What does it all mean?

We have something similar to a cellphone tower like display and we also have multiple satellite icons that can be 3 different colors

how does it all tie together and what do the colors mean?

thanks

Do you have the owner's manual? I'm sure it's in there somewhere...

I don't remember finding a good description of that in the manual, so this is just my assumption based on other GPS receivers:

The display can show reception of 0 to 8 satellites with each individual satellite signal strength indicated by the different colours. I remember 3 colours I think. So the strength can none, marginal, good or excellent.

Having said that though, I think my assumption is wrong. Otherwise I would expect to see more than one non-excellent colour occassionally and I don't think I have. Maybe that's why Pioneer didn't describe it in the manual.

From Manual:

(2) GPS Antenna

Indicates the connection status of the GPS

antenna, the reception sensitivity and from

how many satellites the signal is received.

If the signal is received correctly, “OK†is displayed.

If reception is poor, “NOK†appears.

The first thing that looks like a "cellphone tower" just shows whether or not the GPS antenna is connected to the D3. The others are individual satellites, the more you have colored in, the better your signal is.

my "cellphone tower" is constantly between no bars and 2 bars but i always have at least half the satellites colored in

i have the receiver in the dash under the windshield

From Manual:

 

(2) GPS Antenna

Indicates the connection status of the GPS

antenna, the reception sensitivity and from

how many satellites the signal is received.

If the signal is received correctly, “OK†is displayed.

If reception is poor, “NOK†appears.

"Sensitivity" is a simplification, but for all intents and purposes correct. More accurately, the icons indicate which of three tracking states the satellite is in.

On a side note, most of the technical details I learned about the GPS system came from the instruction manual to my first receiver - Casio's PAT2GP-1V GPS Pathfinder Watch. For whatever reason, the manual went into FAR more detail about GPS than most others, probably because the technology was so new and impressive they wanted to showcase and explain it. I understand that some of this might be outdated -- for example, I understand that newer receivers automatically handle DATUM selection for greater accuracy -- but for the most part, the protocols for GPS tracking have remained the same.

Anyway, most devices that show satellite status do so by indicating the status of each channel. I've rephrased the reliant status icons below:

• 
  [*:3mkbziyi]"Searching" (Z1: Grey) - Indicates a slot for which the device is standing by to receive a signal. (As far as I understand, there's even more to this, as, since there are a limited number of channels, receivers use almanac data to determine which satellites SHOULD be overhead and gives priority to those satellites).
   
  [*:3mkbziyi]"Tracking" (Z1: yellow)- Indicates a satellite which is currently being tracked. Signal receipt is enabled for these satellites, though not enough data has been received or calculated to use this satellite for positioning.
   
  [*:3mkbziyi]"Busy"/InUse (Z1: orange) - Indicates a satellite from which ephemeris data (information about the position of the host satellite and the satellite clock time) is being received. This satellite is being used for positioning.

So, that's it as I understand it, but feel free to take it with a grain of salt. The system is very complex and even the best understanding is still a simplification.

my "cellphone tower" is constantly between no bars and 2 bars but i always have at least half the satellites colored in

 

i have the receiver in the dash under the windshield

Yeah, I wonder how they decided how many bars to give... It could be based off the current DOP, or rather its own confidence in the positioning results. Who knows. I usually just ignore it. You only "need" 3 satellites to get a position, so when I see 5+ I consider that accurate enough.