Garmin GPSCOM 170 - Manual (Page 11)

Getting Started
The GPSCOM 170 is a powerful navigation and com-
munication tool that offers mariners a host of advanced
features that help make boating safer and more efficient.
The getting started tour is designed to quickly guide you
through basic features and functions of the unit. Once
you’ve completed the tour and become familiar with the
main pages and features of the unit, refer to the reference
section for complete instructions on performing specific
tasks and functions.
The getting started tour assumes you have initialized
the unit according to the instructions given in Appendix
A, and have not changed any of the default settings. If
you have changed any settings, the descriptions and pic-
tures used may not match your configuration.
Powering Up
To turn the GPSCOM 170 on:
1. Turn the VOL control clockwise.
The welcome page will be displayed while the unit
conducts a self test. Once testing is complete, the wel-
come page will be replaced by the satellite status page
and the GPSCOM 170 will begin acquiring satellite data.
Satellite Status Page
The satellite status page provides a visual reference of
satellite acquisition and receiver status, with a signal
strength bar graph and a satellite sky view in the center
of the page. The accuracy of your position is shown in the
upper right hand side of the page.
The satellite sky view and signal strength bars give
you an indication of what satellites are visible to the
receiver and whether they are being tracked. Satellites,
labeled with numbers and letters, are placed on the page
indicating their position in the sky.
The signal strength bars show how strong the signal
is from each satellite being tracked: The taller the bar, the
stronger the signal. For more information on the satellite
status page, see page 18.
You’ll know you have a fix when a 2D or 3D status
appears in the status field or the receiver automatically
transitions to the position page. If you encounter difficul-
ty acquiring satellite signals, see Appendix A.
Important!
Make sure you charge the
Ni-Cad battery pack for 14
hours before using your
GPSCOM 170 to ensure
optimum capacity and per-
formance. Note: When
charging the battery pack,
turn the unit off to ensure a
full charge. Complete
instructions on charging the
pack are in Appendix B.
The signal strength bars on
the satellite status page give
you an indication of what
satellites are visible to the
receiver, whether or not
they’re being used to calcu-
late a position fix, and the
signal quality.
Acquiring
Satellites
Getting
Started
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170 manual pages rev D 9/21/98 9:23 AM Page 6