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TN202-UG V1.2
TN-202
What is ideal GPS environment?
The GPS requires an open, clear view of the sky. Buildings, covered parking areas, tunnels and dense
foliage can cause the GPS receiver to be unable to get a location fix.
If you are parked in a covered parking lot or near a tall building, it is recommended that you drive away
until you have a clear view of the sky before using the TripNav. You may need to give the GPS a few
minutes to find or get a fix its location.
How do I know if the GPS is ON?
The TripNav must be plugged into your PDA’s Compact Flash or your Laptop to obtain power. In
addition, the TN-202 has a built-in LED indicator that works as follows:
LED OFF: GPS receiver is off (no power)
LED ON (solid): No fix, searching for GPS signals.
LED FLASHING: Position fix established and GPS signals are being received.
Why does the GPS not work near buildings and other tall objects?
The GPS uses satellites in the space to find out where it is. Therefore it needs a clear view of the sky.
Tall buildings and other objects that block the receiver’s view to the sky make it infeasible to determine
your location.
Sometimes the satellites are not overhead but near the horizon. In these cases the GPS must have a
clear view of the horizon.
Why do I get an error message saying “Unable to open GPS Communication with port (COMx)?
Please check your port configuration.”
If you have followed the above installation steps but the GPS device still does not work, try unplugging
the GPS device, close the mapping software and wait for at least 10 seconds, before re-connecting the
GPS device.
Also verify if the COM port was entered in the mapping software correctly. Another possibility is that
you may be in an area where there are no GPS signals available. The GPS receiver must have a view
to the sky and will not work indoors, or in areas of dense foliage. Move to an open area and place the
TripNav receiver in a location that will have a full exposure to the sky. Each time you initialize the GPS
receiver, the device requires a boot-up period which can typically rage from to 8 seconds to 1 minute,
but in areas where the GPS signal is weak, this period may be slightly extended. Please allow an
adequate amount of time for the GPS receiver’s boot-up process to complete before contacting
Technical Support.
