More StreetPilot III  Photographs

The Garmin ColorMap StreetPilot III is in Garmin's fifth generation of GPS receivers with street level mapping.  It is their first model with a) AUTOMATIC ADDRESS-TO-ADDRESS ROUTING (A2A)and VOICE COMMAND OUTPUT (VCO).   With this unit and a copy of Garmin's (NavTech derived) CityNavigator mapping program a user will have the most detailed highway and residential street level maps available for the USA today.  Currently,  the USA coverage area for NavTech maps is the (approximately) 120 largest metropolitan areas.  Outside these metro areas,  enhanced "base maps" cover the entire USA with a map of major highways and interstate freeways.  The SP-III allows a user to automatically route using both the CityNavigator maps and/or the Base Map.  Thus,  you can automatically route from an address in New York City to San Francisco with only CityNavigator map sections for NYC and SFO loaded.  The base map will provide information for all highway routing between metro areas.    SP-III is the only autorouting system that I am aware of that can do this sort of intercity routing without the need to load intermediate maps as you go from one NavTech region to another.  (There are 10 NavTech regions in the USA.)

We think the ColorMap StreetPilot III Ver. 2.10 is  a  "break-through" in portable (move from car to car easily) address-to-address automatic routing GPS car navigation systems.    It was designed  from the   ground  up    to  economically  replace    the     combination     of GPS/Laptop  Computer/Mapping Software system that many of us  use to  maneuver around  cities in the USA (SP-III CityNavigator automatic routing maps only available for the  USA at present, Europe in late 2001).  SP-III  includes   a set  of  "base maps" showing all state  and  federal highways   and major  thoroughfares  in  towns and  cities throughout the USA.    In addition,    SP-III can be loaded with optional  RESIDENTIAL street-level detail maps of major USA metropolitan  areas using map memory  cartridges uploaded with data from Garmin's CityNavigator, MetroGuide and MapSource CDROM map systems.    These include:  CityNavigator (NavTech Maps, the best GPS routeable maps available in areas covered),  MapSource MetroGuide  USA (version II), (Etak Maps, good maps but less up to date and does less efficient automatic routing,  Roads & Recreation, USA Topo,  and WorldMap CD ROMs.  8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 megabyte memory cartridges are available.  (Our recommended minimum size is 32megs which is the size that comes bundled with the SP-III kit.) With SP-III, the "map chunk" limit has been extended to about 535 so there should be no problem in filling up a 128meg memory with any of Garmin's mapping products.

The CityNavigator (NavTech) map offering is necessary for the Automatic Address-to-Address routing to work to street address level.  We have reviewed the VDO Dayton,  and the Datus RouteFinder A2A/VCO systems previously and have used the Magellan 750Nav units.  The SP-III provides automated guidance on a par with any of these and in fact much more routinely gives routing "the same as I would have chosen".  Sometimes the route chosen is "just OK",  but after all,  SP-III is just a machine.

CityNavigator maps do not offer street level detail of the entire USA.  However,  (uniquely with SP-III) if you want detailed street level coverage for an area outside the 120 large USA metro areas,  it is possible to load MetroGuide or R&R maps to fill in the missing areas.  Note:  When I speak of a "Metro Area" with respect to CityNavigator,  it includes many towns around a large city.  For example,  In the Atlanta Metro area is included:  Roswell,  Tucker,  Cumming, Alpharetta,  College Park,  Decatur, and a dozen and more small towns.  The main Atlanta "map chunk" is about 5 megabytes,  and other area "map chunks" range from 400kbytes to 1.5mbytes.  Thus,  more efficient use of map memory is possible with CityNavigator as compared with MetroGuide.

Note that A2A automatic routing is NOT available except in areas with roads provided by either the Base Map or the CityNavigator maps.  (This same metropolitan area  limitation has been present in every A2A automobile navigator we have used including 750Nav, VDO,  Alpine, and Datus.  Rumor has it that NavTech will have full USA coverage by the end of 2002.)  You can route to covered highway intersections just using the basemap.

CityNavigator and MapSource 4.xx offer the user a new (for Garmin) capability of generating a route automatically ON THE PC as well as within the SP-III.   This permits users to generate a series of automatically generated routes and load these into other Garmin GPS receivers as well as the SP-III.  (We have not yet tested this with models other than SP-III.)    The CityNavigator (NavTech) maps offer coverage of the covered USA Metro Areas with superior road detail.  Details as to which lane to be in and which way to turn onto exit ramps at complex expressway interchanges is included.

While CityNavigator has "city area map chunks" ranging from about 23kbytes to 5 mbytes,    Metroguide II has map sections in 1 to 2 MB "chunks" whereas the Roads & Recreation Maps typically load "county size chunks" which typically use 100K to 400K bytes of memory per county.  In the Atlanta area,  the coverage area  for a selected 8 MB ETAK or CityNavigator map section is roughly  a  square about  125  miles  on a side.  This covers  the  formal  "Atlanta Metropolitan Area" and then some.  Using the less accurate (but still very good) MapSource R&R maps,  you are able to include a much larger area  in an 8 meg memory cartridge.  (See the MapSource Product Information for more detail.)  Note:  As of this date,  NO OTHER map products (from alternative vendors) can be uploaded into Garmin GPS receivers except those offered by Garmin for the purpose.  This same proprietary relationship exists for other vendor's consumer GPS products as well.

This new SP-III is designed principally for automobile use and its size,  the two hour(or so) battery life and lack of off road features make it unsuitable for hiking or boating use.  NiMH rechargable batteries give better service than alkaline.

What's new in StreetPilot III?

We can say that SP-III gets rid of almost ALL of the  error effects of GPS error  that bothers so many people.   When you use CityNavigator or MetroGuide the SP-III will  "lock" your vehicle track to roads and as long  as you   travel  on  the  road.    (This feature does not operate with MapSource R&R, USA Topo, or WorldMap.)  Automatically generated routes using CityNavigator maps "rubber band" to the roads in the route without fail.

Another useful feature is that with CityNavigator (and MetroGuide) maps, all approaching cross street names are displayed prior to arrival.  We found the SP-III audio and visual  guidance directions  very  satisfactory.  SP-III  automatically varies its "turn here" warning time  to give you  more warning time at high speed than at lower speed.  A typical audio/visual sequence would go something like this:

• <audio> In 1.5 miles exit  right.  <screen> shows arrow to the right,  distance to go, speed,  time to go and "Exit right to I-285 West"..
• <audio> In  .3 miles exit right.  <screen> shows Exit Right to I-285.
• <audio> In 1.2 miles exit right <screen> shows Exit Right to Roswell Road NE
• <audio> In .3 miles exit right.  <screen> shows Exit Right to Roswell Road NE.
• <audio> In 800 feet turn left.  <screen> shows Turn Left on Roswell Road NE.
• <audio> In 1.2 miles turn right. <screen> shows Turn Right on Mt. Paran Road NE.
• <audio> drive .3 miles to destination <screen shows .3 miles to destination.
• <audio> drive .1 miles to destination on right. <screen> shows .1 miles and the destination waypoint/address.
• <audio> destination 500 feet ahead on right.  <screen shows destination waypoint/address.

An alternative screen shows a listing of turns to come.  Another screen display is the trip computer.

AUTOZOOM  zooms  the  screen in and  out  automatically  as  you approach  waypoints  and turns so you always have  time  to make decisions.

Route selections for CAR, TRUCK, BUS, and EMERGENCY are provided so you can be properly routed depending on your vehicle type.

The  accessory CityNavigator and MetroGuide Maps contain  thousands   of "attractions"  on  board.   These include:
Food and drink,  Lodging,  Attractions,  Entertainment,  Shopping,  Services,  Transportation,  and  Emergency and Government.  In  our  area,   there  were a few restaurants we had  not  known about (and  a   few   prominent ones   are  missing).   The restaurant listing appeared to be about 2 years old.   Listed  "Attractions"  include theme parks,  museums,  libraries,  schools,  parks and such.   The  listings  were  quite satisfactory though  the  placement of a particular restaurant or gas   station  might  vary  plus  or  minus a few  hundred   feet (once,  half  a mile) from  the  actual  location.   This  feature could be very handy in a strange city.

The user can give the GPS a Street Address or Street Intersection or  select  one of the, for instance,  Restaurants  in  the accessory map data base module and it will LOCATE this address or location  automatically and plot it on the map screen.   The  SP-III can then automatically create a "turn-by-turn" route to this destination from wherever you are.  This is a very useful feature and it has worked very well in our tests.  Be prepared for a few well known items (such as my local library) to be missing from the "attractions" list.  Still,  if you are unfamiliar with an area,  what IS included will be quite useful.

What are the Technical Specifications of the SP-III?

• Waypoints:    500 with name and graphic symbol (Autorouting does not use these waypoints.)
• Track log:     2000 track log points
• Trip computer: Resetable odometer, timers, average and maximum speeds
• GPS Receiver: Differential-ready 12 parallel channel GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites
• Acquisition times:  Warm: Approximately 15 seconds,  Cold: Approximately 45 seconds,  AutoLocate: Approximately 2 minutes
• Update rate: 1/second, continuous
• Position Accuracy: Position: < 15 meters, 95% typical with clear sky view and good DOP
• Velocity accuracy: 0.05 meter/sec steady state
• DGPS Accuracy: Position: 3-5 meters, 95% typical, Velocity: 0.05 meter/sec steady state
• Dynamics: 6g’s
• Interfaces: RS232 with NMEA 0183
• Antenna: Detachable with standard BNC-type connector.  Accepts external amplified antenna.
• Physical Size: 3.2"H x 6.8"W x 2.6"D (8.0 x 17.3 x 6.5 cm)
• Weight: 1.4 pounds (635 g)
• Display:  3.4"W x 1.8"H (8.6 x 4.5 cm), (305 x 160 pixels), high contrast, 16 color LCD with backlighting
• Case: Rugged; fully gasketed
• Temp. range: 5°F to 158°F (–15°C to 70°C)
• Data storage: Indefinite; no memory battery required
• Map storage: Data cards store detailed map data
• The SP-III  uploads MapSource maps at 115,200 baud.  (Normally you would use the USB memory cartridge loader which can load 32megs in a couple of minutes.)

Specific Questions Answered:

• Does the SP-III have automatic daylight savings time?  Yes,  at least it works in the USA.
• What is the battery life for the 6 alkalines?  About 2 hours.  NiMH a bit longer.  Keep it plugged into your 12vdc power is our advice.
• Is the color screen viewable in sunlight?  Direct sunlight washes it out,  but if it is in your car on the dash,  it is quite satisfactory.
• What memory cartridges does it use?  SP-III comes with 32megs and can accept 8, 16, 32,  64 meg and 128 meg Garmin cartridges.
• Does SP-III have a trip computer like earlier SP's?  Yes.
• Is the SP-III the same size as the original SP?  No.  It is the same shape,  but slightly deeper.  It uses the same mount and accessories.
• Where is the speaker for the audio output?  It is mounted on the power cable near the 12vdc power plug (car end).  The audio output comes from a separate connector from the power input.
• Is there enough audio volume available to use SP-III in a noisy truck?  In a <normal> car,  we judge the volume will always be ample.  We think this is the case for a fairly noisy truck as well,  but you can always connect an external audio amp and speaker or even earphones.
• Is the audio clear and easy to understand?  Yes.  We think the audio quality is quite good.
• Is the contrast and brightness adjustable?  Yes,  there are about 10 brightness steps and contrast control resolution is maybe 50 steps.
• Is MapSource included?  Yes,  CityNavigator is included with a "key" for one (of 9) USA regions.  Additional regions cost extra.
• Will my old SP (or G-III) cable work with SP-III?  Yes,  but a new speaker/power cable comes with SP-III.
• How do I load 32megs of map data in a reasonable time?  Using the USB memory card loader (provided in kit) this takes a couple of minutes.
• Does SP-III come with a dash mount?  Yes.

The trip computer is improved and has functionality similar to the SP(CM).  With SP-III,  You will notice that when you come to a stop, the  estimated times  do  not go to infinity,  but hold a  realistic  value.  The GPS calculates estimated times based upon road classes in your  Route and  modify the estimation by your actual speeds on  the  various road  classes. It also computes the actual road distance  between turns (waypoints) instead of using straight line distances.   The results  give fairly accurate estimated time to  various  points,  even  when  using different road classes, like traveling  on  the freeway,  and  then  exiting  later on  some  local  roads.  Your estimates will not only be based upon your current highway speed,  but by the combination of speeds you are using, or will be  using on the various road classes.

The  GPS  has the standard HOST mode  which  allows   the upload/download of waypoints, routes,  tracks,  etc.,  OR use the GPS for tracking with the NMEA output WITHOUT having to change from GARMIN to NMEA  mode  and vice versa.  The SP external power/data cable and active antenna BNC  connection is the same  as for the G-III(+) and G-II(+) and earlier SPs..

StreetPilot Feature and Function Highlights

We do not recommend SP for hiking or marine activities due to its reduced feature set optimized for automobile use.

The  SP (CM) includes the G-III+'s Overview Map of the World.  However,  the basemap has less detail in South America and no railroads,  but  more  roads  in  Canada  and  Mexico  plus   maps  of USA interstate,   national,  primary and  secondary  state  highways,  cities, larger towns,  waterways, rivers, and coastlines. areas outside the Americas.    (Note:  See  Garmin Base Maps description for  more  information  on Base Map  content.)   Base Maps  are included   in the SP-III's  internal memory while USER Uploadable Street Maps on CD ROM provide  street level or topo detail of user selected  areas are loaded to the 32 meg (standard) or 64 or 128 meg memory cartridges.  (Note:  older 8 meg and 16 meg cartridges can also be used with SP-III.)

Additional SP features include:

Note:  None  of the  "display fields" are user configurable in SP.  A "satellite"  page (menu/menu+GPS INFO)  rounds out the  active displays.  Another display shows loaded maps and allows user selection of "active" maps.  We are not sure why you would want to turn any of the loaded map sections off.

MetroGuide's Find-an-Address includes: Intersection, Place, Restaurant, Hotel, Entertainment capability.  SP (CM) can find  such places   in  the  upload coverage area.  Even a restaurant less  than one  year   old   were  included.  However,   some   of   the locations   of  restaurants, hotels,  etc.  are  misplaced  by considerable distances.

A  "Driving Status"  line  on the  Map  display  indicates such information   as  "Driving  South  on  Roswell   Road   near Sandy Springs".   This  can be quite useful in cities  where you  don't exactly know which street you are on.  Also while driving, the name of each approaching side street is displayed allowing finding side streets in the dark.

Major features the StreetPilot DOES NOT have compared with G-III+

Datums-  The SP  only  provides  WGS-84  so any  external mapping program which cannot  use  WGS-84 directly  OR convert  WGS-84 to its  required  datum will give  larger  than  normal map position errors.

Battery timer- The SP has no battery timer feature.  It does have a  battery "fuel gauge" display and MORE IMPORTANT,  SP-III has an "Automatic Shutdown when External Power is Removed" feature to prevent running down the internal batteries if you forget to turn off StreetPilot in your car.  Unfortunately,  it does NOT have automatic power ON when external power is applied like other Car Navigation systems.

Fifty  ICONS are available in the SP to identify  user  waypoints and  mark  routes.      The battery meter can  be set to alkaline, or NiCad types.   Alkaline battery  life in the SP (6 AA cells) is about 2  hours.

Street pricing of the SP-III is about US $850 or less and includes: 32 meg memory cartridge,  speaker/power cable CityNavigator CDROM and a password key for one (of 9) USA regions.

Features and Operation

The SP-III has a direct and easy to use routing system.  The user:

• Enters an address, an intersection,  select a restaurant,  hotel, or other Point of Interest.
• selects ROUTE to it and then FASTEST WAY (or perhaps SHORTEST)
• SP-III automatically generates a route to your destination and cues the user with both audio and visual directions.

 The SP-III operates from 6 AA batteries or from external power in the range  of 10 to 32 volts DC.  The SP-III uses FLASH memory and has no memory backup battery.  We get about 2 hours from a  set of 6 Toshiba/Sony Alkaline AA cells.   Best to keep the unit plugged into external power.  The LED  backlit display  lighting has a rated design life of 100,000 hours.   The SP shuts down when the internal battery voltage  goes  below  4.8 (alkaline) or 5.2 (NiCad) volts unless external power is applied.

The   data/power  cable  used  is  the  same  as  the  Garmin  G-45/12/II+/G-III+ and other SP units.  The external antenna connector,  a BNC  coax jack,   is located on the right rear of the unit just behind  the keys.   The BNC jack is powered and has a current limit rated  at 50 ma    to  protect the unit from shorts on  the  antenna  cable.  However,   the standard antenna is passive.     The Garmin GA-26  amplified antenna, Lowe's,  Tri-M,  and the MAGELLAN M-4000  amplified  antenna all work  with the SP.   We believe most  other  amplified  GPS antennas will work as well.

The  SP-III outputs out only the NMEA protocol NMEA-0183  ver  2.0  and accepts  RTCM-0104.  Other proprietary GARMIN sentences  are input/output  as well.   Garmin has included its (now) standard HOST MODE  (Called  GARMIN  in the GPS)  so  that  (with suitable  software  commands) it is now possible to  switch  from NMEA  to up/download without manual intervention.  The   NMEA out, TEXT out, DGPS in, and RTCM in are also available.

DGPS  signals in the RTCM-0104 format are accepted.  Anytime  NMEA output  is selected,  the baud rate of  the output serial port is set to 4800 baud and input is disabled or it can be set for RTCM in and NMEA out.  RTCM (DGPS) alone can use  baud rates  of 300 to 9600.  A setup screen permits selection  of  the I/O combination needed by a particular application.

Operating temperature range is specified as -15C to +70C.  Unique in  their  class,   Like other Garmin handheld GPS receivers,  SP is rated submersible to one meter per IEC529 IPX(7).  The maximum altitude rating is 60,000ft and speed maximum is 999 knots.

Feature Details
 

• The MAP SCREEN includes the MAP,  an ARROW,  current  speed display, distance to go, and time to go display.   Elevation and lon/lat may be optionally displayed as well.  A compass rose display screen shows direction of travel when you are NOT in automatic navigation.  This is replaced by  a large  ARROW indicating the proper direction of travel  when in automatic navigation mode.  Uniquely,  this ARROW  points at  the proper direction of travel along the road right  now NOT  at  the next waypoint.  At TURNS,  the arrow will  make right angles or whatever angle is appropriate for the  turn.
• A  moving map display is provided to plot your  course  over ground.   The detail of the base map is similar to the  base map  in  the G-III+ except as noted above.   Outside  of  Canada,  Mexico and the USA,  maps have the same  features,  but  are generally less detailed.  Waypoints saved  in  the   machine are  displayed on the moving map page as  they  come  within range of the map scale selected.   The map screen has pan and zoom and  scales  from 200 feet (1/2 inch) to  about  3000  miles (screen width).
• Route   start/finish  points  can  also  be  generated  from user waypoints, city waypoints, points of  interest,  street addresses  and street/road  intersections.  There appear  to be 7 layers  of  map   detail in the base map and perhaps  9 more  in  the  street level cartridge maps.
• The map display may be set to  north up, or current  track up.   The map  display  provides an array of user  customizable   features  such  as  AUTOZOOM,   Map  DETAIL  control,  vehicle   locked/not locked  to  road,  North  up/Track  up,  lon/lat   on   or   off,   Display     waypoint    controls,   text     size     selection,  display/don't   display    map  features  such  as  restaurants,  hotels, shopping  centers,  garages/service stations, tourist attractions,    entertainment centers and similar.   The  map  screen  also  supports zoom  and pan and  "measure  distance" features.    On   the SP,   user  waypoints can have one  of  50 symbols  such  as boat,   house, gas pump,  etc.  When you  are   moving,   an  "arrow"  pointer shows your direction and  leaves a  "cookie trail"  showing your track.  Map accuracy is superb  on  the Atlanta Metro Cartridge.
• The  automatic guidance system is a bit  tedious  to set  up since the SP does not have a computer keyboard and  a mouse,  but the system works well and once you have set  up half a dozen routes,  you can typically set up  an  entire route in perhaps  1 minute or less.
• A  simulator feature provides display of  simulated  motion and  simultaneously  outputs  simulated  tracking  data   to your computer for test of mapping software,  data  gathering simulations  and  such.  However,  the  simulator  can  only follow  established  routes  and cannot just be  set  up  to travel in some user selected direction.  This seems OK since the  SP  is  designed  to  facilitate  automated  automobile navigation which requires the input of a route.  If you  are in simulator mode and turn off power,  a power ON  automatically restores normal mode operation.  (It's not  documented in the manual, but the simulator can be driven by using  the cursor  keys on the dashboard page. Up/Down  adjusts  speed,  Right/Left  adjusts direction.  However,  it is a  trick  to figure out which direction you are going with this setup.)
•  There is no screen back lighting timer feature in SP-III.
•  A message screen pops up (with beep) to show system warnings and messages.  These include such things as approaching next turn,  no DGPS position,  poor GPS coverage, and battery  is low.  The total number of such advisory messages is 28.
• When  the unit is powered ON,  a Garmin introductory  screen comes  on  followed by a "land data is provided  only  as  a  general  reference  to  your  surroundings"  page.    Garmin apparently has hired Lowrance's Lawyer because with SP,  you  MUST hit ENTER following the first two introductory  screens  otherwise  the  unit will halt on the "Drive safely  or  you  could kill yourself" screen.  After pushing ENTER,  the  MAP  or  DASHBOARD or NAVIGATION page will display.  To view  the SATELLITE page,  you must go to the dashboard page and press OPTIONS   and  select  SHOW  SATELLITE  STATUS.   Then   the satellite  status page comes up.  It displays a  "fuel"   or battery  gauge  showing battery remaining, and  a  "compass"  display  of satellite numbers (1 to 32) in view  along  with signal strength bars for each satellite potentially in  view (up  to  12).    If the unit is  powered  from  an  external source,   the  "fuel" gauge "battery bar"  disappears.
• The signal strength bars are hollow if the GPS has found the  SV and  has  not yet downloaded ephemeris data and  changes  to solid  black  when data is received from each  satellite  in  turn.  Each signal strength bar is marked with the associated  satellite  number.  On the polar plot,  SV  numbers  are black  on  white  when not locked and white  on  black  when locked.   An  estimated  position  error  readout  is   also displayed on the Satellite Status page.
• Waypoints  may  be named with a ten character  name  plus  a symbol  (boat,   gas  pump,   house,   etc.)  which  may  be selected  from a library of 50 symbols.  The GPS permits  you  to select any waypoint from the list and have the map "jump" to it.
• The  SP  has  a single track log  system.   This  track  log provides   just  475  trackpoints, but the SP CM has 950 .  It is  not  possible   to  "track back" along a cookie trail with SP.  You CAN  reverse routes.
• The  SP(CM)  accepts the RTCM-104 version 2.0   DGPS  correction format.   The  GPS can control the frequency of  the  Garmin GBR-21  or other Starlink compatible DGPS receivers when  it is  set to the RTCM/NMEA mode.  (For the Garmin GBR-21  DGPS receiver,  you must connect the NMEA output to the DGPS  Rx,   but  you  can  also use the SP's  serial   output  for  your  computer's  serial  port input.  In such case,   you  cannot upload/download data to the SP.)  DGPS beacon frequency  and signal strength will display on the SP when DGPS activity is present on the RTCM input.  Note:  The NMEA I/O baud rate is ALWAYS  4800  baud on the SP EXCEPT that in  RTCM-104  only mode,   (no NMEA output),  9600, 4800, 2400, 1200, 600,  and 300  baud  are  selectable.   This could  be  a  problem  for simultaneous  DGPS/NMEA operation since some DGPS  receivers  will  not output at 4800 baud,  which is the only speed  you  can  get with RTCM/NMEA.  Garmin says that all  of  Garmin's DGPS  ready  GPS  receivers are  compatible  with  all  DGPS receivers  which output RTCM SC104 version 2.0 data  streams within the above limitation.  Alert messages and BEEPS  from the  SP  alarm  DGPS signal failure after about  15  seconds when that mode is enabled.  You can select the desired  DGPS beacon  by  location, so you don't have to  know  the  local frequencies.
• External   I/O  signal  modes  available  are:    NMEA/NONE,   RTCM/NMEA,   Garmin  Data Transfer (includes  GARMIN and NMEA  all  in one),  and RTCM/NONE.  If NMEA is one  of  the selections,  the baud rate is automatically 4800 baud.  NMEA   $GP sentence output list for the SP (CM) is:  BOD, GGA, GLL, GSA,  GSU, RMB, RMC, RTE, and WPL.
•  Proximity waypoints are not provided in the SP and it has no Magnetic/True   North   heading    reference selection.   USER GRIDS are NOT  supported in the SP.
•  If  the  OPTION  key is pressed and held when  the  unit  is  turned  ON,  an undocumented test screen is activated  which incidentally measures battery voltage, temperature and a few other  things.  Pressing QUIT (several times) from the  test screen gives you a set of 4 gray scale test screens.  DO NOT  DO THE FOLLOWING.  If you press and hold ROUTE when the unit  is powered up,  you do a master reset.  This will clear  all   data  including  temperature  compensation  curves  for  the crystal oscillator.  Don't do it!
• When  navigating a ROUTE,  the pointer points along  the  road in the correct direction of  travel.  This happens EVEN IF the road is curvy and makes many changes  in direction.   This  is in contrast  with  conventional  ROUTE technology which has the pointer constantly pointing at  the NEXT WAYPOINT (TURN).    As each turn is approached,  the SP  delivers    an   audible   "beep-beep"   and   the    POINTER automatically  indicates the proper turn direction  and  the command  line switches to the  next waypoint (turn)  in  the route  list.  Routes may be inverted to return along a  path  in  the reverse direction.  (Such reversed route may give  a cautionary message that you may encounter one way streets if such  streets or divided highways are involved in  a  route.
• If  you  know  there  are  no  one  ways  excepting  divided highways,  you can ignore the error message.  If there is an actual  one  way  street in your route,  you  will  have  to  recompile  the  route.  SP will prevent you from  going  the  wrong way on one way streets during initial route setup.)  A route may be copied to a new route and renamed.   If a route is activated when your location is somewhere in the  middle, the nearest waypoint will be selected as the starting  point of  the  route.
• The SP has dedicated ZOOM in/out buttons on the front panel.   This  permits  easy  expansion or  contraction  of  the  map display with a single keystroke.
• The SP offers 50 different waypoint symbols for  pictorially identifying  waypoints.   This feature permits the  user  to show  such objects as anchors,  boats,  gas pumps,   houses,  cars,   fish,  etc.,  to further identify waypoints  on  the  map display.
• The  SP  is rated  submersible to one meter for  30  minutes  like all current Garmin handheld GPS receives in accord with IEC-529 IPX(7).
• A "Delete By Symbol" feature permits deleting all  waypoints of a class.  Also,  you can FIND waypoints by NAME,  and you can review the "most recently used" waypoints.
• The  SP display can only be operated in the HORIZONTAL  mode  which  is  in keeping with its design  an  automotive  GPS mapping  receiver.
• There  is no dedicated  GOTO button in SP. However,  SP  has  GOTO  operation using a MENU selection. If you use the  FIND key to find an address,  Point of Interest, or waypoint, you can  press enter and select the "Go to It" option.  The   SP is  organized  to ROUTE your journey in an   automobile  and Garmin designers apparently decided that the dedicated  GOTO button had little value in automotive navigation.

Jack  Yeazel and I  have tested the SP on the roads and  highways of  North  Georgia  including one interstate trip.   Our  SP  has worked  properly at all times as far as we could tell.  We  tried uploading   and   downloading  waypoints,   tracks   and   routes using  G7ToWin.   We tried it  out  on SA5, 6, and 7,   Precision  Mapping  3,  Vista,   AutoRoute  5.   Generally tracking  worked well,  and SA7 upload/download functions  worked OK.    (However,  most  upload/download programs   will   require later   releases  for  all   of   the   new   SP  functions    to upload/download properly.  Examples: 50 icons,  One 10  character names,   commands  to use Garmin's  new  "no   touch"  switch over from  NMEA  to UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD.   All map programs  tested  which specified  a   NMEA-0183  ver 2.0 data stream  as  input  tracked properly with the SP.

We compared the SP with the G-12XL, G-III+, G-II+ and the EEx2.   The SP  performed  on  a par with all units in every  test  for  lock stability,   multipath performance,  re-lock after an  underpass,  and  ability to suddenly change direction without loss  of  lock.  The  SP  laid down smooth tracks on our highway maps  during  all tests.   No gaps,  jumps,  etc., (The SP has data smoothing  like the G-III+.)

We  noted that both the SP and G-III+ (along with the G-12XL and  the G-II+)  have a form of "dead reckoning" for moments  when  signal dropouts  occur.  For instance,  if the SP is tracking along  and just before a sharp turn you invert it and block its antenna,  it will  continue to track straight for about 30 seconds.   It  also provides  a very good data smoothing filter to throw  out  random fixes  that are way off track.  This results in an  exceptionally smooth  track on a moving map display even with the  "road  lock" option  turned  off.   Even  with  this  filter,   there  was  no overshoot apparent during quick stops,  sharp turns,  and similar maneuvers when normal continuous tracking was taking place.

SP  performance under tree cover and city canyon  conditions  was about the same as the G-III+, G-II+,  G-12XL and the EEx2 and we rate that as  very good.

We  found the display controls easy to learn and use.   The  menu system and arrangement is quite satisfactory,  but took some time with  the  70 page manual.  The SP has many feature  changes   as compared with the G3 and other handheld units.  However,  after a couple of hours of operation,  we found the SP's simplified  menu system both adequate and easy to use.

Since the SP-III,  SP, G-III+,  G-12XL and the G-II+  exhibited  essentially  identical  tracking  performance  in  our tests,   we  did not perform the extensive field trials  we  made with  the  G-12XL,   EE, and others.   For  more  information  on tracking  results with our testing of the G-12XL,  and the  G-II+ see our reviews at:  http://gpsinformation.net/main

Summary

Our  overall  impressions  are  that the  StreetPilot  III is  a  new generation  of low cost  Automobile  Navigation Systems.  With the lowest price of any truely automatic self contained address-toaddress car navigation system and the superior NavTech street maps,  we consider the SP-III to be revolutionary in its price class.  With the SP-III,  I believe we can eliminate having to use paper maps for car navigation (in the covered areas).

What  DON'T  we  like about the  StreetPilot III?
1)  The unit drains batteries extremely rapidly.  It will be extremely advantageous to operate it  from external power.  This problem is mitigated by the  "automatic shutdown  when   external power is removed"  feature.
2) The CityNavigator software for one of ten regions of the USA comes bundled with SP-III.  Additional regions cost about $99 and the bundle with "all the rest" of the USA costs about $200 or so.    Many will opt right away for the "entire USA".  This is a bit pricey for many buyers,  BUT>  it is the best car navigation map system that you can buy and Garmin's price is MUCH less than other car navigation vendors charge for the same map capability.  These are apparently the same maps that are used in the $2000/$3000 car navigation systems.
3) The simulator is a bit hard to steer and gets off track now and then,  but this is "picky".
4) We would like to see the SP-III power up automatically when external power is applied.

Which  GPS  do  I use now when I go  on  automobile  trips?   The StreetPilot III.  Would I take it hiking or boating?  No.

If  anyone  has any additions,  questions,   suggestions,   error corrections  other comments,  please feel free to Email  Jack  or Joe.

Joe Mehaffey   or  Jack Yeazel