Warranty exchange of nuvi 780--replacement is MTK, original was SiRF--complain?
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15 years
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My nuvi 780 recently got the dreaded freeze on "Loading Maps..."; doing soft and hard resets as well as making sure everything was up to date on it didn't solve the problem.
It was only 5 months old, so Garmin is replacing it under warranty. As I needed the replacement ASAP (had a trip later that week), I did the "here's my CC #; ship the replacement now, and I'll send you the original later" option.
New unit works fine, but is apparently the MTK chipset (GPS SW 2.90m), while the original is SiRF (SW 3.00s). I notice a *significant* difference in time to acquire satellites--should I complain before sending back the original? I mean, the new one isn't locking on for several minutes, whereas the old one would lock on almost before I was out of the driveway.
The original unit mysteriously started working again the day the replacement arrived, too... but I am guessing it has some major flash memory issues given the way the "Loading Maps..." screen would lock up for, in the end, hours at a time (and if I managed to get past it, the map was never drawing, either... just sat on "drawing..." forever).
Suggestions? Should I contact support again and mention the chipset differences and my complaint that the new one takes so long to acquire it's IMHO unacceptable?
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You had a 780. You have a 780. What they put inside the box is their business. You have no valid grounds for complaint on that basis.
However, as you said the longer acquisition time may be reason enough to justify initiating a discussion with support on THAT matter if it exceeds the time in the manual.
However there's no guarantee that if they agree to replace the unit again it would be with a Sirf equipped unit.
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T
True--and I suppose
True--and I suppose technically (though refurb) the replacement is "newer" given Garmin switched away from the SiRF chipset on that model.
Still, one big bonus of the 780 over my prior 200-series model was its much-quicker acquisition time, so I will at least mention that to customer support before packaging things up tomorrow.
780
How can you tell which chipset you have in your GPS ?
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On bootup, units with the SiRFstarIII chipset will display the SiRF copyright notice at the bottom of the "Garmin" screen. If your unit does not display the SiRF copyright notice, it's using the MTK (MediaTek) chipset. Note that no MTK copyright notice is displayed. The differences are also visible when running the diagnostic mode; press and hold the battery indicator (or it's location if on external power) for ~10 seconds. run the diagnostics test and the chipset will be displayed near the bottom of the main test/inventory page.
nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area
Almost 5 minutes to acquire... and how to tell chipset...
Timed it today; took just under 5 minutes this morning to acquire, and just under 3 this evening after work. Skies are pretty clear of obstructions, or I'd blame that in part for weaker reception.
How can you tell which chipset you have in your GPS ?
On the 780, you can also go to the Tools->Settings->System->About screen, and it will show the GPS SW version. If it ends in an "s" it is a SiRF-equipped unit; if an "m" it is MTK-powered.
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It sounds like a long time.
Does the internal battery work? Maybe it has to reload the almanac on power-up if the tables are lost . . .
Do you have any entertainment media loaded? Music? Books? Perhaps you got a free memory card loaded with songs?
That'll slow startup.
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T
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It sounds like a long time. Does the internal battery work? Maybe it has to reload the almanac on power-up if the tables are lost . . .
Do you have any entertainment media loaded? Music? Books? Perhaps you got a free memory card loaded with songs?
That'll slow startup.
No media loaded. Battery seems fine, too--recently ran it for ~5 hours on battery (afterwards, charged it via USB overnight to make sure it was back to full charge).
But it sure does seem like it's reloading the almanac. Except today it acquired satellites in just over 1 minute... so the glitch seems to have cleared up.
Very odd. I didn't bother to contact Garmin support over the acquisition issue yet, and it would seem weird to do so now ("It was being really slow, but the problem has gone away now...")
Chipset
On bootup, units with the SiRFstarIII chipset will display the SiRF copyright notice at the bottom of the "Garmin" screen. If your unit does not display the SiRF copyright notice, it's using the MTK (MediaTek) chipset. Note that no MTK copyright notice is displayed. The differences are also visible when running the diagnostic mode; press and hold the battery indicator (or it's location if on external power) for ~10 seconds. run the diagnostics test and the chipset will be displayed near the bottom of the main test/inventory page.
THANKS DorkusNimrod. I appreciate the info.
Chipsets
Just out of curiosity, why did Garmin change the chipset? Saving money, I suppose?
With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio
Test
If you are displaying tracks, does the new MTK "drift" all over the screen. My 760 with Sirf will track all over the place if I am standing still. Otherwise I have no issues with it.
Daniel
Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas