Activating XM NavWeather on a Zumo 550

[indygt]

I bought a used Garmin Zumo 550 with XM radio earlier this year and activated the radio immediately. It works fine.
I went for a ride on June 2 and noticed I was getting XM NavWeather. The buttons for Local Weather and Weather Map just showed up on the screen. I hadn't requested or purchased the add-on. It continued for a few days, then the weather turned beastly and I didn't ride again until June 17.
I noticed immediately that the NavWeather feature had gone away.
I kinda liked it, so I called XM and signed up. The listener service rep told me to turn on my XM radio for 15-20 minutes and he would send the activation signal.
I did, but nothing happened. So I went online to refresh.xmradio.com and sent the refresh signal. I did it probably 10 times over the past several days, but no NavWeather on my Zumo.
I talked to a woman at XM Tech Support this morning who told me my Garmin should be displaying the road map screen during NavWeather activation. Ok. That's the first time I'd heard that advice. She guaranteed that would do the trick.
It didn't. I tried sending the refresh signal with the map screen on, but still no NavWeather.
I've checked my XM account and confirmed that I'm being billed for XM NavWeather.
I even downloaded the latest Zumo 550 software over the weekend, just to be sure.
I know it can display NavWeather because I had it briefly. (Nobody at XM has offered an explanation as to why it appeared unbidden on June 2. My guess is that they were trying to entice me to pay for it.)
Does anyone have a solution for me?

 

[tommcgee]

I've had XM for 4 or 5 years and have yet to talk to anyone there who knows what they are selling or knows what they are doing. Good luck.

 

[alzyck]

...
I've checked my XM account and confirmed that I'm being billed for XM NavWeather.
I even downloaded the latest Zumo 550 software over the weekend, just to be sure.
I know it can display NavWeather because I had it briefly. (Nobody at XM has offered an explanation as to why it appeared unbidden on June 2. My guess is that they were trying to entice me to pay for it.)
Does anyone have a solution for me?

I believe you when you say you saw it, but the Garmin site says the Zumo 550 doesn't support NavWeather (http://www8.garmin.com/xm/info-compatible.html at the bottom of the page). Maybe it's one of those things where it took a while for the GPS to do a self check (like the next time the GPS started up). Maybe, when it did the start up check, the GPS turned off the NavWeather service since it's not a supported feature for that model.

 

[tommcgee]

I believe you when you say you saw it, but the Garmin site says the Zumo 550 doesn't support NavWeather (http://www8.garmin.com/xm/info-compatible.html at the bottom of the page). Maybe it's one of those things where it took a while for the GPS to do a self check (like the next time the GPS started up). Maybe, when it did the start up check, the GPS turned off the NavWeather service since it's not a supported feature for that model.

The 550 with GXM30 antenna had some sort of basic traffic and weather, but you're right, it was not called NavWX or NavTraffic. The weather on mine worked fine for a year and then I could never get it going right again.

By contrast, the 665 with GXM40 antenna does work fine with NavWX and NavTraffic but it was a nightmare to order the service.

 

[vfroger]

I experienced the same thing with my 478. XM assured me that Navweather would work, but it didn't. I reset it several times on the website like you, left it turned on out in the yard overnight, and never got a signal.

I called Garmin eventually and they told me that the 478 didn't support Navweather. It's set up for WXweather which is a totally different package and much more expensive..

Like the folks above said, your unit doesn't support Navweather per the Garmin website. I had to argue with XM to get ALL my money back, but I did.

 

[dkjkwood]

I too have a 550. A few weeks ago, we were treated with a weeks worth of free XM weather. Just a teaser. It was very nice but I don't think I'd pay for it.

 

[indygt]

I too have a 550. A few weeks ago, we were treated with a weeks worth of free XM weather. Just a teaser. It was very nice but I don't think I'd pay for it.

Aha! Just as I suspected.
But XM is too lame to provide it when I want to pay for it.

 

[stkmkt1]

My Zumo 550 had weather and traffic for about 2 weeks. I figured it was just a teaser. Both have now gone away. But I have discovered another issue with the 550. I'm (right now) updating the maps. At first, the program told me that the Zumo did not have enough room for all of North America, so it gave me options of smaller bits to download. After looking around on Zumoforums.com, I found out that the internal memory on the 550 is very small and thus it is a trick to get all of the latest update installed. To do so, I had to first delete any files that I had installed on the internal memory. Then I had to delete all the "voices" that I did not ever use. Then I deleted all the "languages" that I did not use. Then It had room.

I have an 8 gig SD card installed on it and thought I should be able to install the updated map on it, but could never figure out how to do so.

So now it is updating fine, but it tells me it can take several hours to update. What's up with that? I read that the whole file is only a bit over 1 gig.

 

[PAPPY541]

Actually the 550 with XM antenna does have weather.
The proplem is just like others have said, no one at that place has a clue what they offer and their web page sux.

I have had my 550 for 3 years and have had XM and weather the entire time. Each year they rename it and change the price. One year it was nav weather the next year it was traffic service ( yes traffic service) and now I do not know what the name is but it went from 3.99 a month to 9.99. I love XM and the weather but they screw you big time.

 

[racer7]

A gig is actually a fair piece for typical internet speeds and remember that your 550 has no hot rod processor. Yes, it does take several hours to upgrade a 550 or any other Garmin I've done- which is why I wouldn't even think about it for any GPS less than 4 or 5 years old despite their nag screen - the update process is positively primitive and the GPS itself is badly in need of more memory and processing power. Between technical obsolescene, high price asked for maps, and the lousy upgrade process, I put GPS upgrades at about the same level as upgrading a version of Windows meaning think carefully about whether its really worth the nuisance. For me, I'm quite capable of using my built in processor to deal with new interchanges, the rare new roads, etc. Remember that with the current real estate crash, there are darn few new streets being added in most of the country and map updates are normally at least 2 yrs behind reality due to the way data are obtained for them.

 

[JIMSHAW]

Answers

For several years now, there has been an excellent, well run private forum for Zumo owners. I recommend it highly.

They have FAQs, Q&A, Search capacity, tutorials, information about maps and software upgrades, and some very good moderators. I've learned a lot from it, and found their information pretty reliable. There's a generally friendly nature there, with few of the snarks as in other Forums.

Be a little diligent before you dash in and ask a bunch of questions that have been answered before. Search the FAQs and Q&A bases first.

It cost nothing, but you much register to interact with it.

Jim
Zumo 550 carted about by an R1150GS

 

[beemermyke]

John, I've had issues with my 550 and Nav Weather in the past. I'd get weather warning pop-ups, and it asked if I wanted to view the advisory. When I clicked YES, it would say that there were none found. I didn't think it would work on the 550, but their website needs to be set up better than what it is. It will allow you to add it to your 550, and to me it should state that it's unavailable for this particular unit. Yeah, their tech support isn't much better either.

 

[tommcgee]

John, I've had issues with my 550 and Nav Weather in the past. I'd get weather warning pop-ups, and it asked if I wanted to view the advisory. When I clicked YES, it would say that there were none found.

Yeah, this happened to me all the time.

 

[SteveAikens]

I have a 550 with the GXM 30A antenna. I am a WX subscriber. I can't tell you what the service is called by XM but I can tell you WX works on the 550, XM knows it works and charges $3.99 a month to have it enabled.

When I added it, the "script reader" I talked to told me it wasn't available. I told him very quickly I wanted to speak with his supervisor. He put my on ignore for a couple minutes and came back telling me that after speaking with his supervisor, he found out it was available for the 550 and it was $3.99 a month. He told me to activate it by turning on the Zumo in clear site of the southern sky with the map display and leave it for "about 15 minutes" and if it didn't work, to cycle the power and try it again. The activation signal was going to be sent for 30 minutes, after which I would have to have it sent again.

I pulled the bike out front of the house, did as instructed and within 5 minutes, I was set.

I have noticed that it doesn't just "come on" like the built-in maps on the 550, or the radio that beams up once the 550 has been on a minute or so. It takes some time to beam in anytime the Zumo has been turned off. For it to come back on, the Zumo has to be displaying a map. I normally run with the speed display on mine and until I turn on a map display for a few minutes - no weather display.

However, once it does show up, it's quite reliable and as it should, it tracks your location and on the current WX map, shows where you are and where any questionable weather is.

My only observation on the service with the 550 is the temp display would be nice to have on the map or speed display screens somewhere. To see the current temp, you have to be at the menu screen or actually on one of the XM Weather screens.

Either way, I'm finding it to be a good feature to have.

 

[indygt]

I just spent an hour on the phone with "Anastasia," an XM Listener Service Representative with a lilting Indian accent, who tried to convince me that I have a defective Zumo 550 and I need to contact Garmin. I assured her that I have all of the current Garmin software and have already communicated with Garmin.
I also pointed out that per this forum and also the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America forum, this is a widespread problem. Then Garmin must have several defective units in use, she opined.
She bristled when I suggested that it was obvious she couldn't help me because nobody had told her how to solve this problem. All she could come up with was try another refresh.
(We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.)
I told her a member of GarminForums got his working by adding NavTraffic to the NavWeather. She put no credence in it, but we tried it anyway.
And it worked.
I had it on the Map screen during the refresh and the first clue I had that something was happening was the appearance of a Jackson County, Ark. flash flood watch box on the right side of the screen.
I went to the Menu, clicked the XM button and there on the next screen were buttons for XM, Local Weather and Forecast.
So now I'm paying $7.98 extra a month instead of the $3.99 for weather alone, but at least I have weather.
Anastasia is still clueless, and anyone who reads this now knows something that isn't in the XM Listener Service Representative manual.