Garmin GPS III Pilot - Manual (Page 35)

The GPS III Pilot’s Satellite Status Page provides a visual reference of various
receiver functions, including current satellite coverage, receiver status, battery level
and position accuracy. As the receiver locks onto satellites, a signal strength bar will
appear for each satellite in view, with the appropriate satellite number (01-32) under-
neath each bar. The progress of satellite acquisition is shown in three stages:
• No signal strength bars— the receiver is looking for the satellites indicated.
• Hollow signal strength bars— the receiver has found the satellite(s) and is
collecting data.
• Solid signal strength bars— the receiver has collected the necessary data and
the satellite(s) is ready for use.
Each satellite has a 30-second data transmission that must be collected (hollow bar
status) before that satellite may be used for navigation (solid bar status). Once a fix has
been calculated, the GPS III Pilot will then update your position, track, and speed by
selecting and using the best satellites in view. You can also access the GPS III Pilot’s
contrast feature from this page.
To adjust the screen contrast:
1. Press LEFT or RIGHT on the rocker keypad to adjust the level of contrast, and press
ENTER to save the new contrast setting.
Sky View and 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 satellite sky view shows a bird’s-eye view of the position of
each available satellite relative to the unit’s last known position. The outer circle rep-
resents the horizon (north up); the inner circle 45º above the horizon; and the center
point directly overhead.
The Satellite Status Page
shows where the satellites are
and how strong the signal is
from each one. A solid signal
bar means the satellite is
ready to use.
Use the LEFT/RIGHT keys on
the rocker keypad to adjust
the screen contrast. Press
ENTER to save the setting.
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REFERENCE
Satellite Status Page
GPS III Pilot B2 4/1/99 2:02 PM Page 27