Change History

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GPSMAP 556/556S software version 4.70

as of October 30, 2019

Changes made from version 4.60 to 4.70:

• Addressed issue with system date.

Changes made from version 4.50 to 4.60:

• Improved support for Reactor autopilot.
• Various bug fixes and improvements.

Changes made from version 4.40 to 4.50:

• Added support for GXM52 weather antenna.
• Improved support for LakeVu HD cartography.
• Added support for clearing AIS related message banners across NMEA2000.
• Added an Always Off setting to the other vessels collision alarm so that users do not have to disable the alarm each time the unit is powered on.
• Added the ability to share collision alarm settings over NMEA2000 whenever they are changed.
• Addressed some potential instabilities when calculating Autoguidance routes.
• Addressed a number of minor issues.

Changes made from version 4.30 to 4.40:

• Corrected issue with navaid symbols drawn on charts. This resolves a drawing issue introduced with v4.20.

Changes made from version 4.20 to 4.30:

• Fixed possible shutdown related to reception of test signals from AIS-MOB devices and Safety Related Messages from AIS transponders of certain configurations.
• Added handling for AIS-MOB and AIS-EPIRB devices.

Changes made from version 4.10 to 4.20:

• Updated magnetic variance values.
• Improved interaction with autopilots after reaching a destination point.
• Improved visibility of 2D chart heading line when operating in night mode.
• Fixed issue with drawing some types of bridges on the Fishing Chart.
• Fixed potential issue with determining shapes for buoys.
• Added range to data displayed for AIS vessels when details are enabled.
• Fixed issue with tracking total fuel onboard when dealing with very large values.
• Fixed issue with labels for depth logs displaying depths greater than 1000ft.
• Made several improvements to translations.

Changes made from version 4.00 to 4.10:

• Improved user interface support for AIS Search and Rescue Transmitters (AIS-SART). This will allow users to easily and safely respond to distress calls from other vessels.
• Improved drawing of lights on 3D charts to better indicate the currently visible light sector and added support for drawing navaids with multiple lights.
• Updated the Light Sectors setting on navigation charts. The ?Auto? setting will now show all lights with multiple light sectors, but continue to hide 360 degree lights that have an unknown range. The 'On' setting will show all lights.
• Added support for Gulf of Mexico blocks and rigs on the Fishing Chart (requires BlueChart 2011.5 or newer).
• Changed Fishing Chart to show seabed nature points.
• Added support for high resolution Sirius/XM sea temperature data. The original low resolution data may be displayed by adjusting the Sea Temperature setting in the Weather Fishing Chart.
• Added Garmin Devices menu to System Information page to quickly list information about connected Garmin devices.
• Water temperature data is now displayed in hundredths of a degree to allow users with compatible sensors to more easily detect trends.
• Updated Light Review page to ensure the proper light sector was marked visible.
• Improved calculation of certain autoguidance routes.
• Addressed intermittent problem with manually setting the date on the Tides and Currents review pages.
• Improved sonar split zoom display when in manual zoom mode.
• Improved display of double Ebb and double Flood currents.
• Fixed issue with map rotation when display is connected to a lower-frequency heading sensor or 3rd party autopilot over NMEA 0183.
• Added ability for current time to be displayed in either HH:MM or HH:MM:SS formats.
• Improved connectivity of GDL 40 after software update.
• Changed GDL 40 signal strength indicator to no longer use red bars to indicate signal strength.
• Changed A-Scope display to better match sonar data when in auto zoom.
• Fixed intermittent problem that caused corruption of g2 data cards.
• Addressed problem with changing to the next and previous days on Tides and Currents pages.
• Changed NMEA 2000 Registration Number 193 from 'Jeppesen' to 'Nobeltec.'
• Incorporated new translations and improvements to existing translations.

Changes made from version 3.70 to 4.00:

• Added support for GDL40 GSM cellular weather receiver.
• Added Sirius-XM disclaimer to power on page.
• Improved handling of marine bulletins in Canada.
• Added support for Yanmar engine tilt and oil pressure.
• Increased maximum Fuel Capacity setting to 17,000 gallons.
• Changed Engine Hours display to always use one decimal point of precision.
• Modified the Keel Offset, Temp Offset and Water Speed Calibration under My Boat to affect preferred Depth, Water Temp, or Water Speed sources respectively, even if those sources are from NMEA 2000 devices which previously could only be configured through the device review page.
• Added support for updating the internal built-in map.
• Improved the split zoom window so it will smoothly update its position in the water column.
• Added support for maps with text in multiple codepages.
• Added display of built-in map copyrights to the system information page.
• Overhauled display of AIS in 3D presentations.
• Improved presentation of rotary current information.
• Updated the card review page to always show the Manage Card control.
• Added date/time information to screenshot files.
• Improved French, German, Russian, and Swedish translations.

Changes made from version 3.60 to 3.70:

• Added a control for selecting the boat or first waypoint as the starting navigation point.
• Improved loading of Topo Map data.

Changes made from version 3.50 to 3.60:

• Corrected the positioning of the map copyright strings on power up page.
• Added support for the 'Coastal Mariner' weather subscription.

Changes made from version 3.40 to 3.50:

• Added support for Topo Maps.
• Clarified the wording of the message displayed when maps fail Authentication.
• Improved Finnish and German translations.
• Improved consistency of AIS colors.
• Resolved issues with sharing routes over a network when User Waypoints are full.
• Resolved an issue that could prevent new NMEA 2000 sensors from being recognized.
• Improved XM Weather Cloud Representations.

Changes made from version 3.30 to 3.40:

• Fixed a potential lockup when reading certain SD cards.

Changes made from version 3.20 to 3.30:

• Corrected the display of navigation waypoints when editing another route.
• Fixed Demo Mode behavior for non-sounder units when the fishing chart is unavailable.
• Improved display performance of the World Map.
• Improved cartography authentication process.
• Eliminated the potential for a rare lock-up while storing settings.

Changes made from version 3.10 to 3.20:

• Added a control for selecting between two map vehicles and multiple sizes.
• Enabled display of horizontal clearance information for bridges shown as lines.
• Added a depth log to the sonar functions.
• Added a prompt to delete unused route waypoints after deleting a route.
• Added additional engine, fuel, and vessel items to the Cruising Data Bar setup menu.
• Added Label Devices under NMEA 2000 Setup which will allow labeling of NMEA 2000 engines and tanks with pre-defined names.
• Changed the Engine Dashboard page automatic gauge configuration to only show the trim gauge if engine trim is available.
• Created an NMEA 2000 Setup control in the Configuration->Communications menu and moved the Device List into the new setup menu.
• Added support for sharing the rudder angle calibration across the NMEA2000 network to other Garmin plotters and instruments.
• Corrected an issue with gauge needles partially drawing on the Engine dashboard page.
• Improved experience when animating weather radar history.
• Corrected operation of AIS On/Off switch for NMEA2000 AIS sources.
• Improved autopilot and chartplotter synergy.
• Moved 3D range ring labels to the side so they don't obstruct the view ahead of the vessel.
• Added the ability to scan and review AIS vessels on the 3D charts.
• Fixed an issue that would allow the cursor to pan outside of the 3D chart area after turning on data bars.
• Corrected potential shutdown issue when navigating near the 180th meridian while using any of the 3D chart views.
• Fixed an issue where sonar would flash an incorrect depth number under certain conditions when depth tracking lost the bottom.
• Corrected a potential issue where fishing contours could be labeled using two different units of measure.
• Simplified the user interface for creating new waypoints via Chart Menu->Waypoints & Tracks->New Waypoint and Information->User Data->Waypoints->Options->New Waypoint.
• Corrected improper map rotations the first time a map is displayed while in Head Up orientation.

Changes made from version 3.00 to 3.10:

• Corrected issue that caused some map areas to be shaded incorrectly. This issue is most likely seen as large areas filled with solid brown.
• Fixed incorrect sun and moon predictions on the celestial page.
• Fixed issue with fuel level gauge not updating on engine page.
• Corrected issue where points representing cranes had purple boxes drawn around them.
• Fixed condition where oil temperature gauge would remain in warning state on engine page.
• Fixed issue with zoom range displaying 'Off' while creating new routes.
• Corrected issue that caused the unit to indicate that user data transfers to SD card were complete prematurely.
• Resolved an issue that prevented a complete transition between day and night modes.
• Fixed a refresh issue with the compass tape control in the sonar menu.

Changes made from version 2.30 to 3.00:

• Added alpha blending of weather radar and cloud cover with cartography.
• Added configurable NMEA 2000 engine dashboard and alarms.
• Added graphical sailing dashboard with wind gauges.
• Improved manual sonar zoom interface.
• Allow autopilot standby and route re-engage control from the chartplotter (requires GHC10 update also).
• Added support for Garmin NMEA 2000 adapters, including configuration and numeric display.
• Allow numeric display of NMEA0183 anchor rode counters.
• Display waypoint creation time and date in the waypoint review window.
• Display Honda ECO indicator with Honda engines.
• Accept NMEA0183 HDT and THS sentences and repeat on NMEA2000.
• Added support for BlueChart g2 and g2 Vision cartography version 11.5.
• Added support for Portuguese fishing areas.
• Added support for dolphin buoys.
• Added support for using built-in map update SD cards.
• Fixed a potential shutdown when animated tides are enabled.
• Corrected the Fishing and Navigation Chart's Tracks control to turn the tracks off/on.
• Updated the Russian translation for 'Gain.'
• Timeout the Mark waypoint page.
• Added vessel, engine, tank level, and temperature categories for the numbers page configuration menu.
• Added the ability to change the dashboard page from the dashboard page's menu.
• Added support for custom units in the startup wizard.

Changes made from version 2.20 to 2.30:

• Improved depth tracking performance.
• Changed the active track log scanning to display the date and time the point was recorded instead of the position.
• Added support for displaying the compass tape on the Sonar pages.
• Corrected how waypoint names display on maps when using a non 1252 codepage.
• Corrected the AIS rate of turn value that was not using the correct sign of the value.
• When the AIS alarm is set to off, the 'Remove Lost Target' message will not display and the lost target will automatically be removed after 2 minutes.
• Removed the depth line control from the flasher menu.
• Changed the weather chart Waypoints control to automatically change to 'Show' when a waypoint is created via the weather chart.

Changes made from version 2.10 to 2.20:

• Fixed an issue that was causing the unit to shutdown while receiving the NMEA 0183 DSE sentence.