Garmin V Personalization

[+WARTIDE]

After reading some of the past posts about replacing the Garmin V warning screen with personal information, I decided to give it a try. Here is step by step how I accomplished this:

1.) Go to garmins website and download latest firmware update for the V.

2.) Search on the boards here for memap and download it.

3.) Unzip garmin firmware update (It defaults to C:Garmin folder, but I created a new folder just in case I screwed up called C:Garmin2)

4.) Open memap app and look in C:Garmin2 for the .rgn file. Warning will already be in the seach text box just hit the search button. You will get the option to replace "Warning" with 7 letters of your own. (I used REWARD) Save and Exit memap.(it will automatically create a backup file).

5.) Open memap again. Search in c:garmin2 for the .rgn file. This time put Do not in the search box (the search function is case specific so it won't work if you type do not, use Do not instead). Type your info: name, address, phone, etc. Save and exit memap.

6.) In the firmware update from garmin there will be a file called update or updater. Click on this file to start the upload to the GPS. Make sure you have the GPS on and Connected with the serial cable.

 

One last hint I would like to give is this, initially, I entered my info using mostly lower case letters. I decided it would look better to use all UPPER CASE letters. I went back into memap and replaced my info with all uppercase letters. To my suprise, I had several more bytes to work with. I was now able to enter my name, street address, city, state, zip, phone with area code, email addy, and $$$REWARD$$$ and still had space left over. On the first edit I was only able to use my name, address, city state zip, and phone number before I ran out of space. Maybe someone with more knowledge can tell us all why that was the case.

 

GOOD LUCK. I think this is cool but might also be of some help if the unit is lost or stolen. You never know, it can't hurt.

[+Team Shibby]

Either you have a very short name or you have a very short address! All I have ever been able to fit is my name, 2 telephone numbers and the term '$$$ REWARD WHEN RETURNED'

 

Kar

[billsumrall]

The latest version of MeMap uses it's own configuration file (extension .cfg) which has the default lines and spaces. Rename that cfg file to bak or whatever. Now when you run MeMap instead of the default Search, type in "Do not attempt" (without quotes-case matters). It will find the Garmin warning and you will have over 200 characters (as I recall) which you can type in. Which is enough for most any message.

 

However, since you already have entered your own message, search for a few words of it. Now replace with whatever you like. Or, could start from scratch with the original Garmin .rng file

 

Bill

[+Team Shibby]

Very Nice!!

 

Thanks for the tip! Now it finally says everything I have wanted it to

 

Kar