BT-20 Losing Satellite Data

[MWobecky]

I 'upgraded' this past month from the Blue Logger to the BT-20. I use the Blue Tooth to communicate with the GPS rather than USB. I am having issues with the BT-20 losing the 3-D indicator and going from Green to Yellow to, finally, red. This happens after about 15 minutes, give or take. Sometimes this occurs after only a few minutes, or could be as long as a few hours. I check the GPS status, and where there were maybe 6 or 8 satellites showing green at first, now I only have 1 or 2. The GPS status only show Acquiring, and the dot on the map is all over the region. I can shut down the GPS, and restart it, and it will again act normally...for a while, then boom. The cycle continues.

To be fair, I have taken 3 or 4 trips of an hour or more, where the BT-20 did not act up at all. But, that leaves 3 or 4 trips where it did.

I did not have this problem with the Blue Logger. Yes, the Blue Logger did lose signal on occasion, but nothing like the regularity that I am seeing with the BT-20. I thought the BT-20 was supposed to be better, faster, more sensitive, more everything.

Any thoughts?

Mark

[petrrj]

I must concure, I have a LT-40 & BT-20 and both from time to time will go south.

The BT-20 will not get a valid lock.

I use the BT-20 with a google maps app that my son wrote.

Many times the BT-20 has me out in the ocean off of africa below Ghana going 122-123 mph with a headding of 132 degrees.

Basically with in ~400 feet of Lat:-0.000031, Lon: 0.0004 That is Degrees and decimal.

I have captured the Data stream, and the unit is putting out that data. Although in the $GPRMC sentence does correctly have a V for data not valid.

I use the LT-40 for SA and the BT-20 for the google ap.

The LT-40 ~95% of the time lock on within <3 minutes.

The LT-40 & BT-20 are on the Dash within 4" of each other.

When the BT-20 is in "out in the ocean mode" I usually have to turn the unit off then back on again, which is a big hassle because of loosing the Bluetooth connection and the python program that parses the NMEA data has to be stoped and re-started.

Basically the BT-20 does not lock on to the satillites...
When I use the BT-20 in "out in the ocean mode" in SA-2010 the SAT INFO shows 8 sats with --T- Two or 3 sats in RED at the outer edge of the circle and Acquiring flashing in RED...
A bit on the fustrating side!!!

Almanac update problem?

[John Moran_2]

Almanac update problem?

I would not rule out an overheating computer cpu due to lint buildup as the problem.

[Ron_W]

I have the exact same "out in the ocean" problem with my BT-20. Mine is in use every workday and coupled with SA2011 it guides me to my sales calls all over Jacksonville, FL. At least once and sometimes several times a day it takes off on its own for who knows where, sometimes at hundreds of miles an hour. As another poster noted the only way to bring it back to reality is to turn it off, then back on again. Fortunately I use a USB cable connection so there's no Bluetooth to re-initiate but still it's an annoyance that shouldn't be happening. If anyone has a solution I'm listening!

Ron