gps loses signal
hi, not sure if in right chat area but i have a question about our gps. We keep losing the signal. I have taken it in and RV store can't find the issue. Can anyone tell me where to locate the sensor? ...
Forum Discussion
The GPS antenna needs a clear line of sight to the satellites, and it needs good signal from 4 satellites to get a fix (3 satellites if using WAIS). Satellites close to the horizon are automatically not used by the GPS receiver. Almost anything will mask the satellite and the signal will be lost. Many RV manufacturers put the GPS antenna under the plastic dash near the front of the vehicle, but the vehicle body itself will mask the signals. Metal body is the worst offender for masking. The best place to put the antenna is on the roof.
My old Roadtrek was built with the GPS antenna under the dash and I'd loose signal all the time. I moved it to the top of the dash and all the way down to the base of the windshield and that helped a lot, but didn't solve the problem entirely. My next move would have been to put it on top of the RV but I sold it before I got that project started.
Had a similar problem when I installed an in-dash GPS in my Jeep. I initially placed the antenna at the base of the windshield but it would loose signal. So I relocated it to the top of the roll cage right behind the driver and haven't had a problem since.
You can see the same thing with SirrusXM reception, but there it's even worse. Fewer satellites in orbit to grab a signal from and unlike GPS the radio can't "coast" over short signal loss periods.
My old Roadtrek was built with the GPS antenna under the dash and I'd loose signal all the time. I moved it to the top of the dash and all the way down to the base of the windshield and that helped a lot, but didn't solve the problem entirely. My next move would have been to put it on top of the RV but I sold it before I got that project started.
Had a similar problem when I installed an in-dash GPS in my Jeep. I initially placed the antenna at the base of the windshield but it would loose signal. So I relocated it to the top of the roll cage right behind the driver and haven't had a problem since.
You can see the same thing with SirrusXM reception, but there it's even worse. Fewer satellites in orbit to grab a signal from and unlike GPS the radio can't "coast" over short signal loss periods.
