GPSrChive Discussion Forum

It seems, that the 'AutoLocate' function can cause to freeze the whole GPSr. This cannot be reproduced in demo gps mode, only in real world usage (At least I wasn't able to do so). But I think, this is also a "timed" issue.

If you go outside and the Montana starts to find some satellites, but still has no fully fix yet and reports only a very bad accuracy like 500m (because it's still searching for more sattelites and no gps coordinates are shown), and you choose in this moment via menu "AutoLocate-Position", the whole unit will just freeze and you need to take out the battery.

Firmware 8.20

The 'AutoLocate Position' option is only available to me when 'Demo Mode' is enabled....

gpsrchive wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 6:22 pm The 'AutoLocate Position' option is only available to me when 'Demo Mode' is enabled....

It's also available, when GPS fix is not fully reached.

Ill have to find a 'bad spot' for GPS then!

gpsrchive wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 9:58 pm Ill have to find a 'bad spot' for GPS then!

I send you a demo video via pm.

I was curious and mine didn’t have that option so looked into Autolocate. Garmin support articles didn’t have anything specific to the 700 that I could find but did for some other models. There was language about using Autolocate when the “unit cannot find any satellites” as with corrupted satellite data. And that the option is “not available once a satellite is found.” And, that Autolocate “clears all the satellite data and searches for satellites individually.” For the Colorado it said to use without GPS on (in demo mode I assume?) then immediately hit Autolocate, put it outside with a clear view of the sky for twenty minutes.

It sounds to me Autolocate is a somewhat extreme measure to be used when the unit cannot find satellites. Mine finds satellites very quickly, even after relocating a hundred miles or more days later and turning it back on. I’ve never stared at it unsure when or whether it’s going to ever find any. I wonder if you hit Autolocate at the precise moment it finds a satellite but before the option disappears that it might exhibit this behavior.

This option is gone, when full gps fix is present. But with only partial gps fix ("XXXm gps-accuracy" is shown) or non gps fix ("searching for satellites"), this option is being shown.

While with non gps fix, it won't freeze and just work correctly. With partial gps fix, it freezes. Since partial gps fix can be a very short time, its possible to miss that. That's what I meant with "timed" issue.

Current release 8.40 not fixed. (Makes sense, as this was very shortly reported, so I guess, we will have to wait)

Still happens in 8.50.