Problems with Garmin?

[lolb]

Don't know if anyone else has had this problem but got a Garmin Forerunner 10 for Christmas and I love it but sometimes it takes ages to find the GPS signal. I set my phone app at the same time and that finds the signal ok so can't be signal quality. I figured that it might be to do with low battery power and I do think that may be the case but it seems to need charging practically every run, even when it's switched off in between runs. Question really is does anyone know if this is normal or is mine faulty?

[BettyJane Graduate]

I also got a Forerunner 10 for Christmas. I find that it takes ages to find GPS in the house, so I turn it on when I get outside, and by the time I've done my 5 min warm up walk it's ready to go. I've not had any trouble with battery power, I left it to charge fully when I first got it, and now it charges when I've loaded up my stats, so far I've been running every 2 days.

[mark909 Graduate in reply to BettyJane]

GPS won't work indoors as the watch needs to communicate with satellite signals to plot your location. It needs to have a view of the sky to do this. Similarly expect it to take longer in built up areas or under tree cover

[mark909 Graduate]

The "GPS" on mobile phones isnt actually GPS. They use triangulation from phone masts to determine your location from the signal. Your Forerunner is actually a proper GPS system and so plots your location using triangulation from satellites. There are many things that effect GPS signal including being in built up areas or under a lot of cover such as trees in woods as the GPS signal gets bounced around. Because the unit is new it normally takes longer to locate satellites. Once it's located the satellites several times it should speed up. I think the Forerunner 10 doesn't have that long a battery life although it seems a bit odd that it runs out after every run. What does it say the battery life is in the manual?

[mark909 Graduate]

There's a good introduction to GPS including it's limitations on this webpage.

www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/

[Mitts Graduate]

The shop where I bought mine recommended putting it outside 5 minutes before I want to go. That way it's found the location by the time I'm ready.

Never had any battery problems, though - is yours charging properly? Maybe you need to let it completely uncharge and then charge it up again like you have to with some phones when they're new - but don't quote me on that, I know nothing of the whys and wherefores, just we had to do it with the phone last week. Good luck anyway

[swanscot Graduate]

My FR10 has kept an almost full charge when I've not used the GPS for a week or more with still enough charge for recording an hour-long walk.

[lolb Graduate]

Thanks folks. Think maybe the battery issue was a red herring. It was the only explanation I could think of for not picking the signal up when my phone was but mark909 seems to have explained that. I do run in a built up area and under trees in our local park so will try switching it on before I go out and hopefully it will improve with use anyway.Thanks again.

[AnnaVictorya]

My garmin sometimes gets the signal even in the house, especially near the window. Outdoors it takes 2-4min. Never had problems with it. I think it takes longer on overcast days, but will not vouch for it.