a decent compass). I couldn't resist the price and bought the
unit.
>
> 2 weeks later and I still haven't been able to get a position fix. The
unit
> appears to track satellites (I've had it tracking up to 8 for
approximately
> 20-30 minutes) but it never transitions to the navigation mode (i.e. it
> doesn't acquire a position fix).
>
> I've played with various settings and attempted the "ez start" a number of
> times. One thing that seems to happen consistently is that the clock on
the
> unit shows significant deviation in time from the original setting. For
> example, if I use GMT and set the clock accurately, within 30 minutes the
> clock could be off by as much as 8 hours (with our without satellites -
i.e.
> it happens whether shielded from GPS info or not).
>
> I suspicious about an internal battery problem and wonder if this "clock"
> issue is somehow connected to the inability to acquire a position fix?
Well, if you have a Blazer 12 and don't do the ezstart quite righ, it will
do something like
you are describing. First time I used it I had a similar issue, however it
would not find
satellites at all, apparently because I had the date set wrong, redid
everything from scratch
and got the time and date right and it worked. A cold start on the Blazer
CAN take over
half an hour under some conditions, so perhaps you just didn't wait long
enough. The 320 is much quicker.
(Yeah, I know what the book says about how long it should take, but it can
take longer
than that, I guarantee it.)
I also noticed that on both my Magellans, a Blazer 12 and a GPS320,
the initial time after it starts talking to the sats is always half an hour
out, and I have to manually change it.
(This may be due to the firmware not understanding half hour time zones I
think) Once set, it's fine unless it
needs to be reinitialised.
> BTW - I contacted Magellan technical support over 1 week ago with the
> details and haven't received a response yet...
Strange they usually respond within a day or so, even to me here in Oz.
There is a FAQ on the Magellan website about this type of 'no go' issue you
might want to look at.
OTOH, the same Blazer 12 later developed a genuine fault, ie wouldn't find
satellites, and the cost of repair (actually replacement with a refurbished
unit) put me off, so I dissected it and fortunately it was a simple dry
solder joint problem and I was able to mend it. Getting it back in one
piece afterwards is like getting an egg back into it's shell however.
Cheers
Geoff in Oz
barbara walton
section at www.magellgps.com . Usually they are helpful.
Wyatt W.
"The CO" <as...@somewhere.in.oz.au> wrote in message
news:DRum8.39$Go6....@ozemail.com.au...
GRC
it may be a few days before I can try a <30 minute initialization period ;-)
I received the following response today from Magellan Tech Support (see
below) - probably useful information to have regardless. I'll give this a
try - and I am assuming that the time should be set to my local time, not to
GMT.
One other thing I wonder about is that the two default "EZ Start" locations
I have selected (I'm in Ottawa Canada, on the boarder between Ontario and
Quebec) are both further from my actual position than the pre-programmed
coordinates for the state of Vermont (~200 miles away). I'm hoping that by
setting Vermont as the start location it might speed the initialization (any
thoughts on whether this matters?).
50 00 N 85 00 W___AMERICAS-ONTARIO (ez-start preset)
51 00 N 70 00 W___AMERICAS-QUEBEC (ez-start preset)
44 00 N 73 00 W___USA - VT (ez-start preset)
45 15 N 75 45 W___OTTAWA (my location)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Magellan Support" <SUP...@mgln.com>
To: <gra...@rogers.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 7:08 PM
Subject: Re: WWW request - tech_questions.htm
You will want to do a total memory reset. This will reset the unit's
internal clock. - With the power off, press the power button; then
immediately press and hold the right arrow button down until you see the
DELETE MEMORY message; release the right arrow button; select YES; then
press ENTER; then reinitialize the unit (be sure to enter the correct time
and date).
Thank you and have a great day.
Robert R Davis
Thales Navigation
Technical Support
GRC
Following the "internal clock reset" the unit functioned as expected -
quickly acquired a position fix and keeps accurate time. Thanks again for
other helpful suggestions.
Regards,
Gray.
"GRC" <gra...@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:JSPm8.2741$8K....@news02.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
Bill Reuber
we are able to replace /repair your unit.
We have replacement blazers in stock...
We require proof of purchase and description of problem
you may call 1-519-367-2771 or send the unit to
Bills Electronics Ltd
60 Elora St
Mildmay, Ontario
N0G-2J0
1-519-367-2771