Page 1 of 2

No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 11:07 am
by 24387811rct
MY 550 is connected to my motorcycle bluetooth headset, but only hear music from the sd card, but no direction sounds(turn right, next left, etc).

Anybody any ideas??
TIA

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Sun May 04, 2025 5:51 pm
by twowheelstom
sounds like your 550 bluetooth is working, SD card working, and bluetooth from 550 to headset is paired and working, the issue must be with the Zumo unit itself, maybe corrupted 550 system file for language? i think the language files are on 550 internal memory Folder called VOICE, in that folder are your *.vpm voice files, check that folder to see if you have the .vpm file for instructions, my .vpm file on my 396 is called English_American_Jill.vpm, also check your 550 settings to see if that voice file is selected, if u want english

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 05, 2025 9:12 am
by 24387811rct
Thanks for the Info, twowheelstom. I'll check the Zumo and relay what I find.
Thanks again,

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 05, 2025 11:38 am
by lkraus
Similar issue with an XT was recently solved by pairing as a phone instead of a headset:
https://www.zumouserforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3309

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 4:34 pm
by 24387811rct
It looks like my Zumo is kaput, it won't pair with either my phone or the headset now.
Have to see what I can get to replace it.
Thanks for the replies folks, always helpful.

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 4:42 am
by jfheath
Didn't the 550 come with a car cradle that had a built in speaker ?

If you have that you could verify that your XT is issuing sound.

Other options to look at......

Check the volume mixer sliders and the master volume. Nav and music have different volumes.

Delete all BT connections on your phone and Zumo and then pair just the phone and Zumo together. Other devices could be grabbing the connection.

Make sure that you have autorecalc turned On to see if that is the issue - so that is it is allowed to recalculate if you go off route.
If you go off route and it cannot recalculate - it stops issuing instructions. You are off route if you have your start point too close to where you set off and by the time the Zumo has a signal you have already passed it without the Zumo knowing. The 550 used to take a very long time to get a fix on your position. You cannot believe the magenta line in this situation - it is heading in the correct direction, but it won't issue instructions unless you pass through the start and all other points if it is not allowed to recalculate.

If you decide on a different model, The Zumo 590 is a giant leap from the 550 but iI find it to be is the most reliable and predictable Zumo for navigation that Garmin have produced. I have the 590, 595, XT and XT2 . You may be able to pick up a good second hand one.
It has a couple of issues. One is the battery. It doesnt charge very well, or it cannot hold a charge. All of them do it (the 595 does it too), so working off the bike requires a power source eg Usb cable, or the car cradle attached to a 12v transformer.
The other issue is that by modern standards, the screen is quite dull - although I never found it to be an issue when on the road.

The 590 will run the 595 software, but the 595 will not run the 590 software - but the 595 introduced some issues when navigating.

The XT1 is good, has navigation issues but we have solutions for most of those.

The XT2 - well it is the one that is on my bike. but I cannot believe that the words 'testing' or 'rigourous' figured in many conversations prior to release. Lots of gizmos but I feel that I can only rely on it if I already know where I am going.

With all Zumos except the XT2, make sure that the come with lifetime maps for your region (Europe) - ask the question and also ask if the power button is intact, the screen is not scratched and whether the car cradle is included (590, 595). The XT2 has maps for most of the world

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 11:36 am
by lkraus
Be sure that only one routable map is active for your location. Usually that will be City Navigator.

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 3:23 pm
by 24387811rct
Thanks for the replies. The 550 was working perfectly the day before, and nothing was changed (at least by me!).
Still looking for a suitable replacement, can't afford brand new though.

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 4:14 pm
by jfheath
If music is working, there is no problem with BT or sound .

I refer the honourable gentlemen to the post that I made earlier.

Re: No direction sounds from 550

Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 5:48 pm
by wks
Excuse me if I have this wrong and I don't mind being shot down in flames but I thought the 550 could not play music. It had something to do with "A2DP" or something like that.