Just purchased my new 2015 Sierra. Have a couple of questions on the Navigation system. 1. The Truck is equipped with the navigation system as well as onstar. If I do not keep onstar will I loose the navigation system as well. I can not find anything that says the 2 are tied together.2. When using the navigation system it has a little message near the top left hand corner with the Radio station info in it. This appears even if the radio is off or on silent. I don't seam to know if you can even turn the radio completly off. How can I get rid of that.Thanks

The two are not tied together, if you get rid of OnStar you still have Nav.Not sure on the second part, I will have to play with it a bit.

#1 - Your 2015 is a different design than my 2011, but cancelling Onstar will still allow the navigation to function. You can still (painfully) enter addresses or find POI. Onstar offers similar/redundant voice guidance as well as a service to send info/destinations to your car from either a cell phone app or person you talk to.

Oh, and don't forget that even if you let the OnStar expire, the ability to use the app to lock/unlock doors, remote start, is still good for 5 years.

Great thanks for the help.Now I just need to figure out on how to get rid of that radio station window.

Have you read the owners manual?Jim

3500 Sierra Denali navigation system | Good Sam Community

MNRon
Explorer
Sep 13, 2015
We have 2013 nav and had Onstar. Onstar does NOT keep nav maps updated. The only way to update maps is to spend a couple hundred for an update cd...kind of crazy it costs more for a nav update than for a tomtom or farming that includes free updates for life!! Wish that GM would just contract with tarmi or tomtom so w e could have those nags included in-dash
NJRVer
Explorer
Sep 12, 2015
Not sure on the '15, but in the previous generation navs you can control the volume of the radio separate from the volume of the navigation in the Nav Menu.
I can turn down my radio to nothing and the nav still speaks in whatever volume I have it set at.
BenK
Explorer
Sep 10, 2015
It was way easier explaining to dad HOW2 get rid of the flashing message on his VCR...
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2015
Jim-Linda wrote:
Have you read the owners manual?

Jim

I have a 15. manual covers all the questions you asked.

and yes Nav is completely seperate from onstar.

and yes, you can turn off the radio
car2900
Explorer
Sep 10, 2015
Has anyone else with a General Motors OEM navigation system been successful in downloading your own POI's from a SD or USB drive?
I have created them in three different text editors including the suggested program by the POI Factory, ExtraPOI Editor. Only one of eight will download. I downloaded the interstate rest areas POI file from POI Factory and all those download properly into my GPS.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Majja13
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
Ahh thanks for the information.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Jul 15, 2015
CoMoCo wrote:
ktmrfs wrote:
CoMoCo wrote:
I just picked up my 2015 Denali 3500 and am wondering if anyone has figured out a way to load routes that were set up on AAA Trip Tik or MapQuest into the GM Navigation system.

I have no plans to pay for OnStar so it is not an option.

Thanks!

AFAIK you don't need onstar for the nav system. you just won't be able to call onstar and have them download route directions or have them plan a route for you. You can still use the nav system for route directions using the Nav menu.

in fact, my nav system works just fine even in locations where the onstar link doesn't work because I'm to far out of ATT cell tower range. (quite a few places I go in the midwest/west BTW). All the nav system needs is a gps fix.

owners manual has a wealth of info on the nav system and goes into great detail on how to

(a) load mapquest directions into the nav system
(b) how to load your own POI's into the nav system
(c) format needed for gps coordinates for the nav system

my interpretation of the info in the manual is that mapquest is likely the only directions you can upload into the nav system.

Or, using the onstar android/apple app you can load a destination point into the nav system for turn by turn direcions.

I called the GM NAV / Intellilnk people as I couldn't find any information in the manuals on how to load MapQuest directions into the NAV system. They said it cannot be done as the NAV system does not have any "communication" with the outside world. I asked if I could use a USB drive to load directions - similar to adding points of interest - and they said no, can's be done. They only way is if you have an OnStar subscription (which I don't plan to pay for).

well, they were sorta correct on mapquest. looking at the manual, mapquest directions can be sent to the nav system, but only if you have onstar. page 14.3 in my 2015 owners manual
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Jul 15, 2015
Majja13 wrote:
Are the Nav systems in the new trucks actual GPS or are the Cellular based GPS. Just form looking I would think the Nav systems would come down in price now that all the new trucks have the big old monitors in them.

The Nav is GPS based with onboard maps, just like garmin etc. If you call Onstar to have them download route/directions to you , then you will need to have cell service to contact Onstar and be in cell range (ATT service on later models) while the route is downloaded to the nav system.
CoMoCo
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
ktmrfs wrote:
CoMoCo wrote:
I just picked up my 2015 Denali 3500 and am wondering if anyone has figured out a way to load routes that were set up on AAA Trip Tik or MapQuest into the GM Navigation system.

I have no plans to pay for OnStar so it is not an option.

Thanks!

AFAIK you don't need onstar for the nav system. you just won't be able to call onstar and have them download route directions or have them plan a route for you. You can still use the nav system for route directions using the Nav menu.

in fact, my nav system works just fine even in locations where the onstar link doesn't work because I'm to far out of ATT cell tower range. (quite a few places I go in the midwest/west BTW). All the nav system needs is a gps fix.

owners manual has a wealth of info on the nav system and goes into great detail on how to

(a) load mapquest directions into the nav system
(b) how to load your own POI's into the nav system
(c) format needed for gps coordinates for the nav system

my interpretation of the info in the manual is that mapquest is likely the only directions you can upload into the nav system.

Or, using the onstar android/apple app you can load a destination point into the nav system for turn by turn direcions.

I called the GM NAV / Intellilnk people as I couldn't find any information in the manuals on how to load MapQuest directions into the NAV system. They said it cannot be done as the NAV system does not have any "communication" with the outside world. I asked if I could use a USB drive to load directions - similar to adding points of interest - and they said no, can's be done. They only way is if you have an OnStar subscription (which I don't plan to pay for).
Majja13
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015
Are the Nav systems in the new trucks actual GPS or are the Cellular based GPS. Just form looking I would think the Nav systems would come down in price now that all the new trucks have the big old monitors in them.