Sky View And Signal Strength Bars - Garmin GPS II Plus Owner's Manual & Reference

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 posi-
tion of each available satellite relative to the unit's last known position. The outer cir-
cle represents the horizon (north up); the inner circle 45º above the horizon; and the
center point 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) (Fig. 21b). You can also set the sky
view to a track up configuration by changing the "orientation" option on the Map
Page. (See p. 67 for setup instructions.)
When the receiver is looking for a particular satellite, the corresponding signal
strength bar will be blank and the sky view indicator will be highlighted. 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 (Fig. 21a).
The satellite number in the sky view will no longer appear highlighted. As soon as
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the GPS II has collected the necessary data to calculate a fix, the status field will
indicate a 2D or 3D status.
Fig. 21a
Fig. 21b
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