Garmin GPS 12XL Owner's Manual & Reference
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Garmin GPS 12XL Owner's Manual & Reference

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G P S
1 2 X L
P e r s o n a l
N a v i g a t o r
O w n e r ' s
M a n u a l
& R e f e r e n c e
®

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Summary of Contents for Garmin GPS 12XL

  • Page 1 G P S 1 2 X L P e r s o n a l N a v i g a t o r O w n e r ’ s M a n u a l & R e f e r e n c e ®...
  • Page 2 Tel: 913-397-8200 or 800-800-1020 GARMIN (Europe) Ltd., Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9AQ UK Tel: 011-44-1794-519944 GARMIN (Asia) Corp., 4th Fl., No. 1, Lane 45, Pao-Hsing Road, Hsin Tien, Taiwan R.O.C. Tel: 011-886-02-917-3773 Web Site Address: www.garmin.com All rights reserved.
  • Page 3 See your GARMIN dealer for accessories including our PC kit, swivel mounts, external antennas, and power/data cables. We at GARMIN hope the GPS 12XL will help you meet all of your navigation needs and know it will become a valuable piece of your outdoor gear.
  • Page 4 AID (NAVAID), any NAVAID can be misused or misinterpreted and, therefore, become unsafe. Use the GPS 12XL at your own risk. To reduce the risk of unsafe oper- ation, carefully review and understand all aspects of this Operator’s Manual and thoroughly practice operation using the simulator mode prior to actual use.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    SECTION ONE Introduction Glossary ......... . .2-3 Battery &...

  • Page 6: Glossary

    INTRODUCTION Glossary The GPS 12XL 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 reference sections of the manual.
  • Page 7 Grid 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 (SPD) The velocity you are traveling relative to a ground position. Latitude The north/south measurement of position perpendicular to the earth’ s polar axis.

  • Page 8: Battery & Remote Antenna Installation

    Contact your GARMIN dealer for remote antennas and accessories. The GPS 12XL operates on 4 AA batteries (includ- To install the batteries: 1. Remove the battery cover by turning the thumb loop at the bottom of the unit 1/4 turn counter- clockwise.

  • Page 9: Keypad Usage & Data Entry

    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 dis- plays the mark position page. Displays GOTO page with the waypoint highlighted for GOTO operation.

  • Page 10: Primary Pages

    Position Page Primary Pages Before we start the tour, let’s briefly look at the five primary information pages used for the GPS 12XL. Switch between pages by pressing either the keys. Satellite Page The Satellite Page shows satellite positions and signal strength.

  • Page 11: Navigation Page

    Navigation Page A navigation page gives you steering guidance when going to a waypoint. The GPS 12XL has two nav- igation page choices: the Compass Page and the Highway Page. The Compass Page is the default and will be briefly explained here. The Highway Page is covered on page 34.

  • Page 12: Power On & Marking A Position

    Marking a Position GPS is really about marking and going to places called waypoints. Before we can use our GPS 12XL to guide us somewhere, we have to mark a position as a waypoint. (Your GPS 12XL can hold up to 500 way- points.)

  • Page 13: Position Page, Map Page, & Going To A Waypoint

    “ b re a d c rumb” display of your track right on the screen. The GOTO waypoint page allows you to select a destination from a list of all available way- points in the GPS 12XL’s memory.

  • Page 14: Compass Page & Cancelling A Goto

    (see page 32). As you get close to ‘HOME’, you’ll be alerted to press PAGE. The GPS 12XL will give you the message “Arrival at HOME”. Once you’ve arrived, you’ll notice the distance field will read 0.00.

  • Page 15: Clearing The Map, Screen Contrast, & Power Off

    The clear log confirmation page will appear. 5. Use the key to highlight the ‘Yes’ prompt. 6. Press to finish. Adjusting Screen Contrast You can access the GPS 12XL’ s contrast feature from the Satellite Page. To adjust the screen contrast: 1. Press appears. 2. Press...

  • Page 16: Satellite Page

    Field Battery Indicator The GPS 12XL’ s Satellite Page displays the status of various receiver functions. The status information will help you understand what the GPS 12XL is doing at any given time, and will tell you whether or not the receiver has calculated a position fix.
  • Page 17 (estimated position error, in feet or meters) at the top right. The status will be shown as one of the following conditions: Searching— the GPS 12XL is looking for any available satellites in view. AutoLocate— the GPS 12XLis initializing and collecting new almanac data.

  • Page 18: Battery Level Indicator, Backlighting, And Emergency Erase

    Note: A bulb icon will appear on the Satellite Page when backlighting is turned on. Emergency Erase Function You may erase the GPS 12XL’ s memory in four quick steps. This will cause all stored data to be deleted, including: routes, waypoints, and the track log.

  • Page 19: Position Page

    Position Page The second page in the GPS 12XL’ s primary page sequence is the Position Page. This page shows you where you are, what direction you’re heading, and how fast you’re going, and it’s most useful when you are trav- eling without an active destination waypoint.
  • Page 20 To obtain the most accurate reading of average speed, keep in mind that due to the sensitivity of the GPS 12XL’ s antenna, your maximum speed value may include the effects of rapid movement, such as swinging your arm while holding the unit.

  • Page 21: Marking A Position & Position Averaging Function

    Marking a Position The GPS 12XL allows you to mark and store up to 500 positions as waypoints. A waypoint can be entered by taking an instant electronic fix, by manually enter- ing coordinates (pg. 20), or by using the bearing and distance to a known position (pg.
  • Page 22 (DST) to the nine nearest waypoints are updated continuously. Waypoint Pages The GPS 12XL has three waypoint pages that let you quickly manage up to 500 waypoints. These pages— nearest waypoints, waypoint list, and waypoint defini- tion—can be accessed through the Main Menu Page.

  • Page 23: Proximity Waypoints

    Note: This feature is handy for deleting temporary waypoints created by the TracBack function. Proximity Waypoints The GPS 12XL’ s proximity waypoint function warns you when you are getting too close to hazardous way- points. This function allows you to create up to nine proximity waypoints and designate an alarm circle for each waypoint.

  • Page 24: Waypoint

    REFERENCE Waypoint Definition & Reference Waypoints The GPS 12XL’ s advanced waypoint planning fea- tures allow you to create new waypoints and prac- tice navigation without ever setting foot outside. If you create a new way- point by entering coordi-...

  • Page 25: Waypoint Symbols

    6. Press to confirm the ‘DONE?’ prompt. Waypoint Symbols The GPS 12XL allows you to select one of 16 sym- bols for each waypoint for easy recognition on the map display. From the symbol page, you may also select how the waypoint appears on the map.
  • Page 26 2. Press the left side of the keypad to clear the name field. 3. Scroll through the waypoints. Note: The GPS 12XL’ s waypoint scanning feature will offer the first waypoint that matches the character or characters you have entered up to that point. If you...

  • Page 27: Goto & Man Overboard

    ‘MOB’ selected. 2 Press to begin MOB navigation. The GPS 12XL will now guide you to the MOB way- point until the MOB GOTO is cancelled. If you want to save the MOB waypoint, be sure to rename it because it will be overwritten the next time a MOB is activated.

  • Page 28: Tracback Navigation

    , highlight ‘TRACBACK?’, and press Once the TracBack function has been activated, the GPS 12XL will take the track log currently stored in memory and divide it into segments called legs. Up to 30 temporary waypoints will be created to mark the most significant features of the track log in order to duplicate your exact path as closely as possible.
  • Page 29 Tips On the TracBack Feature • Always clear your track log at the exact point that you want to go back to (trail head, truck, etc.). • The ‘RECORD’ option on the track log setup page must be set to ‘WRAP’ or ‘FILL’. •...

  • Page 30: Creating And Using Routes

    Route Navigation The last form of navigating to a destination with the GPS 12XL is by creating a user-defined route. The route navigation feature lets you plan and navigate a course from one place to another using a set of pre-defined waypoints.

  • Page 31: Route Definition

    The last form of navigating to a destination with the GPS 12XL is by creating a user-defined route. The GPS 12XL lets you create and store up to 20 routes of 30 waypoints each. Routes can be copied, cleared, inverted, and acti- vated through the route definition page.

  • Page 32: Creating And Navigating Routes

    REFERENCE Using Routes You may use up to 16 characters to custom name a route. The default name will be the first and last waypoint in the route. To activate a route, high- light the ‘ACT?’ prompt and press ENTER. Creating and Navigating Routes To create a route from the route definition page: 1.

  • Page 33: Active Route

    Active Route Page Once a route has been activated, the active route page will display the waypoint sequence of your route with the estimated time enroute (ETE) at your present speed and the distance to each waypoint. As long as you are navigating an active route, the active route page will become part of the main page sequence of the unit.

  • Page 34: Editing Routes

    0, save it to an open storage route. On-Route GOTOs At the beginning of this section, we mentioned that the GPS 12XL will automatically select the route leg closest to your position as the active leg. This will give you steering guidance to the desired track (desired course) of the active leg.

  • Page 35: Compass & Highway

    Selecting a Navigation Page Once you’ve selected a GOTO destination or acti- vated a TracBack, MOB, or route; the GPS 12XL will provide graphic steering guidance to the destination with one of two navigation pages: Compass Page Compass Page (default) provides a direc- •The...
  • Page 36 REFERENCE Navigation Pages The user selectable field allows you to customize the navigation pages, selecting the desired data readout. The turn option shows the number of degrees you need to turn (left or right) to head directly to your destination. Selecting a Navigation Page (cont.) Graphic Compass...

  • Page 37: Compass Page

    (SPD), and a user-selectable field for ETE, ETA, CTS, XTK, VMG, or TRN. When you are one minute away from your destina- tion (based on your current speed and track over ground), the GPS 12XL will alert you with a flashing on-screen message box. REFERENCE Destination...
  • Page 38 Waypoint Graphic Highway Display The GPS 12XL’ s Highway Page provides graphic steering guidance to a destination waypoint, with a greater emphasis on the straight-line desired course and the distance and direction you are off course. The bear- ing and distance to a waypoint—along with your cur- rent track and speed—are displayed at the top of the...

  • Page 39: Map Page, Zooming, & Panning

    Map Page Zoom Scale Bearing to Waypoint Track The Map Page shows your position and surround- ings, and provides you with a target cursor that lets you pan ahead to nearby waypoints, determine the dis- tance and bearing to a map position, and mark new waypoints while you navigate.

  • Page 40: Map Options

    REFERENCE Zooming, Panning, & Map Options A crosshair will appear when you activate the pan function. The distance and direction of the crosshair from your current position is shown in the upper cor - ners of the Map Page. On-Screen Pointing The crosshair will “snap to”...
  • Page 41 From the waypoint definition page, you can also define how each individual waypoint is displayed on the map. The GPS 12XL displays waypoints as a name with a corresponding symbol (e.g., “fuel” and a gas pump symbol), a symbol only (e.g., a fish symbol), or a 16-character comment and corresponding symbol (e.g.,...

  • Page 42: Map Options & Map Setup

    REFERENCE Using the Cursor & Map Options The ‘OPT’ field gives access to the map setup, track setup, city setup and find city pages, right from the Map Page. The Map Page’ s default screen orientation is ‘track up’. ‘Track Up’ means that the top of the map display corresponds to your cur- rent direction of travel.

  • Page 43: Track Log Setup

    2. Select ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ and press Track Setup Page The track setup page lets you manage the GPS 12XL’ s track log data (see pg 24). You can also select whether to record a track log and define how it is recorded.

  • Page 44: Find City Functions

    You can also GOTO a city location from the map or find city page. The GPS 12XL will create a user way- point, using the city name, and add this point to the user waypoint list.

  • Page 45: City Setup, Main Menu Page & Distance/Sun Calculations

    1. Highlight the desired city size field and press 2. Select the desired map scale and press Main Menu Page The GPS 12XL’ s Main Menu Page (shown on pgs. 18 and 27) provides access to additional pages (submenus) that are used to customize operation and select naviga- tion/planning features.

  • Page 46: Setup Menu & System Setup

    Select the ‘Setup Menu’ option from the Main Menu to access configura- tion options for your GPS 12 XL. The GPS 12XL’s two oper- ating modes are accessed through the system setup submenu. Messages The messages page displays any current message alerts.

  • Page 47: System Setup

    2. Select the desired setting, and press 3. To turn lighting on and off, press System Setup: Tone Setting The GPS 12XL allows you to choose a tone for mes- sages only, messages and keystrokes, or no tone at all. To set the tone: 1.

  • Page 48: Navigation Setup

    CDI scale, units of measure for speed and distance, and a heading reference. Navigation Setup: Position Formats The default position format for the GPS 12XL is lati- tude and longitude in degrees and minutes (hdddº mm.mmm’). You may also select degrees, minutes and seconds (hdddºmm’ss.s’’);...

  • Page 49: Navigation Setup

    1. Highlight the ‘CDI’ field, and press 2. Select the desired setting, and press Navigation Setup: Units of Measure The GPS 12XL lets you select statute (default), nau- tical, or metric units of measure for all speed and dis- tance readouts.

  • Page 50: Alarms

    Alarms The alarms page is used to set two alarms on the GPS 12XL: arrival and CDI. The arrival alarm will alert you when you are approaching a waypoint. The arrival alarm has three available settings: • ’Off’— No alarm will occur.

  • Page 51: Interface Setup & Dgps

    GARMIN GPS units or the GPS 12XL and a PC. The transfer mode field is directly below ‘GRMN/GRMN’, and allows you to spec- ify what information to request or send to a second GPS unit.

  • Page 52: Interface Setup & Dgps

    Note: The frequency and bit rate fields are disabled when the ‘RTCM/NONE’ option is selected. When the GPS 12XL is receiving DGPS corrections from the GBR 21, the ‘BEACON RECVR’ section of the I/O setup page will display the beacon frequency and signal strength, as well as the distance from the beacon transmitter to your present position.

  • Page 53: Navigation Simulator

    Navigation Simulator The GPS 12XL’ s simulator mode lets you practice all aspects of its operation without active satellite acquisi- tion. You can plan and practice trips, enter new way- points and routes, and save them for use during nor- mal operation.

  • Page 54: Appendix A--Initialization

    •Select Country––allows you to initialize the receiver by selecting your present position from a list of countries in the GPS 12XL’ s internal data- base. This typically provides a position fix in under three minutes. •Autolocate ––allows the GPS 12XL to initialize...

  • Page 55: Appendix A––Initialization

    5. Press to finish. The GPS 12XL will now begin searching for the appropriate satellites for your location and should acquire a position in under three minutes. You can ver- ify that you have acquired a position by watching the Satellite Page transition to the Position Page (provided you haven’t pressed any other buttons) or by looking...

  • Page 56: Appendix B-Specifications & Wiring

    Internal Backup: NOTE: Alkaline batteries lose a significant amount of their capacity as temperature decreas- es. If you’re using the GPS 12XL in below freezing temperatures, use lithium batter- ies for longer battery life. Extensive use of screen backlighting will significantly reduce battery life.

  • Page 57: Specifications

    However, waypoint symbols are only transferrable from or to units that support waypoint symbols such as the GPS II plus, GPS 12, and GPS 12XL software version 3.01 or later. Part No. 010-10142-00.

  • Page 58: Appendix C-Messages And Time Offsets

    Try another location with a clearer view of the sky. Power Down and Re-init—The GPS 12XL is not able to calculate a position due to abnormal satellite conditions. Turn the unit off and verify the last position shown by other means. Try the unit again later, possibly in a different location.

  • Page 59: Time Offsets

    RTCMInput has Failed—DGPS data being received has been lost. You are no longer receiv- ing the beacon signal. Searching the Sky—The GPS 12XL is in searching the sky for almanac data or the unit is in AutoLocate mode.

  • Page 60: Appendix D-Map Datums

    APPENDIX D Map Datums the GPS 12XL. Menu abbreviations are listed first, fol- lowed by the corresponding map datum name and area. The default map datum for the GPS 12XL is WGS 84. Adindan Adindan- Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Sudan Afgooye Afgooye- Somalia AINELABD ‘70...

  • Page 61: Appendix D—Map Datums

    Mahe 1971 Mahe 1971- Mahe Island Marco Astro Marco Astro- Salvage Island Massawa Massawa- Eritrea (Ethiopia) Merchich Merchich- Morocco Midway Ast ‘61 Midway Astro ‘61- Midway Minna Minna- Nigeria NAD27 Alaska North American 1927- Alaska NAD27 Bahamas North American 1927- Bahamas (excluding San Salvador Island) NAD27 Canada...

  • Page 62: Appendix E--Index

    APPENDIX E Index Activating a Route ..28 Active Route Page ..29 Acquiring a position ..8 Alarms ....46 Altitude (ALT) .
  • Page 63 Mag. Heading Reference . .45 Man Overboard ..23 Map Cursor ...37 Map Datums ..44, 56 Map Options ..37-38 Map Orientation .

  • Page 64: Appendix E––Index

    APPENDIX E Index Time Format ..43 Time Offset ...42 TracBack Navigation ..24 TracBack Tips ..25 Track Log Display .
  • Page 65 GARMIN Corporation warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. GARMIN will at its sole option, repair or replace any com- ponents which fail in normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be made at no charge to the customer for parts or labor.
  • Page 66 1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, KS 66062 USA Web Site Address: www.garmin.com GARMIN (Europe) Ltd. - Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 9AQ, UK GARMIN (Asia) Corp., 4th Fl., No. 1, Lane 45, Pao-Hsing Road, Hsin Tien, Taiwan R.O.C.

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