Old Nuvi 670 drops satellites

If you look at the satellite page, what does this look like? Does it initially show a good satellite set, but then one-by-one they drift out of sight? Or do satellites one by one just wink out? Or do they all go away in a moment?

I don't offer any diagnostic help. The only inteventions I cam imagine might just help are resetting, rebooting, or extended battery disconnection (not sure you can do that on a 670 without destructive entry).

Hi, it shows good satellites for 30 minutes, everything looks normal and then they all go at once. And the satellite page becomes kind of greyed out, you can see that’s something is wrong since it doesn’t even try to find new satellites. It’s like “i will work good for 30 minutes then i die”

I also have other old gps like the Nuvi 310 and it’s crazy how well that works and the battery life is 3 hours or more. I also have a StreetPilot that works great and the batteries simple refuse to give up despite being so old. That’s why I wished the 670 would work as well.

But yes, they all go at once from a good satellite connection to zero.

Tried factory resetting?

Yes I tried reset and also connected it to Garmin Express a couple of times just in case that would do something. I did the hard reset/factory reset.

Maybe this happens because of the battery being worn out? I’m not sure because i figure that it would work normally when it’s plugged in the car.

I know you said you like the older unit, but consider a newer one.

Today's models have larger screens and are noticeably faster. Many still allow you to create custom routes.

I had a drivesmart 61 and 65. Both were good but sadly too large for my car. I'm now using a driveluxe 50 in portrait mode.

A friend has the 65. It works well for his truck.

Yes, people tell me to buy a new and throw away the ancient ones. I guess I could throw away the 670 but I just can’t throw the c510 and Nuvi 310 because they work so well and the batteries are great. I know the maps are outdated on them and I probably will take your advice and look for a new one.

You want a new one: all of your devices mentioned no longer get new maps from Garmin. With the possible exception of the nüvi all these devices are limited to using ONE map that cannot exceed 2GB in size. North America is rapidly reaching 4GB.

The other part of the problem with these devices is they don't store ephemeris data, which means it takes a while for the device to pick up satellites. A newer device such as the Drive 53 or any of the DriveSmart units will solve these issues.

Have they never stored ephemeris data or did they do that in the beginning when they were new?
In my experience they will find satellites somewhat fast, like 2-3 minutes if they haven’t been turned on for a week or so.

It’s true that they don’t have 2025 maps, they have 2017 only. Tech ages so fast, i mean if i buy a new Garmin today, it will not take a that long before it won’t receive updates anymore. Of course it will not happen after a year but i feel that time flies fast. It felt like a year ago when i bought a brand new phone but it was in 2020, so five years passed like that.

One thing that’s good is that the gps devices are much cheaper now than before, since so many people are using their phones to navigate.

Those devices never stored ephemeris data. I believe ephemeris data storage didn't come until Garmin moved away from the SirfStar III GPS receiver with the release of the nüvi 1100 - 1400 series devices in 2009-2010. Obviously, I'm not 100% certain of this: my compatriots on the forum will chime in if necessary.

As for the concern you have about buying a new Garmin today and it not taking long before it no longer gets updates, you're talking to the guy who finds GPS receivers in thrift stores only to find that they NEVER got updated. Example: I purchased a nüvi 1450 last year for about $5 from the thrift store. This nüvi was not eligible for lifetime updates. The original owner had NEVER given the device its one complimentary map update. I took care of that.

So, a device from 2009-2010 receiving a map update fifteen years later. Currently in my possession I have a nüvi 3760, a 3790. and a 3550. All three have lifetime map updates, and all three of them hadn't been updated in several years. Garmin still updated the maps.

The point here is that if your device is eligible for lifetime map updates and is not on Garmin's list of discontinued devices no longer eligible for updates, you will be getting updates for a long time to come.

I also found mine in a thrift store, and I probably shouldn’t keep buying them but I can’t resist for some reason. I think it’s exciting to find an old device and take it home only to try if it’s working, if the battery is working and if there’s any updates for it.

But I will buy a new one as you suggest and I would be sure it’s working properly.

Well I have to say that the StreetPilot I found is amazing because of its built quality and amazing battery life and also loud and clear dual speakers with physical volume control. I wonder if they make them like that nowadays ????

I occasionally grab one if I find it, but I limit myself to ones that have lifetime map updates, because those are the ones that are most useful. Lately I've been finding a fair number of TomTom devices, but I tend to avoid TomTom even though I know how to update them if needed.

Once the nüvi line was introduced the older StreetPilot line was discontinued. At the same time Garmin miniaturized the GPS to the point that it was easy to carry and easy to use. But insane battery life and stereo speakers fell by the wayside in the process. And honestly, stereo speakers aren't necessary with a GPS. While longer battery life in current units would be welcome, current automotive GPS units tend to not have pedestrian features, unless you count "Straight Line" routing as a feature. Thus extended battery life isn't needed.

I was thinking maybe there is a offending file on my Nuvi that needs to be removed hmm ????

This FAQ lists the Garmin devices whose mounts contain a speaker:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/45200

All the models are discontinued but can often be found on eBay.

Yes that’s the nuvi 34XX 35XX and 37XX according to that list.

Mine can be connected to fm radio which is a nice feature I think. Just tap in the frequency and you will get the directions on the radio. They should have kept that feature ????

I tried to delete some files on the 670 just in case there were any corrupt ones that caused the issue but did not help. So now I feel that I’m done with it since there’s nothing more I can do to fix it.

Garmin's WebUpdater may allow you to reinstall the firmware. Go here:

https://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp

Might be worth a try.

Thank you I will try!

For some reason I can’t see the whole message you wrote, maybe it’s because I’m using my phone.

I got really frustrated and removed almost everything on the gps. I was sure it wouldn’t work after that but somehow it still does. The maps are also deleted but I have a memory card that I can try with. I’m very surprised that it’s working even though I deleted all except “express” file. Now it’s trying to find satellites and then we will see what happens.