Garmin dēzl™ Device Isn't Acquiring Satellites

If your Garmin automotive device is no longer acquiring satellites, ensure that this is not being caused by something in your environment. Take your device out of parking garages and away from tall buildings and trees.

As GPS devices are used, data is gathered which helps them acquire satellites quickly at the start of each use. If a device is used daily it should be able to acquire satellites in a minute or less. Using a GPS device while it is outdoors with a clear view of the entire sky is the ideal condition for acquiring satellites.

The Following Video Discusses Charging your Device and Acquiring Satellites:

Factors that May Cause the Device to be Unable to Acquire Satellites:

• If your device is trying to acquire satellites for the first time, it may take longer than normal to establish an initial position.

  • If the device is powered on and outdoors with a clear view of the sky, this should not take more than 3-5 minutes.

• The device will not acquire satellites if the GPS Simulator is enabled.
  • Reference your device's Owner's Manual on our Support Center for steps to verify the GPS Simulator is disabled.

• If your device does not have a full view of the sky while placed in the car, it may not acquire satellites properly.

  • For best satellite acquisition, mount the device on the windshield or dashboard.

• If your device has not been used for an extended period of time (more than a month), it may take 3-5 minutes to acquire satellites.

• If your device is indoors, it may not acquire satellites. Even standing next to a window indoors will block a majority of the sky which is needed for a device to locate and lock onto a satellite signal.

• If your device has traveled over 500 miles while turned off or not tracking your travel, it may take 3-5 minutes to acquire even in ideal conditions.

• If your vehicle has a protective coating on its windshield or electronic devices which interferes with the device receiving a signal, your device may not be able to acquire satellites in this environment.

  • Some vehicles are equipped with special windshields that may contain metal in the glass (metal oxide) that prevents the GPS device from having a clear line of sight to the satellites.
  • Windshields with solar ray glass, solar tint, heated, or heat-reflective windshields and insulated or Insta-Clear glass may also affect satellite acquisition.
  • If you suspect this to be an issue, try taking the device outside of the vehicle with a clear view of the sky for 3-5 minutes so that the device can acquire satellites.
  • If your device loses satellites once moved back into your vehicle, this is most likely the reason.

If your device is still having trouble acquiring satellites, ensure that it has the latest version of operating software by following steps in the Software section under your device in Support Center.  Once your device is updated, allow the device to acquire satellites outdoors in a stationary position with a clear view of the sky. If this is ineffective, it may be necessary to perform a master reset.

Note: A master reset will erase all favorites Backing up, Restoring, or Transferring Saved Data on Garmin Automotive Devices and will restore your device to the default factory settings. 

A master reset will also delete vehicle profiles and IFTA logging data.  While Hours of Service driver profiles and logs should remain intact along with all HOS data, it is recommended to back up the data before a master reset. You can View the Hours of Service logs from a dēzl™ or dēzlCam™ on a computer in order to back up the data. 

To Perform a Master Reset:

1. Start with the device turned off and unplugged from power
   • To verify the device is powered off and not in standby mode, press and hold down the power button until prompted to turn off the device
2. Power on the device
3. When the first copyright screen appears press and hold the lower-right corner of the display portion of the touchscreen
4. Remove your finger from the touchscreen when "Erase all user data?" appears
5. Touch Yes

The device will automatically reset. Follow the on-screen prompts to set your locale and then place your device in an area with a clear view of the sky until it acquires satellites.

¹Although the master reset will erase all saved favorites, any loaded custom points of interest will remain intact on the device.

Note: If you have just finished updating the software of your device or if you have performed a master reset, your device may take 3-5 minutes to acquire a satellite signal while outdoors, as the data that is used to locate satellites may have been erased.