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

Oh no, this is worse than I thought....!

I will try your solutions but I understand it will not really fix the problem. And finally, i m sure it will very boring to wait 20min at each trekking or flying session if they are a big spaced in time or in distance...:((((

How GARMIN can continue to sell this device and how is it possible that much people on internet makes great feebacks of it. I mean: before buying this Mini, i passed several days on internet to find feedback on different web site and youtub videos and people seems to be very confident with it. How is it possible? I think that finaly people buy a device and never really test it.

Initially, i wanted to buy a cretin-proof device: in case of emergency, it must be simple to use and reliable: it is not sure it is! ( i live in New Caledonia and it appears i ve got the sms delivery problem too).

So at least the device is expensible, i pay for a monthly plan for something that doesn t really reach the goal: bravo Garmin!

Very thank you for your answer guys. 

Do you think that other  Inreach devices are better? Because at this point I wonder if I will not try to deal with my seller to change to a better device....

Your use case (changing locations virtually every time you use the device) is probably a bit unusual.

I believe that the acquisition problems are unique to the Mini. You would likely have better luck with one of the newer devices such as the GPSMAP 66i or the Montana 7x0i. However, both of them, particularly the Montana, are considerably larger and heavier than the Mini - which might be a disadvantage in your case. Battery life is also worse. The Montana (not the66i) has a removable battery. It can only be charged on the device (AFAIK, there is no sled) but you can carry a spare. Both of those use an EPO file.

I also do not believe that the legacy devices (Explorer+ and SE+) have an acquisition problem. Best guess is a more capable GPS chip that does a full sky search faster. Doubt that they use EPO. I no longer have a legacy device and have no way to check either the quick acquisition claim OR the EPO file use. They do have better battery life and are smaller/lighter than the 66i and 7x0i.

Ok,

So, because of the price not so far away from the MINI, the SE+ should be a better choice, that's right?

Are there other issues i should know about the SE+'s device before dealing the change?

Explorer + FTW.

FTW??  What does that mean?

TonyKiwiGPS said:

FTW??  What does that mean?

For The Win - Urban Dictionary: for the win

GPS fix is not required to send/receive messages. The messaging is with the iridium satellite network. GPS fix is useful though for including your GPS location in messages. 

This is true, but beside the point for the OP. Also note that (all other things being equal), if you cannot get a GPS fix, chances are you won't be able to send a message either. The Iridium constellation is much more sparse than the GPS constellation. It is also lower altitude so that the apparent motion across the sky is much faster.

Of course, with the Mini, all other things are not equal. It does sometimes struggle to acquire a fix.

Hi Towlpert,

Yesterday evening  i tried what you suggested to me:

-first fix (after several days without power on): take 1min 45 s.

- so i let the mini on, alone, at the same place. More, I put the inside track on with a step of 1 second ( not the tracking with iridium points sending).

- i let the IR on the position's page and i verified that it didn T loose the fix during this moment.

- then i put off.

- after this i tried many times to put on then off , then on : it took only 12 s to make a fix.

So i thought it was good.

But unfortunately, this morning ( 14hours later) I tried again at the exact same place

It s raining hard.

- first fix: 3min 45 :(((( 

-2nd fix and other: 14 or 12s.

What do you think about that? It seems that the first fix is alway long, perhaps because of the rain? But the other fix seem to not be impacted by the rain...

Do you think i have the make a long fix each time to download the almanach?

Might be fluke. 3 min 45 sec is not long enough to download a full almanac. GPS frequencies are specifically chosen so as to avoid interference from weather. HOWEVER, even a thin film of water on the unit itself will impede the signal. If you have occasion to do it again in the rain, wipe the unit off first.