No GPS Track Appears
What to check when GPS is missing.
Use this when
The map panel in the viewer sidebar shows a blank map with no track line, or the playhead marker never appears when you scrub through a recording.
Common reasons
- GPS was not locked during recording — Every ping header stores a latitude and longitude. HumVision skips any ping where both values are exactly zero. If the unit never acquired a GPS fix (e.g. indoors, under heavy tree cover, or antenna disconnected), all coordinates read as zero and no track appears.
- Recording made on internal water (no satellite signal) — Some Humminbird units log pings the moment the unit powers on, before GPS locks. The early portion of the track will be missing.
- External GPS not connected or not selected — If the unit was set to use an external GPS module that was not connected, pings record with zero coordinates.
- Partial fix — Some pings may have valid coordinates while others do not. A very short or broken track line usually indicates intermittent GPS signal.
How to check
- Open the recording in HumVision and look at the map panel. If a track line appears but the playhead marker is missing, the current ping index may be in the zero-coordinate section — scrub forward or backward to find the section with GPS data.
- Check the depth chart below the map. If depth data appears but the map is blank, the recording has sonar data but no GPS coordinates.
- On the Humminbird unit, confirm the GPS icon showed a fix before and during the recording. Most units display a satellite strength indicator; a red or absent icon means no fix.
What to try next
- Scrub to the middle of the recording using the playback controls. GPS lock often arrives a minute or two after the unit powers on — the beginning of a track may be missing even if the rest is valid.
- Start the unit before launching and wait for a solid GPS fix (satellite icon solid or green) before recording.
- If using an external GPS puck, reseat the NMEA cable and verify the unit's input source is set to the external port.
- Record a short test on open water with clear sky. If GPS appears there but not in the original file, the problem is specific to conditions during that recording session.
If it still does not work
Contact support at support@gethumvision.com. Mention the Humminbird model and firmware version, and whether the track is entirely absent or only partially missing.