GPS 90b out of date?

[Roger Long]

I'm trying to get a garage sale Garmin GPS 90 going and it won't acquire
satellites.

It starts saying "SVA Cycle 9607 20 June 96 to 18 July 96".

1996 was a while ago. Is there something in this unit that needs to be
updated?

--
Roger Long

[Todd Pattist]

"Roger Long"
m> wrote:

>I'm trying to get a garage sale Garmin GPS 90 going and it won't acquire
>satellites.
> It starts saying "SVA Cycle 9607 20 June 96 to 18 July 96".
>1996 was a while ago. Is there something in this unit that needs to be
>updated?

No, but if it's been off for a few months, it can take an
hour or more to download all the satellite ephemeris data it
needs to begin acquiring. Make sure you tell it
approximately where it is now (in setup) to speed up the
process, or it can take even longer. If it won't acquire
after a few hours of being on, with fresh batteries, and in
an open area (not inside and not under lots of trees), then
suspect it's broken. Check the BNC connector.


Todd Pattist
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[Todd Pattist]

"Roger Long"
m> wrote:

>
>The Apollo Flybuddy Loran we have panel mounted in the plane doesn't looks
>so bad after playing with this unit. Turn it on and it's good to go before
>you get to the run up area.

Now that the G-90 has loaded almanac data it will lock on
within 2 minutes. With a cold start, it has to randomly
hunt to find a satellite. Once it finds one, it takes a
minimum of 13 minutes to download an almanac, which tells it
where the other satellites are, then it needs to get
ephemeris data for the satellites, etc. The G-90 works
great in my glider, since it can see the horizon in all
directions, but it's old technology (only 8 channels, and
they are multiplexed) so it's relatively poor in trees or
when hiking, and it occasionally has problems in a high wing
airplane if sat coverage is poor. I love mine, but it fits
my needs. It's been hacked so I can put info under the NDB,
Airport, Intersection, VOR database sections.
Todd Pattist
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