Magellan 980588-01 - GPS Companion For Palm V/Vx Guide

Welcome
Thank you for your purchase of the Magellan GPS Companion and Map Companion CD. With the
GPS Companion attached, your Palm™ OS Handheld Organizer becomes a complete travel tool that
will not only save you time but completely removes the phrase“Where am I?”from your vocabulary.
No matter where you go or what you do, the GPS Companion and your Palm organizer will provide
you with all the information you need to get you where you are going.
Using
GPS Companion
with Palm V/Vx Series
of Handhelds
Using
GPS
Companion with
Handspring
Visor
WARNING
Driver shall not use this device while operating a vehicle to assist the driver to navigate.
Copyright 2000 by Magellan Corporation. All rights reserved. 690928 A

GPS Companion Packing List
Make sure that the contents of your GPS
Companion box is complete and matches
the contents listed on the side of the box. If
anything is missing, please contact
Magellan Corporation for replacement parts
at 1-866-737-8605.

Tips on Satellite Signal Reception
The signals received from the satellites are extremely weak and getting a good“view of the sky”is
important to any GPS receiver. However, the GPS Companion uses 12-channel technology to
overcome a lot of the lost signals due to poor or blocked view of the sky.
Early GPS receivers were notorious for losing lock (not being able to compute a position fix) in
seemingly mild conditions. If you owned one of these receivers you are going to love the way the
GPS Companion performs. Still, signal blockage can occur and you may have to move slightly to
regain enough signal strength to continue computing position fixes.
Some areas that may cause signal problems are:
•Inside buildings.
•City areas where large tall buildings block the view.
•Under dense tree cover (especially if the leaves are wet due to rain or morning dew).
•In tunnels.
•In valleys where the hills around you block your view of the sky.
If you find yourself in one of these conditions, or a similar condition, all you need to do is move to a
place that has a better view of the sky. The GPS Companion will automatically begin computing fixes
as soon as it gets the information it needs from the satellites.

Palm V/Vx Series of Handhelds
The GPS Companion is the perfect add-on for the Palm V/Vx series of handhelds for anyone needing
the combination of a Palm V/Vx handheld and a GPS receiver. The GPS Companion works equally
well with either the Palm™ V or Palm™ Vx handheld.
Install NAV Companion and/or Map Companion
software into your Palm™ V Series of
Handhelds and the days of folding maps and
searching through endless pages of map
guides are a thing of the past. Highways,
streets and a host of points of interest can now
be stored into your organizer and found on a
map in a moments notice.
We hope that you enjoy your GPS Companion
and we will continue to bring you software and
accessories that will make your life just a little
bit easier. If you have any comments and/or
suggestions for the GPS Companion, please
contact Magellan and let us know what you
think.
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Batteries,JI(`',`Installing_Batteries_in_PV_Comp')} {button
Connecting,JI(`',`Installing_Palm_V_into_GPS_Companion')} {button
Removing,JI(`',`Removing_Palm_V_from_GPS_Companion')}

Accessories
Vehicle Mounting Bracket
Mount your GPS and Palm V/Vx
organizer to any flat surface for
hands-free operation.
Includes a suction cup mount and
cradle for holding both the GPS
Companion and Palm V/Vx/Vx.
PN: 701219 $44.99
External Power Cable
Indefinitely power your GPS
Companion from a standard 12V
cigarette lighter plug and eliminate
the need to carry extra batteries.
Ideal for use with the Vehicle
Mounting Bracket.
PN: 730338 $17.99
Canvas Carrying Case
Protect both your GPS Companion
and Palm V/Vx handheld with this
attractive carrying case. Includes a
soft inner liner, belt loop and zipper
closure. Ideal for protecting your
GPS Companion and Palm V/Vx/Vx
while traveling.
PN: 701220 $12.99
Prices subject to change without notice.
Look for these accessories at your Magellan dealer or contact Magellan directly at 909-394-5000 or
800-669-4477.

Installing Batteries
The GPS Companion uses two AAA batteries that are installed as shown in the accompanying
picture.
The expected battery life for the GPS Companion is 10 hours.

Installing Palm V/Vx into GPS Companion
The Palm V/Vx snaps into the GPS Companion
as shown. Set the bottom of the Palm V/Vx into
the GPS Companion cradle so that the
connectors on the Palm V/Vx and the GPS
Companion line up. Push the top of the Palm
V/Vx towards the GPS Companion. As it seats
in, you will feel the locking plate“snap”into
position, locking the Palm V/Vx securely to the
GPS Companion.

Removing Palm V/Vx from GPS Companion
To remove the Palm V/Vx from the GPS
Companion, push the release lever on the back
of the GPS Companion to the left. As you do,
place your other hand over the Palm V/Vx to
prevent it from falling as the locking mechanism
is released. Carefully lift the Palm V/Vx out of
the GPS Companion cradle.

Contents
The Map Companion CD contains the Map Companion application along with its associated maps
and the NAV Companion Application.
Map Companion Application MapCompanion.prc
Map Companion Maps <mapname>.pdb
NAV Companion Application NavComp.prc

Installing Software
Software installation is done through the HotSync operation supplied with your Palm handheld.
Installing the Map Companion software involves installing the Map Companion application as well as
any maps you want to use. Installation of the NAV Companion software is done by installing the NAV
Companion application. (There are no maps associated with NAV Companion.)
Map Companion Software
To install the Map Companion software, first locate the Map Companion application file
(MapCompanion.prc) and any map files you would like to use. Map files can be found in the folder
“USA”in thethe MapCompanion folder. Inside the“USA”folder is folders for all 50 states and inside
the state folders are folders for the counties in each state. You will find the city map files in the
counties folder. (If you are unsure about which county the city you are looking for is in, you can use
Windows Find File function. This can be found under the Start button in Windows.) Map files always
end with a .pdb filename extension and contain the name of the area they cover. For example, the
map for San Francisco has a filename of San_Francisco.pdb.
Sometimes you will find a county map inside the county folder. For example:
USA > California > Los Angeles > Los_Angeles_County.pdb.
These county files are for the unincorporated areas of the county.
Use the HotSyncoperation supplied with your Palm organizer to upload the selected files to your
organizer. Information on how to upload files using HotSynccan be found in the user’s manual
that came with your PalmV Desktop organizer.
NAV Companion Software
For the NAV Companion software, locate the application file (NavComp.prc) in the NAV Companion
folder and use your HotSync operation to upload it to your Palm organizer.