11 replies to this topic

[deck]

Was in Yosemite National Park the past couple of days and could not get Skyscout to access GPS.Was not very happy.Any ideas why?

[germana1]

Are the battery shields in place that will affect gps signal.

[deck]

yes they where.

[germana1]

What I find with mine is when its turned on just leave it in one spot not moving and it usually gets a link with the gps, sometimes just takes a while. HTH
Pete

[Kiwi Nick]

Were you close to metal?
Molten lava?

[iceblaze]

Was in Yosemite National Park the past couple of days and could not get Skyscout to access GPS.Was not very happy.Any ideas why?

Hello Deck,

I had the very same experience when I went to Mt. Pinos a few months back where I was at 8000ft elevation. Were you high in elevation @ Yosemite?

I'll tell ya, after that disappointing experience of trying to get the SkyScout to work all night and not knowing the skies well enough to have an enjoyable night of viewing, I ended up selling the SkyScout and decided to learn the skies manually so I'll never run into that problem again. I find that it is much more rewarding when you find things like the Orion nebula for the first time without any help but your wits, common sense, and perhaps a sky chart or two

-James

[deck]

I was at about 8000 feet and am also learning the sky but this device is nice when your backpacking or with others so they can hear all about the object yous looking at

[iceblaze]

I agree with you, and I wish the device would work at higher elevation/mountainous areas. The problem is that, to be on the conservative side, the GPS sensor in the SkyScout is extremely sensitive for precision locating of celestial objects. Because of this, sometimes it can feel cheap in nature when it does not perform the way it should.

I believe the SkyScout is a great idea, and I can't wait to see what other products evolve based on it. I think it's a great tool to double check your findings as you learn the sky.

GPS appears to work best when the following requirements have been met:
1. highly populated areas
2. lower elevation

For example, my little Garmin GPS I use in my car seems to be less sensitive and therefore performs better than the SkyScout in higher elevation/mountainous areas. I also seem to never have any issue using the SkyScout or Garmin in the city.

The technology at this point simply isn't up to par yet.

-James

[marked]

I had no problem with the GPS on mine in Colorado at 8500 feet. Sometime GPS's will have trouble finding satellites when you take them to another part of the country from where you used them last. You just need to put it down, walk away, and give it some time to find them.

Ed

[Brent Campbell]

I ended up selling mine too. The darn thing took to long to get a GPS fix. Replaced it with Google Sky Maps on my Cell Phone-much better, and SKEye to Guide my telescope (haven't tested that app yet).

[iceblaze]

I had no problem with the GPS on mine in Colorado at 8500 feet. Sometime GPS's will have trouble finding satellites when you take them to another part of the country from where you used them last. You just need to put it down, walk away, and give it some time to find them.

Ed

Location appears to also play a factor. I literally spent the entire evening trying to get the SkyScout to work at Mt. Pinos. I tried leaving it alone, different positions all around the parking area, and not once could it sync with all the satellites.

I still hold my ground that the technology isn't ready yet. It's definitely a nice first try, but it would seem that making sure the device works in popular astronomy/camping locations should almost be a requirement.

-James

[Phil Wheeler]

Was in Yosemite National Park the past couple of days and could not get Skyscout to access GPS.Was not very happy.Any ideas why?

GPS receivers don't work real well in Yosemite Valley. The nearby and high walls limit visibility of satellites.