GPS Failures

Pdzoller

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
321
Location
Oregon
Over the last five years or so I have started moving deeper into off trail wilderness areas and have had a few issues with my GPS and phone GPS. Sometimes it will be a momentary dead spot but there are also times where my electronics seem to just go off the rails and say I’m several miles from my actual location for hours. The worst issue was when we were elk hunting several years ago and we had planned on making our way to the back of a previously unexplored meadow with a nice spring. The hike was to take a couple hours and put us in a good location to watch it. After several hours of following where my GPS said to go I noticed the sun had stayed in approximately the same spot, off my right shoulder. This made me curious so we walked until we had enough of an opening in the timber to see some far off landmarks. We were almost nine miles from where the gps said we were. The compasses on the phone and GPS were incorrect.

I am a firm believer in an actual map and compass so this has only been a minor inconvenience but I do see how this could become potentially hazardous. Has anyone else had these issues? Mine have all been in areas with volcanic rock and assume this to be the cause?
 

Rich M

WKR
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
5,107
Location
Orlando
We run our GPS units in swamps with heavy tree canopy and on the ocean - no issues I know of. Think my Garmin is supposed to receive from up to like 10 satellites.

I don't trust my iphone GPS - we were driving home from the holiday festivities and my wife gets a call from her sister - my tracking spot was dead on, hers was about 20 miles back behind us, they thought she dropped her phone, maybe lost it.

Mountains might be blocking reception of several satellites and causing issues. It's just that there are so many satellites in the sky nowadays...
 
Joined
Apr 9, 2021
Messages
615
I was way off in a hole packing out a deer after dark. My phone said I was going the wrong way the ENTIRE time. Thankfully, there was a key geographical feature that guided me. Not gonna lie, I had to really focus on what I knew to be true and forget technology. Which was harder than I thought actually.
No substitute for actual navigation and woodsmanship.
 

Traveler

WKR
Joined
Dec 20, 2020
Messages
332
If it’s a relatively newcomer handheld gps like a Garmin and it is that bad that often you need a new one. I don’t think volcanic rock would cause it to not work. Not sure if you were using the actual location or just the compass. On most handheld gps units you have to be moving for an accurate bearing.

If it is more the gps on your phone then it is more susceptible to issues, but often due to the particular app and settings.
 

Jethro

WKR
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
1,086
Location
Pennsylvania
I have had the hand held gps compass pointer mess up a few times and it required a recalibration to get it back to pointing correctly. I never had the had the cursor show me in the wrong spot on a map. Can't remember my Garmin ever not being able to lock on signal regardless of terrain, canopy, or fog. Like most I now just use my phone which I don't like as much but don't want to carry both.

I do still carry a compass in my pack to settle the argument between my brain and my gps. Seems like every time, the gps is the winner.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2018
Messages
390
Location
Nebraska
My phone gps has been off a lot (compass and location), I don't use it if I need to navigate.

I have had my compass be off on my garmin before, but it's super easy to tell if it's off and I need to restart it (arrow not pointing to where gps is pointing). Also never had my location be off on my garmin.
 

Bighorner

WKR
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
562
You need to keep and eye on how you are carrying it. If you are using it to navigate you should have a good view of the sky and you should allow it time "find itself" so to speak with the satellites. When you are carrying it, it should be where it atleast has some view of the sky. If it was off by ten miles, there is something pretty darn wrong. If it works well sometimes and not others it is probably an issue of not giving it time and unobstructed views of the satellites. Deep canyons will certainly effect your accuracy, but likely not my 10 miles. Are you turning in on and off as your use it to navigate? Volcanic rock should not be affecting it.
 
Joined
Nov 14, 2020
Messages
1,002
I don’t use it in the woods. The Garman I have in my car has gone crazy quite a few times. We called her Marvis. Sometimes she absolutely does not know where we are.
 
OP
Pdzoller

Pdzoller

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
321
Location
Oregon
I haven’t had issues anywhere except in the Cascade range. I use the old Delorme inreach and a combination of Gia and onX.
These circumstances have been rare but definitely enough to warrant bringing backup navs.
 

Rokwiia

WKR
Joined
Nov 12, 2016
Messages
886
Location
In the mountains
I haven't experienced the problems others have. On occasion, I've run Gaia, Earthmate, and CalTopo at the same time and found them to be spot on and show me at the same spot and on the same pathway.

The only issue I have had is that I'm almost always under the canopy of trees so the cursor may not move for a few seconds then jump to the correct spot. It's never off by much.

If you're having issues with your GPS, I'd make sure I have a map an compass with me and know how to use them.
 
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