Garmin GPS Modifications

Other than adding special vehicles, voices, splash screen and loading up POI's, I don't think there's much else to do. If you are intent with messing with it, connect it to your computer and BACK UP ALL OF THE FILES before you start messing around with it. In case you do something you shouldn't have.

Good Luck

Oh cool!! I'll look into the vehicles and the voices. Thanks. =)

I tried connecting my 1490LMT to my car bluetooth stereo hoping that I can hear GPS directions from my car stereo, but I couldn't get that to work. I don't see a headphone port either. =/

Garmin should seriously consider adding these features into their unit. Maybe even music so we can listen to music while driving.

FM transmitter, headphone jack, and bluetooth audio, but unfortunately they removed the features on the new models.

and have it say exactly what you want

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/16263

The new Jill does not allow changes to the TTS. I had to revert to an older version, (that I had in a backup copy)

You might want to check out loading the larger JCV file:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/37353

You never know when things will go screwy, so it is always a good idea to back it up.

My 855 still has the FM transmitter. Though I have not used it very much since you must set it on an empty FM frequency on the radio. To the best of my knowledge the FM transmitter can not override a CD player and neither would it override an FM station if the station is transmitting. So I would say all in all not a great feature.

I'd have to agree. My TomTom has it, and when I tried to use it on a trip from Eastern Ontario to Toronto I found that some FM station would always come along and overwhelm the "unused" FM frequency that I had selected. I don't think I got more than about 40km before my music started getting clobbered by whatever that local FM station was transmitting.

You can download a good topo map for your area which you can turn on and off to overlay with the normal street map... or turn off the street map and just have the topo. Not sure if you would want that, but I spend a good deal of time off road and love it. Search the site and find a link where you can get it for free.

And that fact that it has a lot of static doesn't help either...

Here's a cool site to test and add cool features to your 1490. http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/index.html

Wow, that site has alot of stuff. I'll look through them after my exam lol.

It seems like the latest map updates are taking me longer routes than normal.

I don't use it for my Garmin, but I have a Sirius radio unit in my car as well that uses an FM Transmitter. They sell a switch-type product that you plug your Sirius output and car radio antenna cable (that normally goes into the back of the radio) then you plug this device into the car radio antenna port. When it senses the Sirius signal, it turns off input from the car antenna, so it receives the FM transmitter signal without interference from the terrestrial radio. I think it was less than $20 bucks, I wonder if they have something similar (or if this would work) with your GPS.

Changing the splash screen can be useful. I put a GPS cartoon that makes me smile that I overlaid information that implied that it had tracking enabled and gave an eMail address to contact me if found. I used an eMail address that I use for throw way use but it would give someone that ended up with my GPS a chance to return it. I figured if it was stole it would be hocked quickly and the new owner may not realize it was stolen.

Based on the statement you "overlaid information that implied that it had tracking enabled" if your unit was found by frovingslosh he'd keep it even with your contact information shown on the screen because you [paraphrased] "were untruthful about the tracking."

Where in the heck did he say that?

It was about a month, 6 weeks ago on a stolen unit where he stated he would not return one that included the splash screen warning about the unit being tracked.

Should I facepalm now?

Seriously, I have to question the logic involved here. If I understand things properly, he in essence is trying to claim that because the person lied on the splash screen simply to improve his/her chances of getting their unit back that they in fact don't deserve the GPS back? Even though it is lost or stolen?

Finders keepers is kindergarten material. *rolls eyes*

I hadn't considered using the splash screen this way. Nead idea. Thanks for posting

Neat idea, I'll have to give that one a try