Why Does My Garmin Watch Take So Long to Locate Satellites?  

There are a number of factors that can cause your Garmin watch to take a long time to find and acquire a GPS satellite signal, or perhaps not even find and acquire a signal. Giving the watch a clear view of the sky and horizon will allow for the quickest satellite acquisition.

Factors That Impact GPS Reception

The following factors will generally impact your watch's ability to track and locate GPS satellites: 

• Wooded areas
• Buildings blocking the view of the horizon or sky
• Being inside a building or cave
• Canyons or deep valleys
• Being underwater
• You have traveled a long distance from where your watch last acquired a signal
• Your watch has not been synced to Garmin Connect to acquire new EPO/CPE data

NOTE: Cloud cover does not affect the watch's ability to acquire a GPS signal.