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Any GPS Experts
rallyingden - 7/9/09 at 09:04 AM

On my recent trip to Spain I took my sat nav with me as we were hiring a car.
After getting bored on the plane I decided to turn the sat nav on and see if it could tell me where we were.
I waited quite a while but it did not pick up any satalite signal.

WHY ?

Is it because we were going too fast ?

Answers or ideas welcome

Cheers

RD

balidey - 7/9/09 at 09:09 AM

because you were inside a metal structure? Most I have used only like being directly under the windscreen, inside or even in the back of the car they struggle to pick up signal

Mr Whippy - 7/9/09 at 09:10 AM

It’s because you’re sitting in a metal tube that the satellite signal can't get through. The plane will have its own GPS system anyway these days.

[Edited on 7/9/09 by Mr Whippy]

tomgregory2000 - 7/9/09 at 09:10 AM

its because you were in a tin can and gps signals dont go through metal or water

twybrow - 7/9/09 at 09:10 AM

The aircraft would have acted as a very good signal blocker, plus, the GPS unit would be rather confused as to where to look for the satelites....

rallyingden - 7/9/09 at 09:12 AM

I did have it presses against the window but I did think the faraday cage syndrome might be a cause........ just wondering.

RD

cd.thomson - 7/9/09 at 09:13 AM

lol

Mr Whippy - 7/9/09 at 09:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
GPS unit would be rather confused as to where to look for the satelites....


it doesn't look anywhere, only picks up radio signals

rallyingden - 7/9/09 at 09:22 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
The plane will have its own GPS system anyway these days.

[Edited on 7/9/09 by Mr Whippy]


It was Ryan air ........... Lucky to get wheels nevermind sat nav


RD

[Edited on 7/9/09 by rallyingden]

twybrow - 7/9/09 at 03:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
GPS unit would be rather confused as to where to look for the satelites....


it doesn't look anywhere, only picks up radio signals


But it also knows the location of the satelites. Hence if you plug your satnav in for the latest updates, it will find the satelites quickly for the next week or so. If you don't update it, the GPS unit doesn't know where to look for the signals, and takes a couple of mitues to find them from scratch. That is what I was told, but I am happy to be corrected....!

Liam - 7/9/09 at 03:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
GPS unit would be rather confused as to where to look for the satelites....


it doesn't look anywhere, only picks up radio signals


But it also knows the location of the satelites. Hence if you plug your satnav in for the latest updates, it will find the satelites quickly for the next week or so. If you don't update it, the GPS unit doesn't know where to look for the signals, and takes a couple of mitues to find them from scratch. That is what I was told, but I am happy to be corrected....!


Sounds like a good way to get people to pay for sat nav updates . As above, as far as i understand, the receiver is just a passive device that picks up signals from satellites and uses them to calculate its position. Anyway - if the receiver was looking up at where it thought the satellites were previously, they'd have bu**ered off in minutes, never mind a week!