Most irritating thing about PC Miler

What I cant figure out is that ever since I installed the new 2010 map card in my PCM 740 it takes 5 full minutes for my 740GPS to lock onto satellites and find my location. This did not happen with the old map card. It shouldn't take so long for the 740 to lock onto the satellites and start working!

 

That does seem odd. Call tech support at 507-226-0042 and ask them about it. I can't ever recall that particular problem being reported until now.

 

I have the pcm 450 and I love it, BUT ( ain't there always a but in there ) I can not update it via my laptop. I can plug it in but the machine won't see it, I have all the current drivers installed and am a IT guy along with being a driver. My machine is a fully loaded Alienware m17 R3 maxed out running Win7 x64 ultimate. When I plug it in it will charge via the laptop BUT not be recognized as a valid device.

 

4 pin USB - pins 1/4 are power, 2/3 are data transfer

5 pin USB - pins 1/5 are power, 2/3/4 are data transfer

Try changing your power settings to high.

mark

 

There is a small percentage of (especially the newer) computers that do not recognize some USB devices due to voltage on the ports. The work-arounds are to use a powered USB hub, try a high-quality short usb cable, or to do the updates on a desktop or a different laptop that does not exhibit this issue.

 

I am a truck driver and I have the PC*MILER Navigator 550.

It will sometimes freeze up while navigating where the map will scroll, but the status bar on bottom and turn info on the right side don't change. I have to use the reset button on the back to fix it. Sometimes this will happen 2 to 4 times in one day, then I could go up to a month without it happening again.

Mine shows me "off road" at a 2 locations along I90 in MA. I figure it is a satellite issue, for other GPS's do the same thing in those locations.

The biggest issue I have is how it will give me the mileage to a river, when a name gets attached to the highway (I95 & I95 Yankee Expressway), or when a road exits off of the highway I am on (I88 and Hwy 28). I mean, why do I need to know how many miles to a RIVER??? I am not driving to fish! Also, each time it has that, it is an extra line in the route list. I have seen at least 3 pages of one highway listed because of rivers, exits I don't need, names added to, etc... What a pain in the butt that is!

I have submitted the info to CoPilot Central to see what they can tell me...

Oh yeah, speaking of them... I can't get any map updates in their software. Not even an option listed to update maps.

 

I have the PC 430. Got the updated SD card approx. 9 months ago. Shortly after it quit taking a charge so I sent it in for repair and they lost the unit. After several calls and 3 months they sent me another unit.
This unit, shows the display slightly crooked and takes approx. 45 min. to 2 hours to find the satalittes. Finally figured out to leave in on 24-7 and it's up and running in the morning.
But still drops location when in bad areas.
I'm so dissatified with this brand, I'd sell it for little of nothing. I'd love to trade it in for a better unit but I'm not going with PC Miler again.

 

That could be loss of satellite signal, RF interference, or the software burping. Turn off the state mileage logging (Menu / Truck / Settings / uncheck the box) if you don't absolutely need that function. That helps with symptoms like you described sometimes too. Also, go into the satellite strength screen and see if you are getting the max signal you can get in terms of where it is placed in the truck and what other electronics it is near to. If it has poor signal in your particular rig or if the internal antenna is weak, then you can put an external antenna on it to fix that also.

That all sounds like mapping issues. Latest word is that a long-delayed map update will be available on CP Central this week. I'll ping this thread for you when I see it. Plus, many drivers don't have the current available maps either. Go to "About CoPilot" and see if the "Data" says "2011.04" in the number string.

 

430 model: yes, I suspect that battery is going to be pretty tired on any 430 by this point.
Crooked display and 2 hours to get signal: that sounds like a less-than-stellar replacement unit to me. Weak internal receiver and screen.
3 months and lost your unit: that is not the norm for them, but it definitely got hosed o the customer service side there for sure.

 

Just sad that I sent in a unit for bad battery and I get back a junk unit because they couldn't find the one I sent in to them. I think they actually threw my in the trash because they first called left a message that it couldn't be repaired. When I called back, they couldn't find it to send back. So offered to send me a good used one. I've been just shocked at their repair service which I beleive is different than the customer service but not positive.