Meridian Series of GPS Receivers
 

Any waypoints or routes you have created are stored in permanent
memory with the batteries removed. Present position and time data
is not stored in permanent memory but will be held in memory for
at least 12 hours without batteries installed.

Always turn the Meridian off before removing the batteries or turning off external power. Failure to do so can cause loss or corruption of data.

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The final step in setting up the Meridian is to initialize the receiver for first-time use. This will help your Meridian begin computing your position in the fastest manner possible. The reason for initialization is to speed up the process for computing the first position fix when the Meridian has no last position computed in memory (i.e., when the Meridian is brand new or memory has been cleared). This gives the Meridian an approximate indication of where it is located so it can use its satellite almanac (stored in permanent memory) to estimate what satellites are overhead and which ones it should be looking for.

Press [PWR] The Meridian turns on and displays the start-up screen and a warning screen.

Press [ENTER] (You have 10 seconds to press ENTER or the Meridian will shut off.) The Meridian displays a message box indicating that the receiver needs to be initialized.

Press [ENTER]

Use the Up/Down arrows on the keypad to highlight your general region.

Press [ENTER]

Use the Up/Down arrows on the keypad to highlight your area.

Press [ENTER]

The cursor appears in the time field, waiting for you to input your local time. Set your local time using the arrow keys. Be sure that you set the AM/PM indicator.

Note: After the Meridian starts to pick up signals from any satellite, it will automatically update the time using the satellite’s atomic clock.

When the time is correct, press [ENTER].

The last piece of information needed is the date. Using the arrow keys, enter the present date. Press [ENTER].

All the information that the Meridian needs to speed up the process of computing its first fix has been entered and the Done button is highlighted. To complete the initialization process, press [ENTER].

The Satellite Status screen is displayed and the Meridian begins acquiring the data from the satellites. If you turn the Meridian off, all of the information you just entered will be saved.

To turn the Meridian off, press [PWR].

Because the Meridian attains information it needs from satellites orbiting the earth, the antenna needs to have a relatively unobstructed view of the sky. This allows the Meridian to choose from all satellites currently available. If the view of the sky is poor due to large cliffs or buildings, heavy foliage or other obstructions, the satellite signals can be blocked and the receiver may take longer to compute a position fix. You can observe the signal strength and the satellites being used on the Satellite Status screen.

Holding the Meridian. The receiver is designed to fit comfortably in your hand. Hold the Meridian in the palm of your hand with the antenna pointing towards the sky.

The Meridian has eight navigation screens: Map screen, Compass screen, Large Data screen, Position screen, Road screen, Data screen, Speedometer screen and Sat Status screen. They will be described briefly here.

Compass Screen. This is a handy screen to have at your fingertips while you are navigating. It is totally customizable to display the information that is useful to you. The lower portion of the Compass screen not only displays your heading in a graphical manner, but also displays the relationship of the sun, moon and your destination (if navigating on a route) to your heading.

Large Data Screen. The Large Data screen is similar to the Compass screen but here the compass has been removed to allow for large display of the navigation data. Even from a distance the information can be read with ease.

Position Screens. The Position screens 1 and 2 display your present position using the coordinate systems that you have selected in Setup. This screen shows all of the basic position, time and satellite information. In addition, current navigation information is shown in the bottom half of the screen.

Road Screen. The Road screen presents your route as if you were travelling on a road. When you need to make a turn, the road will graphically display the turn and the direction. Waypoint and destination icons will be displayed relative to your position as they come into view. Above the road is a compass that displays your heading and above that are four customizable data fields.

Data Screen. When you need to see a lot of information in one place then you’ll appreciate the Data screen. The Data screen provides you with six data fields and an active compass that is the same as the one used on the road screen. You have the option of customizing this screen by selecting what data is displayed in the upper six fields.

'Speedometer Screen. The Speedometer screen displays your speed in a familiar graphical format. There are four additional data fields at the top of the display that can be customized to display the data that you need. The bottom of the screen contains a trip odometer that will record the distance traveled since the last time the odometer was reset.

Satellite Status Screen. The Sat Status screen provides you with a graphical display of the satellites in view and which ones are being used to compute the navigation data. The bar graph shows you the relative signal strength being received for each satellite. At the bottom of the display is an indication of the battery life remaining. When you are using external power, it will be indicated here as well.

From any screen other than a navigation screen, pressing [NAV] returns you to the last navigation screen viewed. Note that if you are inputting data, pressing [NAV] will return you to the last navigation screen but your inputs will not be saved.

A waypoint is a point on a map that you can name and save in the Meridian. They are primarily used for creating routes. Whether the route is a simple GOTO or a more complex multileg route, it needs stored waypoints to use as its starting and destination point.

Saving a Waypoint with a Receiver-Generated Name
From any screen, press and hold [GOTO] for 2 seconds and the Mark screen is displayed. The "Save" button is highlighted and you can press [ENTER] to save the waypoint using the default name and icon. You can later go back and edit any of the waypoint information through the Database Menu or you can change the information now following the guidelines below.

Saving a Waypoint with a User-Input Icon and Name
From any screen, press and hold [GOTO] for 2 seconds. Use the UP/DOWN arrows and notice that the highlight moves from field to field and then back to "Save."

Highlight the Icon field using the UP/DOWN arrows. Press [ENTER]. The Icon Select window is displayed. Use the arrow keypad to move from one icon to another with the name of the icon displayed at the top. When you have highlighted the icon you want to use, press [ENTER]. The cursor is now highlighting the Waypoint Name field. With the Name field highlighted, press [ENTER]. The input keyboard is displayed. The very top of the keyboard window shows you what field you are changing, in this case the Name field. You can now use the arrow keypad to select the character you wish to enter. With the character highlighted, press [ENTER] and the character is appended to the name you are entering and displayed in the field above the keys. (Note: waypoint names can be up to 8 characters in length.) Highlighting the space bar and pressing [ENTER] adds a space. Highlighting and pressing [ENTER] displays the lower case letters and some additional punctuation marks. When you have the name the way you want it, highlight "OK" and press [ENTER]. You are returned to the Mark screen with the new name displayed.

Entering a Message
As many as 200 waypoints can have a message assigned to it. This comes in handy in further identifying the waypoint. If this was a waypoint for a friend’s house or business, you could add a phone number or any other information that you find useful.

A GOTO route is simply a route with a start point and a single destination point: I am here and I want to go to there. All that is required to create a GOTO route is having the destination waypoint saved in memory. This waypoint can be one that you have saved earlier (which is stored in your User Waypoint List) or any of the landmarks that come with the Meridian in its built-in database.

Press [GOTO]. The first thing that has to be done is to select the destination waypoint. This is done by accessing the waypoint database. The first screen is used to select the category of the database that the waypoint is in and how it will be found, alphabetically or nearest to your position, a city or the cursor.

Selecting a Destination Waypoint from the Database using "Nearest"
Use the UP/DOWN arrows to highlight the category that your destination waypoint is in. Use the LEFT/RIGHT arrows to select how the waypoints are displayed, Alphabetical, Near Position, Near City or Near Cursor. In this case, you will be using "Near Position". The example shown here is a sample of a City Waypoint List. This is a sample of a Nearest City Waypoint list for Magellan. Your screen will look different. Use the UP/DOWN arrows to highlight your choice of waypoint to be your destination and press [ENTER]. The GOTO route is now active and you are returned to the last viewed navigation screen.

The Meridian has the ability to provide you with the tools you’ll need to navigate to your destination. You have the choice of three customizable screens that display the information that you need in the layout that you desire. Press [NAV] until the navigation screen you want is displayed. If you selected the Map screen, you will see your position icon in the center of the screen with a line drawn for you on the map, graphically displaying the GOTO route.

Note that this route is line of sight (LOS) or "as the crow flies." The Meridian does not compute the route using streets and highways providing a turn-by-turn routing. You’ll find very quickly that you can easily use the roads and highways displayed on the Map screen and compare them to the displayed route and get to your destination simply.

GOTO routes are NOT saved in memory when the Meridian is turned off. If you are navigating on a GOTO route and you need to turn the Meridian off, you will need to restart the GOTO. Routes, however, are stored in memory. If you need to make a GOTO but expect to turn the Meridian off before arriving, you might consider making a 1-leg route using the route menu.

Used by permission. 2002 Thales Navigation

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