GPSMAP unable to acquire satellites while connected to an external GPS antenna

GPSMAP not acquiring satellites while connected to a GPS antenna

If a chartplotter has a connected NMEA 2000 GPS antenna and does not acquire satellites, the first step in troubleshooting is to verify proper installation. Most chartplotters have built-in GPS antennas, but the MFD series require an external GPS antenna that connects via NMEA 2000. Multi-function displays come with an NMEA 2000 antenna and all the components necessary for installation. A correctly connected NMEA 2000 network will look like the following picture:

The full installation instructions all GPSMAP series can be found by here.  Finding the Owner's Manual for a Garmin Device 

View NMEA Device List

After physically checking all pieces are connected correctly, View the NMEA 2000 Device List

Steps to view the device list: 

From any page select Options > Settings > Communications > NMEA 2000 Setup > Device List The GPS antenna if seen on the NMEA 2000 network is listed on this page. If the page says none found or the GPS antenna is missing ensure that the NMEA 2000 system is properly installed see the Technical Reference for Garmin NMEA 2000 Products.

Disconnect the Yellow Power cable

Disconnect the power cable from the NMEA 2000 backbone and allow to sit for 5 full minutes before plugging the power cable back to the T-Connector. Doing this test allows built-up charges to dissipate from the backbone. After returning the power cable to the backbone check the device list for the GPS antenna. If it is still not found see NMEA 2000 Troubleshooting for further steps.