H2O speed reading

[DTro]

Mine works fine above 1mph, but anything under, it just reads 0.00.

Is there a setting that I need to change or something. I know it can be done, because yesterday we had two side by side. One was reading .6mph and mine was reading 0.00.

[Can'tFishEnuf]

Mine does the same thing. I have it next to a Humminbird GPS and it will read down to fractions of mph, but the H20 will still read 0. I don't know why.

[sparcebag]

Were they both in MPH or maybe KPH? I have a different brand and in KPH I get the tenths in MPH 1MPH is lowest no tenths.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Same with mine, Dtro.

[DTro]

Nope, both in MPH. The only difference was that Brian's is a non-color unit and mine is color.

As soon as we got over 1MPH both read the same thing (even in tenths.....16.5/16.5)

[CDE]

Are you running the latest software version?

[DTro]

No idea.

I just purchased it late last winter.

[cmalis27]

My H20c won't read anything under 1.0mph either.

[zelek]

Errrr....neither will mine and I just got it. Lowrance shipped me this one last week after my other one had issues with the buttons.

[DTro]

Looks like it is an across the board problem with the newer versions.

Guess it's not me.

If anyone happens to find a fix, please let me know.

[moviking]

I have the Ifinder hunt, and if you go to digital you should be able to get what you want, I think

[moviking]

I should add that I had a ifinder pro and I liked it better than the hunt

[schweady]

dtro:

I was messing around with this, thinking it was somewhere in the Trip Calculator's Threshold or Speed settings, but no luck.

Maybe you can try this:

On both of those units you've got there, hit Menu twice, then System Setup > Software Information... and check for different software version numbers.

My ExpeditionC is at Version 1.1.0, which is the latest, and I don't get any readings less than 1 mph either.

If all of the ones that can read .6 or whatever are ones with an earlier software version installed, and all of the ones with newer software upgrades can't do it, maybe Lowrance needs to hear about it so that they can (re)fix this in a future upgrade.

[Bob/Mn]

I was at the H2O FAQ:

"How can I get my GPS to read below 1 MPH?

One of the limitations to GPS is the fact that it cannot track movements very well that are below 1mph. For example, you could be drifting in a boat and move quite a distance over time, but the GPS position on your map may not have changed.

Fishermen who do a lot of slow trolling will often use a paddlewheel type speed sensor, to track their trolling speeds.

( Nore from admin,please read forum policy before posting again,thank-you.)

I have a Garmin Etrax and it will read right down to 0.1 mph.

I hope Lowrance does a software fix. As the recommended fix, a paddle wheel, does not work when the boat in in a side drift.

[DTro]

or going upstream on a river

That is a pretty poor excuse, it's obviously a software glitch. Especially when most other units will read that slow and even the earlier versions work fine.

[Bob/Mn]

or going upstream on a river

That is a pretty poor excuse, it's obviously a software glitch. Especially when most other units will read that slow and even the earlier versions work fine.

The etrax is a older unit and at first would not read low speeds.

Garmin came up with a fix that was downloaded. One positive thing about Garmin is that they are always up dating their software.

I hope Lowrance gets on the stick soon.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I can see how it wouldn't be very accurate at slow speeds, but you'd think it'd give you a value, at least.

[schweady]

dtro:

Did you check to see if there were differences in the software versions on those two? and perhaps it was the older version that could display the readings below 1 mph?

[DTro]

I will check tonight.

[PerchJerker]

Lowrance fixed mount gps that use the gps puck show speeds below 1.0 mph. This is just my opinion, but I think the accuracy of the antennas and receivers in the handhelds is not as good as the pucks - and not as good of accuracy means not as good at calculating speeds. That's probably why they don't show it below 1.0 mph on the handhelds.

I know that even at normal trolling speeds of 1.5 to 3.5 mph or so, my H20 speed reading jumps all over the place compared to my 332s speed readings.

[schweady]

dtro:

This begs a second question... was it a fixed mount system w/puck that showed the .6 mph reading and a handheld that read 0.00?

[Bob/Mn]

Lowrance fixed mount gps that use the gps puck show speeds below 1.0 mph. This is just my opinion, but I think the accuracy of the antennas and receivers in the handhelds is not as good as the pucks - and not as good of accuracy means not as good at calculating speeds. That's probably why they don't show it below 1.0 mph on the handhelds.

I know that even at normal trolling speeds of 1.5 to 3.5 mph or so, my H20 speed reading jumps all over the place compared to my 332s speed readings.

The strang thing is I run the year old H2O side by side with a seven year old garmin etrax. The garmin tracks down to 0.1 mph. Both use built in antennas. Go figure.

(IMHO) I believe it has something to do with software.

I have a external antenna for the H2O and when I get time I will check out the antenna thing.

[delcecchi]

Some GPSs seem to cut off at 1.0 mph. my old magellan did that. My 332 doesn't. I don't think my go2 does either. I always thought it was a software thing to keep the speed from jumping around while you are standing still.

[PerchJerker]

I always thought it was a software thing to keep the speed from jumping around while you are standing still.

I think you are correct. A gps doesn't automatically know the speed, it has to be programmed to calculate the speed, and programmed to display the speed. Not long ago there was a post where someone thought his earlier generation handheld was more accurate than the newer ones because the speed didn't jump around so much --- it wasn't more accurate, it was programmed to not update the speed calculation and display as frequently to prevent the jumping around ---- exactly what you mention in your post.

That's why adding an external antenna to a H2O won't make a difference --- the unit may have a more accurate reading of where it is and how fast it's moving, but if it's not programmed to calculate or display that, it won't matter.