Garmin 38 User Manual

Owner’s

Manual

&

Reference

GPS3 8

Personal

Navigator

®

Software Version 3.0 or above
© 1997 GARMINCorporation

1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, KS USA 66062
Tel: [phone] or 800-800-1020
Fax: [phone]
Web Site Address: www.garmin.com

GARMIN (Europe) Ltd.
Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park, Romsey, U.K. SO51 9AQ
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

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 their products and to make changes in the content with­out obligation to notify any person or organization of such changes or improvements.

GARMIN, GPS 38, Personal Navigator, AutoLocate and MultiTrac8 are all trade­marks of GARMIN Corporation, and may not be used without the expressed permission
of GARMIN.

June 1997 Part #190-00112-00 Rev. B Printed in Taiwan.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

GPS 38

Personal Navigator

TM

Preface

OWNER’S MANUAL

Welcome to the smallest, easiest-to-use GPS navigator for recreational use!
The GPS 38 represents GARMIN’s continuing commitment to provide out­doors sports enthusiasts with quality navigation information in a versatile,
accurate and user-friendly design you’ll enjoy for years to come. To get the
most of your new GPS unit, it is important that you take the time to read
through this owner’s manual to understand the operating features of the GPS

38. The manual is organized into three sections for your convenience:

Section One takes provides step by step instructions to initialize the
receiver for first time use.

Section Two introduces you to the basic features of the unit and provides
a quick-start orientation to the GPS 38. It has been designed to acquaint you
with the unit and provide a basic working knowledge necessary to use the
unit in typical conditions.

Section Three provides a detailed reference to the advanced features and
operations of the GPS 38 in a topical format. This allows you to concentrate
on a specific topic quickly, without reading through entire sections of text that
you may not need.

Packing List

Before getting started with your GPS, check to see that your GARMIN
GPS 38 package includes the following items. If you are missing any parts,
please contact your dealer immediately.

Standard Package:

• GPS 38 Receiver • Wrist Strap

• GPS 38 Owner’s Manual • Quick Reference Card

Thanks for choosing the GARMIN GPS 38. We hope it will help you get
the most out of your outdoor recreation adventures.

i

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Caution

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 NAVigation
AID (NAVAID), any NAVAID can be misused or misinterpreted, and therefore
become unsafe.

Use the GPS 38 at your own risk. To reduce the risk of unsafe opera­tion, carefully review and understand all aspects of this Owner’s Manual and
thoroughly practice operation using the simulator mode prior to actual use.
When in actual use, carefully compare indications from the GPS 38 to all
available navigation sources including the information from other NAVAIDs,
visual sightings, charts, etc. For safety, always resolve any discrepancies before
continuing navigation.

NOTE: This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC limits for Class B
digital devices for home or office use. 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 commu­nications. However, 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 equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference 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 may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation. The GPS 38 does
not contain any user-serviceable parts. Repairs should only be made by an
authorized GARMIN service center. Unauthorized repairs or modifications
could void your warranty and your authority to operate this device under Part
15 regulations.

CAUTION

ii

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Table of

Contents

SECTION ONE Introduction

GPS Overview/Navigation Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3

Battery Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Initializing the Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-8

SECTION TWO Getting Started

Power On/Satellite Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Sky View/Position Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Marking a Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Position and Map Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

GOTO and Steering Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13-14

Page Sequence and Menu Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Clearing the Track Log/Power Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

SECTION THREE Reference

Satellite Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15-19

Position Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Creating and Using Waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21-27

GOTO and MOB Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

TracBack Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29-30

Creating and Using Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31-36

Compass and Highway Page Steering Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37-39

Map Plotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-43

Menu Page and Auxiliary Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44-52

Simulator Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Appendix A—Messages/Time Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54-55

Appendix B—Map Datums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56-57

Appendix C—Specifications and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58-59

Appendix D—Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Appendix E—Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61-62

1

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Glossary

Almanac Data—Satellite constellation information (including location and health of
satellites) that is transmitted to your receiver from every GPS satellite. Almanac data
must be acquired before GPSnavigation can begin.

Bearing—The compass direction from your position to a destination.
Course Made Good (CMG)—The bearing from the “active from” position (your start-

ing point) to your present position.

Crosstrack Error (XTE)—The distance you are off a desired course in either direction.
Desired Track (DTK)—The compass course between the “from” and “to” waypoints.
Differential GPS (DGPS)—An extension of the GPSsystem that uses land-based radio

beacons to transmit position corrections to GPS receivers.

Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)—The time of day of your arrival at a destination.
Estimated Time Enroute (ETE)—The time left to your destination at your present

speed.
Grid—A coordinate system that projects the earth on a flat surface, using square zones

for position measurements. UTM/UPS and Maidenhead formats are grid systems.

Ground Speed—The velocity you are traveling relative to a ground position.
Latitude—A north/south measurement of position perpendicular to the earth’s polar

axis.
Longitude—An east/west measurement of position in relation to the Prime Meridian, an

imaginary circle that passes through the north and south poles.
Navigation—the process of traveling from one place to another and knowing where

you are in relation to your desired course..

Position—An exact, unique location based on a geographic coordinate system.
Track (TRK)—The direction of movement relative to a ground position.
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)— A grid coordinate system that projects

global sections onto a flat surface to measure position in specific zones.
Velocity Made Good (VMG)—The speed you are traveling in the direction of the

destination.
Waypoint—A specific location saved in the receiver’s memory.

The GPS 38 is a powerful navigation tool that can guide
you anywhere in the world. To better understand its opera­tion and capabilities, it may be helpful to review the basic
terms and concepts briefly explained below.

Other navigation and GPS definitions used in the man­ual are defined in the appropriate sections of the reference
section of the manual.

2

B

P

M

G

E

Turns the unit on and off and
activates screen backlighting.

Scrolls through the main data
pages in sequence and returns
display from a submenu page
to a primary page.

Captures a position and dis­plays the mark position page.

Displays GOTO page with
the waypoint highlighted for
GOTO operation. Pressing
GOTO twice activates MOB.

Confirms data entry and
activates highlighted fields
to allow data entry.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Keypad Usage &

Data Entry

DATA ENTRY

The arrow keypad is
used for all data entry.
Use the U and D
keys to select letters,
numbers, and menu
options; use the L and

R keys to move the cur-

sor forw a rd or back­w a rd along the line.
Press E to confirm
your entry.

Q

UD

L R

Returns display to a previous
page, or restores a data field’s
previous value.

Selects alphanumerical
characters and menu choices
and moves the field highlight
from field to field.

Moves the selected character
field and moves the field
highlight from field to field.

3

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Battery

Installation

Wrist Strap Attachment

To attach the GPS 38’s wrist
strap, slide the small loop
end of the strap through the
slot at the top of the GPS.

Getting Started with your GPS

Welcome to the exciting world of GARMINGPS! The
GPS 38 represents GARMIN’s continuing commitment to
provide outdoor enthusiasts with quality navigation infor­mation in a versatile, user-friendly design you’ll enjoy for
years to come. To get the most out of your GPS, be sure to
read through the initialization and getting started sections
of this manual and refer to the reference section for com­plete details on the GPS 38’s advanced features.

T h read the strap thro u g h
the small loop eye and draw

the strap tight.

4

Battery Installation

The GPS 38 uses 4 AA batteries to provide up to 12
hours of operation in normal mode and up to 20 hours of
operation in battery saver mode using alkaline batteries.
Rechargeable Ni-Cad or lithium batteries may also be used.
Note that the battery level indicator is calibrated for alka­line batteries, and Ni-Cad or lithium batteries will only
show battery life at partial scale.

To install batteries:

1. Remove the battery cover by turning the thumb loop at the
bottom of the unit 1/4 turn counter-clockwise.

2. Insert batteries into position. The battery pole you can still
see should match the symbol marked on the case.

3. Replace and secure the battery cover by turning the thumb
loop 1/4 turn clockwise.

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 contin­uously “see” at least three satellites.

Because a GPS receiver can only see satellites above the
horizon, it needs to know what satellites to look for at any
given time. By using an almanac (a timetable of satellite
numbers and their orbits) stored in the receiver’s memory,
the GPS 38 can determine the distance and position of any
GPS satellite.

To use this almanac data, your GPS needs to know
where you are, or be given the opportunity to “find itself”.
Once you initialize the unit to this position, the GPS 38
will usually compute a fix within a few minutes.

Remember, this process is only necessary under the
following conditions:

• First time use from the factory.

• The receiver has been moved over 500 miles from
the last calculated position with power off.

• The receiver’s memory has been cleared and all
stored data has been lost.

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Initialization

5

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Acquiring

Satellites

The GPS 38’s Satellite Page
will help you determ i n e

what satellites are in view,
and whether or not any
satellites are being “shad­ed”, or blocked from the

receiver’s antenna.

By monitoring the signal
strength bars at the bottom
of the page and the north up
sky view, you’ll be able to
see how moving to another
area with a clearer view of
the sky will improve satellite

reception and speed up sig-

nal acquisition.

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 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, mountains and other significant structures, so you
need to make sure that you’re not standing next to a tall
building or a wall of cliffs when acquiring satellites.

Obstructed View of the Sky

Clear View of the Sky

Once the GPS has calculated a position fix, you’ll usual­ly have anywhere from four to eight satellites in view. The
GPS 38 will now continuously select the best satellites 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 3D fix, the
GPS 38 can maintain a 2D fix with only three satellites.

6

Before You Initialize

Take 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 buildings or other

!

structures that could block the path of signals to the

#

receiver. GPS signals do not travel through rocks,
mountains, buildings, metal surfaces or other signifi­cant structures.

To turn the GPS 38 on:

1. Hold the unit so the built-in antenna (the flat area above
the display) is parallel to the ground.

2. Press and hold Buntil the receiver turns on.

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 Page, with the EZinit
prompt ready for you to select one of two initialization
methods:

• Select Country— allows you to initialize the receiver
by selecting your present position from a list of coun-

tries in the GPS 38’s internal database. Usually pro­vides a position fix in a few minutes.

• AutoLocateTM— allows the GPS 38 to initialize itself
and calculate a position fix without knowing your

present position. Usually provides a position fix in

7.5-15 minutes.

If the EZinit prompt has not automatically appeared
on the Satellite Page:

1. Press the Ekey.

If you’ve already initialized the GPS 38 and the EZinit
prompt appears, highlight the ‘NO RE-INIT’ selection with
the arrow keypad and press E. The EZinit prompt may
appear if you’ve had the unit on in normal mode while
indoors, or if the antenna is shaded while acquiring satel­lites in normal or battery saver mode.

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Powering Up

Hold the receiver so the
built-in antenna is parallel
to the ground.

Welcome Page

7

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

EZinit

The EZinit prompt will
automatically appear if the
receiver needs to be initial­ized. The prompt may also

appear during normal use if

the antenna is shaded or the

unit is indoors.

Use the arrow keypad to

highlight the country and
region or state (if necessary)
of your present position
f rom the list and pre s s
ENTER. If the country is
not listed, select the closest

country instead.

8

To initialize the receiver:

1. If the ‘country’ option is not highlighted, press theDkey
repeatedly to move the field highlight to the ‘country’
option.

2. Press the Ekey.

3. Use theDkey to scroll through the list pages until the
country of your present position appears.

4. Use theU key to highlight the country/state/region
you’re in. If the country you’re in is not listed, select anoth­er country within 500 miles of your present position.

5. Press Eto finish.

The GPS 38 will now begin searching for the appropri­ate satellites for your position and should acquire a fix
within a few minutes. You can verify that you have acquired
a fix by watching the Satellite Page transition to the Position
Page (provided you haven’t pressed any other buttons) or
looking for a 2D or 3D NAV status at the top left corner of
the Satellite Page. To prevent accidental battery power loss,
the GPS 38 will automatically shut off 10 minutes after the
last keystroke if the unit is not tracking at least one satellite
and has never acquired a position fix.

Initialization Troubleshooting

If you have trouble initializing the receiver or getting a
position fix, check the following:

• Does the receiver have a clear view of the sky?

If there are large buildings, rocks, mountains, or heavy

tree cover, the receiver may not be receiving enough

satellite signals to calculate a fix.

• Have you selected the right country/state from the
EZinit list?

Check for the correct approximate lat/lon on the
Position Page or reselect the appropriate 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, selecting the country/state of
your new location from the EZinit list.

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 mea­sure, selectable fields, etc). If you have changed any of the
default settings, the pictures and descriptions may not
match your unit’s configuration.

Powering Up and Taking a Fix

Take the GPS 38 outside and find an open area where
the receiver will have a clear view of the sky. Hold the
receiver at a comfortable height, at arm’s length from your
body, with the internal antenna parallel to the ground.

To turn the unit on:

1. Press and hold Buntil the receiver turns on.

A 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 Page and the GPS 38
will begin acquiring satellites.

Satellite Page

The GPS 38’s Satellite Page provides a visual reference
of satellite acquisition and position. As the receiver locks
onto satellites, a signal strength bar will appear for each
satellite in view, with the appropriate satellite number (1-

32) underneath each bar. The progress of satellite acquisi­tion is shown in three stages:

• No signal strength bars— the GPS 38 is looking
for the satellites indicated.

• Hollow signal strength bars— the GPS 38 has
found the satellite(s) and is collecting data.

• Solid signal strength bars— the GPS 38 has col­lected the necessary data and the satellite(s) is
ready for use.

Note that each satellite has a 30 second data transmis­sion that must be collected (hollow bar status) before the
satellite may be used for navigation (solid bar status). Once
a fix has been calculated, the GPS can take on the easier
task of updating your position, track and speed by selecting
and using the best satellites in view.

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Power On/

Satellite Status

Welcome Page

Satellite Page

The signal strength bars at
the bottom of the page will
not appear until the GPS 38
has found the sate llites
indicated at the bottom of
the screen.

9

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Status

Horizontal
Accuracy

Sky View &

Position Page

Once satellites have been

found, hollow signal strength

bars will be displayed while

data is being collected. The
hollow bars can be used to
help determine if satellites

are being shaded.

Battery

Indicator

Satellite
Number

Satellite

Sky View

Signal Strength

Indicators

The Satellite Page shows a bird’s eye view of the posi­tion of each satellite relative to the unit’s last known posi­tion. 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, and whether
you have a current position fix (indicated by a ‘2D NAV’ or
‘3D NAV’ in the status field.

Once sufficient signals have been acquired, the Satellite
Page will be replaced with the Position Page, provided you
have not pressed any other buttons.

Position Page

The second page in the GPS 38’s primary page sequence
is the Position Page. The Position Page shows you where
you are, what direction you’re heading and how fast you
are going, and is particularly helpful when you do not have
an active destination selected. The graphic display at the
top of the page indicates your heading (only while you’re
moving) with the track and speed indicated below.

Position Page

In addition to disp laying

your position coord i n a t e s ,
the Position Page shows

your track and speed over

the ground. Speed and alti­tude data may fluctuate due
to Selective Availability.

10

The graphic compass tape reflects your heading

!

#

only while you are moving.

The rest of the page shows your current position in
three dimensions: latitude, longitude and altitude. The
GPS 38 uses this basic information to mark exact positions
as waypoints, which help guide you from one place to
another. A trip odometer and 12/24 hour clock are also
provided.

Marking a Position

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Now that you’ve acquired a position, let’s mark it as a

waypoint for future reference.

1. Press the Mkey to capture and hold your position.

To 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 GPS Position’ message.

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 that’s a little more
meaningful, like ‘HOME’.

1. Press theUkey twice to move the field highlight from
the ‘SAVE?’ field to the name field.

2. Press Eand Lto clear the default waypoint name.

3. Press and hold theUkey to scroll through the alphabet
until the letter ‘H’ appears.

4. Press the Rkey once to move the character highlight to
the next character space.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the word ‘HOME’ is displayed.

Marking a

Position

To save a waypoint with the
default three digit n ame,
simply press the ENTER
key. The GPS 38 will return
to the page previously
displayed.

6. Press Eto complete entry of the name.

7. Press the Dkey once to return the field highlight to the
‘SAVE?’ field.

8. Press the Ekey to confirm that you want to save the
position as a waypoint named ‘HOME’.

The mark position page will now be replaced by the

Position Page (or the page displayed prior to pressing the

key). The ‘HOME’ waypoint is now stored in the GPS

M

38’s memory, and will remain there until you manually
remove it or clear the receiver’s memory. For more on way ­point management, see pages 21-27.

The arrow keypad is used
for all data entry. Use the
UP and DOWN k eys to
select letters, numbers or
menu options; use the LEFT
and RIGHT keys to move
the cursor forward or back­ward along the line.

11

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Using the Position and Map Pages

Position Page &

Map Page

Map Page

The Map Page displays
your present position as a
diamond icon and provides

a real time graphic “bread­c rumb” display of your

track right on screen.

Now that you’ve marked a position, it’s time to take off
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 error of the GPS system (usually around 15 meters).
You’ll also get a much better indication of how the GPS38’s
steering guidance and mapping features work to guide you
wherever you go.

1. Walk in a straight line for 3-4 minutes at a fast pace and
watch the Position Page. You can time your distance with
the on-screen clock.

The direction you are moving (your track) and your
speed are displayed on the upper part of the screen, just
below the graphic compass tape. The latitude, longitude
and approximate altitude of your position; along with a
resettable trip odometer, are continuously displayed in the
middle of the page, with the time of day displayed below.

Now let’s change the display to the Map Page and watch
the track log of our walk:

The moving map’s default

setting is track up orienta-

tion. It can also be set for
north up, or desired track
up orientation through the

map setup page.

12

1. Press the Pkey to change from the Position Page to
the Map Page.

Your current position is shown as the diamond in the
middle of the screen. The dark circle below the diamond
represents the position you created, with the line between
the two showing your track.

1. Now turn 90º to your right and continue walking at a fast
pace for another 2-3 minutes. Notice how the display
changes, always keeping the direction you are moving at
the top of the map.

Going To a Waypoint

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Once you’ve stored a waypoint in memory, 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 position, the HOME
waypoint.

To select a GOTO destination:

1. Press the Gkey.

2. The go to waypoint page will appear, displaying all the
waypoints in memory in alphabetical order.

3. Use Uor Dto highlight the ‘HOME’ waypoint.

4. Press the Ekey to confirm that you want to navigate
to the displayed waypoint.

Destination

Waypoint

Graphic

Compass Ring

Speed Over

Ground

Going To A

Waypoint

The GOTOwaypoint page
allows you to select your
destination from a list of all
available waypoints in the
GPS 38’s memory.

Track Over

Ground

Compass Page

Whenever you select a destination waypoint, the GPS
38 will provide graphic steering guidance with the
Compass Page. As you begin walking again, the Compass
Page will display nav data and graphic steering guidance to
the destination. 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 destination waypoint. The bearing indicates
the exact compass heading from you to the destination.

Once a GOTO is activated,
the GPS 38 will pro v i d e
steering guidance to the des­tination until the GOTO is
cancelled. To cancel a
GOTO, highlight the cancel
prompt at the bottom of the
page and press ENTER.

13

G E T T I N G
S TA R T E D

Using the

Compass Page

Highway Page

The GPS 38 will also pro­vide steering guidance with
a graphic Highway Page. To

change the display from the
compass to the Highway
Page, press ENTER twice.

Message Page

Once you are one minute
from the destination (based
on your present speed and
course), an arrival message
will be appear on the mes-

sage page.

Bearing to

Waypoint

Distance to

Waypoint

Pointer to
Waypoint

CDIScale

The middle of the Compass Page features a rotating “com­pass” that shows your current heading while you’re moving ,
with a pointer arrow to the destination displayed in the center.
The arrow shows the direction of your destination from the
d i rection you are moving. If the arrow points up, you are
going directly to the waypoint. If the arrow points any other
d i rection than up (left, right, down, etc.), turn toward the
a rrow until it points up and then continue in that dire c t i o n .

The bottom of the Compass Page displays your curre n t
track (TRK) and speed (SPD) over the ground, while the CDI
(course deviation indicator) scale shows how far you are off
course. The diamond in the center of the CDI scale re p re s e n t s
your present position, while the d-bar (the moving vert i c a l
line on the scale) indicates the direction and distance you are
o ff the desired straight line course.

The default setting of the CDI scale is +/- 0.25 miles, with
each mark re p resenting 0.05 miles of course deviation. If you
do get off course by more than the selected scale, an arro w
p rompt will appear at the end of the scale to indicate the
d i rection you are off course. For more information on setting
the CDI scale, see page 47.

When you are one minute away from the destination
(based on your current speed and track over the ground), the
GPS 38 will alert you with a flashing on-screen message box.

To view a message:

1. Press the Pkey when the message box appears.

2. Press Pagain to return to the previous page.

When the DST field displays a distance of 0.00 miles,
you’ve reached your destination!

14

Scrolling Through the Primary Pages

Now that you’ve arrived ‘HOME’, let’s take a minute to
see how the GPS 38’s primary pages work together. T h e
GPS 38 features five primary pages, which are linked together
in a chain. You can quickly scroll through the pages in either
d i rection using the Pand Qkeys.

J

Q

1. Press the Pkey to scroll through the five primary
pages in sequence.

2. Press the Qkey to scroll through pages in the oppo­site direction.

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Primary Pages

Menu PageCompass PageMap PagePosition PageSatellite Page

Menu Page

You’ve already seen the first four pages in action by
acquiring satellites, marking a position and navigating to a
destination. The last page available from the primary page
sequence is the Menu Page, which provides access to the
GPS 38’s waypoint management, route, track log and setup
features. The 11 submenus are divided into categories by
function.

To select a submenu from the Menu Page:

1. Press Por Quntil the Menu Page appears.

2. Use the Uor Dkeys to highlight the submenu you
want to view.

3. Press Eto access the submenu.

Menu Page

Use the UP and DOWN
keys to select a submenu
from the Menu Page. Press
ENTER to access the select­ed submenu.

15

G E T T I N G

S TA R T E D

Clearing A Cluttered Map

Clearing The

Map & Power

Off

Highlight the CLEARLOG?
prompt and press ENTERto

clear the track log. Once all
768 points are used, the old­est point will be continuous­ly deleted to make room for

the latest track log point.

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 Por Quntil the Menu Page appears.

2. Use theDkey to move the field highlight to the
‘TRACKLOG’ option.

3. Press Eto access the track log page.

4. Press theUkey twice to highlight the ‘CLEARLOG?’
option. The clear log confirmation page will appear.

5. Use the Lkey to highlight the ‘Yes?’ prompt.

6. Press Eto finish.

Turning the Receiver Off

You’ve now gone through the basic operation of your
new GPS and probably know a little more than you think
about how it works. We encourage you to experiment with
the GPS 38 until it becomes an extension of your own navi­gation skills. If you encounter any problems using the unit
or want to take advantage of the GPS 38’s more advanced
features, refer to the reference section.

To turn the GPS 38 off:

Confirm the track log warn-

ing page to clear the log.

16

1. Press and hold the Bkey for 3 seconds.

Thank you for choosing the GPS 38. We hope it will be
a valuable tool for you wherever you travel.

Satellite Page

R E F E R E N C E

Status

Battery

Indicator

Satellite

Number

Horizontal
Accuracy

Satellite

Sky View

Signal Strength

Indicators

The GPS 38 Satellite Page displays the status of various
receiver 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 posi­tion fix.

Sky View & Signal Strength Bars

The sky view and signal strength bars give you an indi­cation of what satellites are visible to the receiver, whether
or not they are being used to calculate a position fix, and
the signal quality. The sky view in the center of the page
show’s a bird’s eye view of the position of each satellite rela­tive to the receiver’s last known position. The outer circle
represents the horizon; the inner circle is 45º above the
horizon; and the center point is a position directly over
your head.

When the receiver is looking for a particular satellite,
the corresponding signal strength bar will be blank and the
sky view indicator will remain highlighted in reverse video.
Once the receiver has found the satellite, a hollow signal
strength bar will appear, indicating that the satellite has
been found and the receiver is collecting data from it. The
satellite number in the sky view will also change from
reverse video to normal presentation. As soon as the GPS
38 has collected the necessary data to use the satellite for
positioning, the hollow bar will become solid.

Satellite Page

Overview

Satellites in view but not
currently in use (03 & 17)
will be displayed in reverse
video, with the correspond­ing signal strength bar “hol­low”.

Once a satellite in view is
usable for positioning, the
satellite number will change
from reverse video and the
signal strength bar will
become solid.

17