USB GPS receiver problems (GlobalSat BU-353)

Starting last Thursday, my gps has been acting "flakey". It'll see satellites, but can't always (about 95% of the time) get a lock on them.

The main receiver I use is a BU-353 USB receiver. Up until last Thursday, it worked 100% of the time, with no issues whatsoever. The reciever is mounted outside of my truck, horizontally, on one of the mirrors.

I tried plugging in a different BU-353 with the same results. This one is brand new and has only been used about 1 hour. I bought it as a stand-by in case the other died. I also tried a working receiver from Microsoft Streets and Trips - same results. Lastly, I turned on the GPS receiver on my Sprint AirCard. This receiver actually gets the location from the cell towers, not the satellites. Guess what - exactly the same.

So, what could be causing this? It can't be the receiver, because of the 3 others that do the exact same thing, and one of those doesn't even use satellites.

It's always the same thing - it locates the satellites, but can't get a 3-D fix on them. It will on occasion, but it's always short lived.

Any clues whatsoever? This is the 2nd time this has happened and I don't know what I did to fix it the last time. I'm thinking I formatted the computer before it started working correctly.

As for my setup, I use Franson GPSGate to split the signal between 2 different apps (CoPilot and iGuidance). I uninstalled GPSGate and get the same results. I tried XPort - same results. I ran the GPSInfo utility and get the same results, whether direct to the receiver or running through a splitter app.

I'm at my wits end and am about ready to say the hell with this and buy a standalone Garmin 7200.

Try to re-read the old thread ( http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/1020-bu-353-died ), it may be the same issue. I agree, I wouldn't suspect the GPS receiver, since all four them them exhibit the same symptoms. It must be either some interference in your truck, or something with your laptop.

If you do (heaven forbid) abandon your laptop for a Nuvi, consider the 5000 rather than the 7200. The 7200 at 7" has a lower pixel count (480x234) than the 4.3" 750 (480x272). I would think this would not produce a very clear display. The 5000 at 5.2" with 800x480 pixels should provide a sharp display. It is also considerably less expensive.

Terry

Yeah, I'd stay away from non-PC solutions. It's much easier to do route planning, for your type of work, on a laptop. You just need to get to the bottom of the problem (or get a new laptop? ).

Have you tried the receivers on a different computer?

Have you tried a different USB port?

Have you tried a Bluetooth receiver to bypass the USB ports entirely?

If the PC programs are all working fine and the receivers appear to be working fine and the problem affects all of the receivers, that seems to narrow it down to a problem with the USB port(s) or the related driver(s).

Testing on another PC, even a desktop, should allow you to rule out a problem with the receivers.

If you have Bluetooth built right into the laptop so you don't need to use a USB dongle, testing with a Bluetooth receiver would help isolate the problem. If it works, that would pretty much pinpoint the problem as the USB function (hardware issue or driver problem).

...ken...

I'm thinking now that it's getting time for a new laptop...

Yesterday I went and bought Streets & Trips 2009 with the receiver. Installed the software, plug it in, receiver is detected by the system. Ran the software and it shows exactly where I'm located. It kept satellites for an entire 5 feet before it dropped every satellite completely and would never see them again.

The laptop detects each and every receiver, but not a single one of them see any satellites. I tried uninstalling/reinstalling them, including in safe-mode. No luck. The laptop has a total of 4 on-board USB connections - same luck in every port.

I finally decided to reinstall XP. After booting to the installation CD, when the installer gets to the "Setup is starting Windows..." screen, the computer instantly powers itself off. I tried 5 times - same thing. Also, when I was doing the uninstalling/reinstalling of the receivers (prior to trying to redo XP), it shut down a couple of times on its own as well.

The laptop is 3 years old and has been in the truck the entire time. It's highly possible that it's just starting to "die".

So, plans are to go to the local Best Buy this weekend for a new laptop - glad I know where it is, hehehe.

3 years is a lot in a moving vibrating truck. My old PC lasted just about the same time till it started to exhibit all kinds of issues likely caused by vibration. Your driving will be a pleasure again with a new laptop.

Sounds like a memory problem on the laptop. You might pull and clean them and check the slots.

Terry

No - it was more than likely in the motherboard itself. The laptop has a total of 4 usb ports. Out of those 4, 2 of them no longer worked at all, one of them would say everything hooked to it was usb1.1 vs usb 2, and the 4th was the final "working" port.

My last day with the laptop was interesting. After numerous attempts to fix the system (restoring the installation from a system backup in november when I last reinstalled), absolutely nothing would work through the usb at all. I finally gave up on it and picked up a new 17" HP yesterday. So far, everything I've thrown at it has worked perfect, except for CoPilot v9. It won't even install on a 64bit system.

Oh well - CoPilot 9 is very aged anyway.

I am not certain if this is coincidental or not, but our 350 acted up once, and my wife simply reloaded the driver and all has been well since.

Trust me, I tried that. But, yes, that has happened to me in the past as well.

Loaded Microsoft Streets and Trips. Had it plan a couple of routes for me. Worked great. Waited a week for my Globalsat BU-353. Put in the disc, loaded the driver for Windows XP, plugged in the bu-353, confirmed com port 4, ran GPS info on disc. Started Streets & Trips, it looked like it was working OK. Showed my location at my home and that I was connected to 8 satellites. I turned off the laptop, came back 30 minutes later, turned on laptop. Windows would not boot up. It would start to, but then stop and go back to the screen that ask you how you want to start, safe, normal, etc. It just kept repeating this.

I don't know how to start other than normally, and it did the same thing when I tried entering from the last known start position. Can't use my laptop. Can anyone tell me what to do.

When you get that screen, arrow to the Safe Mode selection using the keyboard, then press ENTER. This will start your computer with only the bare minimum drivers needed to run Windows (will not load the drivers you just installed). Go to the Control Panel and uninstall the BU-353. Restart and see if it will boot normally. Safe Mode is your best freind when a driver installation goes terribly wrong!

If this works and it boots normally, you might want to download a new driver for the appropriate operating system from Global Sat's Web site. http://www.globalsat.com.tw/products-page.php?menu=2&gs_en_product_id=2&gs_en_product_cnt_...product_cnt_folder=4

GadgetGirl, thanks for replying. I did that and the drivers screen will come up, then the windows screen, and start to boot, then "click" the screen will go dark, then back to the screen with Safe Mode.

Does it ever get to the Windows desktop in Safe Mode? What are you clicking when the screen goes dark and reboots?
I am thinking this is not related to the GPS drivers as these would not even load in Safe Mode. Make sure the GPS receiver isn't plugged in while you are troubleshooting as sometimes new hardware can cause a problem.
How old is your laptop? Have you ever had a similar problem before? Restarting like this can be a power supply problem, an overheating problem, a memory issue, or even a problem with the operating system. Can you boot into the BIOS without it restarting? This would eliminate problems such as the power supply or overheating.

I have an Avertec 3200, I think from 2003. It came with Windows XP SP1. Never any problems until right after I loaded the CD and enabled the BU-353. I did power the laptop down before unplugging the receiver. It wasn't plugged in when I turned the laptop back on and haven't plugged it back in since. I did boot to the BIOS, but nothing there to get me going. I not clicking on anything when the screen goes dark, that's just how I discribed the sound the laptop makes when the screen goes dark. It's the same sound I have heard in the past when I have held the power button down to quickly shut the laptop off, when I didn't have time to wait for logging off and shutting down. It's an older laptop, but a good size to take in the car for GPS.

"Click" as in a hardware sound or a "beep" as in software noise? Is it coming from the speakers or from the case?

There is a possibility that the hardware and/or software installation corrupted a file. It can happen. If this were me, and perhaps someone else may have a different opinion, I would reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS. It's worth trying since you say you never had any problems until the GPS installation. Trying to troubleshoot a corrupted file is just not worth the trouble, in my opinion, especially since you can't even get in to Safe Mode.
If the laptop will enter the BIOS (and remain stable) without "clicking" or restarting, that pretty much eliminates a power or overheating problem.

But, you also have to consider the fact that this is a 7 year old laptop. That is getting old. Perhaps it is just time to get a new one. It's not really worth spending the time trying to figure it out. I know this isn't what you want to hear!

Have you ever re-formatted this laptop before? Seven years is a long time and problems accumulate over time. The registry can become bloated. Drvers and operating system files can become corrupted.

If the "click" is a true hardware noise, I would definitely just purchase a new laptop!

I hope this wasn't too rambling. There is just so many things it could be.

My previous post was kind of rambling. Bottom line, this is what I would do:
1. Re-format hard drive
2. Reinstall operating system and necessary drivers.
3. Try reinstalling the GPS.
4. If this doesn't correct the problem and it is hardware related, buy a new laptop.

Yes the BOIS remains stable. Not sure on where the single click is coming from."There is a possibility that the hardware and/or software installation corrupted a file." is what I suspect. Will load the Recovery Disk and see what happens. Will doing so re-format the laptop or is that a completely different function? If so how do you reformat? I have thought about taking it to the local repair shop and see what it would cost to do some updating with it, because I like the laptop so well. Thanks so much for the help.

The recovery disk will put the laptop back to the state it was when sold. Everything you have added to it will be lost.

Terry

See if the recovery disk is bootable. Most "recovery" disks are. You probably will have to go into the BIOS and set the Boot order first. You will want the CD/DVD player to be the first boot device listed so that the laptop will boot off the CD instead of trying to boot off of the hard drive or a floppy drive. After you do that, try to restart (boot) from the CD. See what prompts you are presented with.

**Note: You may want to read these forum posts: Averatec 3200 Word to the Wise!
Sounds very similar to your problem!**

With a hard drive total failure, you wouldn't get to the safe mode prompt.

Terry

That's true. A TOTAL hard drive failure won't boot into Windows, period! But I have had HD's starting to fail that make all kinds of noises and errors. I have an old WD Media Tank that still chugs along moaning and groaning. Sometimes I can't even get Windows to see it! I don't know why I keep it!

My idea was to at least try to reinstall the OS, before deciding it is a hardware problem as he has nothing to lose at this point. I can't determine if the click he hears is a hardware "click", like a HD noise, or a software "click" like a warning beep.
I can't help but think there is a corrupted file somewhere due to the new hardware and driver installation. Maybe it is hardware and it's just a coincidence that the problem started as soon as he installed the new device.

I wouldn't do that as they will charge you an arm and a leg to repair! And I don't think it's worth it for a 7 year old laptop.

It doesn't make random clicks. The only time it makes one click is when Windows tries to boot, but fails and goes back to the Screen that gives you the start up choises (safe, mormal, ect.)
I went into the BIOS and set the CD/DVD player to be the first boot device. Then I put in the Recover Disc, it didn't give me any options, it just ran. It automatically loaded Windows XP SP1 and everything the laptop came with, including a 2004 virus software trial.
When I got on the internet the automatic update box poped up and wanted to run. I let it. It took around 40 minutes to load updates all the way to the end of SP2. I'm thinking about updating to SP3, but would like to some how save everything thats on the laptop up to this Recovery point. And do it in such a way as to be reloadable. in case I have the same problem again when I add the BU-353 GPS receiver. Not sure how to find and move all the files.

You need a program that can take an image of the hard drive and store it (preferably elsewhere). My favourite is Acronis these days but others may prefer other tools. As you have not loaded a bunch of stuff on the computer yet, an image may fit on a DVD or large USB key; otherwise a USB hard drive would be an easy solution.

Terry

You can make an image as Terry suggested. This will allow you to preserve the entire computer configuration and restore it if necessary.

But I live dangerously...

This is what I would do:
1. Go into the Device Manager in the Control Panel. Make sure you don't have any explanation marks next to anything as these may require drivers.
The drivers that installed from the CD are out-of-date if this is the original disk from 2003. I found the drivers page at TriGem It looks like they were last updated in 2008. So I would update the drivers.
2. Run Windows Update a couple of times to get all the "critical" and important updates, including SP3. I really don't think SP3 is going to cause a problem. If anything, it may help!
3. After everything seems stable and the OS and drivers are updated, try reinstalling the GPS receiver and Streets & Trips.
4. Update the virus program!

Keep us updated!!!

One other thing that I would do is to get rid of unnecessary junk that PC manufacturers put on their systems. I'm sure the Recovery disk put this all back on! But you can do this later.

Thanks, Terry
Looked at Acronis. Not sure which product to get. Migrate Easy or Home Image 2010.
Would be nice to be able to copy to another harddrive and store on a bootable CD.

Thanks, Karen
Yes all the junk is back, but not as much as I've seen on later model laptops. I will delete it. Will also look into your other suggestions.

Thinking now I will just go ahead and reinstall Microsoft Streets & Trips from my disk. I hope it allows for more than just one install! Then I'll try the BU-353 GPS receiver again and see what happens. I'm really not sure if I did everything correctly, but thought so because it did work until I turned the laptop off. I really didn't understand "start your application for COM port configuration". But believe it would not have worked if it wasn't configured properly, and it did work. Maybe I should call USGlobalSat.

The disk that came with the GPS will install a driver to put the data output on a COM port when you plug the GPS in to an USB port. During the installation of the driver, Windows will tell you what COM port number is assigned. You can set the COM port in S&T to that or have S&T search for it.

Terry

I'm sure you did everything right. It was just one of those things that can happen, especially on an aging laptop.
Hopefully, a fresh install straightened everything out.
By the way, did the restore disk erase your hard drive? Hopefully it did! You needed a fresh start. If you lost your documents, it probably did. Did you get any warning that you would lose anything if you proceeded?

When did you get this message? It probably just wanted you to configure the GPS receiver COM port in your Streets & Trips application. It's under TOOLS-GPS-CONFIGURE GPS RECEIVER. (See screenshot.)

I really would at least get all of the Windows Updates, including SP3, before proceeding. Not sure about your receiver or Streets & Trips, but many apps require SP3.

Attached Images

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So sounds like "start your application for COM port configuration" wasn't a step that was critical to the operation of the laptop, and that the correct Com port was found, as the GPS receiver worked. Could shutting off the laptop before unplugging the receiver from the USB port cause problems?

Karen
"start your application for COM port configuration" was in the written instructions that came with the receiver. "TOOLS-GPS-CONFIGURE GPS RECEIVER", yes I did that step.

There's no reason it should cause any problems.

...ken...

I agree. It configured OK if it worked!

I can't wait to see what happens when you try to reinstall the GPS receiver. I think it will work just fine.

I wouldn't think so. I do this sort of thing all the time.


Ken, I think you and jc posted at the same time! I guess you were replying to the unplug issue.

Ken, thanks for the reply.

Karen, took your advise and updated to SP3. Not sure when I'll get Streets & Trips reloaded. Took a while last time, had to call and get some kind of registration number and that took quite a while. Then will try the GPS receiver. Wish I had more time to get it done, can get on the internet at work (I work 2nd shift), but they don't allow personal laptops.

The suspense is killing me! If you don't report back I will hunt you down!

What?! You didn't write it down? Do you mean the Producy Key? I would think it would be on the CD case, but not sure, as I downloaded it.

Otherwise, does everything seem stable? No clicks or anything?

Download updated drivers for your laptop hardware when you get a chance.

If you want to test your GPS receiver before you can get Streets & Trips installed, GlobalSat has a nifty little utility you can download to test it with:
<edit>Broken link removed</edit>

This link is straight from Global Sat's website.

Just go ahead and install the drivers and run the utility and you will see lots of interesting info coming from your unit such as the data streams, satellite constellation, etc. Nice utility for troubleshooting!
Note: You may already have this utility on your installation disk as I believe GlobalSat includes it.

He may want to download the Vista/Win7 version of GPSInfo from the web site just to be sure he has the latest version. It's much nicer than the older version that might still be on the disk.

...ken...

Everything seems stable, no clicks or anything.
Reloaded Streets & Trips last night after work. Called Globalsat support today. Told them about my laptop problem and that I was afraid to reload the GPS receiver's disc. They had no comment on my laptop problem, but stayed with me while I downloaded the driver from their website, plugged in the receiver, tested to see if it worked with Streets & Trips, and turned the laptop off and back on again. Success!!

It's been a bit of an ordeal, but one which became interesting and fun, thanks to the people on this forum! So many good ideas that I still need to follow up on. Thanks, and will reply about how it worked on the street.

Congratulations. It is so much more fun when everything comes out right in the end!

Terry