How long does it take for a GPS receiver to determine latitude, longitude, and elevation?
The GPS receiver may require anywhere from several seconds to several minutes to acquire a sufficient number of satellites after it has been activated. This depends on the availability of GPS satellites overhead at the time of your measurement, on the presence of obstructions, and on the energy level of your receiver. If it takes more than five minutes to get a satellite lock, change your batteries and try again. Once a GPS receiver has locked onto satellites the first time, it usually stores its location and uses that information to help acquire satellite signals much faster the next time. Some GPS receivers can be manually initialized with an estimate of the location to reduce the time it takes to acquire satellites.
