Satellite fix is slow even on clear day and no obstructions. Is this normal?

BK over 4 years ago

I recently got the inReach Mini and I used my inReach Mini for first real backcountry trip last weekend in Badlands of South Dakota. It seems like it can often take maybe 2-4 minutes for the Mini to acquire a satellite fix in order to start tracking or to send a message? Is this typical of this device? Thanks.

Top Replies

twolpert over 4 years ago in reply to BK +2

The Iridium network is used only for messaging, sending "sent track points", SOS and so forth. The unit uses the normal GPS constellation for navigation.

Offhand, I don't know if razmichael is…
razmichael over 4 years ago +1

From my experience - Yes. The Mini does not store an Extended Prediction Orbit (EPO) file (as far as I know) so it is more like the much older watches that need to "search" the spectrum to find the current…
atlas_cached over 3 years ago in reply to twolpert +1

While all of that is true, I have personally experienced the inReach MINI frequently losing satellite fix even after many hours into a single trip, all the while the other Garmin GPSr I am using simultaneously…

All Replies

0 mak161 over 3 years ago in reply to twolpert

Sorry, I forgot to say that during the 2nd and 3rd steps: I let the IR during 30 min at the same place...

Now, this afternoon: 5h later, 10 km away, under medium rain but no obstacle, IR completely wet: put IR on:

- 1rst fix: 35s

- other fix after shutting down: 5s

- then sending a message: 45s

It s pretty good!

You method seems to be usefull.

But It will be appreciate that Garmin put an indication on the Position page to show the number of satellites and the strenght of the signal. And finally when it is needed to download the almanach again...

Is it possible to do the same thing with the Iridium's network reception. I think it should valuable.

0 3607001 over 3 years ago in reply to mak161

I bought my inReach Mini two months ago. I think it could be better as GPS. But I believe this device it's not designed for using as GPS. I'm hiking alone a lot of times in the Pyrenees (Catalonia). I needed satellite communication for security, And it does the job. I continue navigating using ViewRanger (or OsmAnd) with offline maps in my Android smartphone. And inReach Mini with EarthMate as secondary GPS for tracking. I power on my inReach Mini about 30 minutes before to start hiking, at my garden or on my car (attached to the front glass). I think EarthMate should send the constellation of satellites to the inReach when could be possible, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GNSS

0 twolpert over 3 years ago in reply to 3607001

It would be nice if Earthmate helped out. But it does not. Earthmate is a legacy application. I do not believe that it will be enhanced in any major way. And this suggestion would also require changes to the Mini firmware.

See some of my earlier posts in this thread regarding time to first fix. The only way to speed this up with the Mini is to do the 30 minute soak so as to be sure that the unit has an up to date almanac. If you move more than a couple of hundred miles with the unit off, or if you don't use the unit for a month or so, you will have to soak it again. (This is not unique to the Mini. It is characteristic of all GPS units that do not use an EPO file.)

All of that said, the Mini is a poor choice (even matched with the Earthmate app) for actual navigation (as opposed to tracking and messaging). In addition to slow acquisition, the Mini is prone to loss of fix, even in relatively good conditions. Some of this is because of aggressive power management. Some of it is probably inherent in the hardware and antenna design. YMMV.