GPS REALLY slow to start up. Any ideas?

My Garmin Geko is taking an age to find a location when switched on. It used to take about a minute, and I seem to remember that all the satellites previouly plotted were saved and immediately shown on the sky display, if not logged. Now every time I switch on it's like it's doing it's first search/initialisation.

Anyone have any ideas? I've tried reloading the firmware, the only other thing I wondered was do they have a little internal battery that may need replacing?

Start it up and leave it with a clear view of the sky for around half an hour. See if that makes any difference to subsequent start ups.

Ok, will try that, but it had had a good couple of hours clear view of the sky yesterday before lunch/puncture break and still took a good 5 mins to locate afterwards, in open countyside. It's taking longer to locate now than when I've previously taken it many miles to ride a different area, when I understand I have to expect a delay.

Try contacting Garmin. They have always been helpful I've found.

it had had a good couple of hours clear view of the sky yesterday before lunch/puncture break

Hmm well that probably discounts that idea then.

Do they load any files onto it when you connect it to a PC? (don't have one so don't know)

You can clear memory and reload the firmware via the PC serial lead and upload routes and such, but there's no applications you can send to it that might slow it down if that's what you are getting at.

Thanks Ambrose, I think I will send Garmin an e-mail.

there's no applications you can send to it that might slow it down if that's what you are getting at.

Nah, it's just that some GPS systems can periodically download details of the satellite orbits from a central server, which speeds up the time to first fix.

I didn't know that. Where's the central server?

It company specific stuff, depending on who supplied the GPS chipset, and would be part of your GPS device's software on the PC if it supported it. So if it doesn't then don't worry about it. An email to Garmin is the way to go.

For example of what I'm on about look at the u-blox AssistNow Offline service:
http://u-blox.com/en/gps-solutions/assisted-gps.html

Oh right, that's a new one on me too. The Geko is pretty basic, there's no software included but that's worth bearing in mind if I ever replace it.

Have you reset the beastie? Then ensure the software is up to date using the garmin updater including any optional chipset upgrade. Reset should be either a recessed switch in the rear or a button combination.

Are you starting it up in the place where it was last switched off? If so, it should be pretty quick to get a lock. If it's not, it looks for satellites where they were before, then realises they're not where it thinks they were, then starts from scratch.

With my forerunner, if I'm riding from the car rather than home I switch it on and leave it on the car roof before I do anything else to make sure it's got a lock before I set off.

Sandwich, yep, reset. As in the OP, I reinstalled the firmware using that Garmin updater.

Simon_g, yes again. That's my problem, it appears to do that starting from scratch thing every time it is turned on, even if that is the exact place I last turned it off.

Are you starting it up in the place where it was last switched off? If so, it should be pretty quick to get a lock.

Yep. If you switch it off then on again in the same location, within two hours, then the lock should be a matter of seconds. (the Ephemeris data is valid for two hours)

If it is off for more than two hours, but stays in the same place then the lock should still be fairly quick. (Ephemeris is out of date, but the Almanac can be consulted based on approximate position)

Worst case is when you switch it off for a long period and move.

Check the "signal strength" page – my Edge 205 started to take aaaages to get a lock on, and would lose lock more frequently than it did before, because of a loose connection to the antenna. A bit of soldering fixed it for me – it was very battered and bruised already so it didn't seem worth sending it back to Garmin.

Check the "signal strength" page

Don't think it has one of those, though to be fair I've not looked at the set-up menu's since I got it. Thanks for the tip, might take the back off and look for loose components.

If you switch it off then on again in the same location, within two hours, then the lock should be a matter of seconds.

It even does it when turned off then immediatly on again, so sounds like it is loosing that Ephimeris data.