Garmin 520 GPS issues - typical?
02-02-20, 05:13 PM
#1
Hump, what hump?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SC midlands
Posts: 1,934
Bikes: See signature
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 337 Post(s)
Liked 227 Times
in
145 Posts
Garmin 520 GPS issues - typical?
My Edge 520 seems to take forever to synch with GPS satellites, even on a clear day: usually five minutes or more each time. Any other 520 owners experience this? My Edge 500 is ready within a minute.
__________________
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
02-02-20, 06:23 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 701
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 418 Times
in
250 Posts
Have you connected it to the Garmin Mobile app recently? My understanding is that while the head unit loads recent satellite data that helps it locate them faster.
02-02-20, 07:43 PM
#3
Hump, what hump?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SC midlands
Posts: 1,934
Bikes: See signature
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 337 Post(s)
Liked 227 Times
in
145 Posts
I’ve only connected online. I’ll try the app sometime. Thanks for the tip.
__________________
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
02-02-20, 08:56 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,352
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 680 Post(s)
Liked 948 Times
in
555 Posts
I have had two ggarmins and one would be really bad about connecting somethings not sure how long but several minutes. rebooting did not always fix it. when I reset it that helped for a bit.
02-02-20, 09:58 PM
#5
Senior Member
My 520+ gets a GPS fix very quickly. I do always have it connected to my phone via Bluetooth, don’t know if that makes a difference.
02-02-20, 11:27 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,646 Times
in
6,054 Posts
I had an 800 for many years, it was reasonably quick at this, never took five minutes. I have a modern Garmin watch that gets a satellite fix in seconds usually, unless I've moved it hundreds of miles.
It's it possible to leave it on and in a window while you get ready for your ride, whatever that means to you?
It's it possible to leave it on and in a window while you get ready for your ride, whatever that means to you?
02-02-20, 11:56 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 9,201
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1186 Post(s)
Liked 289 Times
in
177 Posts
I put my 520 on the bike in the garage and it’s usually locked by the time I get my shoes and jacket. It’s very fast if you ride every day. If you don’t use it for a while it will take longer as it loses information about the satellites and needs to scan for a longer period. For whatever reason it also takes longer at work even though it appears roughly the same amount of sky is visible.
02-03-20, 04:47 AM
#8
Hump, what hump?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SC midlands
Posts: 1,934
Bikes: See signature
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 337 Post(s)
Liked 227 Times
in
145 Posts
Thanks for all the replies. At this point I’m riding once or twice a week. Hopefully the speed will improve with more frequent rides. Meanwhile I’ll let it search while prepping for the ride.
__________________
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
02-03-20, 09:49 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,904
Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2604 Post(s)
Liked 1,933 Times
in
1,213 Posts
FWIW, my old 800 takes a while to get a satellite lock when I haven't used it for a couple weeks (or more). However, if it senses it's moving and I start recording, it usually manages to record the entire ride.
02-03-20, 11:05 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,957
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix, Canyon Inflite AL SLX, Ibis Ripley AF, Priority Continuum Onyx, Santana Vision, Kent Dual-Drive Tandem
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 877 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times
in
436 Posts
The 520 needs to be synced with Garmin Connect to update its satellite cache. A while back people noticed this was not happening with the app, only the desktop program. I don't know if Garmin ever fixed the app, although I've never had to wait more than one or two minutes unless I was already in motion before it got a lock, so a reset may be in order for you.
02-03-20, 02:49 PM
#11
Heft On Wheels
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,123
Bikes: Specialized,Cannondale,Argon 18
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 560 Times
in
346 Posts
The 520 needs to be synced with Garmin Connect to update its satellite cache. A while back people noticed this was not happening with the app, only the desktop program. I don't know if Garmin ever fixed the app, although I've never had to wait more than one or two minutes unless I was already in motion before it got a lock, so a reset may be in order for you.
they didn't fix this issue. I had this issue, Garmin CS said sync on a computer and it will fix itself. now I connect once a month and have not had an issue. Is not a big deal just something that should be resolved IMO. My love for Garmin is strong but this kind annoys me!
I too have a 520 and its been perfect. The signal is probably a 30 second connect most of the time.
02-10-20, 12:07 PM
#12
Senior Member
I had a 520 before I went to a Wahoo. I had the same problem with mine. It wasn't a huge deal though. I just turned on the computer and started it before I started putting on my bike clothes and by the time I was dressed it was either ready or close to being ready.
