Garmin GPS 2 Manual

							5Battery Installation
The GPS II operates on 4 AA batteries, which are installed at the base of the
unit. Normal battery life is approximately 15 hours, and up to 20 hours when the
unit is in battery saver mode.
To install the batteries:
1. Flip up the metal ring at the base of the unit, and turn the ring 90 degrees counter
clockwise.
2. Install the batteries (Fig. 5), and close the battery compartment door.
3. Lock the door in the closed position by rotating the metal ring 90 degrees
clockwise.
Battery life varies due to a variety of factors, including temperature,
backlighting, and whether the unit is in battery saver mode. You may find
that you get more or less battery life in different conditions.
When replacing the GPS II’s batteries, observe the polarity 
markings engraved in the plastic case.READ ME FIRST!
Polarity
Markings
Fig. 5GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 5 
						

							Screen Orientation
The GPS II has a unique screen orientation feature for switching from a horizon-
tal mounting position in a vehicle or on a bike to a vertical orientation for handheld
outdoor use, such as hunting or hiking. The GPS II’s rocker keypad and single-use
keys are designed to function in the same manner, no matter if you’re using the unit
vertically (Fig. 6a) or horizontally (Fig. 6b).
To change the screen orientation:
1. Press and hold PAGE.READ ME FIRST!
6
Fig. 6a
Fig. 6bGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 6 
						

							Initializing Your GPS II
To initialize the GPS II, take the receiver outside and find an open area where
the antenna has a clear view of the sky. You may either hold the receiver at a com-
fortable height with the external antenna pointing up (Fig. 7a), or mount the receiv-
er on the dash of a vehicle (Appendix B) or on a bike. (Likewise, when you use your
GPS II in a vehicle, make sure the antenna is pointing up.)
To turn the GPS II on, press and hold the power key.
The welcome page will be displayed while the unit conducts a self test. Once
testing is complete, the welcome page will be replaced by the satellite status page.
You’ll see the EZinitprompt, which asks you to choose an initialization method.
Note: If the EZinit prompt has not automatically appeared, press ENTER.
To initialize your unit:
1. Press ENTER (Fig. 7b). (The word ‘COUNTRY’ in the first prompt will already be high-
lighted.)
2. Use the rocker keypad to scroll up or down through the list of countries to select your
country/state/region. If the country you’re in isn’t listed, select another country within
500 miles of your present position, and press ENTER.GETTING-STARTED TOUR
7
Fig. 7bFig. 7aGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 7 
						

							This usually provides a position fix in 3-5 minutes*. You’ll know you have a fix
when the unit automatically transitions from the satellite status page to the position
page (Figs. 8b-8c). Your receiver is now ready for everyday use!
To turn the unit off:
1. Press and hold the red power key for three seconds (Fig. 8a).
*(The almanac data stored in your GPS’ memory is typically valid for 3-6
months. If your unit has older data, the time required for initialization may take 15
to 30 minutes.) Fig. 8a Check the satellite status page
for 2D or 3D navigation to
verify a position fix.GETTING-STARTEDTOUR
8
Fig. 8bFig. 8cGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 8 
						

							If you have trouble initializing or getting a position fix, check the following:
•Does the receiver have a clear view of the sky?
If there are large buildings or mountains, or if there is heavy tree cover, the receiver
may not be receiving enough satellite signals to calculate a fix. Also, if you’re using
the GPS II on a car dash, make sure the unit is placed so that it has the clearest pos-
sible view of the sky. Your GPS will only be able to detect satellites that it can “see”
through your vehicle’s windshield. Depending on the slope of your dash or the over-
all surface area of the window, it may be necessary to mount an external antenna on
your vehicle’s roof or trunk in order to give the unit a better view of the sky. (Contact
your local GARMIN dealer and inquire about the GA26 low-profile remote antenna,
part number 010-10052-02)
•Have you selected the right country/state/region from the EZinit list?
Check for the correct approximate lat/lon on the position page, or reselect the appro-
priate country from the list to restart the initialization.
•Have you moved more than 500 miles from the last calculated position
with the receiver off?
Reinitialize the receiver by selecting the country/state/region of your new location
from the EZinitlist.GETTING-STARTED TOUR
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							10Scrolling Through the Main Pages
The GPS II features five main pages which are linked together in a chain (Fig. 10). You
can quickly scroll through the pages in either direction using PAGE or QUIT. Let’s briefly
tour each of these pages in order to give you some insight into how they help you navigate.
We’ll go over all of them in much more detail in the reference section of this manual.
This tour assumes that you have only initialized the receiver and have not changed any
of the factory settings (units of measure, selectable fields, etc.). If you have changed any of
the default settings, the pictures and descriptions in the tour may not match your unit.
Also, make sure your unit’s screen is orientated horizontally.GETTING-STARTEDTOUR
Fig. 10
Position PageStatus PageMap PageNavigation PageMenu PageGPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 10 
						

							Satellite Status Page
Let’s start with the satellite status page, which is the page you’ll view while your
unit is getting a position fix. If you’re not already on this page, press PAGE or QUIT
until it appears. The satellite status page shows you status information that helps you
understand what the receiver is doing at any given time, and it’s a page that you’ll
want to occasionally refer back to as you use your unit. It features a sky view of
available satellites, signal strength bars, the status of your current position fix
(acquiring, 2D, 3D, etc.), and your estimated position error (EPE). You can also tell
how much battery power is remaining (Fig. 11). Once your GPS II has acquired suf-
ficient satellites, the satellite status page will automatically be replaced by the posi-
tion page (as long as you haven’t pressed any other buttons).The signal strength bars give
you  an  indication  of  what
satellites  are  visible  to  the
receiver, whether or not they’re
being used to calculate a posi-
tion fix, and the signal quality.GETTING-STARTED TOUR
11
Fig. 11GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 11 
						

							Position Page
The position page (Fig. 12) shows you where you are, what direction you’re
heading, and how fast you’re going— and it’s the page you’ll want to use when you
don’t have an active destination selected.
A graphic compass display at the top of the page shows your direction of travel,
while five data fields below display your track and speed, a trip odometer, and your
position and altitude. The ‘trip’ and ‘altitude’ fields are user-selectable, which means
you can change them to display other navigation information. We’ll cover more
about those fields in the reference section of this manual.GETTING-STARTEDTOUR
12
Fig. 12GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 12 
						

							Marking a Position
GPS is really about marking and going to places called waypoints. Before we can
use our GPS II to guide us somewhere, we have to mark a position as a waypoint.
To mark a position:
1. Press MARK.
The mark position page will appear, showing the captured position and a default
3-digit waypoint name. Let’s change the default name to something a little more
meaningful, like ‘HOME’ (Fig. 13).
To name a waypoint:
1. Use the keypad to highlight the name field, and press ENTER.
2. Enter the waypoint name ‘HOME’, and press ENTER.
3. Highlight ‘SAVE?’, and press ENTER.
The mark position page will be replaced by the position page (the page dis-
played before pressing MARK). The ‘HOME’ waypoint is now stored in the GPS II’s
memory, which is maintained by an internal lithium battery.Fig. 13
If you try to mark a position
without a position fix, you will
be alerted with a ‘No Position’
message.GETTING-STARTED TOUR
13GPS II  7/23/98 4:03 PM  Page 13 
						

							Using the Position Page
Now that you’ve marked a position, it’s time to take a brisk walk using the posi-
tion and moving map pages to watch your every move. You should still be on the
position page.
To get the most from this tutorial, walk in a straight line for 3-4 minutes at a fast
pace and watch the position page. (Because the GPS system typically has a margin of
error of approximately 15 meters, you’ll need to walk this long to ensure that you
travel far enough to register useful information. You’ll also get a much better indica-
tion of how the GPSII’s steering guidance and mapping features work to guide you.)
You’ll see that the direction you are moving (track), your speed, and how far
you’ve gone displayed in the middle of the screen, just below the graphic compass
display. The latitude, longitude and approximate altitude of your position are dis-
played at the bottom of the page, with the time of day displayed below.
To continue the tour, let’s move on to the next page:
1. Press PAGE. You  can  even  time  yourself
with  the  GPS  II’s  on-scre e n
clock.GETTING-STARTEDTOUR
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