Our customers live in various countries. We tried to answer support emails within 48 hours. Here are email exhanges with a customer. The questions and answers in these emails will help majority of the customers who might encounter problems.
Robert to me, Jul 19 (8 days ago)
Hi Mark,
While on vacation, I charged the unit and tried using it with my Nikon D3s. The camera would recognize the unit however the unit never was able to link with the satellites. The Blue LED on the unit would flash very quickly and the GPS status indictor on the camera would flash about 3 times a second. I tried the unit in various locations, but the result was always the same. Have you encountered this problem before and what do you recommend.
Regards,
Bob
Reply to Robert Jul 20 (7 days ago)
Hello Bob:
We are sorry to hear that unit is unable to lock satellites. This could happen in the following two situations: 1: In the Setup menu->GPS, please turn the Auto Meter Off . Please refer to your D3s manual for more detail.
2: The GPS is defective.
Please try #1. If the unit is still unable to lock satellites, we will ship you a replacement.
Best Regards
Mark
Reply Robert to me July 20 (7 days ago)
Mark,
Good news, I tried disabling the Auto Meter Off function as you suggested and the unit then locked satellites. Also by adjusting the Auto Meter Off Delay to 30 seconds, I was able to get the unit to also lock satellites.
Once lock, the unit produced the expected coordinates, however the Heading Output reported remains at 135 degrees regardless of the direction the camera is pointed. I consulted the User Guide, but did not see any instructions for using the Heading Reset button. I tried pressing the Reset Button, however the Heading Results were unchanged. I’m sure I must be doing something wrong, any assistance you can offer would be appreciated. Note, I do have the unit mounted on the cameras Flash Hot shoe so it is always aligned with the direction the camera is pointing.
Also the units mount tab for the Hot Shoe fits so tightly in the shoe, the unit cannot be pushed completely into mount on the camera. I know this will not affect the Heading, however I am concerned that the mounting tab may break with future insert/removal cycles. Is this tight fit normal and is it ok?
Thanks for your help,
Bob
Reply Jul 20 (7 days ago)
Hello Bob:
We are one step closer to resolve your issue. I am sure that I can help you with the Heading Reset.
The heading Reset button is on the front right hand side (if you mount the GPS on the camera and see from the top). We do not include the heading Reset button instruction on the user manual as it is tricky to reset it. However, for your situation, please reset it. Here is how:
1: When you have the GPS unit mounted and connected to the camera and locked to satellites (do this outside so you can test the readings right away), push the Heading Reset Button and hold it down for a few seconds until you see the GPS icon disappear from the LCD panel on your camera.
2: Hold your camera flat (or place on a flat surface such as a table), slowly (15 -20 seconds in 1 rotation) rotate the camera (and the GPS unit) clockwise for about 30 seconds (1-2 rotations), until you see the GPS icon appears again on the LCD panel on your camera. (The GPS unit is actually trying to record the coordinates for every direction and recalculate the correct earth magnetic axis bias)
3: Repeat the above steps if necessary (3-5 times is common, more is often required).
The heading reset is tricky. Please be patient. The key is to have a slow and rather uniform clockwise rotation.
In our factory, we have one person who does heading reset for every M2. We call him Mr. Heading Reset.
Best Regards
Mark
Robert to me July 22 (5 days ago)
Mark,
The Heading reset work the first time, I’m now getting Heading data. At this point everything appears to be working, I’m going to use the unit for the next few days.
Today when I turned it on, it took about 5 minutes for it to lock. Is this to be expect sometimes?
Also do you have any comments regarding the “Hot Shoe” mounting described in my earlier email?
Bob
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Mark to Robert Jul 23 (4 days ago)
Hello Bob:
Glad to hear that you got the heading working in the first time.
In normal situation, such as open sky, clear day, no high buildings blocking the satellites, and you are not moving the GPS can get a fix (more than 4 satellites) between 1-2 minutes. 5 min or longer does happen in not so idea situation, such as under the tree or close to a building, cloudy sky or in a total new location (far away from the last location, ie, you fly to NYC for a vacation and fire up the unit after you land) or you are moving.
The GPS unit is rather small and uses a small antenna. You can expect it to perform similar to a GPS enabled cell phone, not in par with a dedicated GPS unit such as those from Garmin.
We purposely design the hotshoe mount to be very tight to prevent the GPS unit from dropping out from the camera. It appears to be “too tight” when you first use it. Then, like a pair of new leather shoes, it will loosen up upon usage.
Hope you are enjoying the product. Any other recommendations besides the seemly long satellite fix?
Best Regards
Mark
Douglas W. Reynolds, Jr. 6:41 am on March 11, 2011 Permalink
So, is “this little device” available for purchase? And what might its little price be?
Mark Guest 9:44 pm on September 12, 2011 Permalink
Search for “C shaped camera flash bracket” on a popular auction website – that’s where I found mine. I have also found a cable remote controller for the M2 as well.