sat nav HONDA ODYSSEY 2008 RB1-RB2 / 3.G Navigation Manual
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4Navigation System
Introduction
Manual Overview
The manual is divided into the 
following sections:
 Getting started - A basic introduction that discusses the controls and how to 
communicate with the system.
 Entering a Destination - How to enter  an address or locate a point of interest 
(POI).
 Driving to your Destination – An  explanation of the map features, 
guidance, and cautions.
 Information Features - Cellular  Phonebook*, Voice Command Help, 
Map Legend, Calendar, Calculator, 
and Key to Zagat Ratings.
* Available only for the Touring model.
 System Set-up - How to set up and  tailor the system for your personal 
use and use the Address Book. The back of this manual contains:
 Map Coverage (page
110)
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (page
121)
 Troubleshooting Guide (page 128 )
 Glossary of Terms (page
129)
 Voice Command List (page 132)
System Overview
Your navigation system is a highly 
sophisticated location system with voice 
control that uses satellites and a map 
database to show you where you are and 
to help guide you to a desired 
destination.
The navigation system receives signals 
from the global positioning system 
(GPS), a network of 24 satellites in orbit 
around the earth. By receiving signals 
from several of these satellites, the 
navigation system can determine the 
latitude, longitude,  and elevation of 
your vehicle. In a ddition, a gyroscopic 
yaw sensor and a vehicle speed sensor 
in your vehicle k eep track of the 
direction and speed of  travel at all times.
The navigation system applies this 
location, direction, and speed 
information to the maps and calculates a 
route to the destination you enter. As 
you drive to that des tination, the system 
provides map and voice guidance.
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8Navigation System
User Agreement
In using this DVD “Satellite Linked 
Navigation System” (the “DVD”), 
which includes HONDA MOTOR CO., 
LTD. software, ALPINE 
ELECTRONICS, INC. software, 
NAVTEQ database contents, INFO 
USA CORPORATION database, 
ZAGAT SURVEY database contents, 
and ZENRIN CO. database contents 
(hereinafter referred to as “Licensors”), 
you are bound by the terms and 
conditions set forth below.
By using your copy of the DVD, you 
have expressed your Agreement to the 
terms and conditions of this Agreement. 
You should, therefore, make sure that 
you read and understand the following 
provisions. If for any reason you do not 
wish to be bound by the terms of this 
Agreement, please return the DVD to 
your dealer.  The DVD may not be copied, 
duplicated, or otherwise modified, in 
whole or in part,  without the express 
written permission of the Licensors.
 The DVD may not be transferred or  sublicensed to any third party for 
profit, rent or loan, or licensed for 
reuse in any manner.
 The DVD may not be decompiled,  reverse engineered or otherwise 
disassembled, in whole or in part.
 The DVD may not be used in a  network or by any other manner of 
simultaneous use in  multiple systems.
 The DVD is intended solely for  personal use (or internal use where 
the end-user is a business) by the 
consumer. The DVD is not to be used 
for commercial purposes.  The Licensors do not guarantee to the 
customer that the functions included 
in the DVD meet the specific 
objectives of the user.
 Licensor shall not be responsible for  any damages caused by the use of the 
DVD to the actual user or to any third 
party.
 The warranty on the DVD shall not  extend to an exchange or refund due 
to misspelling, omission of letters, or 
any other cosmetic discrepancy in the 
contents of the DVD.
 The right to use the DVD shall expire  either when the user destroys the 
DVD or software, or when any of the 
terms of this Agreement are violated 
and the Licensors exercise the option 
to revoke the license to use the DVD 
or software.
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Navigation System11
Getting Started
ZOOM (IN)/ (OUT)  buttons
Press ZOOM to zoom in (to show 
more detail), or ZOOM to zoom out 
(to show more area and less detail) 
while a  map screen is displayed. 
ZOOM IN reduces the scale (showing 
less area with greater detail). ZOOM 
OUT increases the scale (showing more 
area with less detail). See page
56.
MENU  button
Displays the  Enter destination by  
screen. When on a route, displays the 
Change route by  screen. See page
23.
INFO  button
Displays the screen for selecting 
Cellular Phonebook *, Voice 
Command Help , Map Legend , 
Calendar , Calculator , and Key to 
Zagat Ratings . See page
70 .
* Available only for the Touring  model.
AUDIO  button
Press to display the  audio screen.
For information on audio system 
features, see the  Audio section of the 
Owner’s manual. SETUP
 button
Displays the  Setup screens to change 
and update informa tion in the system. 
See page
77 .
OPEN/CLOSE  button
Tilts the screen down to access the CD 
changer.
CLOCK
Both the screen clock* and this console 
clock are controlled by the Navigation 
system and automatically compensate 
for daylight savings and time zone 
changes during vehicle operation. They 
can be adjusted in Setup mode. See 
page
97 .
* For the screen clock, see page
18.
Screen
All selections and instructions are 
displayed on the screen. In addition, the 
display is a “touch screen” – you can 
enter information into the system by 
touching the images (icons) on the 
screen with your finger.For example, if you need to enter a 
street name, a keyboard will be 
displayed. You can type in the street 
name by saying or selecting the 
individual character
s on the screen.
Clean the screen with a soft damp cloth. 
You may use a mild cleanser intended 
for use on liquid crystal displays 
(LCDs). Harsher chemicals may 
damage the screen.
NOTE:
Whenever you shift to R (reverse), the 
rear view is shown on the navigation 
system screen. See page
100.
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Navigation System95
System Set-up
Correct Vehicle Position
The system relies on satellites for 
positioning information. Buildings, 
tunnels, and other objects can block or 
reflect these signals, requiring the 
system to use “dead reckoning” to 
determine your location and direction.
This can sometimes lead to small errors 
in positioning, such as showing you on 
an adjacent street.
NOTE:
Using this function to adjust vehicle 
position is not recommended. When the 
system acquires a GPS signal, it will 
automatically place the vehicle in the 
correct location. If you choose to do this, follow these 
steps:
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Select 
Adjust, and the system will 
display a map adjustment screen.
3. Use the  ZOOM buttons and the 
joystick to move the location 
arrowhead to the correct location. 
Touch the arrow buttons on the 
bottom of the screen to rotate the 
direction arrows so the vehicle 
position is pointin g in the correct 
direction. NOTE:
If you continually have to do this, there 
are either problems in the database or 
GPS reception problems. See 
Accessories Precautions
 on page
5 .
4. When you have finished, press the  joystick or select  Done to return to 
the previous screen.
5. As you drive, the current road will be  displayed at the bottom of the screen.
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Navigation System97
System Set-up
Clock Adjustment
From the Setup screen (second), say or 
select  Clock Adjustment  and the 
following screen appears:
This screen allows you to set or adjust 
the following:
 Auto Daylight Savings Time  (Default = On)
 Auto Time Zone by GPS  (Default = On)
 DST (Daylight Savings Time)  Selection 
(Change DST schedule)
 Time Adjustment (Adjust your clock)
 Reset  button (resets this screen’s 
settings to factory defaults)
Auto Daylight Saving Time
Sets automatic daylight saving time  On 
or  Off . If set to On, the navi clock will 
automatically “spring ahead” or “fall 
behind” by one hour when a daylight 
savings time change occurs. If you 
reside in a state or area where daylight 
saving time is not used, then you may 
want to turn this feature off.
NOTE:
If you set Auto Daylight Saving Time to On, the Daylight Saving Time function 
is activated even in an  area that does not 
adopt the Daylight Saving Time system.
The federal government has mandated 
that, starting in 2007, daylight savings 
time will change in  March & November 
instead of the old schedule in April & 
October. The new government daylight 
savings time schedule is subject to 
review and possible cancellation in 
2008. The dates that the navi switches between 
standard and daylight savings time are 
not triggered by GPS satellite signals. 
They are stored in the navi software and 
can be selected in the 
DST schedule 
selection screen. Therefore your navi 
clock will change based on the daylight 
savings time schedule.
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102Navigation System
System Initialization
GPS Initialization
Depending on the length of time the 
battery was disconnected, your system 
may require GPS initialization. If it 
does, the following screen appears:
If this procedure is not necessary, the 
system proceeds directly to the 
Disclaimer screen (see page
18). 
During initialization, the system 
searches for all available GPS satellites, 
and obtains their orbital information. 
During this procedure the vehicle 
should be out in the open with a clear 
view of the sky. If the navigation system finds the 
satellites properly, this box clears, and 
changes to the 
Disclaimer screen. If 
within ten minutes the system fails to 
locate a sufficient number of satellites to 
locate your position, the following 
screen appears:
If the system is still unable to acquire a 
signal, follow the in structions on the 
screen, or contact you r local dealer for 
assistance.
NOTE:
The average acquiring time is less than 
10 minutes, but it can take as long as 45 
minutes.
Map Matching
This part of the initialization matches 
the GPS coordinates found above with a 
road on the  map screen. To perform this 
part of the procedure, ensure that the 
navigation system is displaying a map, 
and drive the vehicle on a mapped road 
(a road shown on the  map screen). Do 
not enter a destina tion at this time. 
When the name of the current road you 
are driving on appears at the bottom of 
the screen, the entire procedure is 
complete. Your system is now ready to 
use.
The navigation system lost power and is acquiring its  
location from the GPS satellites. This usually takes  
less than 10 minutes.
*  Start the engine.
*  Park the vehicle in an open area away from trees,  
  power lines, and tall buildings.
*  Remove loose articles, cell phones, or electrical  
  accessories located near the GPS antenna.
*  If this screen is displayed repeatedly when starting  
  the vehicle, see your dealer.
Something is interfering with the system’s ability to  
acquire its location. Check the following:
*  The vehicle must be in an open area with a clear  
  view of the sky.
*  Remove sources of GPS interference like metallic 
  window tint above antenna, or electrical items 
  near antenna (see owner's manual for details).
*  Check GPS antenna cable connection.
*  Restart the engine and repeat the GPS acquire 
  procedure. If the problem persists, see your dealer.
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Navigation System103
System Limitations
Although your navigation system is one 
of the most highly sophisticated pieces 
of equipment you will find in a modern 
automobile, you may find during its use, 
that it has certain limitations.
The system uses signals from the Global 
Positioning System (GPS) to aid in 
determining its current location. The 
GPS is operated by the U.S.
Department of Defense. For security 
reasons, there are certain inaccuracies 
built into the GPS that the navigation 
system must constantly compensate for. 
This can cause occasional positioning 
errors of up to several hundred feet.
For example, in urban areas where 
streets are close together, this could 
cause the system to show that you are 
traveling on a street that parallels the 
street you are actually on. The system 
will, under most circumstances, correct 
itself while you drive. Also, depending on your current view of 
the sky and the position of the satellites, 
the elevation may be shown incorrectly. 
You may also notice some delay of the 
vehicle position icon at intersections; 
this is normal.
GPS Reception Issues
The signals received from the GPS 
satellites are extremely weak (less than 
a millionth of the strength of a local FM 
station), and require an unobstructed 
view of sky. The signal can easily be 
interrupted or interfered with by the 
following:
 After-market metallic window tint 
above or to the sides of the GPS 
antenna (located under the dash)
 Cell phones, PDAs, or other  electronic devices docked in a cradle 
or laying loose on the dash
 Radar detectors mounted on the dash
 Remote starters, or “hidden” vehicle  location systems mounted near the 
navigation unit
 Other after-market audio electronic  devices mounted near the navigation 
unit  Trees, tall buildings, freeway 
overpasses, tunnels or overhead 
electrical power wires
Although the system will direct you to 
your desired destination, it may not 
always generate what you consider to be 
the most direct rout e. Try changing the 
method of routing. See  Changing the 
Routing Method  on page
48.  You may 
also have Unverified Area Routing set 
to “OFF.” See  Unverified Area Routing  
on page
87 .
Additionally, the mapping database 
contains verified and unverified maps. 
See  Map Overview  on page
6. A 
Disclaimer screen will warn you if your 
route includes unverified streets.
Unverified streets may be missing from 
the map, in the wrong location, or have 
an incorrect name or address range.
Exercise addition al caution when 
driving in these unverified areas.
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110Navigation System
Coverage Areas
Map Coverage
The system provides map coverage for 
the following 48 US states, and southern 
Canada. The US map coverage consists 
of accurately mapped (verified) 
metropolitan areas (in the following 
list), and a less accurate (unverified) 
rural database. Canada coverage 
consists of major metropolitan areas, 
and major roads connecting the 
metropolitan areas within about 100 
miles north of the U.S. border. If you 
need additional North Canada coverage, 
you may purchase the gray Canadian 
DVD (see Obtaining a Navigation 
Update DVD  on page
108 ). See Map 
Overview  on page
6 fo r a discussion of 
map coverage.
The cities and metropolitan areas in the 
following list are fully mapped. Only 
major streets, roads, and freeways have 
been verified outside these areas. If your 
route passes through these areas, routing 
may be limited in these areas, depending 
on your routing choices. See  Unverified 
Area Routing  on page
87 .If you desire additional map coverage 
information, contact Honda Customer 
Services or go to 
www.honda.com and 
select “Honda Automobiles,” enter 
“navi” into the “Typ e a question” field, 
and follow the links. Enter your vehicle 
model and model year, then select the 
state in which you want to check map 
coverage.
Operation in Hawaii and Alaska
Certain functions that  rely on a satellite 
signal will not work correctly in Hawaii 
and Alaska. These functions include but 
are not limited to automatic clock 
updates and time zone adjustments.
U.S. Detailed Coverage Areas
Alabama
Birmingham/Tuscaloosa
Huntsville
Mobile
Montgomery
Arizona Phoenix Metro
Sedona
Tucson
Arkansas Fayetteville
Hot Springs
Little Rock
California Bakersfield
Fresno
Los Angeles/San Diego Metro
Merced
Modesto
Sacramento Metro
Sacramento-Reno-Lake Tahoe-Yuba
San Francisco Bay  (approximately 
Monterey to Sonoma) – including 
Monterey County and Hollister
San Luis Obispo
Stockton
Southern California Area
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124Navigation System
Frequently Asked Questions
While I drive, my screen shows white dots (“breadcrumbs”) 
on it. What do they mean? These are called “breadcrumbs.” 
If you drive more than 1/2 mile from 
mapped roads, the off-road tracking  feature begins to function. See Off-road 
Tracking  on page
62  and 94.
How can I get rid of the whit e dots (“breadcrumbs”) from my 
screen? Go to “Vehicle” in the
 Setup screen (second), and set  Off-road Tracking 
to  Off , then return to the map. See page
94.
A road that I selected to avoid is being used when routing.
What is wrong? When you “draw” your area to avoid, make
 sure to select sections of roads 
that include at least one  intersection. See page
91.
When I arrive at my destination,  the “bulls-eye” is shown at a 
different location on the street. Why? The system calculates the “bulls-eye
” location based on the street address 
range allocated for that street. See  Destination Icon on page
58 fo r an 
example.
My elevation (shown when I t ouch the vehicle position icon) 
seems to fluctuate even though  my elevation has not changed. This is normal, and due to errors in sa
tellite position. The elevation can vary 
+/- 100 feet. See  System Limitations  on page
103.
My elevation is missing on th e “current position” screen. 
Why? If the GPS antenna cannot receive at least four satellites, the elevation is not 
displayed. Try moving the vehicle into 
an open area. If the elevation is zero, 
or below sea level, the elev ation is also not displayed.
Problem Solution
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Navigation System129
Glossary
Glossary
The following is a glossary of terms 
pertaining to the voice recognition 
navigation system.
Avoid Area - Areas you wish to avoid 
can be entered into the system, and 
will be avoided while routing.
Breadcrumbs -  Off road tracking dots 
that can be followe d on the map to 
retrace your route back to a mapped 
(digitized) road. This function can be 
turned on/off in  Setup screen 
(second).
Database -  This consists of the map 
data, and the POI (Points Of Interest) 
data stored on the DVD.
DCA -  Detailed Coverage Area. The 
main metropolitan areas in the lower 
48 states, and southern Canada are 
mapped to this level. See page
110 
for a list of these areas. Digitized Road -
 A road that appears on 
the navigation screen. The road name 
will appear at the bottom of the 
navigation screen. If the user drives 
“off road,” the navigation system will 
display “breadcrumbs,” depending on 
how far you drive from a mapped 
road.
Disclaimer Screen -  Screen containing 
cautionary information. It is meant to 
be read carefully and acknowledged 
by the customer when using the 
navigation system.
DVD or DVD-ROM -  Digital Versatile 
Disc. The navigation program and 
database resides on this disc. For 
information on how to order a 
replacement or update DVD, see 
page
108.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions. See 
page
121 fo r a list of the customer 
FAQs, and troubleshooting 
information. GPS -
 Global Positioning System. A 
network of 24 satellites in orbit 
around the earth. The navigation 
system can simultaneously receive 
signals from up to 12 satellites to 
accurately position the vehicle on the 
map.
GPS Antenna -  Located in the center of 
the dash. Electronic items operating 
in this general location can interfere 
with the GPS signal.
HFL -  Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®. 
Only the Touring model is equipped 
with this feature, which uses 
Bluetooth technology as a wireless 
link between the vehicle and your 
Bluetooth compatible cell phone.
Icon -  Symbol representing Points of 
Interest (POI) that can be displayed 
on the map.
Initialization -  This refers to the period 
needed to reacquire the GPS satellite 
orbital information whenever the 
navigation system power has been 
disconnected. This can take 10 to 45 
minutes with the vehicle out in an 
open area.
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