15 replies to this topic

[dfuser]

I finally spent the money and got the latest with the GoPro cable, however on the last 2 days of NASA nationals it would not run and keeps giving ,me error. searching for Sat.  Any ideas what the proper fix is?PS

 

PS:  I was told I need to add an ON/OFF switch to the brain to fix this issue after starting the vehicle.

[Todd Lamb]

Who told you that, TraqMate? That would be news to me.

 

If it is searching for satellite, the issue would likely be in the GPS antenna. The display unit has a real time satellite monitoring page - have you gone to that to see what kind of satellite info it is (or isn't) getting?

 

Sometimes the antennas are bad, the wires get pinched, or (less likely for those tech savvy) the gps pickup is not installed on the outside of the car.

 

And on occasion, I'll see that searching for satellite as well, and simply stopping data recording with the display unit and restarting does the trick.

[tra68]

+1 for faulty antennae.  Ask me how I know ...

[dfuser]

Who told you that, TraqMate? That would be news to me.

 

If it is searching for satellite, the issue would likely be in the GPS antenna. The display unit has a real time satellite monitoring page - have you gone to that to see what kind of satellite info it is (or isn't) getting?

 

Sometimes the antennas are bad, the wires get pinched, or (less likely for those tech savvy) the gps pickup is not installed on the outside of the car.

 

And on occasion, I'll see that searching for satellite as well, and simply stopping data recording with the display unit and restarting does the trick.

Todd,

 

This is a brand new unit with only NASA nationals weekend on it.  It was working fine all week till Saturday and it decided to act up.  I tried several times in the pits to cut main power and restart and it did not want to work.  The top right indicator for sat feed showed none available,  The same person that told me about having to add a separate on/off switch had the same exact problem.  Traqmate gave him a new antenna and the problem remained.   I will to relocate the Antenna, but it worked fine till Saturday AM.

[Keith Andrews]

Make sure all the connections are good.  Traqmate complete or TraqDash?

 

I've had this before and been told it was a communication issue between the SU and display.  

 

You can dump your info if you don't shut it down before you remove power.  

 

Make sure you don't have too much data, which you shouldn't.  Out of habit now, I erase all my sessions after they are on my computer.

[Todd Green]

Bill, just to update what I said in impound.  When I got home and looked at the SD card, my data acq was actually logging and I had GPS locks.  It was just the display that was fubared (and showing that I wasn't logging, didn't give shift lights, lap/sector times etc.)  Since I was losing voltage during the races I changed the setup right before the champ race to display voltage on the main screen and to have an alarm if it went under 13V.  For some reason this horked the display.  Grrr.

 

But I did get sat locks etc.  (However, I have an RT DL-1, not Traqmate.)  FIgured I'd clarify just in case you thought there was a general problem with GPS signals during the race.

[dfuser]

Bill, just to update what I said in impound.  When I got home and looked at the SD card, my data acq was actually logging and I had GPS locks.  It was just the display that was fubared (and showing that I wasn't logging, didn't give shift lights, lap/sector times etc.)  Since I was losing voltage during the races I changed the setup right before the champ race to display voltage on the main screen and to have an alarm if it went under 13V.  For some reason this horked the display.  Grrr.

 

But I did get sat locks etc.  (However, I have an RT DL-1, not Traqmate.)  FIgured I'd clarify just in case you thought there was a general problem with GPS signals during the race.

Thx Todd

 

 

Make sure all the connections are good.  Traqmate complete or TraqDash?

 

I've had this before and been told it was a communication issue between the SU and display.  

 

You can dump your info if you don't shut it down before you remove power.  

 

Make sure you don't have too much data, which you shouldn't.  Out of habit now, I erase all my sessions after they are on my computer.

Traqmate TraqDash Complete

[Kyle Keenan]

I've got the same issue with mine, just says searching for sat all the time. I should probably send it back.

[dfuser]

I've got the same issue with mine, just says searching for sat all the time. I should probably send it back.

Kyle try to add a toggle on/off switch to the power line to the traqmate, and turn on after you start the car and see if that resolves your problem.  I do not have my car to test the theory.

[Todd Lamb]

Perhaps as part of this switch theory, the TraqMate power should not be switched via the kill switch. For best results TraqMate has always recommended connecting the power directly to the battery (with the inline fuse of course).

[dfuser]

Perhaps as part of this switch theory, the TraqMate power should not be switched via the kill switch. For best results TraqMate has always recommended connecting the power directly to the battery (with the inline fuse of course).

That maybe where my issue is then.  I will re-wire and install a switch just for it, once I get it back!  Thx Tood

[Todd Lamb]

You don't really need a switch for it - you turn it off via the display.

 

I would hard wire it to the battery with the inline fuse, then check the satellite page on the display and see what you get.

 

I still think the most likely culprit is the GPS antenna going bad or getting pinched/cut.

 

Let us know what you find.

[dfuser]

okie dokie.  Will do and let you know.

[steve]

I've had the same problem, with the unit stuck looking for satellite.  Hitting the red reverse button and restarting usually works, although once in a while it takes a good two laps of racing to figure out where it is.

 

And of course, this is a problem separate from the unit claiming to not find any tracks within 50 miles.

[wreckerboy]

After the unit worked flawlessly for several weekends, I had similar problems, and typically the unit would also behave as if my race was one 20+ minute lap. In conversation with TraqMate I decided to do a master reset of the system which cured its ills. Odds are that I caused the problem by fat fingering the system on grid. Have you tried doing a master reset?

[dfuser]

Rob,

 

What is the process to do a master reset?