Ok all of you technical type out there, what do you think is going on?

I have a new rather expensive TomTom GPS in my truck and it will randomly start giving out incorrect information.

My last TomTom started doing this about a year ago, after setting a destination it would tell me to turn right at a street name in so many feet, I would get into the Right lane and prepare to turn and then it would tell me to turn Left, like it knew it was messing with me, so I went back to Best Buy and traded it for a different model.

This brings me to the current model since replaced twice under manufactures warranty.

So yesterday I set a simple course from my house in Covina to an address in Costa Mesa, about 48 miles, all freeway and as soon as I got on the freeway the GPS started trying to re plot my course and showed me driving across fields, through houses and even fairly large bodies of water, it told me to get off the freeway and make turns putting me back on the freeway, or most of the time the freeway completely disappeared and just showed me wandering through the countryside, the screen would flash different colors, this was all while traveling 70 MPH along a busy well traveled freeway, then on my way home it told me to get on the I-405 freeway going the wrong direction to get home, then just as quickly the GPS again starts displaying the freeway and the correct information.

Sorry for the jumpy video, the freeway was not as smooth as it appears in my dually.



I am trying to figure out what is causing my GPS to go wack on me, I have no computer in my truck or anything that could emit stray electromagnetic radiation, the GPS has a clear view of the sky, (it does this no matter where it is mounted)

I have connected to TomTom and all of the updates are current.
If I had not showed the geeks at Best Buy the video I don't think they would have believed me.

This happens randomly along the route and does not seem to have a pattern.

I was even looking above for any AWACS pacing me.

So what do you think?

I think I am going to trade it in for a Garmin they have for $379.99

I have not yet contacted TomTom yet.

Jim

 

I have an older garmin that seems real good except right at my house it keeps telling me to go 1/4 mile turn left. except there is no road and its through a field of trees to get there, real bummer if your pulling a long trailer.I blame the chineese!

 

I can't stand ANY of those things. We have one in the Jeep that, halfway thru the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts, will tell us we're back in Kalamazoo Michigan and to turn onto East P Avenue. Once we get into New York it recognizes where we are again.

The one in the big truck is truck specific and seems to work fairly well, but all of them I've seen or had always tell me to 'make a U-turn' when I deviate from the prescribed route instead of immediately recalculating a new route. They'll eventually show a new route, but not until I get 2 or 3 miles down the road, by which time I've usually passed a road I could have taken.

It's easier to just look at a map!

 

AAHHHH, the joys of modern day technology!!!! Don't you just love it. I trust my Truckers Road Atlas.....it never "tells" me to take a wrong turn....only I can do that .

 

I had a similar bit not quite as extreme experience trying my wife's TomTom the other day. I plotted a simple trip about 40 miles south of the city. It took me north, then east before is tried to take me through the city and not around it.
As soon as I looked at the route I knew it was messed up.

I too have a truckers road atlas of which I use regularly. Several folks have suggested I try a GPS, so I did and I am done with them. If I need to, I will jot now notes...turns, street names etc for a different city.

 

Try a ram mount for a smart phone. The google maps powered navigator is almost ridiculously accurate, and updates quickly when you choose another route.

 

The REAL question is...

If you actually ask for directions on a Tom Tom and still get lost does your wife still get to roll her eyes...

 

A GPS isn't a replacement for knowing where you are and where your going.
That said, I really like my garmin when im in houston and only have a vague idea of where im going. it does a good job of telling me when a bear right is coming up and just how far right I need to go bear right then bear right means get in the outside lane. bear right then bear left means shoot for number 2 or 3.

There are a couple places around here that it gets confused, but those are really off the beaten path and I have four year old maps.

 

My son (the trucker) gave me his TomTom. He uses his smart phone.

 

Jim, the nav in DHs car did this kind of thing on our trip from TX to AZ. It was about midnight and we pulled off the highway, crossed over to the gas station to pit stop and fill up. When we crossed back over the highway and then entered the entrance ramp and roadway the GPS never registered us as entered the highway. For the next however long the GPS showed us as driving in the dirt and it kept giving us directions to get on the roadway although we were already there.

It hasn't given us a problem like that before. It hasn't given us a problem since. For whatever reason the GPS lost the tracking on us. I'm wondering if being out in the middle of nowhere on I10 had anything to do with it. Between the rolling hills, roadways that cut through hillsides, technology just wasn't tracking. Incidentally I tried listening to Pandora on my cell phone because we were in areas with virtually no radio stations, the music kept cutting out because the 3G signal would be lost.

I think it was the area and signal from the top down more than it was your nav unit. Least that's what I think in our case. YMMV

 

Your GPS receiver has to recieve at least 4 of 6 to 11 satelites visible at all times. The transmitters in orbit will be from 12000 to 24000 miles away, and the signal from each may be coming in at any angle.

So, with interference from surrounding metal, noise generators of various types, and other variables, the options are to shut down and blank the screen if data isn't available, or guess from the last known good data. Most units guess, which is why it will be at the position in your driveway it was when you shut it off when you turn it on 200 miles away.

Operating frequency is 1575.42 MHz, so the most likely source of interference is something else digital, like a laptop, or even a phone, in the car. I suspect a metal sun visor would block a lot of signal.

One other thought. The system is operated by the US military.

 

The wife's new SRX has built in NAV. Seems to work quite well and a little eirie at times, like when it alerts you that you have 14 miles left before running out of fuel - - then this sweet voice says "would you like to see nearby stations?" Well, of course. So it shows me 7 stations with a little arrow beside it showing in which direction it is and how far. Touch the screen for the one you want and bingo, it is up there.

My only complaint with it is there are distinctly two different women in that box. Now when I drive I have THREE women telling me where to go. ................................
Bob

 

Jim,

Bad news buddy, this normally means you have been chosen for termination

I am not familiar with these units does their site offer software/firmware updates? The Lowrance chart-plotters I run will do upgrades 1-2 times / yr.

 

I can give you my cell phone number. That way you could hear MY voice, and I'll certainly be glad to tell you where you can go!

 

Looking back over the pictures I have taken there appears to have been anywhere between 4 to 7 satellites in view at any time, it usually shows the horizon covered with them, the I-10 to I-57 to I-405 to I-55 freeways are a heavily used route between Los Angeles County and Orange County and this was occurring sporadically along the 30 trip with no particular pattern, there was an absolutely clear view of the horizon.

My GPS is mounted to the glass in the top part of my windshield by the pillar and there is no metal, it is looking directly out the glass, also no metallic tints either.

As far as I know there are no hidden military bases along the route (other that several supposedly abandoned Cold War Nike ICBM silos) other than a few municipal airports but this is not happening near them.

If it lost connection with the satellites I could understand it not updating the map, I have received the "Lost Satellite 10 seconds ago" before usually when I am under a bridge or an underground parking lot.
Besides this really only just started doing this about a year ago I have had high end GPS's for many years.

I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles before having a GPS, here in California we use a Thomas Guide

Jim