Northstar 951XW GPS Receiver Logo
Gerald Raab Posted on Jul 26, 2007
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Gps loses signal

My Northstar GPS works fine except about every 10 or 15 min. it loses the signal and a flashing ! icon appears in the lower right hand corner of the screen. After about 2 min. the screen returns to normal operation.Does anyone know what causes that to happen.

  • mauriciofer Sep 09, 2008

    Sirs,

    My Northstar 951X GPS runs well for one or two hours ( sometimes more )and then he loses the position.

    I turned off and then on and I continue without position.

    After one or two days I turn on the equipment and it works again for

    some time.

    I live in Uruguay ( South America ) and I donĀ“t know if you have technical

    asistance here.

    My e-mail is: [email protected]

    Await your coments.

    Regads, Mauricio

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  • Posted on Jul 13, 2008
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It would be good to make sure that the 951 software is up to date. The most recent software upgrade includes new code required due to changes that have been made to the GPS system. You can download the software for free from the Northstar web site but it requires a loader cable, power supply and a Windows based PC to perform the update. Most Noprthstar dealers know how to do this but they will charge for their time. The GPS antenna should be mounted where it has a 360 degree uninhibited view of the sky right down to the horizon to get best performance. Basicially any conductive material including pigmented paint, tinted glass or wet canvas can block the signal. Inspect the GPS coaxial cable and it's connections for any signs of corrosion or contamination. Sometimes just removing and reinstalling the connections is enough to remove contamination and get better performance. If in doubt concerning the coax and it's connections, temporaily substitute a new coax assy by-passing the existing cable to see if this makes a difference. You can monitor changes from the GPS status page. See the user manual for information concerning how to understand the numbers being presented. You should be tracking at least 4 SATs with signal levels higher than 30. Generally 95% of all GPS signal issues are related to the coax or its connections.
coax assy to v

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  • Posted on Jul 26, 2007
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Make sure that your GPS is mounted under the windshield so it ahs free access to signal. Aside from that, be sure it is mounted parrallel to the ground so that the screen is completely "horizontal." This model seems notorious for lack of signal ability so if that doesnt' work you may just need to put up with it until you upgrade. Best of luck!

  • Philip Teague Oct 09, 2013

    This is a marine GPS.. why would you mount it under the wind-shield [of a car?] when it doesn't contain an internal antenna?

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