Garmin GPS 2 Manual

							OwnerÕs
Manual &
Reference
®
GPS II  7/23/98 1:27 PM  Page 1 
						

							Software Version 2.0 or above
© 1996 GARMINCorporation, 1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas66062 USA
GARMIN(Europe), Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9AQ UK
All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or manual, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of GARMIN.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. GARMIN reserves the right to change or improve its
products and to make changes in the content without obligation to notify any person or organization of such changes or
improvements.
GARMIN, GPS II, Personal Navigator, AutoLocate, TracBack, and MultiTrac8 are all trademarks of GARMIN
Corporation and may not be used without the expressed permission of GARMIN.
August 1996   Part # 190-00118-00 Rev. A   Printed in Taiwan.GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 2 
						

							iThanks for choosing the GARMIN GPS II— the smallest, easiest-to-use GPS navigator
for outdoor use! The GPS II represents GARMIN’s continuing commitment to provide qual-
ity navigation information in a versatile and user-friendly flexible design you’ll enjoy for
years. To get the most from your new GPS, take the time to read through the owner’s man-
ual in order to understand the operating features of the GPS II. This manual is organized
into three sections for your convenience:
Section One(Read Me First!) takes you through step-by-step instructions to initialize
the receiver for first-time use.
Section Two(Getting-Started Tour) introduces you to the basic features of the unit
and provides a quick-start orientation to the GPS II.
Section Three(Reference) provides details about the advanced features and opera-
tions of the GPS II by topic.Thank You!
Before getting started with
your GPS, check to see that
your GARMINGPS II pack-
age includes the following
items. If you are missing any
parts, please contact your
dealer immediately.
Standard Package:
•GPS II Unit
• Wrist Strap
•GPS II Owner’s Manual
• Velcro MountGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page i 
						

							iiCAUTION!
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is operated by the government of the United States, which is solely
responsible for its accuracy and maintenance. The system is subject to changes which could affect the accuracy and
performance of all GPS equipment. Although the GPS II is a precision electronic NAVigation AID (NAVAID), any
NAVAID can be misused or misinterpreted and, therefore, become unsafe.
WARNING
For vehicular applications, it is the sole responsibility of the owner/operator of the GPS II to secure the GPS unit
so that it will not cause damage or personal injury in the event of an accident. Do not mount the GPS II over airbag
panels or in a place where the driver or passengers are likely to have an impact with it in an accident or collision. The
mounting hardware provided by GARMIN is not warranted against collision damage or the consequences thereof.
WARNING
For vehicular operations, it is the sole responsibility of the operator of the vehicle to operate his or her vehicle in
a safe manner, maintain full surveillance of all driving conditions at all times, and never become distracted by the GPS
II to the exclusion of safe operating practices. It is unsafe to operate the GPS II while you are driving. Failure by the
operator of a vehicle equipped with a GPS II to pay full attention to operating the vehicle and road conditions while the
vehicle is in motion could result in an accident or collision with property damage and personal injury.CAUTION!
#! #!
#!GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page ii 
						

							This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC limits for Class B digital devices. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communi-
cations.
There is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to other equipment, which can be determined by
turning the affected equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the inter-
ference by relocating the equipment or connecting the equipment to a different circuit than
the affected equipment.
Consult an authorized dealer or other qualified service technician for additional help if
these remedies do not correct the problem. Operation is subject to the following conditions:
(1) This device cannot cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. 
The GPS II does not contain any user-serviceable parts. Repairs should only be made by
an authorized GARMINservice center. Unauthorized repairs or modifications could void your
warranty and your authority to operate this device under Part 15 regulations.iiiFCC COMPLIANCEGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page iii 
						

							AntennaFunction KeysLCD DisplayBattery DoorRocker KeypadivUNITFEATURESGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page iv 
						

							1SECTIONONE   Read Me First!
Keypad Usage/Operating Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
What is GPS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Satellite Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Battery Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Screen Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
SECTIONTWO   Getting-Started Tour
Initializing the Receiver/Power On . . . . . . . . . . . .7-9
Page Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-19
SECTIONTHREE   Reference
Satellite Status Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-25
Position Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26-28
Creating and Using Waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . .29-39
GOTO and MOB Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-41TracBack Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42-45
Creating and Using Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46-55
Compass and Highway Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56-59
Moving Map Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60-68
Menu Page and Auxiliary Functions . . . . . . . . .69-80
Simulator Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81-82
Appendix A—Battery Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Appendix B—Dashboard Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Appendix C—Specifications and Wiring . . . . . .85-88
Appendix D—External Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Appendix E—Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90-91
Appendix F—Map Datums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92-95
Appendix G—Time Offset Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Appendix G—Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97-99
Appendix H—Navigation Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . .100TABLEOFCONTENTSGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 1 
						

							2KEYPAD USAGE/OPERATING TERMS(POWER)— Turns the unit on and off, and controls
three-levels of screen backlighting intensity.
(PAGE)— Scrolls the main pages in sequence and
returns the display from a submenu page to a main page.
(MARK)— Captures your present position and displays
the mark position window.
(GOTO)— Displays the GOTO waypoint window, allow-
ing you to select the destination waypoint.
(ENTER)— Activates highlighted fields and confirms
menu options and data entry.
(QUIT)— Returns the display to a previous page or
restores a data field’s previous value. 
(ZOOM)— Provides 12 adjustable fields by selecting
either the in or out keys from the map page.
(KEYPAD)— Controls the movement of the cursor and
is used to select options and positions, and to enter data.CURSOR—Solid black bar which can be moved up,
down, left, and right with the keypad to select individual
fields.
DEFAULT—A system-selected format, built into a soft-
ware program or the unit’s memory, that will be followed
unless the user chooses a different setting.
FIELD—The location on a page where a group of char-
acters or option is entered and displayed.
HIGHLIGHT— The act of using the cursor to select a
field for the purpose of entering data.
SCROLL—Moving through characters or options from
a selected field.‘Mode’
FieldGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 2 
						

							3What is GPS?
GPS is a system of 24 satellites which circle the earth twice a day in a very pre-
cise orbit and transmit information to earth. The GPS II must continuously “see” at
least three of these satellites to calculate your position and track your movement.
By using an almanac (a timetable of satellite numbers and their orbits) stored in
the receiver’s memory, the GPS II can determine the distance and position of any
GPS satellite and use this information to compute your position.
Your GPS receiver can only see satellites above the horizon, so it needs to know
what satellites to look for at any given time. To use this almanac data, your GPS
needs to either be told its general location or given the opportunity to find itself, or
“initialize.” Once you initialize the unit to a position, it will usually compute a fix
within a few minutes. 
Initialization is only necessary under the following conditions:
• The first time you use your GPS II (from the factory).
•After the GPS II has been moved over 500 miles from the last time you
used it (with the power off).
•If the GPS II’s memory has been cleared and all stored data has been lost.READ ME FIRST!GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 3 
						

							4Satellite Signals
Because the GPS II relies on satellite signals to provide you with navigation guid-
ance, the receiver needs to have an unobstructed, clear view of the sky for best per-
formance. In a nutshell, the GPS receiver’s view of the sky will generally determine
how fast you get a position fix— or if you get a fix at all. GPSsignals are relatively
weak and do not travel through rocks, buildings, people, metal, or heavy tree cover,
so remember to keep a clear view of the sky at all times for best performance.
Once the GPS II has calculated a position fix, you’ll usually have anywhere from
four to eight satellites in view. The GPS II will then continuously select the best satel-
lites in view to update your position. If some of the satellites in view get blocked or
“shaded,” the receiver can simply use an alternate satellite to maintain the position
fix. Although a GPS receiver needs four satellites to provide a three-dimensional (3D)
fix, the GPS II can maintain a two-dimensional (2D) fix with only three satellites. A
three-dimensional fix means the unit knows its latitude, longitude, and altitude,
while a two-dimensional fix means the unit knows only its latitude and longitude. To prevent accidental battery
power loss, the GPS II will
automatically shut off 10 min-
utes after the last keystroke if
the unit is not tracking at least
one satellite and has never
acquired a position fix.READ ME FIRST!GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 4