I rarely cache when I travel on business, however on this trip to Seoul, Korea, I decided to make time. So I fire up the Garmin GPSMap 60 but it's not locking in on the satellites, even after 20 minutes.
Anyone have any suggestions?

I rarely cache when I travel on business, however on this trip to Seoul, Korea, I decided to make time. So I fire up the Garmin GPSMap 60 but it's not locking in on the satellites, even after 20 minutes.
Anyone have any suggestions?

hmmm, these are only suggestions but I had too do this with my old eTrex. Change the time zone and tell the GPSr to research for satellites as you have travelled more than 200 miles since you last turned it on. I'm thinking the time zone must tell the unit which satellites it should be looking for at the time and those satellite may be "over the horizon" for where you are for the time zone in the GPSr.

Did you try setting the point manually using the map. Also, be patient, it may take a while.

When I turned my unit on after traveling from ME to BC it seemed to take forever but it did eventually lock in. Coming home I turned it on in the plane and it seemed to do fine when we got home.

I would wonder about the time zones too.

GPS has nothing to do with timezones. You can read about TTFF here: http://jeepx.blogspot.com/2006/01/cold-start-and-aided-gps.html

Thank you Cano - always nice to learn something new.

You just need to perform cold start/memory wipe to start over with fresh data.

My Magellan would ask me what country I was in while I was loading caches and it could not get a signal indoors.

If you push enough buttons you'll find how to fix it.

GPS has nothing to do with timezones. You can read about TTFF here: http://jeepx.blogspot.com/2006/01/cold-start-and-aided-gps.html


It has everything to do with time zones. After reading the article it states that your GPSr is trying to "find" the satellite that transmitted the timestamp that it last used (hotfix is a Garmin software application that is suppose to help your GPSr remember where the satellites are) then compares it to the timestamp from the current satellite to determine where it has moved too . Cano has pointed out one method of resetting the unit; wipe the memory. Or more easily, reset your time zone. Wiping the memory is basically telling the unit to not worry about where it was. Setting the time zone is telling your GPSr manually that you have moved instead of letting it figure it out on its own.

It has everything to do with time zones.
It doesn't. Period.

It doesn't. Period.

lol. It does. Re-acquisition using the software is based on your GPSr "remembering" your last fix when it was last turned on. While the satellites don't care and most likely rarely vary what they transmit your Garmin records its last "fix" so it can, in theory, pick up the same satellites it used the last time it was on. Garmin actually markets that software called "Hotfix". I agree that the satellites and GPSr don't work because of time zones but the software is using the time zones so it can "predict" which satellites to expect in the sky overhead. No matter what, line of sight still rules and if a satellite is on the other side of the planet it is still transmitting regardless of the time zone but no GPSr is going to be able to see it.

My old eTrex actually gave me an error message when I was in Australia with -5 GMT programmed in. I switched it to local time, gave it 15 minutes to "lock on" and all was good. Had I left it on during my flight over the Pacific, the eTrex would have known that I travelled through several time zones but I had not and it glitched because it couldn't locate any "familiar" satellites to reference for where it presently was located.

Thanks to all who responded. And the winner is........Tat. As soon as I read your post, it was a Duh! moment. I had to use the map before to "tell" the GPSr where it was. 28 hours of travel resulted in a brain cramp.
Now, unfortunately, at 7:30 AM, I have to go to work. :(



Did you try setting the point manually using the map. Also, be patient, it may take a while.

Thanks to all who responded. And the winner is........Tat. As soon as I read your post, it was a Duh! moment. I had to use the map before to "tell" the GPSr where it was. 28 hours of travel resulted in a brain cramp.
Now, unfortunately, at 7:30 AM, I have to go to work. :(

But you will be there a while. I bet you might use that GPRs before you get home. Stay well and safe.

Next time - leave it on in the plane LOL. Will you be home for the Beer N Wings?

lol. It does. Re-acquisition using the software is based on your GPSr "remembering" your last fix when it was last turned on. While the satellites don't care and most likely rarely vary what they transmit your Garmin records its last "fix" so it can, in theory, pick up the same satellites it used the last time it was on. Garmin actually markets that software called "Hotfix". I agree that the satellites and GPSr don't work because of time zones but the software is using the time zones so it can "predict" which satellites to expect in the sky overhead. No matter what, line of sight still rules and if a satellite is on the other side of the planet it is still transmitting regardless of the time zone but no GPSr is going to be able to see it.

My old eTrex actually gave me an error message when I was in Australia with -5 GMT programmed in. I switched it to local time, gave it 15 minutes to "lock on" and all was good. Had I left it on during my flight over the Pacific, the eTrex would have known that I travelled through several time zones but I had not and it glitched because it couldn't locate any "familiar" satellites to reference for where it presently was located.
I know how assisted GPS works. Satellite lock has nothing to do with time zones. Period. If you don't believe use Google. I don't understand where you got this ridiculous idea anyway. Besides knowing just time zone would be pretty useless since time zones goes from pole to pole and are also related to country borders. Giving you pretty no information about your position. You need to download a new almanac even when you move few hundreds miles.

Thanks to both cachers who offered their well informed opinions on how to help out Paul. As I have learned, there is no black and white on this site, no judge to tell me to sit down and shut up and only my sense of fair play to tell me it was me or another cacher that crossed the line, so with that thought I hope my gps's know where I am the next time I fire one up!:D

Thanks to both cachers who offered their well informed opinions on how to help out Paul. As I have learned, there is no black and white on this site, no judge to tell me to sit down and shut up and only my sense of fair play to tell me it was me or another cacher that crossed the line, so with that thought I hope my gps's know where I am the next time I fire one up!:D

Depends on how far you travel from the last location.........

I always say when in doubt, try everything!
Just write down what you did so you remember where you started! :D

Depends on how far you travel from the last location.........
Finally a normal opinion :)

Essentially, you're both correct, just saying it two different ways. I fixed my problem by pointing to where I was in the world, on the map. When my Garmin went to bed, it was in Maine. When it woke up, it was in Korea. This is "GPSr Culture Shock" :)
Thanks again to all.



It has everything to do with time zones. After reading the article it states that your GPSr is trying to "find" the satellite that transmitted the timestamp that it last used (hotfix is a Garmin software application that is suppose to help your GPSr remember where the satellites are) then compares it to the timestamp from the current satellite to determine where it has moved too . Cano has pointed out one method of resetting the unit; wipe the memory. Or more easily, reset your time zone. Wiping the memory is basically telling the unit to not worry about where it was. Setting the time zone is telling your GPSr manually that you have moved instead of letting it figure it out on its own.

Something tells me you've been cautioned before.......:):)



no judge to tell me to sit down and shut up and only my sense of fair play to tell me it was me or another cacher that crossed the line, :D

Yes, this is a short trip, return on Friday. Back for a week and then gone again for another week. But......have made sure the schedule is clear for the event.



Will you be home for the Beer N Wings?