Garmin GPS 3 Manual

							The GPS III’s Main Menu provides access to additional pages (submenus) that are
used to create or edit waypoints, create routes, list nearby waypoints, review trip infor-
mation and timers or make changes to system settings. These six pages are divided into
categories by function. The waypoint and route management features of the Main
Menu are described in more detail in the Reference section of this manual. Let’s take a
look at the Main Menu and one of its submenu items.
To view the Main Menu:
1. Press the MENU key twice.
To select a submenu item from the Main Menu:
1. Highlight the desired item using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
2. To return to the Main Menu, press QUIT.
The ‘Setup’ option provides a list of choices (presented as a series of ‘file tabs’) to
perform various configuration settings including system settings, selection of position
format and units of measure, time display, setting various alarms, enabling the built-in
simulator feature and interface options with other equipment:
To change units of measure for distance and speed:
1. Select the ‘Setup’ option from the Main Menu (as described above), and press ENTER.
2. Highlight the ‘Units’ tab with the rocker keypad. The units settings are automatically 
displayed.
3. Highlight the ‘Distance & Speed’ field using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER. 
A pop-up menu appears showing the available options.
4. Select the desired option using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
The Main Menu provides
access to six additional (sub-
menu) pages.
The ‘Setup’ option provides a
list of menu choices to per-
form various configuration
settings, such as changing
units of measure for distance
and speed.
13
GETTING STARTED
Main Menu
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							GPS is really about marking and going to places called ‘waypoints’. Before we can
use the GPS III to guide us somewhere, we have to mark a position as a waypoint.
Your GPS III can hold up to 500 waypoints.
To mark your present position:
1. Press and hold the ENTER/MARK key. The Mark Waypoint Page will appear, with a
default three-digit name for the new waypoint in the upper-left portion of the page.
To rename the waypoint:
1. Use the keypad to highlight the name field, and press ENTER.
2. Enter the new waypoint name using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
Each waypoint may also be assigned a custom waypoint symbol for easy way-
point recognition on the Map Page.
To change the waypoint symbol:
1. Highlight the waypoint symbol field (immediately to the right of the waypoint name
field) and press ENTER.
2. Select the desired symbol, and press ENTER.
3. Move the cursor to the ‘DONE?’ prompt, and press ENTER.
The Mark Position Page will be replaced with the page displayed before you
pressed ENTER/MARK to mark your position. The new waypoint is now stored in
the GPS III’s memory.
Each waypoint stored in
memory is identified by a
unique name, up to six char-
acters long (letters and/or
numbers).
Each waypoint may also be
assigned a custom waypoint
symbol, making it easy to
identify the waypoint on the
Map Page.
14
GETTING STARTED
Marking Waypoint Positions
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							Once you’ve stored a waypoint in memory, you can use the GPS III to guide you
to it by using the GOTO feature. A GOTO is really nothing more than a straight-line
course from your present position to the destination you’ve selected. A GOTO can be
performed several ways: by specifying the destination from the GOTO Page, graphi-
cally from the map display or by highlighting the waypoint name on any page (such
as the Nearest Waypoints List).
To select a GOTO destination from the GOTO Page:
1. Press GOTO. This captures your current position as the starting point for your trip.
2. Highlight the ‘All’ tab, using the rocker keypad, to list all waypoints currently stored in
memory.
3. Highlight the desired waypoint, using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
To select a GOTO destination from the Map Page:
1. With the Map Page displayed, use the rocker keypad to place the cursor over the
desired destination waypoint. (If no waypoint exists at the destination location, the GPS
III Pilot will automatically create one, named ‘MAP’ in the step below.)
2. Press GOTO, and then ENTER to navigate to the selected location.
To GOTO a listed waypoint on the Nearest Waypoints List:
1. With the Nearest Waypoints List displayed (see page 48), use the rocker keypad to
highlight the desired waypoint.
2. Press GOTO, and then ENTER to navigate to the selected location.
Once the GOTO destination is selected, use the Map Page, Compass Page and/or
Highway Page to keep track of your progress as you head toward your destination.  
To select a destination from all
waypoints stored in memory,
highlight the ‘All’ tab, then
select the desired waypoint and
press ENTER.
To GOTO one of the listed
‘Nearest’ waypoints, highlight
the desired waypoint, press
GOTO and then ENTER.
15
GETTING STARTED
Going to a Waypoint
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							To cancel the current GOTO destination, simply select another destination.  If
no destination is currently desired, or you want to resume a previously selected
route, the GOTO operation may be cancelled from the GOTO Options Page.
To cancel the current GOTO destination:
1. Press GOTO.
2. Press MENU.
3. Highlight ‘Cancel GOTO’ and press ENTER.
Active Route Page
The last of the six main pages is the Active Route Page.  This page shows the
GOTO waypoint or each waypoint of a route, with waypoint name and the course
along each leg (segment) of the route.  When using a route, the current destination
is marked with an arrow on the left-hand side of the screen. If no destination has
been specified using the GOTO key or a route, no waypoints will be listed on the
page. (For more information on using routes, see page 54 in the Reference 
section.) To cancel the current GOTO
destination, select ‘Cancel
GOTO’ from the GOTO
Options Page.
Use the LEFT/RIGHT keys on
the rocker keypad to select the
desired data item. Available
items include course, distance,
fuel, and sunrise/sunset times.
16
GETTING STARTED
Cancel GOTO/Active Route
Active Route Page
Waypoint Name
Selectable Field,
showing Course to
this Waypoint from 
Previous Waypoint
(or start of GOTO)Route Name
Field
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							The GPS III is a powerful navigation system providing detailed mapping informa-
tion in a convenient, compact package.  This simulator tour is designed to show you
the basic features of your new GPS III during a simulated trip.  The simulator tour
assumes that the receiver has been properly initialized as outlined in the Getting
Started section of this manual, and that you have not changed any of the factory default
settings.  If you have changed any settings (position formats, units of measure, etc.),
the descriptions and pictures in the tour may not match your configuration.
Once you’re familiar with the primary functions of the GPS III, you’ll be ready to
use your new receiver on a real trip to a destination of your choice.  The Reference sec-
tion of this manual may be consulted for any additional questions you may have, or to
learn about the more advanced features of the GPS III.  For now, let’s get started on the
Simulator Tour!
If the GPS III is currently off, we’ll need to start by turning it on.
To turn the GPS III on, press and hold the red power key.
The Welcome Page will be displayed while the unit conducts a self test. Once test-
ing is complete, the Welcome Page is replaced by a warning page, then by the Satellite
Status Page. Since we’ll be using the simulator mode, we don’t need to wait for the
receiver to acquire satellites.
WARNING: Keep in mind that the GPS III does not track satellites in simulator
mode and should never be used for actual navigation.  The GPS III cannot be turned
on in simulator mode.  If you forget to change back to normal operation before shut-
ting the receiver off, it will automatically return to normal mode the next time you
use the receiver.
The Welcome Page is displayed
when the GPS III is first turned
on. After a brief self-test, it is
replaced by a warning page for
about 10 seconds. To skip the
warning page, press ENTER.
The Satellite Status Page
appears next. For simulator
mode operations, there’s no
need to wait for the GPS III to
acquire satellites.
17
SIMULATOR TOUR
Selecting Simulator Mode
#!
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							To select the simulator mode:
1. Press MENU to list the options for the Satellite Status Page.
2. Highlight ‘Start Simulator’ with the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
3. Press ENTER again to acknowledge the simulator warning message.
Let’s look at the sequence of pages again.  The PAGE and QUIT keys are used to
find your way around on the GPS III. 
To cycle through the main pages:
1. Press PAGE to move through each of the main pages in normal fashion. 
2. Press QUIT to sequence through the main pages in reverse order.
In normal mode operation, the GPS III would automatically sequence from
Satellite Status Page to Map Page once enough satellites where received to determine
your position.  At that point the receiver is ready to use for navigation. Since we’re
in simulator we won’t see that automatic sequence of steps, but as you cycle through
the main pages, notice that the simulator imitates satellite reception and shows that
information on the Satellite Status Page.  
The Position Page will show the last known position as a starting location.  If
you’ve already initialized the receiver, as outlined in the Getting Started section, the
starting location should be very close to your current position!  We’ll use this start-
ing location from which to begin our simulated trip.  Let’s move on to the Map Page
to see where we are, create a destination and explore the navigation features of the
GPS III.
To select the Map Page, press PAGE repeatedly until it appears.
Select ‘Start Simulator’ from
the Satellite Status Page
Options to enable the built-in
simulator.
The simulator imitates satel-
lite reception and shows that
information on the Satellite
Status Page. Remember, in
this mode the GPS III is not
actually tracking satellites.
18
SIMULATOR TOUR
Selecting Simulator Mode
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							The GPS III’s Map Page combines digital charting with a number of user-selectable
features.  Before we select our destination and begin navigating toward it, let’s take a
look at some of those features.
The map display shows your present position using a pointer icon in the center of
the screen. The Map Page also shows any nearby lakes, rivers, highways and towns.
Use the zoom keys (IN and OUT) to adjust the map to the desired scale. The current
scale is indicated in the lower-left corner.
To change the map scale:
1. Press the IN zoom key to select a smaller scale and display a smaller geographic area.
2. Press the OUT zoom key to select a larger scale and display a larger geographic area.
The map can be oriented with the top of the page always pointing north (‘North
Up’), oriented along your desired course (‘Course Up’), or it can automatically rotate
to keep your current direction of travel at the top of the screen (‘Track Up’).
Nearby waypoints are depicted on the map with any one of over 40 different sym-
bols, with the waypoint name displayed directly above the symbol. Let’s create a way-
point directly on the map display to see how that process works, then we’ll navigate
to this new waypoint.
In the ‘Track Up’ orientation,
the map is automatically
rotated to keep your current
direction of travel at the top
of the screen. Note the north
indicator in upper-left corner.
Use the IN/OUT zoom keys
to change the map scale. The
current scale appears in the
lower-left corner of the map
display.
19
SIMULATOR TOUR
Using the Map Page
Background Roads
and Railways
Nearby Waypoints
Present Position
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							Select a five mile scale by pressing zoom IN or OUT repeatedly.
Working from the Map Page is a simple process that centers around the use of a
reference “arrow”.  Controlled by the rocker keypad, the reference arrow is an impor-
tant tool allowing you to pan to other areas on the map display, create waypoints,
view waypoint information and create routes.  To get a feel for using the Map Page
and the arrow, try the following exercise:
1. Using the rocker keypad to move the arrow, try following a highway (or other fea-
ture) near your position.  Simply press and hold one side of the rocker keypad to
move more quickly.  Notice how a data field appears above the map, showing the
bearing and distance from present position to the cursor, along with the latitude/
longitude of the arrow’s position.
2. Using the rocker keypad, move the arrow in any direction approximately five miles 
from your present position (the pointer icon) and press ENTER.  This procedure 
creates a waypoint at the arrow location and displays the Waypoint Edit Page.
3. A three-digit number is pre-assigned to your new waypoint as its name, but we’re
going to change the name.  Let’s call this location ‘SIMUL8’. To change the name,
highlight the waypoint name field and press ENTER. Use the rocker keypad to enter
the new name – UP/DOWN to change the first character (‘S’), RIGHT to move to the
next character (‘I’), and repeat. Press and hold UP or DOWN (on the rocker keypad)
to cycle through the characters more quickly. Once the new name is spelled out,
press ENTER to accept it.
Use the rocker keypad to pan
to other areas on the map 
display. When panning an 
on-screen arrow appears for
reference, along with a data
field above the map.
Place the panning arrow over
an on-screen item to display a
descriptive name.
20
SIMULATOR TOUR
Creating a Waypoint
Waypoint
Name Field
Waypoint 
Symbol Field
Waypoint Position
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							4. Now let’s use a special symbol to identify this location. Highlight the waypoint symbol
field, using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER. Use UP/DOWN on the rocker keypad
to select the ‘Information’ icon (‘?’) and press ENTER.
5. To save the new waypoint, highlight ‘Done’ with the rocker keypad and press ENTER.
Now that we’ve created our new waypoint, let’s see how the GPS III is used 
to navigate to it. The reference arrow can also be used to GOTO any point on the 
map—even without a waypoint already at that location—by simply pressing GOTO.
(We won’t try that here. A waypoint named ‘MAP’ is automatically created, so all the
previous steps for creating and naming a waypoint wouldn’t be needed. You might
want to experiment with this procedure at the end of the Simulator Tour.) For the
Simulator Tour, we’ll stick with the ‘SIMUL8’ waypoint we just created.
To select the GOTO destination:
1. Press GOTO.
2. If the ‘All’ file tab is not selected, use the rocker keypad to highlight this tab. (‘All’ will
display a list of all waypoints currently stored in memory.)
3. Highlight the ‘SIMUL8’ waypoint using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
Notice that a course line appears on the map display showing the way to our 
destination. Imagine you’re about to depart. Maybe you’re heading out from the mari-
na or you’re about to venture into the wilderness. What if you want to return to your
present position when you’re done for the day? You have two options available:
• You can mark your present position now and save it as a waypoint, or
• You can use the TracBack feature at the end of the day to retrace your 
steps – following the same path you travelled, but in reverse.
For now, we’ll mark our present position and save it as a waypoint. (You might
want to experiment with the TracBack feature later.  It’s described on page 52.)
You can select a special 
symbol to identify the 
waypoint on the Map Page.
To select a GOTO destination,
press GOTO and highlight the
desired waypoint on the list.
(You may also need to select
the ‘All’ file tab on the GOTO
Page, to see all waypoints 
currently in memory.)
21
SIMULATOR TOUR
Going to the Waypoint
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							To mark your present position:
1. Press and hold the ENTER/MARK key. The Mark Waypoint Page will appear, with a
default three-digit name for the new waypoint in the upper-left portion of the page.
Let’s call our present position ‘HOME’. (If you were at home when you initial-
ized your GPS III, you might want to keep this waypoint in memory for future use!)
To rename the waypoint and change its symbol:
1. Use the keypad to highlight the name field, and press ENTER.
2. Enter the new waypoint name (‘HOME’) using the rocker keypad, and press ENTER.
(Remember to use UP/DOWN to change the character and RIGHT to move to the next
character field.)
3. Highlight the waypoint symbol field and press ENTER.
4. Select the ‘Residence’ symbol, and press ENTER.
5. Move the cursor to the ‘DONE?’ prompt, and press ENTER.
Now we have two waypoints in memory and on the map: ‘SIMUL8’ and ‘HOME’.
It’s about time we get started, so let’s plug a speed into this simulator to animate the
displays!
To enter a simulated speed and animate the displays:
1. Press PAGE repeatedly until the Compass Page appears.
2. Enter a simulated speed of ‘10’ (mph or knots) using the rocker keypad. (Press UP on
the rocker keypad once to select ‘10’. The speed readout is on the upper right corner
of the Compass Page.)
3. Press PAGE (or QUIT) repeatedly to return to the Map Page.
To mark your present position
and save it as a waypoint,
press and hold ENTER. A
three-digit name is automati-
cally assigned to the waypoint.
From the Compass Page you
can increase/decrease the 
simulated speed using the
UP/DOWN keys on the 
rocker keypad.
22
SIMULATOR TOUR
Marking Present Position
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