No GPS position at start up-avidyne

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4RNB

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4RNB
I fly a 2009 RV10 that someone else built. It is equipped with dual Advanced Flight systems 5600 EFIS, has a Dyson AP, and an Avidyne 440 GPS/NAV/Com of unknown install date.

I am having an increasing amount of issues with the GPS unit not having satellites at start up, sometimes this takes quite a while to come online. Yesterday it was maybe 10 minutes. There is some kind of GPS signal being received by a Dyson 250 GPS. The Avidyne unit has never lost the signal in flight once it is acquired. Others online have suggested that the Avidyne units have an internal battery that goes bad after several years. The battery powers memory whilst off, the memory of where the plane is in space. Loss of this battery means that at start up the GPS unit does not know where it is and has to reacquire signals, this is what takes a while. One person said the unit will tell you the battery is bad, I get no such notice.

Questions:
Has this happened to you? What was the solution?
Does the battery explanation sound right?
Who/how to properly reach out to Avidyne for fast repair?
What else should I be looking at?

I've signed up for the Avidyne forums but have to wait for forum access.

Here is a video showing the signals coming online pretty quickly:

Here is a video yesterday showing the internal Dyson GPS having good signals while the Avidyne did not:
 
Questions:
Has this happened to you?
Similar but different. I installed an IFD440 slide in replacement for a 430w. The Avidyne had trouble finding satellite lock but eventually did. I figured it was a one time thing as it located position for the first time. Then shortly after takeoff it lost gps lock. After repeatedly having trouble finding gps lock I slid the 430w back in. 430w had no trouble in the same tray; it had gps lock quickly and kept it. The avidyne kept having trouble with gps lock. Add to that it seemed like I could fry an egg on the Avidyne its faceplate was so hot.

What was the solution?
Put the 430w back in and left it there.

Does the battery explanation sound right?
Sure sounds plausible.

What else should I be looking at?
Are you sure your gps antenna is making good connection with the Avidyne?
Do you have a friend with a 430w tray who might let you try your Avidyne unit in his tray?
 
FORANE said:
Questions:
Has this happened to you?
Similar but different. I installed an IFD440 slide in replacement for a 430w. The Avidyne had trouble finding satellite lock but eventually did. I figured it was a one time thing as it located position for the first time. Then shortly after takeoff it lost gps lock. After repeatedly having trouble finding gps lock I slid the 430w back in. 430w had no trouble in the same tray; it had gps lock quickly and kept it. The avidyne kept having trouble with gps lock. Add to that it seemed like I could fry an egg on the Avidyne its faceplate was so hot.

What was the solution?
Put the 430w back in and left it there.

Does the battery explanation sound right?
Sure sounds plausible.

What else should I be looking at?
Are you sure your gps antenna is making good connection with the Avidyne?
Do you have a friend with a 430w tray who might let you try your Avidyne unit in his tray?
Click to expand...
Not that I know of.
I don’t suspect connection issues as it only happens at start up.
 
As you know, there are multiple threads on the Avidyne forums talking about just about everything from a bad internal battery or long nonuse leading to loss of last position after shutdown to a lack of an active flight plan in the unit. On that latter, a number have said that (re)acquisition is faster with an active flight plan than without it. Have you tried that to see if it's faster?
 
midlifeflyer said:
As you know, there are multiple threads on the Avidyne forums talking about just about everything from a bad internal battery or long nonuse leading to loss of last position after shutdown to a lack of an active flight plan in the unit. On that latter, a number have said that (re)acquisition is faster with an active flight plan than without it. Have you tried that to see if it's faster?
Click to expand...
Yes, I’ve taken off with an active flight plan, no gps signal. GPS comes on about the time I want to turn around…
So, not faster
 
4RNB said:
The battery powers memory whilst off, the memory of where the plane is in space. Loss of this battery means that at start up the GPS unit does not know where it is and has to reacquire signals, this is what takes a while. One person said the unit will tell you the battery is bad, I get no such notice. ... Does the battery explanation sound right?
Click to expand...
Yes. If the battery is dead, the gps has to cold start and the time to first fix will be a long time.
4RNB said:
Who/how to properly reach out to Avidyne for fast repair?
Click to expand...
@Jesse Saint?
 
4RNB said:
I am having an increasing amount of issues with the GPS unit not having satellites at start up, sometimes this takes quite a while to come online.
Click to expand...

Is your airplane new to you, or have you had it for a while? If new, is the plane based where there are tall deciduous trees? You said you are having an increasing amount of issues and figured perhaps there is a seasonal aspect with the trees leafing out and preventing capture of some of the lower horizon sats while on the ground.
 
Also, I believe on the Avidyne if your internal memory battery is bad, your time will be incorrect and you’ll get an error message when the unit time and satellite times don’t match. You can reboot and it’ll be correct after the reboot, if not corrected automagically. So if your time is correct on the ground then it’s not your battery (based on my knowledge).
 
Doesn't the Avidyne trigger a warning like the old 430 "memory battery low" message?
 
FORANE said:
Doesn't the Avidyne trigger a warning like the old 430 "memory battery low" message?
Click to expand...
I sure would like to know! All I can see is something about a CAS message will appear.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Is your airplane new to you, or have you had it for a while? If new, is the plane based where there are tall deciduous trees? You said you are having an increasing amount of issues and figured perhaps there is a seasonal aspect with the trees leafing out and preventing capture of some of the lower horizon sats while on the ground.
Click to expand...
Plane was new to me 10 months ago. The issue occurs at different airports AND the Dynon GPS has satellites. The Avidyne has no satellites.
 
Where did they place the Avidyne gps antenna? Good clear view above with nothing blocking it?
 
Recently observed a similar problem with an IFD440, and it ended up being a low voltage condition for the plane. New battery installed resolved the problem. Of course, this was after trying: validate all GPS cabling, checking antenna, and swapping a Garmin GNS430w in, which had no problem acquiring a solid GPS lock. Installing the IFD440 in the plane where the GNS was removed, and it gave zero problems there.

Now, as to why, when the plane was running, the voltage shouldn't have been a problem, but it somehow was.
 
Darryl Snover said:
Recently observed a similar problem with an IFD440, and it ended up being a low voltage condition for the plane. New battery installed resolved the problem. Of course, this was after trying: validate all GPS cabling, checking antenna, and swapping a Garmin GNS430w in, which had no problem acquiring a solid GPS lock. Installing the IFD440 in the plane where the GNS was removed, and it gave zero problems there.

Now, as to why, when the plane was running, the voltage shouldn't have been a problem, but it somehow was.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this thought. I read this after showering for the day...then read my logs and saw the Concorde battery was replaced 10/21 and might be good for 3-6 years. So I took my sweet smelling self to the airport to test things as able. A few pounds of sweat later my battery thingy says this one is 12.7 or 12.8 volts and is holding 90-100% of charge.
 
Rob with AFS has been good enough to email a few times on a Sunday, suggests I reach out to Avidyne. Perhaps they will want the logs. Rob queried where my antennas are, they are on the front glare shield. I've heard that these are not supposed to be here, rather further back away from gadgets. Why is this and might this in any way cause my problems???
 
4RNB said:
Rob with AFS has been good enough to email a few times on a Sunday, suggests I reach out to Avidyne. Perhaps they will want the logs. Rob queried where my antennas are, they are on the front glare shield. I've heard that these are not supposed to be here, rather further back away from gadgets. Why is this and might this in any way cause my problems???
Click to expand...
My new 360 has em side by side on the glareshield, dynon and GTN gps antennas, no issues.
 
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