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  GT32 resources

  Setting up Navi GT31
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  Setting up Navi GT11
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Setting up Navi GT-11 for speed sailing
by Tom Chalko
French version

 
A. Chosing SD card.
Some brands/sizes of SD cards are not compatible with Navi/GT11. Before purchasing SD card check its specifications and make sure that the card is specified to work with 2.7V power supply. GT11 supplies 2.8V to SD card. Some SD cards require 3.3V and won't work with GT11. Check the readme.txt file to see which cards you should avoid and which cards were found to work fine. Make the test described in section C1d.
 
B. Firmware Upgrade

It is very important to use the latest GT-11 firmware. Both features and performance are significantly enhanced by the firmware upgrade. Please don't complain about lack of features or performance if you do not use the latest firmware. GT-11 firmware develops very rapidly (daily). Test versions work very well and improve steadily. Remember that we TEST the firmware under development. Please report any strange behavior here.

1. Download the latest software
a) firmware (1115.rar or 1115.zip)
b) NaviLink (both Command line AND Windows) from Locosys
c) Firmware Update software (NAViFu.exe)

2. If you don't have WinRar, download WinRAR 3.70 or later, install it, and recover files from *.rar archives downloaded in step 1. If you downoaded the ZIP file above, you need to "unzip" the content.

3. Install both NaviLink programs and Firmware Update (NAViFU.exe) software.

4. Plug the Navi USB cable and connect the Navi/GT11 to it. Make sure that this connection will not be interrupted during the firmware update.

5. Turn on Navi/GT11. If your current firmware is 1024f or higher, as indicated by SETTINGS>VERSION you need to enter the UPDATE mode: SETTINGS>VERSION>UPDATE>YES

6. Exit all other Windows applications, finish printing etc. When Windows monster runs out of resources (for whatever reasons) it may interrupt the firmware upload, in which case you will need to send your Navi for service to revive it. A simple precaution of terminating other programs during firmware upgrade greatly increases the reliability of the process.

7.
Run NAViFU.exe program and select the COM port from the pop-up menu.

8 .
Select Browse in NAViFU program and choose the Navi_fw.s firmware file that you downloaded in step 1a and recovered in step 2.

9 .
Choose "execute". Navi light should flash and progress bar should be displayed on PC.

10.
After the execution is complete, power your Navi-GT11 down and up again. Go to Settings and select Version. You should see the Version Number corresponding to the name of the file in step 1a. Rename Navi_fw.s file to include the Version number. For example if you updated to 1115 rename the file to Navi_fw1115.s . This will help you to keep track of your updates.

C . Navi GT-11 Settings

There are 2 methods of setting-up Settings in GT11:
- manual: using buttons in GT11 itself
- using Navilink_cmd.exe : this method enables you to backup/share/restore all GT11 settings


Setting up GT11 manually
1. MEMORY CARD
a. LOG SWITCH should be ON-FIX. There is no point to log any data when there is no position fix.
b. NMEA ITEMS should be set to "SBN 1 SEC" in recent firmware. Binary logging ensures maximum possible trackpoint accuracy and maximum data reliability. If you want the most complete data set from your sailing session, use SBN (binary) format logging.
c. MIN SPEED should be set somewhere between 2 and 5, unless you are specifically interested to log data when you are stationary.
d. FORMAT CARD. Read readme.txt file to find which cards are compatible with GT11. Format the card a few times in a row. If you succeed each time, you can rely on the SD card that you use. Formating is the most drastic writing operation you can perform on your card and hence it is the ultimate test of your SD card compatibility.
e. FILE SIZE should be set to CARD SIZE. This means that you do not put any limit on file size.

2. SETTINGS
a. USERNAME
. It is important to set your name, so that data files are properly identified.
b. SPEED AVG TIME = 10 seconds if you am for 10s runs, or 21s if you aim for 500m world record.
c. SPEED GENIE = between 20-to-30 knots (37-55 km/h if UNITS are set to m). SPEED GENIE anticipates what you want to see. It automatically changes SPEED screens, resets MAX and MAXAVG speeds so that you do not need to push any buttons when you sail. SPEED GENIE is only active in the SPEED menu. The 1-99 value in SPEED GENIE is a speed threshold for activation of the real-time speed measurement screen. NEW: Speed Genie now automatically saves 14 MAX speeds and 10 best n-second averages (n is set in 2b). You can RESTORE any value and make a photo showing your speed achievement.
d. FUNCTION
= NAVIGATION. Please do not complain about missing data it you set it to any other function. Other functions are ancient legacy and will soon be removed.

3. DATA LOGGER
Data Logger (internal memory GPS logging arranged in a circular buffer that automatically overwrites the oldest data when full) has the capacity for 7.5 hours of logging GPS data every second with full precision. It allows Navi GT11 to be used without SD card. Set INTERVAL=1s, MIN SPEED=5, DATA ITEM=SBP (for full precision).

Other settings are almost irrelevant for speed sailing. You may consider setting UNITS (NM or m), BACKLIGHT etc... in SETTINGS to suit you.
 
BEFORE SAILING
Power up your Navi and make sure that it can fix the position. SD card Logging activity is confirmed by flashing log indicator. Move with speed above the threshold you set in step C1c and check it. Find the SPEED item in the main menu and enter it. Happy sailing.