NinjaMonkey

I use MacCaching, which is free but there are some other alternatives out there others might be able to suggest. Here's the link:http://www.maccaching.com/

It isn't that difficult. Macs have not had a serial interface in how many years? They went to all USB back in 1997 I believe. Don't buy a GPS that does not have an interface your computer has. It is that simple. You are probably seeing older models still listed on their site. Garmin has done a better job supporting the Mac than any other GPS company. While they have been slow, at least I can now load my maps on my GPS using my Mac.

I'd love a GPS with the iPhone form factor but there are some issues. The main problem is the iPhone does not seem rugged enough compared to my 60CS. It does have some awesome features though that would translate well to a GPS. The fact that the screen doesn't show fingerprints (according to those lucky enough to get a hands on demo) and the multi touch lcd is exciting.

While disappointing I'm not too crushed by this. As long as MapSource doesn't get delayed I'm happy. They have been saying by the end of 06 for that since MacWorld. Though I guess news of Training Center's delay means I have to give up hope for an early release of MapSource.

MacSimple will not work with USB enabled Garmin units. You need one that has a serial connection. You can however purchase MacGPSPro which is great software at a reasonable price and it will let you communicate with USB Garmins.

Just a heads up if anyone is wondering Keyspan USB-Serial adapters work fine on Intel Macs. I'm using it on my new iMac with Mac Simple GPS. Add me to the list of people eagerly awaiting official Garmin support for uploading maps. I had to use an XP machine tonight for map uploading and it reminded me of how painful Windows is.

I have a Garmin 60CS and it works well with my Mac. A program called MacGPS Pro will allow USB transfer of waypoints and tracks. Later on this year Garmin will be making its software Mac compatible so you'll be able to transfer maps without using a Windows PC.

I have no experience with them but woot.com has a Lowrance iFinder Map & Music for only $129. Seems like a good deal. The price is only good today though. Woot only features one product a day.

A good program that I use a lot is Mac SimpleGPS it allows for easy transfer of waypoints, routes and tracks. Check this link to see a nice list of Mac GPS software.

To use MapSource in VPC you need a serial cable for your GPS and a Serial to USB adapter. Virtual PC does not work well with Garmin USB devices. Transfering maps is painfully slow but it works. For transfering waypoints to your GPS there are software solutions availible on the Mac, just have a look at versiontracker.com Garmin's Mac version of MapSource can't come soon enough.

I'd love to have a 60CSx. My 60CS is great but the new model looks to be perfect.

This version of Google Earth runs much faster than the one that MacUpdate accidently released. Now that Garmin is porting there software to OS X, I won't have to use VirtualPC at all. This years MacWorld has been great!

I think the link should be removed. I don't think leaked info is a taboo subject. Linking to pirated software is.

I have tried it out and it works pretty good. Seems a bit slugish on my Mac mini but usable. I'll install it on my PowerBook tonight and give it a try.

According to AppleInsider Google has been developing Google Earth for OS X and it has now reached beta status. There is a leaked version floating around the web and looks legit. Finally some good news for us Mac users.

I'm running OS X Tiger on a PowerBook and mac mini and use a Garmin 60CS. For software I'm using CitySelect 7 running under Virtual PC 7 with Windows 2000. It is slow but not painfully slow, the only downside is you must use a Serial/USB adapter. Transfering a large number of maps seems to take forever. Luckily there is some great Mac GPS software out there so using Virtual PC is only needed for transfering Maps. MacGPSPro (www.macgpspro.com) works fantastic for most things and works with USB Garmin models without the need for an adapter. A quick search at versiontracker.com/macosx will also provide you with some freeware apps that allow waypoint transfers. My advice is unless you have very basic needs get a copy of MacGPSPro.

MacGPS Pro version 6 now supports Garmin USB models. It runs about $50 I think.

There are a few options. If you just need something to transfer waypoints go to versiontracker.com and search for Garmin USB tool. It is a simple drag and drop utility and works well. If you want to do a bit more there is a great program called MacGPS Pro. It costs about $50 and has some very cool features. The new version also works with Garmin USB models so there is no need to purchase a serial cable and USB adapter.

Apple has stated they will not do anything to prevent you from running Windows on an Intel Mac. But honestly who would want to? Once Apple has Intel Macs Wine should be ported fairly easy to OS X allowing you to run Windows programs in OS X without emulation. And even if for some reason you still need VPC, speed will be dramatically faster since you don't need to emulate the processor. Anyway, on topic, I was thinking of creating a how-to or at least a write up on how I use my 60CS on my Mac. Would anyone find this helpful? I have a .Mac account and could even create a group if anyone was interestead in contributing.

My Gillson is a pain to get out. I have the same issue, I usually have to pry it out with something.

I love my 60CS, it is a great unit. I do wish it had the memory of the 76CS. The problem with the 76 is the controls are on the top, to me its a bit weird to use. Who knows though, you may like it better.

Garmin's lack of support for the Mac is disgusting. Mapsorce is not a very complicated program. It is a front end for a whole bunch of image files. I doubt it would take very long to develop Mapsource, even if it was stripped down to just support transfering maps for OS X (which is what we want anyway). No where have I seen where Mapsource is developed with Windows specific technologies that would make it incredibly difficult to port. I'm talking about things like Direct X .Net, etc. I've sent a similar message to Garmin twice, both times I got no reply.

I can recommend some Mac software. The best would probably be MacGPS Pro. It is only $39 and well worth it. Check macgpspro.com for details. An external antenna is almost a must. I purchased a Gilsson for my Garmin 60CS for only about $20 and it works amazingly well.

Just an update. I did get it working! I'm not sure how, Steve, I followed your instructions and it worked perfectly. Now I'm not sure why considering I tried it the same way before. The bad news now is I cannot update CitySelect to version 7. My update stops near the end saying I do not have permission to write a certain file. This is why I hate Windows, on a Mac to install a program, I'd only have to drag that program to my Applications folder. I've sent a message to garmin tech support so we'll see if they can manage to figure it out.

Thanks for the advice Steve. In fact the way you mentioned was the way I tried to get it working initially. Right now I'm running VPC 7 with Windows 2k. I do have a copy of VPC 6 around somewhere but I have no clue where the disks are. I've been trying to get this to work all last weekend and it has been frustrating. I see no reason why it shouldn't work but for some reason it just doesn't. Windows see's the adapter and VPC recognizes it as a USB device and is set to be COM1 but it does nothing.