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Beware NAV IV Software Update

allenre

Mongo
I have a BMW Nav IV GPS mounted to a Garmin 660 cradle on my 2009 R 1200RT. I have the Audio Output jack from the Garmin cradle connected to the Audio Input jack on my J&M Handlebar mounted CB radio. I use the CB for communication and as an amplifier for the Nav IV system I have added an 8GB chip to the GPS unit so I could load about 4 days worth of music onto the GPS, donÔÇÖt want to pay for the XM radio.

The system has been working flawlessly since I put it together late last fall (2010). This past weekend I made the fatal mistake of updating the GPS software for an upcoming trip to Alaska on the bike. The updated software will not allow me to play my tunes via the J&M CB/Amplifier. The GPS is insisting on a Bluetooth headset, which I do not own and do not want as it would not work with the CB radio.

I have contacted Garmin about this glitch in the software and they have admitted there appears to be a problem but they are not able to do anything about it till at least the next software update, time of that is unknown at this time. I asked if I could get the old software to install it back on my GPS and of course the answer is that they can not go backwards with software.

The GPS will play tunes as long as the GPS is not in the cradle. This instant the GPS is locked into the cradle the music stops and the screen pops up saying I need to connect the GPS to a Bluetooth headset or connect directly to the audio jack. I have done this and it plays just fine with the audio jack plugged directly into the end of the GPS unit, till I lock it into the cradle and then the music stops and the Bluetooth screen appears. It states I need to plug a jack into the GPS, which I have already installed!

I have been planning this trip to Alaska for several months and I made special purchases of the Garmin Cradle to get to the point I could use the Nav IV for an MP3 player all to have it taken away by a software update!

Anybody have any constructive ideas of how I can make the Nav IV work like it did before the software update, using my current hardware?

If you have the Nav IV system beware updating the software as it appears Garmin does not do a very good job of quality assurance before releasing software.

I should have never taken the 5 hours, I loaded the software twice thinking maybe a second load would fix the problem, to upload the update - my mistake!
 
Would a factory reset restore the original firmware? Might want to run that one by the Garmin tech folks. Beware though, if you went this route you would have to reload everything on it.
 
If the BMW Nav IV is like the Zumo 66X series, a hard reset will not change the firmware. It will change the user settings and delete any saved waypoints, tracks, and routes.

With the Zumo 66X series, it is possible to revert to a previous version of the firmware by reloading it. Some users do this when Garmin releases a firmware update that fixes one bug yet creates another. Sadly, this is typical for Garmin.

Based on past experience, it's usually good to wait a while before installing any new firmware updates. Let others find and work out the bugs first.

Lee
 
Unfortunately, I would not count on Garmin fixing this issue in a future version of the software.

If you are unable to resolve this before your trip, you could consider an inexpensive MP3 player. I have a Garmin nuvi 550 GPS, which does not have an integrated MP3 player, so I bought a refurb Sansa Clip for $15. It has FM stereo in addition to MP3, built in lithium ion battery that lasts 15 hours on a charge. I charge it with an adapter from the bike when camping in less than an hour. It is about the size of a postage stamp. and fits my shirt pocket. I have a few other $15 refurb MP3 players, most are Sansa, and some have a micro SD slot which would allow for essentially unlimited capacity, and SD cards are cheap.

Good luck.
 
Well it looks like there IS a way to revert the firmware, if you can find a copy of the prior firmware that was installed on your NAV IV. Though this is for the regular Zumo and the firmware on that page may not work right on the NAV IV, if you can find the earlier version of firmware installed on your NAV IV unit the revert trick should work. You don't mention what version you have now (should be on the INFO screen), or if Garmin included any CDs in the box with as-shipped firmware - looks like there is at least ver 3.2, ver 3.3 and ver 3.5 (page has the firmware software and it looks like can be installed without the webupdater so this might be your answer...) If not, there are earlier versions available out there, you'll just have to find them.

Two posts over on ADVRider might also be worth a read:
1. New Zumo 660/NAV IV update (April '11)
2. Hard Reset to cure Bluetooth Connection Issues (April '11)

One last thought - Customer Service representatives often vary widely in knowledge and willingness to help. Often when I run into a brick wall with one I just hang up and call back and try another. Almost all the time I will find one with the knowledge and enthusiasm to help.
 
Last edited:
GArmin Update

Thanks for all the input guys! I have been a little lax in looking at this site but I was traveling in the AK-YT-BC areas for a month (JUN/JUL) and had a great trip and time.

I reverted back to my nano (iPod) for the trip. I meant redoing my wiring for the audio but it was no big deal and I really liked the music for the trip.

At this point in time I believe I will live with what I have and maybe over the winter months do some research on the problem and try to tack it at that time.

Thanks again for the help!
 
Zumo 660 Update

I just checked my Zumo 660 which I updated this morning. The update did not disable the headphone function on my Zumo. YMMV
 
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