GPS fixing problem!

I had a feeling, been prepping my living room window, and sourcing a 230 V timer to simulate drive sessions.
 
Hi everyone, it's quite awhile. Lately, I have tried some experiments to improve the ability of GPS signal reception of the dashcam and wanna share my experience/findings with you guys.
I recently bought a set of GPS signal repeater( receiver installed on the car roof and transmitter put inside the car) which made the GPS signal inside the car obviously stronger monitored by an app called GPS test and the following are the consequence.
1. TTFF seems to be significantly shortened to few minutes. (Earlier - a few hours to days)
2. GPS LED of the dashcam turns blue and stays blue quite more steadily. (Earlier - changed from blue and red quite more often)
3. GPS LED stays blue though driving near or under overpasses or bridges. (Earlier - immediately turned red when getting near overpasses or bridges)

However, from my additional observation I found that
- Placing spots of the transmitter in order to give stable GPS signal are limited. Now I have placed it on spot on dashboard and below the dashcam after trying several spots.
- Not proper spot even cause no GPS signal.

Please feel free to comment or share your helpful info and related experience. More than happy to hear that.
 
Hi everyone, it's quite awhile. Lately, I have tried some experiments to improve the ability of GPS signal reception of the dashcam and wanna share my experience/findings with you guys.
I recently bought a set of GPS signal repeater( receiver installed on the car roof and transmitter put inside the car) which made the GPS signal inside the car obviously stronger monitored by an app called GPS test and the following are the consequence.
1. TTFF seems to be significantly shortened to few minutes. (Earlier - a few hours to days)
2. GPS LED of the dashcam turns blue and stays blue quite more steadily. (Earlier - changed from blue and red quite more often)
3. GPS LED stays blue though driving near or under overpasses or bridges. (Earlier - immediately turned red when getting near overpasses or bridges)

However, from my additional observation I found that
- Placing spots of the transmitter in order to give stable GPS signal are limited. Now I have placed it on spot on dashboard and below the dashcam after trying several spots.
- Not proper spot even cause no GPS signal.

Please feel free to comment or share your helpful info and related experience. More than happy to hear that.

Update:
According to the test above and some supporting info, I may analyse and conclude as follow:
The GPS module is composed of many parts. However, major parts that may be considered directly impact to GPS signal reception and GPS data are such as GPS chip (for GPS process), GPS antenna (for Signal reception), and GPS battery(for maintaining the GPS data so called "Ephemeris data" while no power supplied to the dash cam and GPS module i.e. dash cam off).

1. Since the GPS is working, GPS chip is proven to be fine.
2. From the result of experiments, installing GPS repeater helps shorten the time for GPS lock due to stronger GPS signal inside the car.
- This may be assumed that GPS signal reception ability or sensitivity is considerably lower than that of LK-7950WD (my past dash cam model in the same car, tint, dash cam installing spot, driving location, etc.), though it's supposed to be the same as you earlier mentioned in your e-mail.
- The GPS part that may cause the situation is assumed as GPS antenna.
3. After parking the car with the dash cam off for a few days, then starting the car engine again with the dash cam on, until getting the GPS lock it takes long time such as 10 - 20 minutes, which this seems to be TTFF (Time-To-First-Fix)
- If my understanding is correct, when using the dash cam for the first time, it will take quite long time (e.g 10 minutes or more) to get the GPS lock, but later on it's supposed to be quicker though the dash cam is off for a few days because the GPS data stored in the GPS memory is still maintained due to the GPS battery.
Thus, this incident may be assumed that GPS battery is somehow failed?

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Please feel free to share.
 
Update:
According to the test above and some supporting info, I may analyse and conclude as follow:
The GPS module is composed of many parts. However, major parts that may be considered directly impact to GPS signal reception and GPS data are such as GPS chip (for GPS process), GPS antenna (for Signal reception), and GPS battery(for maintaining the GPS data so called "Ephemeris data" while no power supplied to the dash cam and GPS module i.e. dash cam off).

1. Since the GPS is working, GPS chip is proven to be fine.
2. From the result of experiments, installing GPS repeater helps shorten the time for GPS lock due to stronger GPS signal inside the car.
- This may be assumed that GPS signal reception ability or sensitivity is considerably lower than that of LK-7950WD (my past dash cam model in the same car, tint, dash cam installing spot, driving location, etc.), though it's supposed to be the same as you earlier mentioned in your e-mail.
- The GPS part that may cause the situation is assumed as GPS antenna.
3. After parking the car with the dash cam off for a few days, then starting the car engine again with the dash cam on, until getting the GPS lock it takes long time such as 10 - 20 minutes, which this seems to be TTFF (Time-To-First-Fix)
- If my understanding is correct, when using the dash cam for the first time, it will take quite long time (e.g 10 minutes or more) to get the GPS lock, but later on it's supposed to be quicker though the dash cam is off for a few days because the GPS data stored in the GPS memory is still maintained due to the GPS battery.
Thus, this incident may be assumed that GPS battery is somehow failed?

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Please feel free to share.
Update:

Additional observation: When a smartphone is placed near the GPS antenna inside the car, the observed GPS signal (monitored by GPS Test app) was likely to drop due to the possible interference from the smartphone. Thus, the smartphone should be placed not close to the antenna.
 
Update:

Additional observation: When a smartphone is placed near the GPS antenna inside the car, the observed GPS signal (monitored by GPS Test app) was likely to drop due to the possible interference from the smartphone. Thus, the smartphone should be placed not close to the antenna.

UPDATE:

The photo below is the GPS module of AR790 at the base attached to the windshield.
The base as the housing for the GPS module is easily opened by unscrewing.
Findings:
1. the GPS module used is ublox 6
2. GPS antenna
3. Backup battery
AR790 GPS Module.jpg
 
Reference Documents for GPS Module
1. NEO-6 Datasheet
2. GPS Antenna App Note
 

Attachments

  • NEO-6_DataSheet_(GPS.G6-HW-09005).pdf
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  • GPS-Antenna_AppNote_(GPS-X-08014).pdf
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Updated! the problem that the GPS fixing time was too long was resolved several months ago. I have tested til I am confident now. How? Thanks to a GPS repeater.
Please note that during facing the problem I had directly consulted QVIA customer support in Korea and though I asked if a GPS repeater may have helped. The response from QVIA customer support was "No". But I tried it any way and the problem was really resolved. The dashcam's GPS fixing time was dramatically shorter in the acceptable level (almost immediate or a few minutes).
Luckily I didn't believe QVIA response. After I reported the result to QVIA customer support that GPS repeater could really fix the problem, but they seemed to lose their faces and said that it's beyond they could do blah blah blah ... After that, they ignored my e-mails with no response at all. That's very disappointing customer service. Was it a sign that LUKAS/QVIA would be fading out from the market?
 
a repeater shouldn't be needed but would certainly help, which one did you buy?

Yes, the dashcam shouldn't need a GPS repeater if its GPS module was sensitive enough to capture the signal.
GPS repeater I bought was "Qiaosha 30DB Car GPS Signal Amplifier Receiver Repeater Active Antenna For Navman NAV 5M".
Please note that in the exactly the same car with the same spot I used to install LK-7950WD before, which no problem at all with the GPS fixing. Then I replaced with AR790 2CH but the GPS fixing problem took place.
 
Please note that in the exactly the same car with the same spot I used to install LK-7950WD before, which no problem at all with the GPS fixing. Then I replaced with AR790 2CH but the GPS fixing problem took place.

likely a hardware problem with that particular camera, the Ublox receivers are quite good and would not normally be an issue
 
likely a hardware problem with that particular camera, the Ublox receivers are quite good and would not normally be an issue
So called JACKPOT? The cam has no warranty. Fortunately, still encountered work-around solution.

At the beginning, I questioned about the battery because the GPS took very long time to complete the fixing (a few days long) and the situation repeated.
But after applying the GPS repeater, those problem was gone, which proved somehow that not a battery problem but the GPS signal capturing sensitivity problem.
 
At the beginning, I questioned about the battery because the GPS took very long time to complete the fixing (a few days long) and the situation repeated.
But after applying the GPS repeater, those problem was gone, which proved somehow that not a battery problem but the GPS signal capturing sensitivity problem.

as I said previously

RTC battery or GPS hardware problem
 
as I said previously
Yes, you did. By the way, do you have any chance to get in touch with Qrontech (the manufacturer of LUKAS and QVIA products) in Korea?
 
Yes, you did. By the way, do you have any chance to get in touch with Qrontech (the manufacturer of LUKAS and QVIA products) in Korea?

I have no reason to get in touch with them, I do have their contact details here somewhere though
 
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