Nuvi 265 loss of Satellite reception

Is there any chance that this could be caused by your vehicle's windshield? Windshields with embedded wires or other causes can reduce the signal to a dashboard-mounted GPS. This is an issue with some brand/model/options of some vehicles.

What sort of signal quality does your 265 show (# of bars, assuming the 265 shows signal strength) when these errors are present? If few bars, what happens if you have the GPS outside on the hood or elsewhere where the waves don't need to penetrate your windshield?

Out of curiosity, is this occuring in N.S. or TX -- or both? I assume you've used webupdater and checked for updates for the firmware and other updates that may have resolved issues like this for other 265 owners. If not, try a webupdater run and see what happens.

I had the same problem in Atlanta. I finally broke down and bought a Gilsson GT3m external antenna. I get reception immediately and it stays connected no matter what the weather. Check the auction sites such as EBay, but get a Gilsson (about $15 to $20)and not one of the cheapo's you may see. Check to make sure that your model GPS and the antenna will match.

CraigW makes good points. If the 265 is working at all, it's probably an issue that your car's glass is attenuating the GPS signals from the satellites.

I believe all newer Garmins have the MCX type connection, but I may be wrong.

Yes, Gilsson makes great external antennas. I also recommend them.

Here's a little trick that might let you know, or understand, if the unit is really loosing satellite signal or whether the unit is flimsy.

With the unit running on internal battery (or connected):

Turn it on and get to the start screen (Where to? - View Map)

Where you see the signal strength bars... Press and hold until it jumps to the next screen (maybe ten seconds or so).

This is the individual satellite signal strength screen. Each satellite has a bar associated with it (up to eight bars, more or less).

Check this before you get rolling down the road and after you encounter problems with loss of satellites.

If all is normal before and after, its a firmware/electronic problem.

The Circle area represents where satellites are in the sky. The outer circle is the horizon around you and the inner circle is 45 degrees upward (forming a cone around you). The red dot shows the direction of travel. North is the top and south the bottom. The yellow eight-point is the position of the sun.

Good luck.

Free up memory to make the nuvi run faster. Delete tracks and recently found.

After backing up all files to the PC, delete language files that are not needed. They can always be downloaded again in the future.

My policy has always been to keep the nuvi fully updated with maps and firmware updates.

dobs108

And, remove all the un-necessary POI's from the unit and/ or SD card. It all loads in memory (indexed) for faster seek times.

There may not be anything wrong.

No matter where you are in the world, sometimes the satellites are more overhead and sometimes they are closer to the horizon. This is cyclical - it gets better and worse.

If the satellites are lower, it makes it more likely that tall buildings, or mountains, or trees, or even rain will give you a weaker signal.

The nuvi becomes confused if you drive around when it is turned off. Put it in the middle of an open field and leave it on for a half hour. It will get a good position and download almanac data - so it knows where the satellites should be when it looks for them.

dobs108

Thanks for refreshing our memories on GPS usage. My Magellan seemed "lost/sluggish" recently.

If your unit repeats the same problem out side your car and you have done a hard re-set.You may need to call Garmin.I have a 265 and presently on a cross country trip.Have only lost my signal one time and that was due to being surrounded by high mountains in the Owl Creek Pass area.Other mountains areas no problem.

We are in a period of increased sunspot activity right now and for the next several years.

http://www.almanac.com/sunspotupdate

dobs108