Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   In-Car Entertainment (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/)

-   -   Garmin Nuvi 50LM Review (GPS Navigation) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/121263-garmin-nuvi-50lm-review-gps-navigation-8.html)

Not sure whether this has been discussed earlier. I'm about to order this device online. But, can someone tell me whether the Garmin 50 LM has the "Enhanced Pedestrain Mode" as they name it. There are confilicting specifications on the Internet with some sites showing as Yes and some No. So, the real users can confirm whether this thing has the pedestrian mode or not and whether this is worthwhile/ useful in this device.

Hi BHPians!

I have recently bought a nuvi 2565LM. Does anyone know if there's a way to transfer a customized route from PC to the device?

I tried these;
a) I selected one route from my account in google maps, converted that to dot gpx format, selected it from PC, and dumped the file into the GPX folder in the internal drive of Garmin.
b) I imported the GPX file to Base Camp and tried to send the route to the connected Garmin's internal drive.

In both cases, the GPX file does show to have been transferred to the internal drive, but I cannot find/access it from the device itself.

Also, I found in the Quick Start Manual, that it has a option for external GPS antenna, what is your opinion on that? Actually need the PND mostly for travelling in highways and remote areas. So, thought may be if it might be required.

Thanks & regards

Neel

Guys I need help.

My 1 month old Garmin Nuvi 40 LM GPS broke while I was just holding it with my thumb on screen. I may have applied some pressure on screen but not sure about it.
Can some guide me how to get it repaired?

I bought it from snadeal.com.

Thanks in advance

You can contact http://www.asplindia.in/dealers.html - they are the authorised distributors for Garmin in India. Also look at http://www.garmin.co.in/support/

I bought a Garmin Nuvi 50LM from US in Feb and then on my next trip to US/Germany, I purchased the Europe (Germany) maps from Amazon. Worked like a charm. Was curious if it would work in India and got hold of the India maps and it works well. Recognized points of interest and my house address etc. Am yet to take it for a spin. Will try in a day or two.

GPS will work just about everywhere on the globe as long as you have direct line of sight to at least three satellites. But in order to do something usefull with it you need a local map as you did
Many Garmin units come with a standard global base map. Not much detail on those.
Jeroen

Hi diy guy,


Can you please explain the way you have got your US Garmin to work in India. Will be of mighty help to me with all details.

I bought my Nuvi 3-4 years back from Amazon in US. It works perfectly fine with MMI and Satguide maps.

I bought a garmin etrex 30 whilst in the Netherlands. I use it in all the countries i travel to. I get my local maps, including India, completely free of charge from http://www.openstreetmap.org/

Jeroen

Nothing special, just put the India map on a MicroSD and it worked. Takes close to a minute to find a satellite but still worth it I think.

If you travelled a substantial distance, say more than 500 miles, or haven't used your GPS for a while, it will take your GPS longer to get a good satellite lock, compared when you used it on a regular basis in the same area.

Jeroen

Hey Jeroen,

I think the GPS sessions would be in no way interconnected to previous sessions. Hence, why should it be that the GPS would take more time to lock in a different region rather than the same resident area?please:

Regards,
Saket

Hi Saket,
It does, but only the first time you switch it on in a different region. Here's what happens:

Lets start with a GPS Unit that has never been switched on before.
In order for it to start working it needs to receive some basic information from the satellites.

The satellites broadcast two types of data, Almanac and Ephemeris. Almanac data is course orbital parameters. The almanac contains the data for all satellites. This Almanac data is not very precise and is considered valid for up to several months. It is sent out as one (long) message.

Ephemeris data by comparison is very precise orbital data. It is necessary for precise positioning. This data is valid for a period of time (maybe several hours) as determined by information contained in the broadcast.

In order for your GPS unit to start working it needs to receive the complete Almanac and ephemeris data. This could take easily up to 3-5 minutes.

So now you have a working GPS unit. If you switch if off and start using it the next day, more or less same region, your GPS will still be able to use at least the almanac data to quickly lock on. The Almanac data gives it a basic idea which satellites are visible to it and where they are positioned. It might have to wait for the ephemeris data, but that gets cycled every 30 seconds.

Now, now if you had moved to a position more than 500 miles from your previous position, the almanac data in your GPS unit would not be valid any more. So it can't quickly start up using its Almanac data. The GPS unit will have to wait again until the complete Almanac has been downloaded again. (actually, its not downloaded, it is streamed by the satellites).

Some GPS units have an option, where you can specify the approx area where you are, e.g. state or town. This allows the GPS unit to lock on quicker, because it's already been given a "datum" so to speak.

As you can see from all of the above, your GPS unit needs certain data from the satellites before it can start working. That data is streamed from the satellites continuously in different messages. But both have geographical and time constraints. So you might find yourself in the same situation if you haven't used your GPS for a while. Even the Almanac data could by outdated by then.

During that first start up when the GPS unit is receiving Almanac data it is very important the GPS unit has an unobstructed view of the sky. The Almanac data is contained in a very long message that takes a long time for the satellite to stream. But it must be received in one go, without errors or breaking up. If the GPS unit is for instance under a tree, or you're moving around between buildings, you might introduce a phenomena known as 'flutter'. Every time the message breaks up, or has errors, it has to start from the beginning again!

Once your GPS has locked on, it becomes much more resilient against loosing visibility to a satellite for a few seconds.

With a correct almanac, your GPS units needs the emphemeris data from at least three or four satellites to be able to tell its position on the earth. So that takes 30 seconds minimum at start up, providing you have good unobstructed view of the sky

Your GPS unit can needs to lock on at least three satellites to determine its position. Four is better and allows it to calculate elevation as well. Not sure about speed. I would think that could be done with fewer, but as its primary function tends to be location, its probably designed with three locked satellites as a minimum.

Hope this helps

Jeroen

This is terrific info Jeroen!

This is extremely useful information for all users of GPS. Thanks a ton to Jeroen for sharing this.

More detailed information is available here.