GPS Signal Drops - iFly General Discussions

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GPS Signal Drops

2/27/2012 9:45 PM

Sam Washington

Joined: 3/15/2011

Posts: 112

GPS Signal Drops

Hi Walter and group,

I have had intermittent drops of the GPS signal by the iFly and the unit won't reacquire the satelites. It seems to happen the most when I've flown to a destination using the unit, shut down, and then prepare to return home. The most recent occurrence was this past Saturday. Thankfully it was a short cross-country flight and I knew the area well so I wasn't worried about it, but I'd be worried if I were on a long cross-country in unfamiliar territory. Has anyone else had this experience with the iFly? Also, I have an external GPS antenna on the aircraft from a previous panel-mounted unit. Walter, is it possible to use that antenna to connect to the iFly or should I use the external antenna that you recommend on the website? Would there be any special connectors that I would need to have? Thanks all, I'm really enjoying the iFly and everything it can do. I can't wait to find out that there is an ADS-B transceiver that has been signed off for use with it. Weather and traffic, here I come.

Sam Washington

2/28/2012 4:22 PM

Walter

Joined: 7/8/2009

Posts: 2778

Re: GPS Signal Drops

Sam,

You should try performing a Factor Reset per manual. If this doesn't correct your problem, I suggest you get our external antenna; there may be something in your plane creating some local RF noise that is interfering with your reception. You can try your existing antenna, but they are all tuned differently...it may help, it may make things worse. If you go to the GPS Diagnostics form you can see the impact of plugging/unplugging the antenna in real time.

Hope this helps,
Walter

Walter Boyd
President, Adventure Pilot

3/1/2012 3:53 PM

Sam Washington

Joined: 3/15/2011

Posts: 112

Re: GPS Signal Drops

Walter,

Thanks for the advice. I did go to the GPS screen and attempt a reset but I may not have done it according to the manual. I'll read that section more thoroughly. In the meantime, I'll be placing my order for the external antenna soon. I think you may have a point about the potential RF interference. I also have a Lowrance 500 in the aircraft and I have had problems with it obtaining/holding signals on occasions as well. I'll have to send you a shot of my installation one day.

Sam