TOMTOM 5 "No valid GPS signal" problem.

[leemalee]

Have installed tomtom5 on my dell axim x5 but keep getting "no valid GPS signal" even though the black and orange circle is spinning and the GPS compact flash also shows itself working. Any ideas gratefully received as I am getting seriously ****** off!

[Stevie]

where are you trying to get a lock from?

[leemalee]

From what I can gather, the gps compact flash is working fine as it shows via the gps information display. I have to start the gps receiver manually to get it started as tomtom doesn't automatically do it. Yesterday I left it going with tomtom running aswell and out of the blue came a voice telling where to go, so it must be configured correctly, but then, after a while it will start to show the " waiting for a valid GPS signal " again.
What I cant figure out is how it can work ok then revert back. I did try to download the patch from tomtom but I bought this whole set up from a well known auction site and do not have a code to use their support.
Any more help will be gratefully received!!!!!

[James44]

Lee

did you get an answer? I'm in the same boat!!!!

BTW I have installed TT5.1 and the problem doesn't go away :-(

J

[Fabio_P]

I had similar problems setting up my Axim X5 with a CF GPS reciever (one of the global sat SirfII chipsets).

the CF receiver came with a wired receiver as well but even with that plugged in I simply couldn't get a sattellite FIX. It was seeing the satellites but the fix was taking forever. I had the axim in it's cradle and the wired receiver outside the window in the outside sill theoretically where it could get a good lock.

I got nowhere for hours.

Eventually I discovered through lots of research that I needed Pocket PC 2003 to fully get the CF cards working properly with the Axim - so I got hold of that and although the comms apps were a lot better it was still the same story.

Eventually a trip to the bottom of the garden with a completely clear view of the sky appeared to do the trick. Even then the initial TTFF (time to first lock) took an age but after that cold start has resulted in locks within a minute.

I can only assume it took a long time intially to get the Atlas mapping details for the satellites down to the reciever's onboard chip - it downloads two databases with regards to satellite positions - one should take about 30 secs and the other 12mins at a push.

Try going outside and waiting to get a lock on the satellites. If you're trying it from indoors - I'd forget it!

[Fabio_P]

Oh and if your using a global sat BC307 CF reciever then ensure that you tell tomtom to use it on 9600 Baud and NOT 4800 like the CF manual states - you'll get no signal..