Trouble Locking onto Satellites – Performance Box Touch

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If Performance Box Touch displays a flashing red satellite icon at the top of the screen, the unit is struggling to acquire a satellite lock. It needs a least 4 satellites to calculate the position. You can see the current number of detected satellited on the Diagnostic Settings screen.

Please follow the guidance below. If Performance Box Touch still has trouble locking onto satellites, please contact Racelogic Support.

IMPORTANT
The first time you use the unit, it may take as long as 10 to 15 minutes to fully acquire satellites. After this initial acquisition, it will usually only take 1–2 minutes to acquire the satellite lock.

Using the Internal Antenna

Performance Box Touch has an internal patch antenna. This means that where the unit has a clear view of the sky, you would not need an additional antenna in most circumstances. However, satellite signals can be influenced by various factors.

Mounting Location

Performance Box Touch should be mounted on the windscreen in a suitable location and adjusted as necessary. You should minimise potential interference from features such as roof bars and windscreen wipers as much as possible.

PB Touch Windscreen.png

Athermic Windscreens

Some modern cars are fitted with a special windscreen that cuts down the amount of UV (Ultra Violet) rays that will be transferred through the windscreen. This helps to reduce glare. These windscreens are called athermic or UV Coated, and they will dampen/reduce GNSS signals coming through the windscreen. If you have an athermic windscreen, you will not receive the same quality signal that you would if the Performance Box Touch were outside of the car.

To check if you have an athermic windscreen, you can either contact the manufacturer of your vehicle or talk to the main authorised dealer who may be able to tell you. If you cannot confirm yes or no by doing this, another way to check is to power up your Performance Box Touch and hold it outside of the vehicle to receive a satellite fix. Use the Diagnostic Settings screen to see how many satellites it has detected. After noting this down, you can move the unit inside the car and see if the GNSS signal drops by 2 to 4 satellites. If this happens immediately, you probably have an athermic windscreen.

Using an External Antenna (RLACS284)

If you are using an external antenna (RLACS284) and the unit has trouble locking onto satellites, follow the checklist of typical solutions below:

Common problems with GNSS antennas are due to damage to the cable and the connector. You should place the cable so that it avoids tight angles, as this can damage the thin core.

Make sure that the antenna is placed in a position where it has an unobstructed view of the sky (see GPS Antenna Placement below).
Check the antenna connection to Performance Box Touch. Even small amounts of dirt in the socket can cause a significant reduction in the signal strength.
Check for damage to the cable, both at the plug and along the entire length.
If possible, try another known working antenna to confirm if the problem is with the functionality of your antenna.
Perform a GPS Coldstart and leave the unit powered up and in an open static position for at least 15 minutes.

GPS Antenna Placement

To achieve optimum GNSS signal reception, you must make sure that the antenna is fitted to the highest point on the vehicle and away from any obstructions that may block satellite reception. The GNSS antenna works best with a metal ground plane (alternatively some silver foil or a metal plate beneath the antenna can improve the reception significantly if you don’t have a large metal roof).

Click here for more information on antenna placement.

Environment

GPS Coldstart

If Performance Box Touch is struggling to acquire a satellite lock, you may need to perform a GPS coldstart. This may be necessary when the unit hasn’t been used for several days or has moved location significantly since it was last used.

To perform a coldstart, press the COLDSTART button in the Diagnostics Settings menu.

Performance Box Settings Diagnostics v1.5 (v2).png

When you press the button, the unit will make an audible sound and you will see a ‘PLEASE WAIT’ message counting down from 3. Until the satellite lock has been acquired, the number of satellites will be displayed as '00' and the GPS status will show ‘SEARCHING FOR SATELLITES’. It will take approximately 25 to 30 seconds for the unit to reacquire the satellite lock.