Cambridge 302 and GPS-NAV owners – IMPORTANT NEWS

Cambridge 302 and GPS-NAV owners – IMPORTANT NEWS

Unfortunately, there has been a rash of Cambridge Model 10/20/25 and
302/302A with a fault in which the units lose track of the date and do not
record a flight log, or record a flight log with an incorrect date. The
problem is related to the internal Garmin GPS engine’s UTC date. This is a
new issue, but there have already been many reported instances – especially
from areas in which there are soaring flights this time of year. It is very
likely that many 302 and GPS-NAV owners that have their gliders put away for
the winter will, unfortunately, have the same issue during their first
flight in the spring.

If you have the optional LCD display connected to your 302 or GPS-NAV flight
recorder, you may be able to tell whether or not your unit is affected.
Connect the GPS-NAV Model 20/25 to a GPS-NAV LCD Navigation Display, or
connect the 302 to a 303 LCD Navigation display and give the unit time to
lock onto satellites before continuing. The GPS-NAV’s LED will blink when
it is locked onto satellites. The 302 will show 3 bars on the right side of
the screen when it has a good lock on satellites. Then scroll to the UTC
date/time screen. If your unit is working properly you will see the current
date. If your units is not working properly you will find an erroneous
date – such as 2005. In that case, the unit will need repair.

If your GPS-NAV or 302 does not have the optional LCD Navigation display,
then the best way to determine whether your units is affected is to take a
flight (or drive) and look at the date of the flight log that is generated.
Make sure the unit has a good lock on satellites before takeoff. If the
flight log’s date is off, or no flight log is generated, then the unit will
need repair.

The bad news is that the units will need to be sent in for repair. It is
not possible to repair the unit in the field. This issue affects the GPS
engine which is inside the logger, not the external GPS antenna.

The great news is that Gary Kammerer at ClearNav can fix them. The Garmin
receiver has a 3v rechargeable battery under its cover. The issue is not
related to the 3v logger security button battery. Gary can remove the Garmin’s
cover, replace the 3v rechargeable battery that is soldered to the Garmin
circuit board put the unit back together and then send a couple of commands
to the GPS which wake the Garmin back to reality. The new battery keeps it
working properly after the repair procedure. Without the replacement
battery the Garmin's memory cannot be kept "alive". Gary has performed this
fix to dozens of 302 and GPS-NAV units he has received from all over. They
have all been successfully repaired.

CNI Service Policy For Cambridge Equipment--
http://www.clearnav.net/main/cn-service.html

Gary’s contact information:
Gary Kammerer
ClearNav Instruments
779 Rosedale Rd
Kennett Square, PA 19348
USA
Phone: 610-388-0456
Email:

Please include a note explaining the reason you are sending the unit to
Gary, and also include your contact information.

Gary and I hope this information will allow you to resolve this issue with
your 302 or GPS-NAV before your next big soaring flight.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.