GPS Lock Problem - Heated Windscreen (SOLVED)

[SeaBreezeJohn]

I have recently bought a second 0803 with GPS for use with our other car and found that the GPS fails to lock reliably on the new unit. I suspect this is due to the fact that it is fitted to a Ford Mondeo with a heated windscreen. Do you guys have any knowledge that this is the case? Or do you think I have a faulty GPS unit?
The camera is a great little unit - recommended by Techmoan.

 

[irononreverse]

I have a ford and GPS on my 0803 seems to be OK. Admittedly the line doesn't seem to line up with the roads in registrator viewer but the data is there. I have mine mounted up behind the mirror.

It does take a little while to get a lock but that seems to be par for the course with these devices.

Have you tried it in your main car?

 

[John Gorst]

Just fitted mine to a Seat with a heated windscreen (very similar to my old Ford Focus heated windscreen whcih i assume is similar to your Mondeo.
GPS lock seems to be fairly speedy and reliable.

You are powering the device via the USB port on the mount and not directly into the camera? Otherwise the GPS mount doesn't get power I don't think

 

[SeaBreezeJohn]

Thanks for the info guys, my morning commute is 25mins and does not achieve lock at all but the return home does after about 8 minutes which is similar to my other car without heated windscreen. This info is based on a sample of only two commutes as I have only just fitted it. The two mornings (06:30) have been fairly cool and cloudy whereas the afternoons (16:00) have both been warm and clear - maybe the GPS doesn't like the cold!!! or the cloud together with the heated screen is reducing the signal to the GPS's small antenna - Could it still be faulty perhaps?, - I might try swapping it but that means cutting through the sticky pad with the cheese wire method, - hmmm maybe I'll do some more runs first. And yes power is fed to the GPS mount and not directly to the camera.
Thanks for the help guys.

 

[John Gorst]

The GPS information is sent from the base unit to the camera via one of the four pins on the base unit (2 are for power, 1 is not used AFAIK).

I know there is a problem with loose connections between camera and base reported on the forum? Do you have intermittent power issues? Have you tried some of the suggestions on the forum to wedge something in the base unit to make the connection more stable?

My GPS really only takes 1-2min to lock. Next lock of the day is much faster (as it has already 'downloaded' some of the information).

 

[SeaBreezeJohn]

Another journey to work with no lock :-(
The unit was purchased from Joovoo recently and has the new mount design, and when the camera is fitted it is a very snug fit. Looking at the GPS log files the unit achieves time lock quickly (assuming the time info comes from the GPS and not from the camera - anybody?), but so far very intermittant position lock. I will do some more testing and report back. Again thanks for the help guys (and girls?).

 

[SeaBreezeJohn]

Did a bit (a lot!) of Googling and found that Mondeo's have an Athermic Windscreen (Solar UV reducing coating). This is known to cause a significant reduction in GPS signal reception. Ford (and other manufacturers) leave a portion of the windscreen clear of this coating deliberately to help overcome this problem - It is the black spotted area behind the rear view mirror (I wondered why that was like that!). Anyway I removed the GPS mount and relocated it 1 inch higher so that it was in the black spotted area and hey presto I now achieve GPS lock within a minute or two!
Hope this info is useful to others here (there are lists on the net of other cars with these types of Athermic Windscreens - just Google Athermic Windcreen GPS)

 

[irononreverse]

Mine is mounted just below that black area, had to to make sure the view was cleared by the wipers.