Garmin Nuvi 200
Confused about all of the options when it comes to GPS? Just want a GPS that gets you from point A to B with no fuss? The Garmin Nuvi 200 might be your next best friend. No MP3 player, no live traffic reporting, no multi-segment routing, no text-to-speech (but it does have voice prompts), no widescreen. But that is part of the appeal of this ultra simple to operate GPS.
The Nuvi 200 does one thing, and does it very well– gets you to your destination with little fuss or distraction. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. This basic Nuvi includes several million Points of Interest, has a longer battery life than competitive models, and Garmin’s interface is known for ease of use. It doesn’t have maps of Alaska nor Canada so if your travels will take you north consider the otherwise identical Garmin Nuvi 250 instead. And if you’re looking for a few more features, check out the TomTom 130. But if your looking for a quality GPS without the fluff, find your way to the Nuvi 200.
Concerning differences between different low end GPS units (Garmin 200, TomTom, Magellan), I’ve played with all three and prefer the Garmin. All three are similar in operation but I found the Garmin’s interface a bit more user friendly (which may be good for a 19 year old). One other freature I really like about the Garmin that I didn’t see in the other two was the auto on / auto off feature when plugged into a switched 12volt car outlet. The other two have auto off but no auto on.
I bought a NUVI200 on black friday it could not find my house or any addresses on County roads which makes it useless. WMT has it back. No more Garmin products for me!
I just bought the Garmnin 200 and the Garmin 205. Is there much difference in the two, and which is the better buy?
Marla, the 205 is slightly newer and has a few nice interface improvements.
I just got the Garmin Nuvi200 as a present. A couple of questions: 1. How do you set it to be in pedestrian mode or is that not possible? 2. Can you download international maps to the device?
Thank you!
Nina, you can choose from any of the following three modes: “Automobile”, “Bicycle” and “Pedestrian”. Here’s how to do it.
Click on “Tools”, “Settings”, “System”, “Usage Mode”, then select from the three options and click on “OK”. Actually, you don’t click, but tap.
Nina,
For international maps I suspect you would need to buy the SD (or micro SD) card that has these maps on them since I doubt if the original 200 has enough memory for both North America and International maps. I have the 270 which has European maps but it has a lot more memory than the 200.
My wife gave me Nuvi 200 and it seems to work fine. But..with in programmed for home, when approach goin south it carries me a mile south of my road tells me to take a right, carries me to the back of a subdivision, turns me around carries me back to the main road tells me to take a left and then carries me home. I know how to get home but it leads me thinking if it missed this what else will it miss. Other than that it seems to work fine other than not showing rivers and such. Yes I do have it on 3D and Most. Thanks,
I just got my Garmin 200 touchscreen, hooked it up and worked great, but now it says that “No detailed maps found that support routing. The nuvi cannot be used without them.” What does this mean and how can i fix it? I got it as a birthday present and I do not want to disappoint the person that got it for me. Any help is great. thanks
Donny, please go to Tools, Settings, Navigation, Avoidances and uncheck all the options. See if that helps. Sometimes, the Nuvi takes a circuitous route in order to avoid traffic, U-turns etc. if your settings want it to avoid these.
The novi 200 couldn’t locate ANY address on Any County road. Returned it. Got a new TT One 125 for less online, it does what they should,FINDS ADDRESSES!
Kris, do you have the maps enabled in tools-> settings-> map-> map info?
Hi I just got my 200. Coming home my the 200 tells me to turn right but my home is to to the left. There is no road to left only a parking lot.
Thanks tried cutting off the options you suggested…it worked. Thanks
i brought a gramin gps in usa now i am in australia how can i make it use in australia
Promod, you will need to buy a map of Australia from Garmin (or their dealers) and load it into your GPS.
i buy the garmin 200 in us and use in canada(toronto). I find i cannot use the machine because when i input the state/provine name, the machine tells me that it cannot be matched. it seems i buy a trouble.
it would great if it worked. I used it once and then all I can get out of it is”No detailed maps found that support routing. The nuvi cannot be used without them.” It’s impossible to get past that page. I looked all over the web and found no real help except that a lot of other people have this people who can’t solve it either. It’s totally useless. I’ll call customer support when they open but I don’t have much confidence in a product that breaks during the first use.
OK, still the same problem. I just saw what you said about the same problem with Kris. Duh, I should have read that first but there is a like a million questions in here. The map info button on the map page is not enabled, not highlighted and I can’t click on it. Now what?
Carl…did you get it fixed..the same thing happend to me..what did you do?
I just received a Nuvi 200 as a gift. It says Nuvi 200 on it and the manual is for a 200 but the screen has many of the features of the 205.
It has the turn arrow in the upper left and the typing keys look like the 205. It does not have all the features of the 205. The speed limit is not shown for instance. I believe it was purchased at [deleted]. Have you seen this?
Well,
I just spoke to Garmin, and the latest Nuvi 200 does have a screen like a 205 and works like a 205. It will accept more than one via point.
It does not have some of the functions of the 205. I want to buy one for a gift, but I don’t want the older version, so I think I will buy the 205 to be sure.
BUYER BEWARE! Just a word of caution to Garmin owners… we received a new Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS System and it appears to have caught fire or burned from the INSIDE of the box! Part of the charge cord was melted as well as some of the individual plastic wrapping… the inside of the box has burn marks. From the outside, the box looks completely normal so it appears the item burned or caught fire while inside the box and obviously while not in use. I’m taking this one back to the store but PLEASE if you have a Garmin GPS system at least keep it unplugged when not in use!
Got a Nuvi 200 for Christmas. I need to get the cables to plug in to the USB on my computer, along with the AC power cord for charging atr home from a wall outlet. Without plugging in to the computer, I can not get the unit registered online with GARMIN.
Recommendations?
Do you have a digital camera? Any other usb device? I used my camera usb cable to register it.
Hello, I bought a GARMIN nuvi 200 for my husband and we can’t find a way to use it without having it plugged to the lighter in our car. It works perfectly but don’t know how to use it with the battery only. Any advice on how to do it?
Thanks.
My dad just got one of these for Christmas from his stepdaughter, I think he wanted one like my map76, to use outdoors. Is this capable of that kind of navigating or should he try to swap it at the store? Thank you
liao – Nuvi 200 models sold in the USA do not have maps of Canada.
Dave – The cable is a USB to mini USB cable.
Dennise – How much of a charge is the battery showing? When charged it should work fine without the accessory power.
Dale – Swap it. The Nuvi will not do that type of navigation.
Bought 2 for Christmas, one for my quad and placed in a aqua ram-mount, the other was put in my work truck. I deleted all the non-english files (voices & text files) and downloaded a topo map of colorado and 4 other states topos. For a cheap gps it rocks!
I just bought a garmin 200 and was wondering if it shows how many miles you went or how many miles to your destination?
Yes, tap the button on the lower left of the map view to see a trip odometer (you can reset it). Click the top green bar (next turn) and then the ‘Show Map’ button to view the miles to the destination.
I purchased a refurbished Garmin Nuvi 200 and I was trying to register it and kept getting an error that there was not enough memory. I purchased a 2GB Memory Card and inserted it into the Garmin, but I still get the same error and I can’t see once the unit is plugged intoa computer that the card is being recognized. What am I doing wrong?
Getting a memory error while just trying to register is very odd. The memory card won’t make any difference. Were you trying to update the maps while getting the error message? You might need to ask Garmin support on that question.
Chris,
You don’t need an extra memory card for registering your Nuvi 200. Your problem is that your Nuvi is not being recognised by your computer. There could be a problem with the USB cable or with the USB port of your computer. Try connecting your Nuvi to some other computer and see if it is recognised. Are you using the USB cable supplied by Garmin or some other USB cable?
Thanks for your reply.
I completely understand that I should not need memory to register, but the problem that I encounter is that the Garmin website insist on updating the software on the unit before completing the registration.
I have connected the Nuvi to two computers and tried two different memory cards only to find out that the increased memory is not being recongized. From my Windows XP “My Computer” screen I right click on the Garmin Nuvi removeable drive and look at properties and I can see that with 3 vehicles, no pictures and only the lower 48 preloaded map that the memory is maxed out. I purchased a Garmin USB cable and know that it at least partially works as I can download different vehicles to the Nuvi. I don’t know enough to randomly delete files and free up space and by process of elimination would you say there is something wrong with the memory card slot or am I doing something incorrectly?
Thanks again,
Chris
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the memory slot– that just isn’t what it is used for. The software Garmin is trying to update can only go into the device’s internal memory, not on a memory card. So even if it sees the memory card it will still complain that there isn’t enough (internal) memory. My guess is that the additional vehicle icons are the culprit. I’d delete those vehicle icons and try again. Otherwise Garmin support can likely give you a hand.
Tim (or anyone else who has info on this):
Happy 2009! Question: Will the new 24K topo maps SD cards (eg, California/Nevada) that are now available for purchase on the Garmin website work in a nuvi 200? I received a brand new nuvi 200 for Christmas a few days ago, and I am interested in using the 24K topo maps. I read a previous post from someone saying that they use the US topo (100,000 scale) SD card in their nuvi 200 and it works great. Yes, I know all about the pricier, waterproof Oregon series of GPS units and how great they are with the 24k maps, but if the 24k topo SD cards work in the nuvi 200, then I won’t look at buying an Oregon…..all I would buy is the 24k topo card for my nuvi (if it would work, that is). If the US topo SD card works, I would imagine that the 24k SD card would also work. And what about the terrain shading? Would that show up on the nuvi 200 like it does on the nuvi 500 or the Oregon series? Thanks in advance for any responses to my inquiry.
They will work, but no shading as far as I know. Plus, if you are going to spend the cash on the maps I’d get an inexpensive handheld to put them on. With an open SD card slot just a few bits of moisture or dust inside and your Nuvi could be toast.
Thanks Tim.
How about the nuvi 205? I read somewhere that it has terrain shading. So would the 24k topo with terrain shading work on a 205?
Thanks Tim. (my reply in the box above didn’t show a clickable “reply”, so I thought I should repost in this box with my followup question):
Regarding terrain shading, how about the nuvi 205? I read somewhere that it comes with terrain shading. So would the 24k topo with terrain shading work on a 205? Thanks.
Just bought a nuvi 200 after reading up on my second choice the tomtom 125. on their website they have the tutorial for Mapsource and i liked it, at the same time i seem not to be able to find Mapsource, unless i buy a $99 Map, which i don’t need. Garmin Support wrote me back and advised me for a $15.00 CD plus SH, but i still cannot find it. Don’t even know if Mapsource works with Nuvi200. Secondly, my unit has the MicroSD slot and i have a card in it, but the owner manual does not go into on how to save routes on it. any ideas?
The Nuvi 200 series doesn’t suppor saved routes, so MapSource really doesn’t work with this Nuvi and you can’t save routes to the MicroSD memory.
so what is the SD card useful for? only to buy and install maps?
Pretty much.
concerning the usb cable, i found out that my Motorola Wall charger (usb) works just fine. Also bought an Adesso Pad and this usb cable works as well.
I am a directional idiot I want type in a name of a place in Indiana and have it get me there will the Garmin 200 NUVI do that?
Depending on exactly what you mean by “type in a name of a place”, yes, it will do that. You can enter addresses or search for businesses and it will guide you there.
can you search for intersections? and how is that done?
Ernie – Yes. Where to –> Intersections.
I tried to register my Nuvi 200 online at garmin.com and I don’t see the option for Nuvis. It just says GMX, GNC, GNS etc….
Help?
My Nuvi 200 only shows water, rivers, lakes, etc. only along major interstates and cities. Is this normal for the 200?
Yes, that is normal.
I have a Garmin nuvi 200w and I do like it. However I went on line and saw that I had a free down load for North America. I did down load the the file which took 15 + hours to do. It was 2.4 GB and the 200 only has room for 1GB +. When I tryed to load it I was told I did not have enough space. I bought an 8GB SD card thinking it would enable me to down load. Not working. Will it work?? Any way Thanks for the information.
Richard
You can fit it all in the internal memory. It won’t take the entire 2.4 GB of space on the Nuvi. Did you add any extra voices, pictures, or vehicle icons? Garmin support can also assist you loading the map.
Thanks for the info I will try again.
Happy New Year
Richard
Tim Thank you very much, this was the information I was looking for. Every thing is in place now and working.
So once again thank you
Richard
Hi, I love offroading with friends and iv’e been invited to join a group of offroaders in baja mexico. I want my nuvi 200 to remeber the routes it travels, is it my imagination or do some GPS do that, if there are, any recomendations?
Thanx.
The Nuvi 200 will not remember routes (aka tracks) taken and I’m pretty sure the other Nuvi series won’t as well. You will need one of the handheld eTrex series from Garmin or others to do that. Most come with mounts for bikes, etc.
I just purchased a Nuvi 765T. It does tracks!
And to show pictures if you put them on an SD card.
Are you able to download upgrades to the Nuvi 200w?
Yes, through the Garmin WebUpdater software.
i used my nuvi 200 today. on the garmin site it says it featured trun bu turn voice directions. but i didnt get any when using it? why? if it says it has this feature on the site how do i make it work?
Is the volume on? Is there a voice selected?
Make sure your sound isn’t on “mute” and that the volume is high enough to hear. Also, remember that the Nuvi 200 only says things like “turn right” or “turn left” when you have a route programmed in. It does not say, for example, “turn left on Main Street”.
I ordered a USB cable for my NUVI 200, but cannot find a place to connect it. I can only find a card slot. How do I connect to my PC?
The mini USB port is on the back (flat part) of the device.
I just recently purchased this, and Im loving it, [deleted]
Hi, I have a Nuvi 200 bought in S Africa and have recently moved to Zambia for a 6 mth stint. Sadly my unit does not have Zambia maps – it stops at Zimbabwe! I cannot find anywhere to purchase the maps I need and then download them – there is no point in trying to purchase a CD/DVD to be delivered by mail as I will probably be gone before it arrives!
Your suggestions would be welcome.
On my nuvi 200 I keyed in 2733 papermill road
Wyomissing Pa and
2099 Paper Mill Road came up
Why?
There are two reasons why that might happen. (1) The road database thinks that the street only goes up as high as 2099 for that road, and therefore is offering up the closest match. (2) The 2733 section might exist in a different town. (For example other devices think that street number is actually within Reading.) I suspect if you use Reading instead of Wyomissing it will accept the address.
Thank Tim
I keyed in Reading PA and it came up.
Why don’t you write a manual for the nuvi 200
You are so knowledgeable.
Kathleen
Hi all. Let me bring some light over the “Intersection” capability on the NUVI 200. That option as well as the “Cities” search are not included by default (at least in mine was not). But, you can have it by downloading the last firmware from garmin webpage. I did it on my gps and now the option is there, even the page doesn’t say that option will be added.
Hope that clarify and help.
See you, Sebastian from Argentina.
When I went to register my nuvi 200 it said that I have to download the garmin communicator plugin to complete my registration- should I do this?
I get a little nervous with this technical stuff.
Kathleen
Yes, you should. That is the way to check for updates, new maps, etc.
Apparently the Nuvi 200 is designed for cyclists. Or maybe elderly pedestrians. It’s certainly way too slow recalculating to be useful in a car traveling in any inner city. Why does this device need 30 seconds to recalculate something it already calculated a minute ago? When driving in urban areas you can pass a couple of blocks in that time, which means that the device ends up recalculating again and again and again because it is too slow to keep up with the driver’s actions. The result is a stream of gibberish directions that’ll get somebody lost or hurt.
I’ll save my Nuvi for use in the Sahara desert. Maybe the road network there won’t overwhelm it.
what if this unit is stolen . any way to track it from the seril number / garnin nuv1 200 / or address put in to it , or any kind of info .
I got a Nuvi 200 for Christmas..it worked great until the other night when the voice would not stop saying recalculating..I never even put in a destination. It then came up with a bunch of dots that told me to press them to recalibrate…finally the screen said. \No maps. Garmin Nuvi cannot function with out Maps\ My question where did they go and will reseting the nuvi bring it all back
The letter i is now a. How do i fix this.
I have 2 Nuvi 200 one widscreen (love it). I wanted to down load snowmobile trails to it I have not figured out how to do this on the unit or on the SD card. I actually see it on the sd card just can figure out how to see them on the gps screen?
Since Garmin doesn’t directly support third party maps, your best bet is to ask the place where you got the maps from. But I suspect you might be able to activate them in Tools -> Settings -> Map -> Map Info, if the maps are correctly installed.
Thanks I will see if not it’s back to paper. I wasn’t sure if it would load non road items anyway. So I understand correctly the SD card then is for what use?
Thanks, I was not sure it would take soemthing that was not roads anyway. I am still not sure what you do with the SD card or even how you access it once in the garmin?
After I register my nuvi 200 are there any downloads that I should do. If so what site do I go to in order to download and will those downloads be listed?
Kathleen
I see that you can buy the City Navigator Europe maps in either DVD or microSD form. Are there any pros or cons as to which item to go with? And what is the latest release?
The SD card is perhaps more convenient as you can just pop it in while the DVD requites the maps be installed. However you can purchase an “update” for the DVD while you can’t for the SD card version. Also you can install the maps on your computer with the DVD version, but not on the SD card version. That advantage isn’t as great with the Nuvi 200 series however as they don’t support saved routes.
HELP! I have programmed in my work address yadda yadda and it is clear to click on my home address. How to you pull up your saved adressess. I also have a Magelan and it has “saved addresses” Anyone Know???
Find the address, and then instead of clicking the big ‘GO’ button, there is a ‘save’ button you can tap to save the location. Then you can quickly recall it from the ‘Favorites’ section.
I just purchased the Garmin nuvi 200 while in the USA for a road trip. It worked like a charm and saved our holiday by taking away any concerns of getting lost. When we returned to Canada I found that the N. American maps contained no detail for navigating. Can I download the updates from the net? I have a Blackberry cable. Thanks for the help.
Lance February 7, 2009
You can purchase the maps on SD card and add the card to your GPS. The part number is 010-10966-00 and the MSRP price is $60.
can you input longitude and latitiude for geocaching on the 200W?
I feel the Nuvi series, especially the 200, is not useful for geochaching because you cannot enter longitude and latitude, at least I’ve never been able to figure out a way to do this. For geocaching it is best to have a handheld unit such as the eTrex models or better.
It’s easy to enter coordinates into the Nuvi 200. Simply go to \Where to?\, then \Coordinates. (Page 11 in the owner’s manual)
I purchased a nuvi 200W a few months back. I love it and it is everything I expected for the price I paid. The only problems is when I plug into either AC or DC for charging, the screen will not operate until it is unplugged. I do not see this problem experienced in any of the reviews. Any advice would be helpful.
Carroll, see : Help! My GPS is in USB Mode! That might apply to your situation.
Thanks for the info, Tim. That helped on part of the problem. I am now only having problems when it is attached ot the AC charger. Can find no fuse in the line. But DC attachment is good. Thanks, again.
I bought a garmin 200 for my husband for xmas ’07. It doesn’t stay charged, keeps turning off. I have left it in the car unplugged & have now left it plugged in for 2 weeks & still doesn’t stay on. What can I do about this???
If you know the power port is working fine, you should probably contact Garmin support.
Has anyone had problems registering their nuvi 200? When I put in my serial number and click “Find device”, nothing comes up! What should I do? (received as a birthday gift, purchased from [deleted]). Thanks.
Do you have the Garmin Communicator plugin installed? http://www8.garmin.com/products/communicator/test/
I purchased a Nuvi 200 from a girl in Ohio, I live in DC. I tried to get it to locate my current address, but it is still stuck on the last address in Ohio. Is anyone aware of how to make it switch? It says it’s acquiring satellites. After it does that for a while, it asks if I want it to continue searching!
Does anyone know what I should do? Thanks!
Zaina
Until you wait for it to get a signal, it will appear to be “stuck”. Is the device outside with an unobstructed sky view for at least 30-45 minutes?
Yes, and it still does not allow me past “find device”.
I am going to be in the US only for about a year. I want to buy a GPS and take it with me to India once I return. What should I look for to find out if the GPS i’m interested in will be compatible with maps in india??
Can I also not over-write the existing US maps and just add additional maps to it?
Almost got one today due to a new job concerning alot of drive time (frustrating) but considered it best to avoid impulses and check things out first. At one store, they were selling the 200 for an extremely reasonable price, at another well known store – which I figured would have a better deal – they didn’t carry the 200 saying it was “obsolete” having the 205′s for considerably more giving every excuse possible to purchase it instead of the 200.
Only negative thing that echos here is that the 205 picks up satellite faster. Is this true or not and does it really matter? Am getting one either way but would like to know what makes the 205 so special that one could almost buy 2 200′s with the same amount of money.
^Sorry, but I’d also like to know why they called the 200 “Obsolete” other than a sales pitch when it’s obviously not having scanned this site and a few others.
Technically the 200 is Discontinued, but to call it obsolete is perhaps a bit misleading. I wouldn’t say the 205 is considerably faster getting a satellite signal. I’d save the cash and go with the 200, with the most attractive features of the 2×5 (for me anyway) being the “next turn arrow” and the compatibility with traffic receivers.
Thanks for the prompt reply and info. The 205 is on sale at the expensive store for 30 dollars more than the 200 at the other one from now till next Sunday. Not much decision anymore though something I think they were lying about was that the 200 didn’t come with a current map and that it wouuld cost $70 or so to bring it up to speed.
Having read most of the posts on this site those updates should be free for one year right?
If they try to tell you it won’t come with a current map, or if they try to tell you that a required SD card is not included — run the other way, it is a well known scam. If the price seems too good to be true, it is. If you don’t agree to their scam and just try to buy the device it will suddenly (and forever) go on backorder.
My Garmin Nuvi 200 displays a black screen with the Garmin logo and an icon of a computer with a USB cable plugged into a garmin device. This happens when I plug my Garmin into my USB cable in my car. It works fine on the battery power. What’s wrong? Thanks for your help.
Adi – See Help! My GPS is in USB Mode!.
I have purchased a total of 4 Nuvi 200′s, one for my car (96 Mustang Cobra), one for my wife’s SUV (2000 Expedition), one for my sisters 05 Mustang and one for my inlaws 07 Escape, when I turn off either my Cobra or the Expedition the Nuvi turns off automatically after 30 seconds, but this does not happen in my sister’s or inlaw’s cars, I’ve gone through all the functions that I can think of to see if this is a setting issue or something else. Does anyone know whay this “auto-off” works on 2 of our cars, but doesn’t work on the other 2?
Some vehicles send power to the accessory port when the car is off, some don’t. Perhaps that is the difference?
Tim, I wish the fix was that easy, I should have mentioned that I have installed all 4 Nuvi’s with hardwire kits that are wired to circuits that have 12v power only when the ignition is on and no power when the ignition is off.
I am thinking about purchasing a Garmin Nuvi 200, but before I do I had a few questions/concerns.
1. Does Garmin charge a fee to update the maps every year?
2. I am a little confused about the advanced planning feature. Does the nuvi 200 have it and is it use friendly?
3. How well does it function as a handheld GPS when on foot?
4. I read that the nuvi 200 does NOT save routes, but can it save addresses/destinations?
Thanks for the help.
1. Garmin does charge a fee to update the maps.
2. I’m not sure what advanced planning is and have not used it
3. It’s okay as a handheld in a city or town but not great off-road.
4. You can save addresses and such and can then route to these saved destinations or route to points of interest (stores, museums, etc.).
Following up on my previous questions:
1. By advanced planning, I mean the ability to plot a route from destination A to destination B even though the GPS is located at destination C. In other words, does it have the capability to plan a route without actually being on the route yet?
2. How much does it cost to update the maps from year to year? Is it even necessary?
3. How well does the speedometer feature work? (My car speedometer is a little nutty so this is kind of important)
Thanks again.
1. I don’t know if the nuvi200 can do advanced planning plus I’m not sure why you would want it. Where you are is where you are. What benefit does routing between destinations you are not at? However, I know that Mapquest app on a PC can do this.
2. I haven’t done it but I think it’s near $100 to update. Check on the Garmin web site to get actual costs.
3. The speedometer feature is pretty accurate. I’ve noticed that it is slightly below (by about 2-3 MPH) what my car speedometer states and wonder who’s at fault.
1) This was in my other answer, it doesn’t really have that feature but it can be done using the method I described in the Offset Routing link.
2) Answered above.
3) It is reasonably accurate, but given the limitations of GPS accuracy in general it isn’t uncommon to see things like a ‘Max Speed’ of 500 mph. Most of the time it is fairly accurate.
1) You can purchase an individual map update for about $70, or their “lifetime maps” subscription for about $120.
2) If you are talking about Multi Destination Routing, no. If you are talking about Offset Starting Locations, it doesn’t have that either but can be tricked into doing so.
3) It can be set into a mode to route on streets based on pedestrian rules (like allowing both directions on a two way street) but it won’t do you much good in a hiking/trails situation.
4) Yes.
Hi
I have just received a nuvi 205 to guide me around the UAE.
It has changed the the amount of time i spend going from one state to the next.would you advise an update now or later because there are a few roads that it does not recognize.
where can i get an update
I used a Noki GPS system on my trip last week and it was AMAZING! My friend told me he got it on sale for $100. And that would be all I needed.
I am looking at purchasing any GPS system (although I have found this one with good ratings).
Features I am looking for:
-Favorites
-Estimated time to arrival/destination
-It will show turn direction before I get there so I know
(If I have 2 miles before my next turn, I will know my turn will be a right before I get within 500 feet)
-A GPS where I won’t have to constantly download maps (rarely ever)
-A GPS I can just put in my car to use, no need to plug it in to my computer for other things)
-It will display (or speak) the road that I will turn right on “in 500 feet” for an example.
Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
~Adam
Also the POI. Can the 200 search the nearest POIs sorted by categories (or all) and then by distance closest to my position.
Thanks
~Adam
Adam,
The nuvi 200 series does all that you requested. It even has POIs listed by nearest to farthest within a certain range. The POI list is a bit outdated so you might want to look at the newer 205 or the even newer 1200 which should have more up-to-date maps as well.
Thank you Steve. I went to [deleted] and took a look at some. I decided I need to have a 4.3″ screen minimum as well. I am looking at the nuvi 760. It has the display, but some reviews say the voice is out of sink with the display, and the FM transmitter isn’t very functionable.
So same criteria as last time… I don’t care about BlueTooth or the LiveTraffic or the FM radio… would you get the nuvi 760 for about [deleted] or a TomTom or?
Thanks
~Adam
Adam,
I don’t know much about the 760 series or the TomTom products. You might see if there is a gpsreview.net/garmin-nuvi-760 site where these items are reviewed.
Also, please remember not to post prices on this site.
just purchased a nuvi 205w on saturday. while playing with it sunday, i was able to pull up a screen that showed me speed limit and if i wanted to set some type of alert if i went too fast over that limit. where can i find that?
Hi all
talking about motorcycles…I know that the 200 ISN’T for motorcycle use – but by putting the unit in the map pouch of the tank bag the unit will be a) visible b) waterproof and c) isolated from vibrations! winner!
One problem…I need WAY WAY WAY more than the 4 hour battery life…and the ca charger is useless. I need a hook up to the battery terminals – any hints?
Thanks – Stuart, UK
I have a razor cell phone and the wall charger that came with it fits the gps unit. It charges pretty quickly.
Nice. I don’t have a wall on my motorcycle – or be in the region of any wall plugs in the tent by the side of the road
I just purchased the nuvi 200 and wondered if they have lake maps available for it.
Garmin does offer some lake maps, however I personally wouldn’t add them to that device as it isn’t water-resistant and not really designed for that type of use. For the price of the maps and a protective case you might as well get a handheld GPS with the maps you need, IMHO.
My Garmin Nuvi also keeps turning off- as though it won’t hold a charge.
It is new and there’s no reason this should be happening. Can anyone help?
The wait time for customer service is 30 mins. Ugh.
How long was it charged for and how long is the charge holding?
I am a GPS dummy looking to purchase a GPS for my 3 children as a gift. I do not even know where to begin.I have already spent hours reading descriptions and reviews and am more confused now than ever.I am looking for a GPS with current maps for the US as well as Canada.I am willing to spend about $200.00 or less Can someone at least guide me???
Jean, well the 200 doesn’t come with maps of Canada. Move up to the Garmin Nuvi 250 instead to get both the USA and Canada. That would be a good pick.
Hi guys
Im struggling to find out where to update the maps for my garmin nuvi 200. I have installed the plug in and the webupdater but i do not get the option to update my maps.
If someone can please post the link to the down-loadable maps, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Luke, you can find out if you have updates available and get those updates from my.garmin.com
Can you pre-plan a route on a PC and then download to a Nuvi 200? I ride a MC and we always take the back scenic roads.
No, the Nuvi 200 doesn’t support Multi Destination Routings.
I am not trying to set way points but to pick the roads I want to drive to a single destination instead of the GPS picking the route for me.
But to pick the route you want you would need to set a Waypoint (aka via point, see definition) into the route. The Nuvi 200 doesn’t support Multi Destination Routing as you can only add a single waypoint to the route. To “pick the roads you want to drive” you need to specify where you want the route to go. If you need more than one via point (aka waypoint) to do that, then your device doesn’t support that function. You would need the 500 series or greater to get that option.
I love my X-Mas gift Garmin. I find myself using it even if I don’t need to. I just like to play with it. You know that novalty thing. But I do have one gripe. It is trying to enter interstate, state or U.S Highways. Most of which have local names, as in Detroit I-75 is Chrysler I-94 is Edsel Ford and U.S. 10 is John C. Lodge. This is fine for local driving, but no matter how I enter the numbers (I-75) or spelling it out the search cannot locate them. Anyone know the trick?
I have the Nuvi 200 that I received as a gift at Christmas. I have used it on day trips to various locations but used it for my first long road trip last week and ran into something that was REALLY a problem for me. I plugged in my destination and it gave me an arrival time on the bottom right hand corner of the screen – so far so good. However as I progressed and planned my gas stops – I was in a rental car and going through desolate places in Utah, Nevada, traveling at night, so needed to know mileage to locations. Discovered that the mileage shown must be “as the bird flies” NOT actual road mileage. I double checked by tracking my odometer and comparing to road signs then to “miles to destination” on GARMIN. Road signs and my odometer matched perfectly, but my Garmin always said I had traveled less miles. Sounds confusing, but here’s an example. I traveled 685 miles from my home, confirmed by my odometer. Garmin said it was only 429 miles to my home even though I had followed the EXACT route set by the Garmin. Difference makes sense only if Garmin is not tracking miles by road but by shortest possible distance by air. I had to travel through and around mountain passes which of course is not the same as a direct air distance. I went through everything on menu and could find no way to change. I almost ran out of gas because I was looking at the miles to destination on my Garmin, which was WAY off from actual driving miles. Is there something wrong with my Garmin or is that the way its designed?
The ‘distance remaining’ field is accurate for the route set, not “as the bird flies”. You must be looking at a different field, perhaps through a ‘recently found’ or poi list where they list it in straight line distances. But the distance remaining field is accurate for the route.
I have this particular model, and I will have to say, I think my older street pilot I2 was more accurate.
The oddest thing about this model is that it will wait until I am practically on the turn before it will “wake up” and say turn left.
If the streets are faily close, say half a block, it is useless, generally telling me to turn about 1 second after I pass the street. It’s been frustrating. I’ve tried resetting it, downloading the latest updates, etc., and now it’s time to pitch it on e-bay, as it is just too slow and insensitive to use.
I have heard good things about the tom tom, and I think I am going to find a basic unit. I don’t need a lot of features, have not need for mp3 players and the like (that’s what the ipod is for), so, unless I am completely off base here, I think the One is enough for me. Also, my wife would like to have Patrick Stewart’s voice telling me when to turn…
Anyway, I say nay nay if you are looking at the Garmin Nuvi 200. Waste of money.
You must have a lemon, My nuvi is dead on balls accurate and provides the turn in plenty of time.
I have used my garmin nuvi 200 close to home in nortwest indiana and it works most of the time. it seems to have trouble finding the satalite alot. I used it in santa ana california with some success. i ll say when its working its great but in tustin california and santa ana, it can’t find the satalite 80% of the time so i reverted to map quest. it restricted my travel quite a bit. so i dont really know if the receiver is bad or there really is no satalite. i tried it at home and all 5 bars lit up, most of the time i can only get one or two bars to light up and thats outside the car. it shure would be nice if they had better receivers or a way to put an antenna on it. i think i,m going back to maps because when your out in the boonies somewhere and you lose the satalite your lost.
Anythony, see our Acquiring Satellites Tips page. You shouldn’t have any trouble based on location– the GPS network of satellites covers the entire world equally, although things like tall buildings can block the signal.
i sent a message on march 24 but no response and i see that others have had responses. does anyone know how i can get to that screen?
just purchased a nuvi 205w on saturday. while playing with it sunday, i was able to pull up a screen that showed me speed limit and if i wanted to set some type of alert if i went too fast over that limit. where can i find that?
I used my sisters Garmin nuvi 265WT this weekend and thought it was great. Could I get by with one of the cheaper 200 series units? If the cheaper ones have the same graphics and will direct me from point A to B in the same manner, I don’t need a bunch of bells and whistles. What one would you recommend?
I just downloaded the NT 2010.10 maps. There is not enough room to add the Lower 49 States + Puerto Rico even after removing voice files, etc. I’ve confirmed this with Garmin support.
He said this is a problem with the older devices, including non-discontinued models such as the 205. They don’t have enough room and the new maps are just too big to fit.
He said it gave me a choice to load just part of the US, such as the West half. When I planned to travel on the East coast, I could then reload my Nuvi with just the Eastern maps. My other choice, he said, was to buy a lifetime map for $119 and add the entire map to my SD card and use that.
This kinda sucks as I got the Nuvi 200W for travel between the West Coast and the East Coast.
Hi, I have a problem with my nuvi. When it is charging, i can’t seem to ever turn it on. If I unplug it, it will turn on but it will still need to be charged. Anyone have any ideas?
Mine is doing something similar, the place where the charge cable plugs into is loose and now it can’t charge because it keeps disconnecting as it wiggles. Sending it to Garmin for repair, I only bought mine last August but mine gets lots of wear and tear cuz I drive a taxi.
I dont think anything is loose on mine. I have only had it since christmas, and have only used it maybe 5 times so far. I’m not really sure what to do…
I had to send mine in to Garmin for repair (they actually replaced it with a refurbished unit). The USB port had come loose from the circuit board inside. Since they are surface mounted, I wasn’t going to mess around with trying to solder it on myself. I think that the USB/power port mounted on the back of the unit is a poor design. It was definitely better as part of the mount, I’m not sure why Garmin thought it would be an improvement to move it directly to the unit with no strain relief for the cord. Well, now I know and I’ll treat it gently!
Make sure you are using the Garmin car adapter and not one for a cell phone or something like that. Some adapters for other devices fool the GPS into thinking it’s plugged into a computer and it goes into a non-functional mode waiting for computer communications.
Charging question; has anyone used the AC cell phone charger to charge the Garmin? My Verizon Razor phone AC charger has the same \plug in\ configuration for the car charger and also the USB cable. Will it work?
Rick, some phone chargers might work, however many will just throw the GPS into USB Mode.
Thanks Tim. I did experiment with small doses of AC phone charger on the
Garmin, and although it did display the USB mode logo it did seem to charge the unit. I hesitated to to a multi hour charge attempt for fear that it could damage the circuitry. But what the hay; I’ll give it a try. The worst that can happen is fried Garmin. Then I’d upgrade to newer model but I do like my 200.
Is there any way to make your own customized vehicle for use on the NUVI 200? Say, for example, you’d like the ‘vehicle’ to be the logo of your favorite sports team. Can you do this?
Chris, see this thread: Alternate Blue Arrow vehicle icons
I own 2 Garmin Nuvi 200′s can I update both with one map update CD?
Technically you can– but you need purchase a seperate license code for each device (they get locked to the device) so you might as well buy a second one and get the second CD.
My nuvi200 shuts down every time is working with the USB cable. The only way to make it work is charging the battery, but once the battery runs out I get lost. Anybody with a similar situation? Help.. !!!!
I have the same problem with my nuvi 360. If it is plugged into the cig lighter (or with a 110 converter to USB power supply, the nuvi loads the maps, gives the warning, then after I “agree,” it goes into charge mode — even if the battery is fully charged. I plan to update the nuvi software and see if that makes a difference. Please post a follow up if you found a solution.
Is it possible to get US speed camera downloads for my Nuvi200? Bought in April I’m frustrated that it has been discontinued! And Garmin does not have a download to give me this function.
Re: Nuvi 200W about 2 years old. Going to England and Scotland soon and attempting to purchase maps on one of those micro cards and presumed I would have no problem but, will I? If I get one that covers all of Europe do I end up with some sort of space problem? And they talk of computer downloads but I have no download ability I do not think…should I order item that will allow me to download and thus increase usefullness of my Garmin?
I am looking to buy a GPS, my first one. I am 16, would the Nuvi 200 be a good start for me? I will mainly be using it to go to college within the next couple years. Also, do you recommend purchasing this unit, it is a factory refurbished by Garmin of off ebay for say, 10% of original price? The seller has 99% positive feedback and it comes preloaded with 2009 maps. Is this a wise investment?
The Nuvi 200 is probably fine for you– however Garmin may not warranty purchases from eBay. See their statement on it here.
TWO BIRDS< ONE STONE??? I boat on Lake Erie and have a Loran C for navigation. Uncle “Bama wants to turn off Loran—all eggs to go in the GPS basket. SOOOOO, can I use one of these Nuvi’s on my boat as well as in the ground-based vehicle??? Lakes and waterways maps??? Or can I at least get LatLon coordinates didplayed and entered the same way?? (The walleye otherwise have unlisted addresses, you see)J
I wouldn’t take a Nuvi 200 near a boat. (Or most other Nuvi models for that matter.) The marine maps are expensive, and the device is not water resistant. With an open SD card slot, just a bit of moisture inside could trash it. If you really want a single device as opposed to two devices (one designed for each task) then consider the Garmin Nuvi 500 series which are waterproof.
Tim—thanks–you can tell I haven’t bothered to do much research on GPS—true “marine” models go for four figures and so I hadn’t bothered to look around much.