old Garmin support...anywhere??
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old Garmin support...anywhere??
I am new here... had a good look around and couldn't find any reference to the topic of Garmin support for ancient pre Y2K items!!
I have a Pilot 3 with outdated database, that starts fine and tells me where I am, new maps would be nice! Where can I find these?
Also, a GPS 89 which is a perfectly preserved museum piece as new... since the thing is simply not in the same century, it cannot even find satellites!!
Anybody know anybody who has an enthusiasm for these things???
Happy New Year, guys....
I have a Pilot 3 with outdated database, that starts fine and tells me where I am, new maps would be nice! Where can I find these?
Also, a GPS 89 which is a perfectly preserved museum piece as new... since the thing is simply not in the same century, it cannot even find satellites!!
Anybody know anybody who has an enthusiasm for these things???
Happy New Year, guys....
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Have you contacted Garmin? I have had great support from them over the years. I am aware that some very old GPS units struggle to find satellites, though the only one I have which I have given up on, is a Sony GPS from 1988, Other than that, they all still work.
Databases might be a different story. File formats change over time, and old ones sometimes don't fit into new units. I had this with my King KLX135, whose database was available only as a diskette, but King got me going.
I have the same faith in Garmin, if help is possible, they have it for you. If not, well, it's time for a newer GPS....
Databases might be a different story. File formats change over time, and old ones sometimes don't fit into new units. I had this with my King KLX135, whose database was available only as a diskette, but King got me going.
I have the same faith in Garmin, if help is possible, they have it for you. If not, well, it's time for a newer GPS....
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You update all Garmin Nav data for all models including P3 here:-
https://fly.garmin.com/fly-garmin/
Stuff older than P3 you will probably now struggle to do...
https://fly.garmin.com/fly-garmin/
Stuff older than P3 you will probably now struggle to do...
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Hi.... Thanks for suggestion...visited Garmin site as suggested, and had loads of fun trying to find any update information except for the very latest kit..... okay, they want to sell new stuff!!!
Big issue with any GPS is the information stored in the device relating to the position of satellites....as they are replaced or moved in orbit, the machine does not know where to look!!! If the basic information isn't updated, then the poor GPS seeks a non existent signal.... ho hum!
Not an issue with knowing where I am, window is available, but rather irksome that I cannot use perfectly good old kit!!!
Incidentally...date on GPS89 is fixed at 1/1/2000..... hey, Y2K!!!
Big issue with any GPS is the information stored in the device relating to the position of satellites....as they are replaced or moved in orbit, the machine does not know where to look!!! If the basic information isn't updated, then the poor GPS seeks a non existent signal.... ho hum!
Not an issue with knowing where I am, window is available, but rather irksome that I cannot use perfectly good old kit!!!
Incidentally...date on GPS89 is fixed at 1/1/2000..... hey, Y2K!!!
Hi DOF
I've never had a Garmin 89, but it should still work fine.
If it has sat on a shelf for years though, it will need a long time switched on with a good view of the sky to refresh it's ephemeral memory. (Where to look for the satelites) This is downloaded from the satelites themselves, so, as long as at least one of the satelites of which previously knew is still in use, and visible it should eventually reload the data. Old units had sequential receivers (Can only listen for one satelite at a time) so these can take quite a long while, first to find a satelite, then to download the data. It will show the 'Searching the sky' caption for a lot of this time.
I revive my old Garmin (55!) by leaving it switched on in the car with an external roof antenna for a couple of days. This usually works.
The ephemeral memory is kept alive in some receivers whilst the unit is switched off by a little hearing aid battery, and you might have to replace this too, if the unit revives it's memory and starts working, only to fail again the first time it is switched off.
Good luck
MJ
I've never had a Garmin 89, but it should still work fine.
If it has sat on a shelf for years though, it will need a long time switched on with a good view of the sky to refresh it's ephemeral memory. (Where to look for the satelites) This is downloaded from the satelites themselves, so, as long as at least one of the satelites of which previously knew is still in use, and visible it should eventually reload the data. Old units had sequential receivers (Can only listen for one satelite at a time) so these can take quite a long while, first to find a satelite, then to download the data. It will show the 'Searching the sky' caption for a lot of this time.
I revive my old Garmin (55!) by leaving it switched on in the car with an external roof antenna for a couple of days. This usually works.
The ephemeral memory is kept alive in some receivers whilst the unit is switched off by a little hearing aid battery, and you might have to replace this too, if the unit revives it's memory and starts working, only to fail again the first time it is switched off.
Good luck
MJ
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ephemera indeed...
Thanks for the hint about the memory battery... forgot such things ever existed! I think the GPS 89 will be spending a few nights outside looking at the stars....
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I found with my garmin 2 plus that it was no longer seeing the full constellation of satellites.
I updated to a Garmin Etrex10 and found that it not only saw the full constellation of satellites again but was WAAS compatible, and it also sees the russian satellites.
the new garmins also store configurations to an internal micro SD card so there is no longer the system battery going flat losing all the configuration issues.
I found the etrex10 to be superbly configurable. it doesn't do all that I want but nearly so.
I did have an iPad all set up with ozrunways but found that I couldn't fit it in my cockpit.
the etrex fits where the others don't.
so my advice. stop futzing around with the old gamins and buy a new one.
the new functionality is well worth having.
I updated to a Garmin Etrex10 and found that it not only saw the full constellation of satellites again but was WAAS compatible, and it also sees the russian satellites.
the new garmins also store configurations to an internal micro SD card so there is no longer the system battery going flat losing all the configuration issues.
I found the etrex10 to be superbly configurable. it doesn't do all that I want but nearly so.
I did have an iPad all set up with ozrunways but found that I couldn't fit it in my cockpit.
the etrex fits where the others don't.
so my advice. stop futzing around with the old gamins and buy a new one.
the new functionality is well worth having.
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Garmin Pilot 3 Pilot III battery and date issues
My Garmin Pilot 3 has been a trusted aid for 22 years and guided me throughout Europe, USA, Australia and NZ. It’s long overdue retirement but it’s still a useful backup.
I can elaborate on some Garmin Pilot 3 issues (my understanding and may not be 100% accurate):
The Garmin Pilot 3 accepts 4x AA 1.5V batteries the user can easily inserted.
t additionally has a 3 volt “coin cell” battery on the circuit board to maintain some of the memory. To access this you must unscrew the units casing. If it goes flat you lose what data was in that memory such as user way points and GPS almanac data – effectively a “factory reset occurs”. I think the battery may be rechargeable and probably normally trickle-charges when the 4x AA batteries or external power if connected.
My experience was that I stored the device without the 4x AA batteries inserted for 2 years and when I recently went to use it again, the internal 3V memory battery was flat. The display said something like “factory reset...”. I left it a while switched off with the batteries in, which seems to have charged the memory battery as it now holds memory even with the AA batteries removed. I also charged it via a car charger for 10 hours to make sure it was topped up.
*********************
Note: This section about the battery replacement is I think now not relevant to the Garmin Pilot 3 as it is refers to the Garmin Street Pilot which is more like the Garmin 295 in size. I have not tried changing the internal battery on my Garmin Pilot 3 so can not confirm this section.
I saw on one web site for Garmin Street Pilot that the memory battery is known to die ie give up charging. In this case, I understand you can get a replacement battery but for a direct swap you need to get the specific battery (Pansonic LV-1220/VCN with vertical solderable contacts already fitted). To fit this will requires opening up the device and some electrical soldering skills. You might find a repairer of mobile phones will do this for you. You will not get the battery in a normal hardware store. RS Australia appears to sell the battery for $8, see: VL1220-VCN | Panasonic 3V, VL1220 Lithium Vanadium Pentoxide Rechargeable Coin Cell Battery, PCB Pin Terminal, 7mAh | Panasonic
There’s some relevant text and photos here regarding changing the battery: Memory battery in Garmin GPS III - Page 2 - GPS Review Forums
************************************************************ ******************
Having restarted the device, I left it for an hour for the GPS to relocate its self. It seemed to do this ok and give the expected location and time. However the date was clearly wrong, some day in 1997 when it should have been 2016. The device was in my opinion safe to use with the wrong date showing as I suspected Garmin had a Year 2000 software issue. Searching on line I found reference to an old Garmin “End of Week” issue causing wrong date display and a Garmin update file that would fix it. Fortunately I have a data cable for the Garmin 3 and was able to easily download the Garmin fix and its simple to run. After starting the device and leaving it for 30 minutes to relocate, the date became corrected.
The software fix is here: https://sites.google.com/site/gnbadd...C_Software.zip
If you don’t have the data cable, then I did see that they are still available on Amazon with a DB9 or USB plug. Also available is a Garmin plug with bare end wires. I thought the car charger lead might have all four wires in the cable to enable me to cut off the charger plug end and soldering on a DB9 plug but I have tried this and found it only had 2 wires for the power. Plug wiring details for the special Garmin are on the web at. http://www8.garmin.com/specs/pcwiring.pdf.
I’m sure most people will say “why bother, move on”, but here’s the info in case it’s of use.
I can elaborate on some Garmin Pilot 3 issues (my understanding and may not be 100% accurate):
The Garmin Pilot 3 accepts 4x AA 1.5V batteries the user can easily inserted.
t additionally has a 3 volt “coin cell” battery on the circuit board to maintain some of the memory. To access this you must unscrew the units casing. If it goes flat you lose what data was in that memory such as user way points and GPS almanac data – effectively a “factory reset occurs”. I think the battery may be rechargeable and probably normally trickle-charges when the 4x AA batteries or external power if connected.
My experience was that I stored the device without the 4x AA batteries inserted for 2 years and when I recently went to use it again, the internal 3V memory battery was flat. The display said something like “factory reset...”. I left it a while switched off with the batteries in, which seems to have charged the memory battery as it now holds memory even with the AA batteries removed. I also charged it via a car charger for 10 hours to make sure it was topped up.
*********************
Note: This section about the battery replacement is I think now not relevant to the Garmin Pilot 3 as it is refers to the Garmin Street Pilot which is more like the Garmin 295 in size. I have not tried changing the internal battery on my Garmin Pilot 3 so can not confirm this section.
I saw on one web site for Garmin Street Pilot that the memory battery is known to die ie give up charging. In this case, I understand you can get a replacement battery but for a direct swap you need to get the specific battery (Pansonic LV-1220/VCN with vertical solderable contacts already fitted). To fit this will requires opening up the device and some electrical soldering skills. You might find a repairer of mobile phones will do this for you. You will not get the battery in a normal hardware store. RS Australia appears to sell the battery for $8, see: VL1220-VCN | Panasonic 3V, VL1220 Lithium Vanadium Pentoxide Rechargeable Coin Cell Battery, PCB Pin Terminal, 7mAh | Panasonic
There’s some relevant text and photos here regarding changing the battery: Memory battery in Garmin GPS III - Page 2 - GPS Review Forums
************************************************************ ******************
Having restarted the device, I left it for an hour for the GPS to relocate its self. It seemed to do this ok and give the expected location and time. However the date was clearly wrong, some day in 1997 when it should have been 2016. The device was in my opinion safe to use with the wrong date showing as I suspected Garmin had a Year 2000 software issue. Searching on line I found reference to an old Garmin “End of Week” issue causing wrong date display and a Garmin update file that would fix it. Fortunately I have a data cable for the Garmin 3 and was able to easily download the Garmin fix and its simple to run. After starting the device and leaving it for 30 minutes to relocate, the date became corrected.
The software fix is here: https://sites.google.com/site/gnbadd...C_Software.zip
If you don’t have the data cable, then I did see that they are still available on Amazon with a DB9 or USB plug. Also available is a Garmin plug with bare end wires. I thought the car charger lead might have all four wires in the cable to enable me to cut off the charger plug end and soldering on a DB9 plug but I have tried this and found it only had 2 wires for the power. Plug wiring details for the special Garmin are on the web at. http://www8.garmin.com/specs/pcwiring.pdf.
I’m sure most people will say “why bother, move on”, but here’s the info in case it’s of use.
Last edited by bumpffslam; 19th Mar 2016 at 04:41. Reason: Found more info
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GPS 111 memory battery.
Replaced mine with the the same type as fitted.
Panasonic BR 2032 3v 190mAh. None rechargeable.
The Vr 1220 is only 7mAh rechargeable.
Maybe different models. Mine is serial number 40962778
Replaced mine with the the same type as fitted.
Panasonic BR 2032 3v 190mAh. None rechargeable.
The Vr 1220 is only 7mAh rechargeable.
Maybe different models. Mine is serial number 40962778
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Garmin 296 battery
The unit has two batteries, the one you can remove and routinely recharge and the memory battery. The memory battery can be a problem and is not easily replaced. The memory battery normally marks the unit's demise.
One trick for the memory battery is to recharge it using a 12v lighter connection.
Other than the batteries, I have found the unit to be very dependable (the database may be old, but that doesn't concern me). I flight plan with a paper map. I'm not a great touch screen enthusiast.
flyme.
The unit has two batteries, the one you can remove and routinely recharge and the memory battery. The memory battery can be a problem and is not easily replaced. The memory battery normally marks the unit's demise.
One trick for the memory battery is to recharge it using a 12v lighter connection.
Other than the batteries, I have found the unit to be very dependable (the database may be old, but that doesn't concern me). I flight plan with a paper map. I'm not a great touch screen enthusiast.
flyme.
