Q: I’m getting the error message of “Cannot connect to GPS receiver when trying to go into off road navigation. Help!
A: 99% of the time this issue is caused by entering the off road navigation program twice. For an example, think of Windows when you double click a program. It takes a while to load up, so you double click it again and it opens two versions of the program. This is the same for our units - they will automatically load the last program running (street/off road) so when you turn it on just let it boot up. Failing that, when you exit one program to switch to another give it a second! One way to check if two versions of the program are running is to exit the program and if another version is also running behind that one, you will have to exit two programs. As the unit only has one GPS receiver, with two programs running it confuses the programs and one of them will be unable to retrieve GPS signal because it will already be in use.
Q: My unit is asking me for a name and registration code (Ozi Explorer)
A: All you need to do is to press either the "OK" or the "X" and that will exit that screen. From there, in the lower right corner there is a small white box with a red "X" in it -pressing this will exit Ozi and take you back to the main screen. If you are having trouble selecting the small icons, use the stylus included with your unit. From there, press the "Setup" button and this will allow you to choose which program you want to use: VMS off road or Ozi Explorer. We recommend VMS Off Road as it is very easy to use and does come with a number of high quality maps. You can add more maps, specific to your area later on if you wish.
Ozi Explorer is written by a completely separate company to VMS. Some people prefer to use Ozi Explorer, so we load a demo version on the units so customers have a choice of program. If you did wish to use Ozi Explorer in full, a registration code will need to be purchased from Ozi Explorer. Without registration, the program will stop tracking every 20-30 minutes and come up with a message saying that you are running the demo version and a watermark will show in the background.
Ozi Explorer is written by a completely separate company to VMS. Some people prefer to use Ozi Explorer, so we load a demo version on the units so customers have a choice of program. If you did wish to use Ozi Explorer in full, a registration code will need to be purchased from Ozi Explorer. Without registration, the program will stop tracking every 20-30 minutes and come up with a message saying that you are running the demo version and a watermark will show in the background.
Q: How to update street navigation?
A: To update your street navigation maps, you will need to go to NaviExtras.com and download their program “Naviextras toolbox” (note: the only supported operating systems at time of writing are Windows XP (SP2) and Windows 7) to download and install the software on your computer. You will then have to create an account on NaviExtras.com and add your device via the web interface. From there you will be able to go back and follow the prompts from Naviextras toolbox.
Q: Which computers will Naviextras Toolbox work on?
A: Naviextras toolbox (software used to update the street maps) is compatible with Windows XP SP2 and Windows 7 only.
Q: Apple Mac Compatibility
A: Whilst it is possible to plug the unit into a Mac and have it read the file structure on the card, neither the Naviextras toolbox nor the VMS map converter will work on a Mac. It might be possible to run a windows emulator on a Mac to run and install the map converter and Naviextras toolbox, however this is not something that VMS has tried nor supports. There are a number of emulator programs: Parallels and Bootcamp to name a few, however they may charge a fee.
Q: Can your units provide off road turn by turn navigation?
A: No version (at time of publication) of off road GPS can give turn by turn navigation (similar to street navigation) as this would rely on the condition of the track being known. As track conditions change regularly (heavy rain for example) this would affect the course that you might take. For example, you may want to get from one point to another as quickly as possible, and there might be a good 80k/h dirt road that is 40km long, and a rough 4wd track that is only 10km long, but would take you 2 hours to travel. Humans are smarter than the GPS (on the whole!) and would know to take the longer but faster track. The GPS does not know this and, as mentioned previously, would rely on a track condition to determine the quickest possible route and whether those tracks are safe for travel.
The other thing to keep in mind is that off road mapping is done with what is called raster maps. A raster map is basically an image of a map, and the GPS position is an overlay on that image. The program is following the geo-referncing that has been applied to the image (in theory you could use a picture of your family as the map!). This differs to vector mapping (lines drawn by the program), that is used in street navigation - the program knows what is on the map, and it knows that the line is a road. A vast majority of off road maps are supplied in the raster (image) format.
The other thing to keep in mind is that off road mapping is done with what is called raster maps. A raster map is basically an image of a map, and the GPS position is an overlay on that image. The program is following the geo-referncing that has been applied to the image (in theory you could use a picture of your family as the map!). This differs to vector mapping (lines drawn by the program), that is used in street navigation - the program knows what is on the map, and it knows that the line is a road. A vast majority of off road maps are supplied in the raster (image) format.
Q: Which retailers stock the VMS units?
A: We have a number of distributors all over Australia and they can be found by entering your suburb or post code at Dealer Locator or you can purchase from our online store on our website at www.vms4x4.com
Q: Which maps are included and how detailed are they on the X series and 700HDX?
A: Over 2700 off road maps are also included, with excellent coverage of the Victorian high country (much in 50k or 25k), NSW topographic maps offering excellent coverage of NSW (pretty much all of NSW) in a combination of 25k, 50k and 100k maps, Queensland topographic maps that offers great coverage of areas of Queensland and WA topo that gives fantastic coverage of south western WA and Geraldton areas. Along with Westprint and Gregorys touring maps, that have greats points of interest on the maps. Also included is "On The Road - Free Campsites" that includes over 800 tried and tested free campsites Australia wide.
Q: Can I use an external GPS antenna?
A: The VMS units are using some of the latest SiRF4 chips that are very good at getting a signal in a weak spot, eg. in a car. However if you add to that an obscured view of the sky, for example, limiting the view with building or tree canopy this will really limit what the unit can do.
If you are constantly under very heavy tree cover then one possibility is a re-radiating antenna. This is a repeater type setup for GPS signals (we use one here in the VMS office!). They consist of a receiver antenna mounted outside the car and a transmitter antenna inside the car. They will draw a very small amount of current, so if one is purchased then wiring it to the accessories in the car would be a prudent thing to do.
There are a number of suppliers around, one of these is GPSOZ
If you are constantly under very heavy tree cover then one possibility is a re-radiating antenna. This is a repeater type setup for GPS signals (we use one here in the VMS office!). They consist of a receiver antenna mounted outside the car and a transmitter antenna inside the car. They will draw a very small amount of current, so if one is purchased then wiring it to the accessories in the car would be a prudent thing to do.
There are a number of suppliers around, one of these is GPSOZ
Q: Car Windscreens not allowing transmission of GPS signals
A: There have been a few reports of the GPS not being able to get a fix inside the car. This appears to be with multiple brands and types of GPS (a smart phone with in-built GPS is an easy test). The fix might be intermittent or it takes a while to lock, or it might get a lock to start with but then lose the lock later on.
As previously noted several, GPS units (VMS and others) have been used in these cars with similar results, however all GPS units tested ok when they were sent back to their relevant manufacturers. At this point it appears to be something else that is affecting the GPS signal - in some cars there is a fine metal layer in the windscreen, that, to some extent, blocks the GPS signals from entering (this layer is there to strengthen and heat the windscreen).
If your car has this type of windscreen, the only option here is to purchase a re-radiating antenna.
As previously noted several, GPS units (VMS and others) have been used in these cars with similar results, however all GPS units tested ok when they were sent back to their relevant manufacturers. At this point it appears to be something else that is affecting the GPS signal - in some cars there is a fine metal layer in the windscreen, that, to some extent, blocks the GPS signals from entering (this layer is there to strengthen and heat the windscreen).
If your car has this type of windscreen, the only option here is to purchase a re-radiating antenna.
Q: Can I still buy previous VMS units?
A: The current models available are the 700HDX and in dash X series and the 75XX series for some cars; previous model are no longer available for purchase.
Q: Can I use a reversing camera with your units/do you sell reversing cameras?
A: All our units (portable and in dash) have the facility to take a reverse camera. We have a universal reverse camera and we even offer a dual camera kit for car and caravan/trailer.
Both of the above models will work in any of our units.
Both of the above models will work in any of our units.
Q: I have a third party camera, but its not working with my unit.
A: VMS units have been tested to operate with VMS reverse camera kits, we cannot ensure compatibility with 3rd party camera kits.
Q: Can I use a generic charger on my VMS unit?
A: Using generic (non-VMS) chargers on your unit will render the warranty void and VMS will not support a claim where a non-VMS charger (either 12 or 240 volt) has been used. The VMS chargers may not be cut, changed or modified in any way, this will also void warranty.
Please note: using non-VMS chargers may damage the product and will void the warranty.
Please note: using non-VMS chargers may damage the product and will void the warranty.
Q: Altitude readings seem to be inaccurate
A: The way the GPS system gathers data about the altitude is a little odd and any reading from a GPS regarding height should only be used as a rough guide. The GPS system assumes that the earth is a perfect sphere, rather than the bumpy, mountainous place that it is! Hence this will account for incorrect altitude readings.
Q: Time left (ETA) is incorrect
A: When you enter a destination into street navigation the program can only estimate the time, it cannot take into account fluctuating speeds, traffic, road works, etc. The given time is just an estimate and will not be 100% correct.
Q: The GPS seems to think I’m in a tunnel when I’m not (or vice versa)
A: The street navigation software does not always use the actual GPS location, rather it makes assumptions as to where you are on the road. This can cause some confusion where there are two roads close to each other (service lane or off ramp for example), especially when the GPS thinks you will be entering a tunnel. The unit will be expecting to lose signal, and might even stop searching for satellites. If you don’t go through the tunnel and take the off ramp instead this might cause some confusion for the unit. Remember it is just a machine, and humans are much smarter than machines (for the time being!).
Q: My unit is constantly telling me that I’m speeding even when I’m not. Why is this happening?
A: This mostly occurs when the speed warning setting (“warn when my speed is XXX% of the limit”) is set below 100%. This setting is found in the settings menu, under sound and warnings. By default this is set to 100%, however if this is set lower, the speed warning will chime before you reach the speed limit. For example, if it is set to 90%, on an 80km/h road the warning will sound when you are going at 72km/h.
Q: How do I go about reporting inaccuracies in street mapping data?
A: You may come across inaccuracies in mapping data from time to time.
Inaccuracies may be:
Roads missing from map/new roads
Incorrect speed limits
Incorrect locations
It is important to make sure your maps are up to date before reporting a problem. If you have done this and are still finding inaccuracies in the map, you can report them to Navteq via their excellent map reporter website: http://mapreporter.navteq.com/.
Please do not report mapping inaccuracies to VMS as we cannot alter the maps directly.
Inaccuracies may be:
Roads missing from map/new roads
Incorrect speed limits
Incorrect locations
It is important to make sure your maps are up to date before reporting a problem. If you have done this and are still finding inaccuracies in the map, you can report them to Navteq via their excellent map reporter website: http://mapreporter.navteq.com/.
Please do not report mapping inaccuracies to VMS as we cannot alter the maps directly.
Q: How do I add new off-road maps?
A: Whilst the units do come with a number of off road maps, more detailed maps of certain areas may be required. This is down to the user to source or supply as Australia is a big place and supplying detailed maps for the entire of Australia is limited by both the capacity of the card and the license fees charged by the mapping companies. There are many mapping providers (Rooftop, Geoscience Australia, Dept of Lands, NSW Topo, etc), and they all offer different areas with differing levels of detail
For your maps to be compatible with your VMS unit, please ensure they are either ECW or TIFF formats and they will need to be geo-referenced (most maps that you buy will be already, however if you are scanning your own maps you will need to geo-reference them yourself). Once you have your maps, you will then need to copy the VMS map converter off the card. This is found off the root directory>VMS>VMS map converter. If you then run the setup.exe file it will install the map converter. If you fire the program up, it will give you a few options, but clicking the ‘close’ button will take you to the map converter. From here if you click the folder icon next to the source folder and select the folder/maps you wish to convert and you can then set a destination folder in the same manner on the other side, if you then click the “>” button to move the maps to the destination side of program, then click the “edit” button to give the maps a name and copyright, click convert and away you go. Once the maps have converted you can move them to the unit and place them in the root>VMS>Maps and hit the dirt!
For your maps to be compatible with your VMS unit, please ensure they are either ECW or TIFF formats and they will need to be geo-referenced (most maps that you buy will be already, however if you are scanning your own maps you will need to geo-reference them yourself). Once you have your maps, you will then need to copy the VMS map converter off the card. This is found off the root directory>VMS>VMS map converter. If you then run the setup.exe file it will install the map converter. If you fire the program up, it will give you a few options, but clicking the ‘close’ button will take you to the map converter. From here if you click the folder icon next to the source folder and select the folder/maps you wish to convert and you can then set a destination folder in the same manner on the other side, if you then click the “>” button to move the maps to the destination side of program, then click the “edit” button to give the maps a name and copyright, click convert and away you go. Once the maps have converted you can move them to the unit and place them in the root>VMS>Maps and hit the dirt!
Q: I’ve added new maps to VMS off road, but I can’t see them; what’s going on?
A: If fire up VMS off road, and in the main menu, go to “Map List” and form there you’ll find “update map database”, this will take you to a screen with a warning about how this could take between 45 minutes to 3 hours, if you make sure that the unit is on charge, and then tap the “update map database” button at the top of the screen and then let the unit sit there for 45mins - 3hours, overnight is a good one for this, the unit will index the maps and you’ll then see the new maps that you’ve added.
Q: Does the screen rotate in off-road navigation mode?
A: The map does not rotate in off road navigation, it will stay north up. Your bearing will change in accordance to the direction you are heading.
Q: What file are the VMS off road way points, routes and track logs stored?
A: This file is in the SD card \ VMS \ maps. It’s called “objects.mmo” this file is only able to be read by VMS off road program. If you want to look at your tracklogs/waypoints in another program (google earth for example) then you will need to export these files. This can be done by selecting the track/waypoint and pressing “export”, this can take a while depending on how big the track log is, just let the unit do it’s thing! This will then place a file in SDcard \ VMS \ GPX, you’ll find the waypoint/track you exported there as a .gpx file, this is a common mapping type file and can be loaded into a number of different programs.
Q: How to import routes that I want to plan on google earth?
A: You will need: google earth (not google maps) and GPSbable, both are free downloads Open google earth (not to be confused with google maps)
Top left corner of google earth click “Add path”
Draw path
Give path a name and then on the left hand side right click on the path you’ve just made and select “Save place as”, make sure you save it as a “Kml (*.kml)” type file.
Click save
Close google earth
Open GPSbable
Input file wants to be of format “google Earth (Keyhole) Markup Language”.
Output format wants to be “GPX XML” format.
In translation Options make sure that only “routes” is ticked.
Click filters; only have “miscellaneous” ticked.
Tick “transform” and in the drop down box select “tracks -> routes” and tick the “delete” box.
Click file name in input and select the google earth file that you just made.
Click file name in output and select the output folder and give the file a useful name.
Click “Apply” in the lower right corner.
Close GPSbable.
Copy the .gpx file you just made with GPSbable on your sdcard \ VMS \ gpx \ route folder.
Turn unit on and start VMS off road.
Route will be in “route list”.
Top left corner of google earth click “Add path”
Draw path
Give path a name and then on the left hand side right click on the path you’ve just made and select “Save place as”, make sure you save it as a “Kml (*.kml)” type file.
Click save
Close google earth
Open GPSbable
Input file wants to be of format “google Earth (Keyhole) Markup Language”.
Output format wants to be “GPX XML” format.
In translation Options make sure that only “routes” is ticked.
Click filters; only have “miscellaneous” ticked.
Tick “transform” and in the drop down box select “tracks -> routes” and tick the “delete” box.
Click file name in input and select the google earth file that you just made.
Click file name in output and select the output folder and give the file a useful name.
Click “Apply” in the lower right corner.
Close GPSbable.
Copy the .gpx file you just made with GPSbable on your sdcard \ VMS \ gpx \ route folder.
Turn unit on and start VMS off road.
Route will be in “route list”.
Q: I’ve added new maps to Ozi explorer: what now?
A: Under the “maps” file menu press “index maps”, ozi will then start adding the new maps, this can take a while depending on how many maps you have, put the unit on charge and grab a coffee!
Q: Ozi explorer is booting into the GPS screen, but I don’t have the menu bar down the bottom. Help!
A: If you plug your unit into your computer and go to SDcard \ ozi \ data you will find “Lastpage.cfg”, if you delete this file and try loading ozi again, this should sort out your problem. This will set the page back to the default page, so if you have custom pages you’ll have to reload them in ozi.
Q: Ozi explorer is hanging on the boot screen. Help!
A: If you plug your unit into your computer and go to SDcard \ ozi \ data you will find “CEtracktrails.trb”, if you delete this file and try loading ozi again, this should sort out your problem. Failing that try again plugging your unit into your computer and going to SDcard \ ozi \ data and deleting “CEwaypoints.wpb”. Try one then the other, do NOT delete both in one go.
Q: Will you guys release an android version of your product?
A: At this point we won't be releasing anything on Android. Please signup to our newsletter. You will be one of the first to know when we release any new products.
Q: Warranty / repair return instructions
A: All VMS units have a 12 month warranty.
If you have an issue with your unit, and none of the manuals or video tutorials are providing the help you need, please feel free to contact Support. If your unit is still within its warranty period, you can lodge a warranty request. If the unit is out of warranty we can still fix it, however some charges will apply. Please note that proof of purchase will be required for any warranty claim.
When lodging a warranty claim the process is as follows:
• Log the claim on the website by filling out the warranty request form (please note that there is an odd bug that we are working on where apostrophes [ ‘ – as in can’t, doesn’t, won’t, etc] causing a crash in the issue box in the warranty claim form)
• A confirmation email will be sent to you
• When the return authorisation has been granted another email outlining the address and procedure will be sent
• A copy of the attachment in the second return authorisation email is to be included with the unit, along with a proof of purchase.
• The RA number is to be written on the outside of the package and the unit mailed into us
• Turn-around time for most units is 1-2 days as VMS uses express couriers to send the units back to the customer. Most customers should receive their units back within 7 working days, however sometimes this will take longer.
Please do feel free to give us a ring if there is anything that you want to discuss, we really are nice people!
If you have an issue with your unit, and none of the manuals or video tutorials are providing the help you need, please feel free to contact Support. If your unit is still within its warranty period, you can lodge a warranty request. If the unit is out of warranty we can still fix it, however some charges will apply. Please note that proof of purchase will be required for any warranty claim.
When lodging a warranty claim the process is as follows:
• Log the claim on the website by filling out the warranty request form (please note that there is an odd bug that we are working on where apostrophes [ ‘ – as in can’t, doesn’t, won’t, etc] causing a crash in the issue box in the warranty claim form)
• A confirmation email will be sent to you
• When the return authorisation has been granted another email outlining the address and procedure will be sent
• A copy of the attachment in the second return authorisation email is to be included with the unit, along with a proof of purchase.
• The RA number is to be written on the outside of the package and the unit mailed into us
• Turn-around time for most units is 1-2 days as VMS uses express couriers to send the units back to the customer. Most customers should receive their units back within 7 working days, however sometimes this will take longer.
Please do feel free to give us a ring if there is anything that you want to discuss, we really are nice people!