Navigation Gps Location Question

[FlyFlip420]

Im gonna go down and check right now, but first of all, does your arrow actually move on the screen or just turn in circles??? If it turns in circles, then its the VSS wire, I will be right back for the manual location

[FlyFlip420]

Im gonna go down and check right now, but first of all, does your arrow actually move on the screen or just turn in circles??? If it turns in circles, then its the VSS wire, I will be right back for the manual location

[FlyFlip420]

Press the menu button under the volume, go to setup, go to vehicle position. Then you have to scroll the arrows to your exact position. You might want to scroll out so it doesnt take so long and when you get closer to your position, zoom in so you get exact. I suggest going to an intersection and setting it exactly on the corner so you know its correct with the map and where you are. After that, the satellites and the map will both know where you are at. Let me know if this helps

[shaft]

I have noticed that ever since I swaped the cd-rom nav for this new 06, the gps signal is cuts out a hell of a lot more. I mean, when I had the cdnav it was always at least at 2-dimentions, and very rarely cut out that I noticed. I drove to the store the other day (5 miles) and I would say it only had a signal 10% of the trip. I finally pulled my nav back out and double checked all the connections, they were fine. So I poped off the top of the dash and set the antenna right out in the open. It helped but even now it still cuts out.
I know the nav still works good 90% of the time..even without a gps signal. What drove me nuts the other day is I was coming out of a parking ramp downtown the other day, spinning in circles..so it was way out of wack...it took way to long for it to finnally pick up a signal and correct itself. I had to find my own way home and it didnt correct itself till I was halfway home. It kept giving me "auto reroute failed!" Am I going nuts, any suggestions to increase reception?

[dkozloski]

I use an old DeLorme Earthmate receiver with a Palm IIIc. I just throw the DeLorme anywhere on the dash and it rarely unlocks except when going under an overpass and that is momemtary. Check your installation wiring and connections. Wiggle the connections while you're looking at the Satellite screen.

[kanniballl]

Originally Posted by Dantep72

I just installed my new 06 nav unit in my 2005 cts and everything works great,exept for the fact that the nav unit thinks i am in LA California.

DONT PANIC!

The same thing happened when I bought my new 2006 CTS w/ GPS. The dealer didn't know what to do.

It was the first time they ran the GPS DVD on my particular car. When it booted up for the first time it thought I was in California.

I'm at work, but I don't have the exact steps. But...

While in the map mode, click on the right knob.
SOMEWHERE (maybe in a submenu) there's a way to adjust your car's position. I think it's actually called Vehicle Position.

There's a lot of scrolling, but it doesn't take long.

Then, after you start driving it corrects itself.

[ewill3rd]

If you have green satellites on your screen when viewing GPS info, then the nav antenna is working. As I said, try to elminate all things blocking it except for the plastic of the dash and make sure the antenna is facing upwards.

If you have 3 or more green sats on the display it should calculate your position without having to manually input it. You can start with a manual input and drive it around for 10 minutes or so. Try to find an open road, with few trees and buildings to block signal paths.
A manual set will get you close but if you don't have the antenna signal it will jump streets from time to time based on less precise data from other sensors and the more you drive it the further off it will be.
Sounds like you just need to drive it some more.

[redrock]

Ody are you a physicist or engineer. Your description of GPS was text book. Great post.

[odysseus]

Actually, both. I have degrees in both Physics and Aerospace Engineering. I own a very busy engineering company that among other things (spacecraft integration/test, and UAV avionics) manufactures high-end dual RF front-end GPS receivers for research at NASA and Universities. We mostly deal with analyzing the raw GPS signal though, and not simply the NMEA messages (time and position) that come out of the receiver.

Our receivers are used to compare two signals, one directly from the GPS satellites as a reference, and the other is the reflected signal from water (downward looking antenna) to characterize the reflected surface for wave height, etc. We also integrate the position data with digital elevation maps for real time terrain mapping comparisons. NOAA fly's our instruments on their P3 Hurricane Hunter. NASA has flown it on several high altitude balloon flights, and other research aircraft.

Although it's in process of being updated (I have to pull an engineer from his work to update it): www.ai-llc.com

[redrock]

Your explanation was superb. I also have a Phd in Physics and Math. However, in 1987, unhappy with the job opportunities, I went to Law School and have been practicing since 1990. I didn't keep up with Physics except in the sub-atomic world, which was my area of specializtion.

I also have an MS in Electronic Engineering design. I have been a Ham Radio operator since I was 7. I always tried to home brew rather than buy off the shelf and lower myself to amere "operator". Then electronics changed so radically and one could buy amateur equipment fairly inexpensively and of a quality that one could not produce in the home.

I thought your writing style was so good and your power of persuasion so good that you were a professor at a local university. By the way, technical snippets such as the short disertation that you penned was excellent! Physics is easy if one find an instructor that isn't showing off or that is unaware of the sophistication of the audience.

Thanks for all you help, I know I speak for everone!!!

JAD

[Dantep72]

OK, i just manualy put in my vehical location on the set up screen and then i took a short drive on the nav screen the arrow moves slighty up and down the map but that is it on the gps info screen it changes from 2 dimetions to 3 dimentions to out of range and keeps repeating itself it never locks on and stays with 2d or 3d fix, but i do have 3 0r 4 green satielites on the screen. when i drive the mph and the direction i'm going in n,s,e,w is correct but it won't stay locked on any coordinates or 3d 2d etc. everyone keeps saying just drive around and it will just lock itself in but it seems like there is another problem. also how do i know if the vss wire is connected? i didn't tap one in at the install but when i put in a dvd it plays until i put it in gear then it stops and says saftey lock on can't use dvd while driving, so after seeing that i asumed that the car knows when it is in park or in motion or am i wrong and if so will the vss wire have anything to do with the nav gps part of the radio, i read that if you don't have your vss wire connected when you try to scroll through the map nscreen it will just go in circles, when i scroll through it move anywhere i put it, it just hasn't recognized the cars gps position yet.
PLEASE HELP!!!

[FlyFlip420]

Thats your problem if you dont have the VSS connected it wont work!! The VSS doesnt have anything to do with the DVD player, its for your positioning. You HAVE to have it connected properly for it to work, and without it connected, that would be why you are having problems!!!

[Dantep72]

when i drive around with the nav screen on the arrow stays on the location that i manualy entered into the unit, and it just turns in circles around that location.
is that definitly a result of not having the vss wire connected or do i just have to drive around some more.

[Dantep72]

is the grey plug in the back of the radio the plug where the vss should be ? there is room for 8 pins but there are only 7 pins connected

[FlyFlip420]

I dont remember exactly, I did mine sometime ago, but yes thats exactly what it would do without the VSS!! Did you read the directions on where the VSS wire goes? There is a complete set of directions on here(FROM A CADDY GOD) for the install. I highly suggest you read it and make sure you get the right parts!! For it to work correctly you MUST have the VSS connected