VA3 very, very slow to acquire satellites

Yep, since FW 5.40, the GPS fix takes forever (compare to before)... A few minutes rather than about 30 sec as previously...
Only way forward is to log a fault ticket with support as the more tickets they receive about an issue, the higher the priority to fix...
Sadly, this is a number game and it seems that the "the baby who cries the loudest get the most attention" !!! so log the issue with support via the online support chat etc...
Elevation is still off by a good 20-30 m!

I encountered a similar problem few weeks ago, while still in FW5.2. Synchronization through garmin express on my computer fixed the problem, as suggested in an other post. The synchronization with garmin connect on my android phone seemed to not be sufficient to update the satelite position file uploaded to the watch for the fast fix to satelites.

The GPS issue with taking forever for a fix isn't a problem with just the VA3. Same issue with the 645 and 935. With such a wide spread problem, I suspect a fix soon.

Same issue here. I mentioned this to support via chat earlier. They suggested the software restart(did not work) and if that does not work; restoring to default settings.
The person I was in touch with wasn't aware of this affecting other devices.

I chatted with support this morning and the agent told me the following:

[08:04:24 AM] MTag: Upwards of 5 minutes. But at least 2-3 minutes
[08:05:07 AM] MTag: I have not changed geographic locations. I sync with my phone before starting an activity. I have a clear view of the sky.
[08:06:06 AM] Sara: This is normal. It can take 5-10 minutes to acquire since there are many variables that go into acquiring. Clear sky, tall trees, tall buildings, weather fluctuations. All of these things can effect the time it takes for your device to acquire to satellites.


I disagreed and said no one would purchase and use Garmin watches if 5-10 minutes waits were the status quo. I also mentioned that 935 users were reporting issues, though she said she was unaware of that.

Since I did not have the charging cable with me at the time, the agent emailed to me two potential solutions for a fix. Those solutions are:

1. hard reset (I'm so tired of doing this. It will be the thrid time, not to mention a warranty replacement)

2.

• With your device connected to the computer, click Window's start button
  
• Click (My) Computer (ThisPC on Windows 10)
  
• Double-click Garmin device drive
  
• Double-click Garmin folder
  
• Delete the Folders listed:
  
  • Activity
    
  • NewFiles
    
  • Monitor
    
  • Settings
    
  
  
• Right-click on Garmin device drive
  
• Select Eject
  
• Unplug device from computer
  
• When you start up your device it will rebuild your folder without the corruption.
  

I'm going to attempt #2 tonight. If others are performing a hard reset with no improvement, I'm going to postpone doing so myself.

Deevs_ and mTag You could call support an hour after your first conversation, get the same person on the line and they would still tell you this is the first they've heard about this issue and are unaware of it affecting other devices. It's step 1 in their troubleshooting flow chart.

I
2.

• With your device connected to the computer, click Window's start button
  
• Click (My) Computer (ThisPC on Windows 10)
  
• Double-click Garmin device drive
  
• Double-click Garmin folder
  
• Delete the Folders listed:
  
  • Activity
    
  • NewFiles
    
  • Monitor
    
  • Settings
    
  
  
• Right-click on Garmin device drive
  
• Select Eject
  
• Unplug device from computer
  
• When you start up your device it will rebuild your folder without the corruption.
  

I'm going to attempt #2 tonight. If others are performing a hard reset with no improvement, I'm going to postpone doing so myself.

I did this with a previous version of the VA but I can't recall what I was attemptiing to fix. It worked so I hope it works for you.

[QUOTE=mTag;n1395892 I'm going to attempt #2 tonight. If others are performing a hard reset with no improvement, I'm going to postpone doing so myself.

You may want to wait on attempting this just case something were to go wrong. The problem is also with the 935 and 645. In the 645 forum, (thread "anyone have firmware 3.70 yet) someone posted their chat with support and support stated that they are aware of the problem and actively working on a fix. I have the same issue with my 935 and I believe a fix will come soon since the problem affects so many devices.

Update

I turned on GLONASS last night and that improved the time to acquire satellites, reducing the time by about half. There was still a a bit of a wait so I decided to try the tech’s second suggestion of deleting folders on the watch.

I did so last night and the watch acquired a satellite lock in seconds before my run this morning.

Update

I turned on GLONASS last night and that improved the time to acquire satellites, reducing the time by about half. There was still a a bit of a wait so I decided to try the tech’s second suggestion of deleting folders on the watch.

I did so last night and the watch acquired a satellite lock in seconds before my run this morning.

Did you lose any settings/info when you deleted the folders?

Mine took awhile to lock this morning, and then I noticed my speed and distance was very erratic for about the first .50 miles. It locked strongly after that. Looking at the GPS map after my workout, my path on the map during that erratic period was quite off course. This is the first real trouble I've had with the GPS like that.