Poor TomTom GPS Signal in CL55

[usisone]

Has anyone experienced difficulties receiving GPS signals on TomTom units in Mercedes cars (the CL in particular)

I have just picked up a new 940 Go - the GPS signal strength is extremely patchy - making the unit unusable (always searching for new routes after it relocates a satellite, cuts out/no warning as you approach speed cameras)

TomTom states that some heat-reflecting windscreens and built-in windscreen heaters block GPS signal reception. I am wondering if this is the case with the CL.

Any tips or hints would be much appreciated

[rf065]

Have you tried using the unit outside but not in the car?
If it still has a problem it is a fault with the TomTom, not the car.

Other than than that, join pocketgps & search the forums there for advice, many TomTom/Mercedes owners are members.

Pocket GPS World - SatNavs | GPS | Speed Cameras

or

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/module...es+poor+signal

Russ

[usisone]

Cheers Russ,

I will also try that forum.

It seems to pick up stronger signals outside the car. I'm going to give it to a friend to see if it works in his BMW (he has been using a tomtom trouble free for the past year).

Should help me to determine whether the CL or TomTom is the culprit

[amwebby]

I encountered the same problem on my CL500 It is the infrared reflecting windscreen which blocks the GPS signal. There are two small "holes" in the windscreen which allow the signals through, up by the rear-view mirror as in the picture. If you mount your Tom Tom there or get an external aerial for the Tom Tom and place it there, it will work fine.

IR_Windscreen.jpg

I just gave up at this stage and got used to COMAND, which I now prefer as I find the cluster display the most helpful one and hardly ever look at the screen now.

[usisone]

Thanks very much Roger - very helpful.

I was afraid that might be the case with the CL.

[c955]

As an asides, do you regularly 'update' the unit through the TomTom website?

It has a dooberry-whatsit called 'QuickGPS' that significantly speeds up how quickly my unit (520) locates the half dozen or so satellites it needs to work out where I am. If you haven't tried it, give it a go. You'll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.

Well, I was...

[flanaia1]

Originally Posted by usisone

Has anyone experienced difficulties receiving GPS signals on TomTom units in Mercedes cars (the CL in particular)

I have just picked up a new 940 Go - the GPS signal strength is extremely patchy - making the unit unusable (always searching for new routes after it relocates a satellite, cuts out/no warning as you approach speed cameras)

TomTom states that some heat-reflecting windscreens and built-in windscreen heaters block GPS signal reception. I am wondering if this is the case with the CL.

Any tips or hints would be much appreciated

Its not the car its the Navcore software on the unit all the new live series models running the latest version of Navcore are affected this resulkts in very patchy gps reception which makes the unit totally useless. TomTom told me to roll it back a version but TomTom home doesn't support that so I returned mine

See HERE where I cover it in more detail. My advice take it back and get something else TomTom have really shot themselves in the foot with these units

[Druk]

Interesting thread this Sat Nav Advice
I'm in the market and am looking at a TT730. Am I better with that or the 730T ?

Can these things be loaded with EU speed camera locations via the SD card?

[flanaia1]

Originally Posted by Druk

Interesting thread this Sat Nav Advice
I'm in the market and am looking at a TT730. Am I better with that or the 730T ?

Can these things be loaded with EU speed camera locations via the SD card?

730T just does traffic by an ariel traffic message receiver and to be honest its pretty useless giving you info that is out of date. 730 is a good unit, just dont upgrade it until TomTom have fixed the Navcore fault.

On a separate note the modified Panasonic unit I bought was also useless and went back.

I have bought exactly what I broke a TomTom one from the Argos e bay clearance store £59 and its brilliant, traffic comes via a bluetooth link to your mobile and a link to the highways agency travel server.

Yes you can load the EU speed camera database PGPSW is best for UK but their European database is useless, the Inforad one works best for me regularly travel France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland.

Done loads of research on this so feel free to ask anything else

[jonnyboy]

interesting, i have a new 730 go (? will check which one) and the signal is hopeless in the w220, not sure about other cars/vans yet. will watch this thread with interest

[Nik_Endeavour]

Try also this forum:

www.ipmart-forum.com