Garmin StreetPilot III
How to Enter an Address -- Step by Step
Print a copy of this for your glove compartment!
 

Let's say you're on the road, and you call someone with your cell phone and get a destination address. It's too late to use the MapSource software to find the destination. How do you enter the address directly into the GPS unit? Now you're in trouble! It's nearly impossible! No, wait, just follow these step-by-step instructions. For best results, practice a few times beforehand, at home or in your driveway -- not when you are in a rush to catch your airplane!

To enter a destination address:
  1. Press the Find key. From the menu, use the Rocker Keypad to highlight Addresses, and press the Enter key. This takes you to the Find Address page.

  2. The cursor should be in the Number field. Press Enter to highlight the first digit. Press the Rocker Keypad up or down to change that first digit. When the digit is correct, press the right button in the Rocker Keypad to go to the next digit. Repeat the process to enter the next digits, until the whole number is complete. To erase an unwanted digit at the end, enter a blank space (which comes between 9 and 0 as you press up or down). When you are done entering the number, press the Enter key. This highlights the whole number.

  3. With the whole number highlighted in the Number field, press the down button of the Rocker Keypad to put the cursor into the Street field.

  4. The whole Street field is highlighted. Press Enter to go to the Select Street Name screen.

  5. The first character of the Select Street Name field should be highlighted. (If not, press the Enter key to highlight just the first character.) Press the Rocker Keypad up or down to change the first character. Note that you press up to advance forward through the alphabet: A, B, C ..., just the opposite of what you might expect. When the letter is correct, press the right button of the Rocker Keypad to go to the next letter. Repeat the process to enter the next letter. Note that as you scroll through the letters, it skips any letters that fail to match any street names in its database. For example, if the first letter is Q, only U is offered as an option for the second letter.

  6. Continue entering letters until the list below the entry field shows (or almost shows) the name of the street you want. Just entering the first five or six letters might be enough. Press the Enter key to move the yellow cursor from the entry field down to the list.

  7. With the yellow cursor in the list of street names, use the Rocker Keypad to scroll down the list until you highlight the exact street name, for example, E MAPLE ST. Then press the Enter key. This takes you to a screen that shows the Number, Street, City (optional), and Postal Code (optional) fields. Just entering the Number and Street is sufficient.

  8. Using the Rocker Keypad, move the yellow cursor down to the Find button on the screen, then press Enter. Wait patiently for the GPS unit to find and list the full matching addresses. WARNING: Do not press the Find button, as this will cancel all the work you have done!

  9. Use the Rocker Keypad to highlight the desired full address and then press Enter. The address is shown again, together with the options Save as Waypoint, Show Map, or Route to It. Highlight the desired option (usually Route to It) and press the Enter key.
     
Important Notes

You use the Rocker Keypad and Enter keys for almost everything. Don't press any other key unless you are sure of what you are doing. Also note that the Rocker Keypad has four tiny dots to indicate the pressure points: up, down, left, and right. The button is slanted, but the dots are aligned up/down and left/right.

The GPS unit is sometimes slow to respond. Press each key and look at the response before you press again. Pressing repeatedly or trying various keys without waiting for a response is bound to get you into trouble.

If the street has a prefix like North or East, omit the prefix when you enter the street name. The prefix E, N, S, or W will automatically appear in the list of matching street names. For example, to find North Maple Street, enter M-A-P-L-E, then select N MAPLE ST from the list. Entering N-O-R-T-H will not work.

Numbered streets must be entered as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on, not First, Second, Third, or Fourth. For example, to find North First Street, enter "1ST".

When you enter a plain name like Maple, the matching list shows E Maple, N Maple, and so on at the top of the list. You must scroll down the list, which can be quite long, to reach plain old "Maple." Be sure to select the correct suffix (ST, AVE, RD, ...).

If you make a mistake, pressing the Quit button will take you back to the previous screen.


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