Garmin C330 in downtown areas

 

Hello friends,

I bought Garmin C330 GPS. I was reading someone's comments on the internet that it does not work properly in downtown areas where there are tall high rise buildings.
Is it true?

I will appreciate your comments.

--
Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

I'm not sure what chipset

I'm not sure what chipset the unit has that you own, but if it's a SiRFstar III you don't have that problem. Also if you have a WAAS capable unit, make sure you have WAAS enabled, as that uses land stations and a bit of triangulation to set up a better reference for your current position.

Short answer - in some cities it's still a problem in some areas. Most cities aren't affected.

--
. . If I only had a brain....................................... http://www.hugginsnet.com/ilovemymio ..................................................... GPS Units in Use: Mio C310x (primary) and Garmin eTrex Legend for GeoCaching.

Thanks for your reply.

Thanks for your reply. Garmin uses WAAS chip. I will try it after setting it to WAAS instead of GPS to see the difference.

--
Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

I was recently walking

I was recently walking around downtown Portland with my el cheapo legend. I found I did lose signal sometimes, but less so if I kept battery saver off.

I don't remember if I played with WAAS on/off.

--
US-only CoPilot + android Optimus T = cheap, effective nav http://www.mousetrap.net/mouse/gps/

WAAS

Enabling WAAS won't improve your reception, but it usually does improve accuracy if you are receiving signals.

WAAS data is transmitted from satellites in geostationary orbit (over the equator). They're farther away than regular GPS satellites, which zip around the globe at about half the distance of WAAS satellites.

More info at this link:
http://www.how-gps-works.com/glossary/waas.shtml

On past trips to Portland, my StreetPilot 2610 lost satellite reception on many of the downtown streets. The streets are pretty narrow and have tall buildings close to the street on both sides -- your classic "urban canyon" situation.

JM

If it's an eTrex Legend,

If it's an eTrex Legend, battery saver feature disables WAAS. That's what mine does anyway....

--
. . If I only had a brain....................................... http://www.hugginsnet.com/ilovemymio ..................................................... GPS Units in Use: Mio C310x (primary) and Garmin eTrex Legend for GeoCaching.

Doesn't SiRFstar III chipset

Doesn't SiRFstar III chipset improve reception? I know my Garmin can't sync inside my office but my Mio, which has SiRFstar III, can.

--
. . If I only had a brain....................................... http://www.hugginsnet.com/ilovemymio ..................................................... GPS Units in Use: Mio C310x (primary) and Garmin eTrex Legend for GeoCaching.

Tall Buildings

Lee & Mamie

Thats why I got the 7500. It has dead reckoning. I think that means that it keeps a mental map if you will. And judging by your speed where you are at. It will work going through tunnels and tall trees and buildings.
Now if I can only get it going. The Maps, the unlock codes, all these 25 number code , and all the other junk don't even work. I am going to have to call them next week sometime, and find out how to do all this foolishness. It should be plug and play for that $. Just up date sometimes.
Lee

--
Lee & Mamie

SiRF

Receivers that use newer components like SiRF are more sensitive and can use weaker signals.

For the benefit of other readers -- WAAS and SiRF are very different things.

WAAS is a system that provides additional data (sent by special satellites) that your GPS receiver can use to improve the *accuracy* of calculated positions. It doesn't improve reception.

SiRF is the brand name of a component used in many newer GPS receivers. In situations where *reception* is difficult, models with newer receiver techology may be able to find and successfully analyze enough signals to calculate a postion where older models can't.

JM

mine lost the signal in

mine lost the signal in chicago downtown, also was very slow to track the way. Too bad!

Reception

Are there any comments on the use of the external antenna that sticks on the roof etc. of your car? I read that this helps immensely among 'tall buildings'. It stands to reason, since you will be picking up satellites that would otherwise be blocked under normal operation.

c330 does not have SiRF chipset

Just checked the Garmin site. The c330 does not have the SiRF chipset.

--
Joe Morris, http://joemorris.org, Garmin nuvi 350

Garmin c330

I have the Garmin c330 and also have attached the optional external antennae. I have been downtown Atlanta, which has ALOT of tall buildings. When stopped in traffic, I may lose a signal for just a moment, but it doesn't last long.
Great product. I LOVE IT!... I feel you will too.
Good luck.