GPS signal near Indian Lake NY

[Adk_dib]

I have been up in Indian Lake twice in the last 3 weeks and cannot get a GPS signal with my Garvin or my smart Phone. Not talking about cell phone but Satalite. I drove down route 28 a few miles and got coverage near Gore? What gives

Also, is there going to be construction on route 8 near Nobleboro? There are 3 traffics lights hanging where there wern't any 3 weeks ago.

 

[DSettahr]

GPS satellites aren't stationary in orbit, so signals can be better at certain times than at others. Since it only happened twice, I'd guess that it's just a coincidence that you happened to be in the same place both times, and by the time you'd relocated, enough satellites had come over the horizon to give you a better signal.

There is a website where you can punch in a location, and it tells you when the best times in the near future are to get the best GPS signals. The URL unfortunately escapes my memory, but I think it was a government site. A google search didn't help either.

 

[DougPaul]

GPS signals should be receivable anywhere on earth at any time provided you have a good enough skyview. Valleys (especially tight valleys) and foliage often obstruct the skyview and reduce the number of observable satellites. (A minimum of 4 are required for a fix.)

You didn't say which model GPS. A modern high-sensitivity will do much better than older units in less-than-perfect viewing conditions.

There have also been local "blackouts" due to interference from some local source--GPS signals are pretty weak (they require a special receiver to pull them out of the background noise--you won't even detect them with an ordinary radio receiver).

GPS satellites aren't stationary in orbit, so signals can be better at certain times than at others. Since it only happened twice, I'd guess that it's just a coincidence that you happened to be in the same place both times, and by the time you'd relocated, enough satellites had come over the horizon to give you a better signal.

There is a website where you can punch in a location, and it tells you when the best times in the near future are to get the best GPS signals. The URL unfortunately escapes my memory, but I think it was a government site. A google search didn't help either.

This is primarily an issue for surveyors--the constellation geometry affects the accuracy of the position fixes. If you have a decent skyview, you can virtually always get a fix of adequate accuracy for hiking. And if the constellation geometry is poor (eg the observable satellites are all in a straight line), it will change in a short time.

FWIW, I have had difficulty getting a fix under trees with my old (original) Garmin eTrex Vista, but have never had any problem receiving satellites with a reasonable skyview with my (high-sensitivity) Garmin 60CSx.

Doug

 

[Nessmuk]

I have been up in Indian Lake twice in the last 3 weeks and cannot get a GPS signal with my Garvin or my smart Phone. Not talking about cell phone but Satalite. I drove down route 28 a few miles and got coverage near Gore? What gives.

The other factors are how long has it been since the unit was last turned on, and how far away was it from Indian Lake where it last received a fix? Particularly with older units, it can take many minutes to initialize - it has to "learn" where to expect specific satellite signals for your new location and time. The drive down Rte 28 probably provided enough additional time for it to lock on.