I'm increasingly finding that my GW60 is having difficulty connecting to the GW60 utility. The error is "Com port error" which is related to the watch not being recognized. Anyone having these problems and any known quick fixes?

Is that on a Windows computer or on a virtual machine running on Mac OS X? I have seen this problem a lot with virtual machines, but very rarely (if ever) when running on a Windows PC.

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boardsurfr said..
Is that on a Windows computer or on a virtual machine running on Mac OS X? I have seen this problem a lot with virtual machines, but very rarely (if ever) when running on a Windows PC.

I'm running the windows 10.

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Heisenberg said..
I'm increasingly finding that my GW60 is having difficulty connecting to the GW60 utility. The error is "Com port error" which is related to the watch not being recognized. Anyone having these problems and any known quick fixes?

I get it every time if I don't clean the terminals first and even then have to clean them a second time sometimes. Just use a cotton bud. Does seem strange that the connection is good enough to charge though without cleaning.

I've had it with a sticky terminal. Also I seem to have to leave it plugged in for a while before clicking connect. Once I get that error I usually have to unplug from the laptop end and wait a couple of minutes.

Mine does it nearly every time I connect. Drives me nuts. No issue ever with the GW52. I really like the GW60 watch concept but it has its flaws.

I have two gw60 watches and used since they were first released. i have bought at least 3 spare cables and find the one cable (i labeled) has no issues and use it with all uploads .the other cables give me com errors.
I don't clean them .but that one good cable i treat with love
And i keep the dodgy ones in car for charging

Sometimes I have the same problem and I noticed that it's happen when I don't click on the disconnect buttom before disconnect the usb cable. To solve this you need first uninstall the virtual com port for do this open in windows control pane/uninstall program/virtual com port driver V 1.4.0
Then install again the virtual com port by double click on the icon VCP_1.4.0_setup that you find where you have save the files that you have download from locosys web site (if don't find in your PC here is the download page of locosys site www.locosystech.com/en/product/GPS-Doppler-Watch-GW-60/gps-watch-gw-60.html find and download GW60_Win8_USB_VCP_Driver_V1.4 )
Hoping that you can solve the problem

I rinse the watch terminals in fresh water and dry with a soft cloth. I the connect the watch to the cable and then the cable to the USB slot and wait for the audible tone from the computer denoting that a connect has been made. I only then open the utility and connect. It works every time.

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John340 said..
I rinse the watch terminals in fresh water and dry with a soft cloth. I the connect the watch to the cable and then the cable to the USB slot and wait for the audible tone from the computer denoting that a connect has been made. I only then open the utility and connect. It works every time.

this seams a different problem of mine, in your case is hardware problem due to a difficult in the connection; in my case I hear the tone from computer but the locosys program doesn't see the GW60 so it's a software problem. The good think is that we suggest to Heisenberg two option to solve the problem: cross fingers and hope that one of two works

Looks like the issue is quite widespread. Good to see some have been able to find a fix so will try some of the suggested solutions. I'll have a go tomorrow and see if I can get connected more reliably. Thanks for the feedback.

Maybe -> if you look at it, does it stop working?!

What happens when you put the watch in a box with a cat ?

I have had similar problems and though it was a software thing turned out it was actually the cable. The connections on the alligator clip are a bit dodgy and they are just a series of spring loaded pins that slide in and out. You should check to make sure that they are all working properly as I have one that occasionally sticks down slightly. When this happens I can hear the watch connect and it charges fine but as soon as I try to connect in the app I get a com port error. I ended up taking apart and then freeing up the stuck pin. once I did this all good no problems. It has happened to at least one other person that I know of.
shame that the GW 60 doesn't have a better connection system but I guess that is what you get with a cheaply designed watch.


Mathew I'm guessing the cat gets as frustrated with it as we all do.

I occasionally get a comport error but for me a quick clean of the watch pins fixes it

So finally got the chance to try the clean down terminals method to see if the connection error is solved. Firstly noticed that one of the pins on the cable clamp was stuck down. This would likely have been a problem. Freed up pin and then cleaned terminals with cotton bud and used WD40 to improve connectivity. This still did not help with an immediate connection. I also tried a second cable, which was like new, but again connection was not reliable. As per John340's suggestion which was to wait for the audible sound from the PC before opening the utility seems to be giving a more consistent connection. Still not ideal, but now this seems to be the best solution, for this problem. Thanks all. Now to break 40.