GPS WEEK ROLLOVER PROBLEM (when the date is set to 2099)

This post was published on May 2, 2019, by Team Celestron.

On April 6, 2019, the Global Positioning System (GPS) experienced a "week number rollover." This means that the number transmitted by GPS satellites to indicate the current week reached its limit of 1,023 weeks and was forced to restart at week 0 ("rollover"). This is an unavoidable property of the 10-bit binary system of the GPS signal and is not the responsibility of Celestron. For some GPS receiver modules, this means that the date is no longer displayed correctly. However, the GPS module should still reliably report the current time and location.

You can learn more about GPS rollover here: https://www.energy.gov/oe/articles/april-2019-global-positioning-system-gps-week-number-rollover

This is not a problem for users of Celestron GPS products manufactured in 2012 or later. We have verified that the GPS module firmware on these devices can handle the GPW Week Rollover.

For users of Celestron GPS products manufactured before 2012, GPS Week Rollover can be a problem. This includes products such as NexStar GPS telescopes, older CPC telescopes (but not CPC DX), and the CN-16 GPS module.

To check if a Celestron GPS product is affected by GPS Week Rollover, use the handheld controller to check the current date reported by the GPS. If the date is correct, then your device is not affected. If the date is shifted by 19.7 years, then it is affected by this issue.

For affected products with NexStar+ or StarSense hand controllers

We expect to be able to provide a firmware fix for the GPS Week Rollover issue in the next few weeks. The new hand controller firmware will be version 5.31.91XX for the NexStar+ hand controllers and 1.20.91XX for the StarSense hand controllers. Update the hand controller using the Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) software. This is available for free download at https://software.celestron.com/updates/CFM/CFM/.
For affected products with the original NexStar hand controller

We expect to be able to provide a firmware fix for the GPS Week Rollover issue in the next few weeks. The new firmware will be version 4.22. Update the hand controller using the HC Update software. You can download the HC update directly from http://www.celestron.com/support/manuals-software/files/hand-control-firmware-updates-v1112.
In the meantime, you can continue using your telescope by manually correcting the date in the hand controller before aligning the telescope.

To distinguish between the NexStar+ and the original NexStar hand controller, look at the NexStar logo below the LCD screen. If there is a "+" after the NexStar logo, it is the newer NexStar+ hand controller. If there is a "*" after the NexStar logo, it is the original NexStar hand controller.
For more information about firmware updates and download links, please visit
https://www.celestron.de/ce_de/firmware-updates/

For further questions, please contact celestron.de