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GPS Lock problem

Compared with my FR-920 that locks GPS in less than 10 seconds (even inside my apartment), my FR-945 is terrible (more o less 1 minute, but I can live with that): the real problem started last week (what did you do Garmin?), it started needing more than 5 minutes to lock GPS. Today it was unacceptable: more than 10 minutes! (any try from the same open space place)

Does somebody started to experience the same issue? I haven't change any configuration in the watch.

CPE: Current (maybe the problem is related to this file that is regularly updated from Garmin servers...)
Firmware: 3.30
GPS: 2.60

PS: I don't want to update the firmware, 3.30 is Ok for me.

Top Replies

rtperna over 4 years ago in reply to BrightScully +1

Battery drain issue was fixed as of 4.1/4.2. I'm only talking about two watches, but it fixed it for both of us.

All Replies

0 philipshambrook over 4 years ago

forums.garmin.com/.../gps-2-90-is-now-live

0 rtperna over 4 years ago

Your firmware and GPS are very, very old. My wife and I both have a 945, and the current watch firmware and GPS firmware are on point. Sat acquisition is fast, the GPS tracks are good. Out of curiosity, why don't you want to update?

0 BrightScully over 4 years ago in reply to rtperna

Old, but it was working Ok until the last week.
Why I don't want to update? because of the issues (battery drain for example) that the new versions have. I am waiting for a version that will be stable (now I am following the bug report of the new 4.20)

0 BrightScully over 4 years ago in reply to philipshambrook

Coincidentally the problem started after the release of the new version... conspiracy theory?

0 rtperna over 4 years ago in reply to BrightScully

Battery drain issue was fixed as of 4.1/4.2. I'm only talking about two watches, but it fixed it for both of us.

0 BrightScully over 4 years ago in reply to rtperna

Good to know, thanks

0 Edward over 4 years ago

First of all I would suggest you to update your software version, especially the GPS one, because the recent GPS software update intend to fix the GPS lock time.

I agree that the older hardware e.g. FR920, FR735 has a much faster GPS lock time, my older FR735 can always lock the GPS in 10 seconds, while my FR945 takes around one minute. I believe it is because the older generation FR use Mediatek GPS chips, while the newer generation FR use the Sony GPS chips, which consume less power, however worse GPS lock time and also less accurate.

0 BrightScully over 4 years ago in reply to Edward

Yes, that's right, I said the same thing in other posts, the culprit is the Sony chip. But going back to the problem, the issue started last week, coincidentally with the release of the GPS "fix". My prime suspect is the "new" CPE file that contains the hint information to help locking the satellites. IMHO, that file is not backward compatible, and this is a bad bad thing in software development.

0 philipshambrook over 4 years ago in reply to BrightScully

If you don't want to update then you will continue to have a problem. The only solution that will be offered from Garmin is to update.

0 BrightScully over 4 years ago in reply to philipshambrook

See this post (latest GPS "fix", he/she can't lock satellites):
https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-945/218247/forerunner-945-did-not-track-my-running-does-not-find-gps-version-4-2