Satellite Reception

Have you run WebUdpater on your 660 to make sure it has the latest firmware? Some changes in the past I think resulted in improved satellite reception.

Other than that, issues that can cause lengthened acquisition times include:

-Not having used it for a while (as you indicate)--this should be a one-time delay, though, rather than repeated. I think you need a good 15 minutes or so of satellite reception to reacquire the almanac that will hasten future start ups.

-Starting up the device in a location far from where it was last used; e.g., first power-up on your Florida vacation after last using it at home in Delaware.

-Having the device try to acquire satellites while moving. The quickest startup will be obtained when stationary.

-As you already have stated, a start up in a confined area.

Could any of these apply?

If it has been sitting unused for a few weeks, then the data it carries that tells it how to find the GPS satellites (the almanac) is too old. Your 660 needs to start over, just like it was being turned on for the first time.

This can take 25 minutes or so, finding a first GPS satellite (which can take a few minutes), then a second, and so on, to downloading a new almanac that tells it where the GPS satellites should be.

Recommendation -- make sure it's charged, or connected to a power source, and the antenna has as clear and unobstructed view of the sky as possible. Turn it on and let it sit for half an hour or so. That will give it time to collect a new set of data.

thanks I have not any updates in a couple of years.

Never understood till now. Put that info into the Glossary of Terms and gave you credit.

Some days it quick, others it drags, usage and location

If you want the dirty technical details, look up "time to first fix" on Wikipedia.

Or, if you're interested, I can paraphrase what goes on.

But basically, after a certain period of time, it determines that its little black book full of details on the GPS satellites is too old to be used, and it starts from scratch, a cold start.

In a cold start, it doesn't know where it is, what time it is, or anything about the positions of any GPS satellites. So it has to search for a satellite the hard way, which can take a while. Then it finds a second, and a third, and so on.

Once it has a lock on that first satellite, it can start rebuilding its little black book, which is transmitted every twelve and a half minutes. (Murphy, the Patron Saint of Engineering, says to double that, which is where I get my half hour recommendation.)

There were some real early GPS receivers that got confused easily, and would go back to a cold start, which was a real pain.

As long as you turn your GPS on for a few minutes every few days (in more-or-less the same place), it should start up reasonably quickly.