Garmin GPS 38 manual

Owner’s Manual & Reference GPS 3 8 P ersonal Navigator ® GPS 38 Man Rev B 7/23/98 4:31 PM Page 1[...]

Software Version 3.0 or above © 1997 GARMINCorporation 1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, KS USA 66062 T el: 913-397-8200 or 800-800-1020 Fax: 913-397-8282 W eb Site Address: www.garmin.com GARMIN (Europe) Ltd. Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park, Romsey, U.K. SO51 9AQ T el: 011-44-1794-519944 Fax: 011-44-1794-519222 All rights reserved. No part of this[...]

i GPS 38 P ersonal Navigator TM O WNER’S MANUAL W elcome to the smallest, easiest-to-use GPS navigator for recreational use! The GPS 38 represents GARMIN’s continuing commitment to provide out- doors sports enthusiasts with quality navigation information in a versatile, accurate and user-friendly design you’ll enjoy for years to come. To get [...]

ii C A U TION The GPS system 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 38 is a precision electronic NA V igation AID (NA V AID), any NA V AID can be misused o[...]

1 SECTION ONE Introduction GPS Overview/Navigation Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 Battery Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Initializing the Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-8 SECTION TWO Getting Started Power On[...]

2 The GPS 38 is a powerful navigation tool that can guide you anywhere in the world. To better understand its opera- tion and capabilities, it may be helpful to review the basic terms and concepts briefly explained below . Other navigation and GPS definitions used in the man- ual are defined in the appropriate sections of the reference section of t[...]

3 I N T R O D U C T I O N Keypad Usage & Data Entr y DA T A ENTRY T he arr o w key pad is used for all data entr y . Use the U and D ke ys to select l e tters , nu mb er s, a nd me nu options; use the L and R keys to move the cur - so r f or w a r d o r back- w a r d a lo ng the lin e. Press E to confir m your entry . B T urns the unit on and o[...]

4 Getting Started with your GPS W elcome to the exciting world of GARMINGPS! The GPS 38 represents GARMIN’s continuing commitment to provide outdoor enthusiasts with quality navigation infor - mation in a versatile, user-friendly design you’ll enjoy for years to come. To get the most out of your GPS, be sure to r ead through the initialization [...]

Initializing Your GPS for First Time Use The GPS 38 calculates your position and movement by tracking signals sent from GPS satellites. Each of the 24 GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit, and transmit information back to earth. In order to determine a position fix, your GPS receiver needs to contin- uously “see” [...]

6 Acquiring Satellite Signals Because the GPS 38 relies on satellite signals to provide you with navigation guidance, the receiver needs to have an unobstructed, clear view of the sky for best performance. What exactly does this mean? In a nutshell, the GPS receiv- er’s view of the sky will generally determine how fast you get a position fix, or [...]

Before You Initialize T ake the GPS 38 outside and find a large, open area (try a nearby park) that has a clear view of the sky from horizon to horizon. Hold the receiver at a comfortable height, at arm’s length from your body with the built-in antenna (the top part above the display) parallel to the ground. Do your best to stay away from buildin[...]

8 T o initialize the receiver: 1. If the ‘country’ option is not highlighted, press the D key repeatedly to move the field highlight to the ‘country’ option. 2. Press the E key. 3. Use the D key to scroll through the list pages until the country of your present position appears. 4. Use the U key to highlight the country/state/region you’r[...]

Getting Started Tour Now that your GPS has been initialized, it’s time to take a tour through the GPS 38’s basic features and functions. The tour assumes that you have initialized the receiver and have not changed any of the factory settings (units of mea- sure, selectable fields, etc). If you have changed any of the default settings, the pictu[...]

The Satellite Page shows a bird’s eye view of the posi - tion of each satellite relative to the unit’s last known posi- tion. The outer circle represents the horizon (north up); the inner circle is 45º above the horizon; and the center point is directly overhead. You can use the sky view to help determine if any satellites are being blocked, a[...]

Marking a Position Now that you’ve acquired a position, let’s mark it as a waypoint for future reference. 1. Press the M key to capture and hold your position. T o mark a position, you must have obtained a 2D or 3D fix, or have the receiver in simulator mode. If you try to mark a position without a position fix, you will be alerted with a ‘No[...]

Using the Position and Map Pages Now that you’ve marked a position, it’s time to take of f on a brisk walk, using the position and Map Pages to watch your every move. To get the most out of this tutorial, be sure to walk for at least the time noted for each step. This way, you’ll reduce the chances of staying within the margin of err or of th[...]

Going To a Waypoint Once you’ve stored a waypoint in memor y , you can use the GPS 38 to guide you to it by performing a simple GOTO. A GOTO is really nothing more than the receiver drawing a straight line course from your present position to the destination you’ve selected. To see how it works, let’ s try navigating back to our starting posi[...]

The mid dle of t he Co mpas s Pa g e f eatur es a ro tat ing “com- pas s” t hat shows y our curre nt headi ng while you’r e mov ing , wit h a p oi nter arr ow t o t he de stinat ion di splaye d in t h e c e n t er . The arr o w sh ows the directi o n of y o ur d esti nat io n fr o m th e d i r e ction you a r e moving . I f the ar row p o in [...]

15 Scrolling Through the Primary Pages Now tha t y ou’ ve arr ived ‘H OME’ , let’s take a minute to see how the GPS 38’s primary pages work together . T h e GP S 3 8 f eatu r e s f iv e p rim ar y p age s, wh i ch are lin ke d toge the r in a ch ain . Y ou ca n q uic k ly scr oll th r ou gh the p age s in ei ther d i r e ct io n us in g t[...]

Clearing A Cluttered Map After you’ve used the GPS38 for a few trips, you may find that your map display has become a bit messy from keeping track of your every move. To get a feel for how the Menu Page works, let’s clear the track log (the plot points left on the Map Page) we’ve just created during the Getting Started Tour . 1. Press P or Q [...]

Satellite Page The GPS 38 Satellite Page displays the status of various r eceiver functions. The status information will help you understand what the GPS is doing at any given time, and tell you whether or not the receiver has calculated a posi- tion fix. Sky View & Signal Strength Bars The sky view and signal strength bars give you an indi- ca[...]

Receiver Status & EPE Receiver status is indicated at the top left of the screen, with the cur rent horizontal accuracy (estimated position err or, in feet or meters) at the top right. The status will show one of the following conditions: Searching— the GPS 38 is looking for any available satellites in view . AutoLocate TM — the GPS 38 is i[...]

19 Battery Level Indicator The Satellite Page also features a battery level indicator , located below the status field to the left of the sky view , which provides a graphic display of the condition of the internal batteries. The battery level indicator is calibrated for alkaline batteries. Ni-Cad and lithium batteries will not accurately display t[...]

Position Page The GPS 38’s Position Page shows you where you are, what direction you’re heading and how fast you are going (up to 99.9 mph), and is most useful when you are travel- ing without an active destination waypoint. A graphic com- pass tape at the top of the page displays your cardinal head - ing (while you’re moving), with your cur [...]

Marking And Saving Waypoints Knowing your present position is only part of any navi- gation equation. You also need to keep track of where you’ve been and where you are going. Waypoints serve as electronic markers that let you keep track of starting points, destinations, navaids and any other important position. The GPS 38 allows you to mark, sto[...]

W aypoint Submenus The GPS 38 has three waypoint submenu Pages that let you manage a large number of waypoints quickly and effi- ciently. The nearest waypoints, waypoint list and waypoint definition pages are accessed through the Menu Page. T o select a waypoint submenu page: 1. Press P or Q until the Menu Page appears. 2. Highlight the waypoint su[...]

W aypoint List Page The waypoint list page provides you with a complete list of all waypoints cur r ently stored in the GPS 38. The total number of used and free waypoints is indicated above the waypoint list. From the waypoint list page, you can r etrieve a waypoint definition page or delete all user - defined waypoints, or go to a selected waypoi[...]

W aypoint Definition Page The last of the three waypoint management pages is the waypoint definition page. This page lets you create new waypoints manually, as well as review and edit existing waypoints. T o create a new waypoint manually, you’ll need to know its position coordinates or its distance and bearing from an existing waypoint. T o crea[...]

25 Reference Waypoints T o create a new waypoint manually without knowing its position coordinates, you’ll need to enter its bearing and distance from an existing waypoint. The GPS 38 will then calculate the position coordinates for you. T o create a new waypoint by referencing a stored waypoint: 1. Highlight the ‘NEW?’ field. 2. Press E . 3.[...]

Editing Existing Waypoints The waypoint definition page also allows you to review and change a stored waypoint’s name, coordinates, com - ment or reference waypoint at any time. T o edit waypoint coordinates or a reference waypoint: 1. Highlight the field you want to edit. 2. Press E to begin entry in the selected field. 3. Enter your new data. 4[...]

T o rename a stored waypoint: 1. Highlight the ‘RENAME?’ field and press E . 2. Enter the new waypoint name and press E . 3. Press the E key to confirm your changes. T o delete a stored waypoint: 1. Highlight the ‘DELETE?’ field and press E . 2. Select the ‘Yes?’ prompt. 3. Press E to delete the waypoint. Scanning Waypoints As you manua[...]

Selecting a GOTO Destination The GPS 38 provides four ways to navigate to a destina- tion: GOTO, MOB, TracBack and route navigation. The most basic method of selecting a destination is the GOTO function, which lets you choose any stored waypoint as the destination and quickly sets a direct course from your pr e- sent position. T o activate the GOTO[...]

T racBack Navigation The third method of navigating to a destination is by using the GPS 38’s TracBack feature. The TracBack function allows you to quickly and easily retrace your path using the track log automatically stored in the receiver’s memor y . The advantage of the TracBack feature is to eliminate the need to mark waypoints along the w[...]

T ips on Creating and Using the TracBack Featur e The GPS 38’s TracBack feature is designed to help you quickly create and activate a route that follows your path back to a user-defined starting point. To get the most out of the TracBack feature, remember the following tips: • Always clear your track log at the exact point that you want to go b[...]

Creating and Navigating Routes The last form of navigating to a destination with the GPS 38 is by creating a user-defined route. The route navi - gation feature lets you plan and navigate a course from one place to another using a set of pre-defined waypoints. Routes are often used when it’s not practical, safe or possi- ble to navigate a direct [...]

32 Route Definition Page The GPS 38 lets you create and store up to 20 routes of 30 waypoints each. Routes are created, copied, and edited through the route definition page, which is accessed through the Menu Page. T o select the route definition page: 1. Press P until the Menu Page appears. 2. Highlight the ‘ROUTES’ option. 3. Press the E key [...]

T o create a route from the route definition page: 1. Highlight the route number field and press E . 2. Enter a route number and press the E key to confirm. 3. Press E to begin entry of a route comment. (Note that the default (first and last waypoint) comment will only appear if the comment field is blank). 4. Enter your comment and press the E key[...]

Clearing a Route (continued) The clear route warning will appear, asking you to con- firm that you want to remove all waypoints from the route. 1. Highlight the ‘Yes?’ selection. 2. Press E to confirm your action. 3. Press P to return to the Menu Page. Activating and Inverting Routes After a route has been entered, it can be activated in its de[...]

Active Route Page Once a route has been activated, the active route page will appear, displaying the waypoint sequence of your route with the estimated time enroute (ETE) at your present speed and distance to each waypoint. As long as you are navigating an active route, the active route page will become part of the main page sequence of the unit. T[...]

Editing Routes (continued) An on-screen menu of editing choices will appear, with options for reviewing, inserting, deleting or changing the waypoint field highlighted. Use the U and D arrow keys to select among the editing choices. Once you’ve selected a waypoint from the route list, choose a menu function: 1. T o review the definition page for [...]

User-defined Navigation Pages Once you’ve selected a GOTO destination or activate a MOB or route, the GPS 38 will provide graphic steering guidance to the destination with one of two navigation pages: • The Compass Page (the default navigation page) pr o- vides a directional pointer to the destination, with a r otating compass graphic to displa[...]

Using the Compass Page The GPS 38’s Compass Page provides graphic steering guidance to a destination waypoint. The bearing (BRG) and distance (DST) to the waypoint are displayed at the top of the page, right below the destination waypoint field. The distance displayed is always the straight line distance from your present position to the destinat[...]

Using the Highway Page The GPS 38’s Highway Page also provides graphic steer- ing guidance to a destination, with a greater emphasis on the straight line desired course and the distance and direc- tion you are off course. The bearing and distance to way- point, along with your cur r ent track and speed are dis- played at the top of the screen, wi[...]

40 Map Page The GPS 38 features a powerful real-time moving map that can do much more than just plot your course and r oute. The Map Page also provides you with a target cursor that will let you pan ahead to nearby waypoints, determine the distance and bearing to any map position and mark new waypoints while you navigate. The Map Page can be broken[...]

Zooming and Panning There are three main functions you can perform from the Map Page— zooming, pointing and panning. Each of these functions has its own “field”, which may be selected and activated for use.Whenever the Map Page first appears, the zoom field (at the top left) is always highlighted. The moving map has 12 map scales which are se[...]

T o go to a waypoint highlighted in the map field: 1. Press the G key . 2. Press the E key to confirm the GOTOwaypoint page. T o stop the panning function and display the present position diamond: 1. Press the Q key . Pointing at On-Screen Waypoints The last field on the Map Page is the map itself. From the zoom or pan fields, the cursor highlight [...]

43 Using the Cursor to Mark and GOTO Waypoints During panning, the crosshair represents a target posi- tion right on the moving map, with the range and bearing to the target displayed at the top corners of the screen. You can also use the target crosshair to mark a new waypoint position or as a GOTO destination right from the map field. T o mark th[...]

Menu Page The GPS 38 Menu Page provides access to submenu pages that are used to select and customize operation and navigation setup. The 11 submenus are divided into cate- gories by function. The waypoint and route management submenus are discussed in their own respective sections. W e’ll now address the rest of the submenus in the order they ap[...]

System Setup The first setup page is the system setup page, which is used to select the operating mode, time offset and screen preferences. The GPS 38 has three operating modes: • Normal Mode operates the unit at maximum perfor- mance, and provides a battery life up to 12 hours on alkaline batteries. • Battery Saver Mode is suitable for most ap[...]

Time Format The time display shown on the system setup and Position Pages may be set to display the time in a 12 or 24 hour format. T o select the time format: 1. Highlight the ‘HOURS’ field and press the E key . 2. Use the arrow keypad to select the 12 or 24 hour option. 3. Press E to confirm. Screen Contrast The GPS 38 features adjustable scr[...]

Navigation Setup The navigation setup page is used to select units of measurement for position format, map datum, CDI scale, and distance, speed, and heading information. Position Formats The default position setting for the GPS 38 is latitude and longitude in degrees and minutes (hdddºmm.mmm’). Y ou may also select degrees, minutes and seconds [...]

Units of Measur e The GPS 38 lets you select statute (default), nautical or metric units of measure for all speed and distance fields. T o change the unit of measure: 1. Highlight the ‘UNITS’ field and press the E key . 2. Select the desired unit of measure. 3. Press the E key to confirm the selection. Magnetic Heading Reference The GPS 38’s [...]

Selecting Displayed Items on the Map Page The rest of the map setup page lets you specify what items are displayed or plotted on the Map Page. The first 4 plot items may be turned on or off by selecting ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the appropriate field: • The ‘RINGS’ selection will display the 3 present posi- tion range rings on the map. • The[...]

T rack Log Setup (continued) T o turn the track log on or off: 1. Highlight the ‘RECORD’ field and press E . 2. Select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and press E . NOTE: Turning the track recording off will disable the TracBack feature. T rack Criteria The stored track criteria determines how often positions are stored in the track log. The default sett[...]

Interface Setup The GPS 38’s interface setup page lets you specify the interfacing formats for connecting external devices. There are five interface options: GRMN/GRMN, None/None, None/NMEA, RTCM/None, and RTCM/NMEA. Each option lists the input format first, followed by the output format. T o select I/O format: 1. Highlight the I/O field and pres[...]

DGPS Interface (continued) The RTCM/NMEA selection controls the GARMIN GBR- 21 differential beacon receiver. Once a RTCM setting has been selected, the GPS 38 will automatically try to tune the last frequency and bit rate you selected or will switch to the default frequency of 304.0 kHz with a bit rate of 100 bps if no previous beacon has been tune[...]

Navigation Simulator The GPS 38’s simulator mode lets you practice all aspects of its operation without active satellite acquisition. Y ou can also plan and practice trips, enter new waypoints and routes and save them for use during normal operation. The simulator is activated from the system setup page, with speed and heading controlled from the[...]

54 Active WPT Can’t be Deletd— Y ou have attempted to change the “active to” or “active from” waypoint. Clear the active route or GOTO before making your changes. Accuracy has been Degraded— The accuracy of the GPS 38 has been degrad - ed beyond 500 meters due to poor satellite geometry or data quality. You should check other navigati[...]

55 Route Waypoint was Deleted— A route waypoint entered does not exist in the database and has been deleted from the route. R TCM Input has Failed— DGPS data being received has been lost. You are no longer receiving the beacon signal. Searching the Sky— The GPS 38 is in searching the sky for almanac data or the unit is in AutoLocate TM mode. [...]

APPEN DIX B Map Datums 56 Adindan Adindan- Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Sudan Afgooye Afgooye- Somalia AINELABD ‘70 AIN ELANBD 1970- Bahrain Island, Saudi Arabia Anna 1 Ast ‘65 Anna 1 Astro ‘65- Cocos Isl. ARC 1950 ARC 1950- Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe ARC 1960 ARC 1960- Kenya, Tanzania Ascnsn Isld ‘58 Ascensio[...]

57 Massawa Massawa- Eritrea (Ethiopia) Merchich Merchich- Morocco Midway Ast ‘61 Midway Astro ‘61- Midway Minna Minna- Nigeria NAD27 Alaska North American 1927- Alaska NAD27 Bahamas North American 1927- Bahamas (excluding San Salvador Island) NAD27 Canada North American 1927- Canada and Newfoundland NAD27 Canal Zone North Am. 1927- Canal Zone N[...]

APPEN DIX C Specifications & W iring 58 PHYSICAL Case: waterproof* Size: 6.15”H x 2”W x 1.23”D (15.6 x 5.1 x 1.23 cm) W eight: Approx 9.5 ounces (269g) w/ batteries T emperature Range: 5º to 158ºF (-15º to 70ºC) PERFORMANCE Receiver: Differential-ready MultiTrac8 TM Acquisition Time: Approx. 20 seconds (warm start) Approx. 2 minutes ([...]

APPEN DIX C Specifications & Wiring 59 Three optional cables are available to connect the GPS 38 to an external power source or interface with another unit or PC: • Cigarette Lighter Adapter (Part No. 010-10084-00) — Allows connection to a 12 volt DC cigarette lighter plug. • Data Transfer Cable (Part No. 010-10142-00) — Allows data tra[...]

2D Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 3D Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 A Acquiring Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Activating and Inverting Routes . . .34 Active Route Page . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Almanac Data (defined) . . . . . . . . . .2 Altitude Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 AutoLocate (defined) . . . . . [...]

Map Datums . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47, 56 Map Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Map Setup and Orientation . . . . . .48 Mark /GOTO Wypts with Cursor . .43 Marking And Saving Waypoints . . .21 Marking a Position . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Menu Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 N [...]

W W arranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 W aypoints W aypoint (defined) . . . . . . . . . . .2 W aypoint Comments . . . . . . . . .26 W aypoint Definition Page . . . . . .24 W aypoint List Page . . . . . . . . . .23 W aypoint Submenus . . . . . . . . .22 Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Going To A Waypoint . . . . . . . .2[...]

63 W ARRANTY GARMIN warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. GARMIN will at its sole option, repair or replace any components which fail in normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be made at no charge to the cus- tomer for parts or labor. The customer is, however, respon[...]

© 1997 GARMIN Corporation 1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, KS USA 66062 GARMIN (Europe) Ltd. Unit 5, The Quadrangle Abbey Park, Romsey, UK SO51 9AQ Part Number 190-00112-00 Rev. B Printed in Taiwan ® GPS 38 Man Rev B 7/23/98 4:34 PM Page 64[...]