The first time a GPS product is used (known as the first fix* or factory start), it can take up to 15 minutes to obtain a GPS fix. This is due, in part, to the following:
* The GPS product will spend time looking for the satellites it expects to be above its last known position, which may have been a factory in another part of the world. Only once it has realized it has been relocated, will it begin searching the entire sky for satellites.
* Depending on how long ago it was manufactured, the GPS product may need to download the ‘GPS almanac’ (data that tells the receiver the approximate orbit paths of all 24 GPS satellites for the coming months), which may take up to 12 minutes.
The next time you use the GPS product, it should take less time to establish a GPS fix, as it knows the location of the GPS satellites.
*A first fix also occurs if the GPS product’s internal battery has fully drained, or the GPS product has been transported a large distance since last being used.
The Transporter, March 2010
