Taking Care of Your GPS Receiver
You wash your car and change the oil. You update your computer, fine tune your lawnmower and clean out your refrigerator (I hope) every so often. Why shouldn’t you take care of your GPS receiver?
Taking care of your GPS is not only fun (riiight) but it’s something that has to be done. Without proper care you will be buying a new one every six months or so. Or else you’ll end up curing the one you have. In the interest of keeping the family vacation as G-rated as possible, here are some tips on how to maintain your GPS.
It’s important to keep your GPS out of extreme heat or cold for prolonged periods of time. In cold weather your LCD screen might freeze. In hot weather your GPS receiver could become too hot damaging your circuitry. So if it’s too hot or cold out, maybe a good idea to take it with you if you’re going to be away from your car for an extended period of time.
Keeping your GPS relatively dust free is a good idea. Dust causes all kinds of problems with electronics. It’s true that most GPS receivers are not vented and lack a cooling fan, however, even a small layer of dust can insulate your unit and cause overheating. Plus, it looks better.
Cleaning your screen is one of the most important things you need to do. Dust on the screen can make it hard to see the display at an angle, encouraging backseat navigation, which is always bad. Just make sure you don’t use any harsh chemicals or better yet, buy a kit for cleaning your GPS. Yes they make them, and they are worth it.
Updating your GPS as much as possible is recommended as well. You will not only get the latest map updates that way, but software updates and calibration. The reason for map updates is a pretty easy one to figure out. Software updates will enable your GPS receiver to operate as efficiently as possible. Often when the GPS restarts after an update it will recalibrate as well. This is important as the GPS needs to do a “head check” every so often to make sure it is in the right place.
Placement in your car is another factor. Try to mount your GPS somewhere that is easy for you to see, but also away from any doors, windows or seat tracks. This includes your cord as well. If you break the cords a replacement will cost you nearly as much as the GPS did. If you break off the tip of the cord, you might as well buy a whole new GPS.
We should take care of our GPS as much as possible and it will take care of us. The fact is, 99% of the time, when there is a GPS error, it is due to not updating or maintaining our GPS receiver. Updating should start right out of the box and continue throughout usage. While you’re online, download a Darth Vader voice or something too, those are fun.
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Garmin GPS Accessories which showcases reviews of some of the top accessories for your Garmin GPS system.