[gps-talkusers] Earthmate question

Hi, all. I have a question for you Earthmate users, especially for those who have used the adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car. I'm wondering if the Earthmate is supposed to charge while it's plugged in with the car adapter.

Last Sunday we went from Sacramento to Hayward and back, and I had the Earthmate plugged in almost the whole time. I used it on just the battery briefly during the week. Last Friday we went from Sacramento to San Francisco and back. At one point, I think while waiting to pay our toll and get on the bridge, I got a "GPS receiver not detected", but then after making sure the connections were snug, it came back on. I assumed the Earthmate had charged while plugged in in the car, so didn't charge it when I got home. I used it on battery yesterday with no problems. Today I used it in the car on battery for a trip to Elk Grove and back. Before we even got to Elk Grove, I got the "dliddle-dee-doop" sound and the message "GPS receiver not detected". Turning it off and on didn't help, so I plugged it into the cigarette lighter adapter, and it came back to life and I used it with no problems for the rest of the trip. When we got home, I plugged it in with the regular power cube, and my husband tells me lights are showing on both the power cube and the Earthmate receiver, so it obviously needed charging. So I'm wondering if the car adapter just gives it extra power but doesn't charge the battery. But if that's the case, why did I briefly lose power while waiting to cross the bridge, even with the adapter turned on. The situation isn't consistent enough for me to think it might be a cable problem, and the fact that it was corrected immediately after plugging into the car adapter makes me think it was a battery issue. I'm just wondering if I should treat the battery as though it had been used even though I have the Earthmate on the car adapter, and charge it up with the regular charger, just to make sure I have juice in the battery, or if this is an early indication of a problem with my battery or receiver.

Peggy



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