Garmin Mobile XT, GPS, Data Connection Required?

[umop3pisdn]

I searched the forum and couldn't find a conclusive answer. Does Garmin Mobile XT or the GPS chipset in the Sprint Touch Pro require a data connection to secure a lock?

I ask because my wife and I recently traveled into an area where their was limited Roam or no connection at all and of course Sprint Navigation failed us so it prompted me to get a GPS system that didn't rely on a data connection.
Around the same time my wife got her phone replaced and while I was setting it up for her, before it was activated on the Sprint network, I tried to run Garmin and it would not get a satellite lock. I downloaded the HTC GPS Tools and still could not get a lock. Once her phone was activated, I took it outside and got a lock almost instantly. So I closed out Garmin and turned off the data connection. Opened Garmin back up and satellites were locked almost instantly. Checked and found that the data connection had also re-activated itself. I couldn't keep the data connection off when I opened Garmin.