stevesim

There has only been one (or possibly two) updates of MetroGuide USA map data since its introduction and the latest is identified as "Data version 3.0". Yours is 2.0. Garmin does not (nor does any other GPS map supplier) provide free or downloadable updates to their map data. They do provide free updates the Mapsource software. To update your MetroGuide USA maps to the latest map data, you must buy the new version. You can find more information about differences in the versions of Metroguide here: http://www.gpsinformation.net/mgii.htm Steve Simpki

First goto http://joe.mehaffey.com/ This is the number one place to find out information about GPS receivers. Be sure to read the review of the Meridian at: http://www.gpsinformation.net/mgoldreview/mag-gold.htm Go down to the section labled "Links to Third-Party GPS Intermediate Software" There you will find several programs that will allow you to edit, transfer and save waypoints, routes and tracks. Some of these programs are free, others are shareware. A great free program that is not listed here is EasyGPS. It is at http://www.easygps.com/. Which ever program you use, be sure to set the baud rate in the program you use and the GPS to the same value (4800 or 9600 baud works great). It is generally best if you boot your computer first and then connect your GPS serial cable. Somtimes Windows mistakes a GPS receiver for a mouse if it is connected while Windows is booting. Steve Simpkin

If you haven't aready seen it, take a look at http://joe.mehaffey.com/ Scroll down to the "Links to Third-Party GPS Intermediate Software" section to find a number of programs and utilities that will work with your GPS. One of the coolest free programs is USA Photomaps. It allows you to download waypoints, routes, tracks and superimpose them on aerial photos from Microsoft's Terraserver. Very cool and addictive. Steve Simpkin

Here is a good place to start when looking for information about GPS and the Palm OS. http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/pilotgps.htm Information about cables is also available on the above site. See http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/phardware.htm#cable Steve Simpkin

Here is one example that works with Magellan units. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10273693&loc=101&queryType=comp Steve Simpkin

quote:Originally posted by Firefishe:Makes one wonder why radio manufacturers are *still* using dynamic ram chips, instead of non-volatile, static ram. I just can't figure it out. Warm regards, Firefishe (Stephen Brown) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/migo/ The typical microcontroller used in a auto radio is using internal static RAM. The designers simply chose not to keep it powered by a rechargable backup battery or capacior when power is removed. The most likely reason? Probably no one at the radio design review meetings thought it was important enough to add that to the specifications. No one ever accused engineering management of thinking of everything. Steve Simpkin

A while back I did research on mapping programs to use for trip planning with my Magellan GPS315 (now a MAP330) and found Delorme Street Atlas 8 to be a great product. So I bought a copy for $39.99 and used it happily for about a year. About that time my wife bought a new computer that came with MS Streets and Trips 2001. I found myself using it all the time and have since removed Street Atlas to free up space on my hard drive. My problem is I can't exactly explain why I prefer Street & Trips over Street Atlas! I consider Street Atlas a better product. Its GPS support is fantastic. You can generate a route and download it to your GPS. You can also exchange waypoint, tracks and routes to your GPS. Streets and Trips does NONE of this. Its only GPS interface feature at all is real time tracking and even that is crippled by a 15 second update (which you changed to 2 seconds). I think the deciding factor for me was that Street Atlas 8 tended to generate odd and more complex routes than Streets & Trips. Also it seemed to take an act of God to change the path taken by a generated route. For example if I wanted to use a freeway other than the one it picked, I could add a via point ON my freeway. Street Atlas would then route towards my chosen freeway, get off the freeway, go on side streets to my via point UNDER the freeway, then get back on the freeway and continue with the trip. Streets and Trips usually picked the route I would have chosen in the first place and was very easy to re-direct if I wanted to take another route. Streets and Trips is also easier to use because it has less options and features. I don't know. It just pisses me off that I prefer a less featured free program over one I researched , bought and consider to be a better program. Just ranting. Steve Simpkin

My understanding is that all current Garmin consumer outdoors and marine GPS products (except the eMap) meet the IPX7 standard. For handhelds this includes the eTrex series, GP12 series, 76 series, GPS II, III and V series. The eMap only meets the IPX5 standard (water resistant). The Magellan Meridian and SporTrak families also meet the IPX7 standard. The Magellan 315 only meets the IPX5 standard (water resistant). The Lowerance iFinder only meets the IPX5 standard (water resistant). Lowerence includes a waterproof bag with this unit. By the way, the battery compartment on most GPS receivers is not water proof. More information can also be found at: http://joe.mehaffey.com/garwater.htm As stated in the previous post, IPX7 is an IMMERSION standard. Driving water sprayed onto the unit from heavy rain, surf or wind can easily exceed the IPX7 standard. When in doubt, bag it! Steve Simpki

You can find a pre-release version of V2.09 at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m330/files/ The most obvious feature it adds is Waypoint Projection. You can find a summary of all software changes at: http://celia.mehaffey.com/allory/magfeat.htm I don't know when Magellan (Thales) will be releasing this version officially. They still have version 2.08 listed. Steve Simpkin

quote:Originally posted by Night Stalker:Snip... The thing I like about the GPS V is that it gives you a warning when you lose connection while my Sportrak only gives you an hour glass on the map screen to let you know when you have lost connection. The SporTrak has an optional Fix Alarm, but you have to turn it on (default is off). From any screen press: [Menu], scroll to "Alarms/Msg", press [Enter], scroll to GPS Fix Alarm, press [Enter] to enable. See page 58 of the SporTrak manual (Alarms) for more information. Steve Simpkin

The Magellan 330X packge is a great package buy. I use mine every day. I managed to buy one last December at Staples for $99.99 after all the rebates. Sams club also had a $50.00 rebate but I think it has expired. One thing you should be aware is that the MAP330 has been discontinued by Magellan. It has been replaced by the SporTrak and Meridian series. You can find out more about the experiences of people using the MAP330X at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m330/messages By the way, the Garmin eTrex Legend DOES come with a PC data cable. If you want an automobile mount, DC power cord and maps, it will cost you another $190.00 Steve Simpki

The Magellan 330X packge is a great package buy. I use mine every day. I managed to buy one last December at Staples for $99.99 after all the rebates. Sams club also had a $50.00 rebate but I think it has expired. One thing you should be aware is that the MAP330 has been discontinued by Magellan. It has been replaced by the SporTrak and Meridian series. You can find out more about the experiences of people using the MAP330X at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m330/messages By the way, the Garmin eTrex Legend DOES come with a PC data cable. If you want an automobile mount, DC power cord and maps, it will cost you another $190.00 Steve Simpki

You can get the GPS V Deluxe package for as little at $412 at sites like tvnav.com, gpsdiscount.com and thegpsstore.com. The City Select maps included in the original GPS V package only cover about 120 major cities total and includes an unlock code for 1 area (about 20 cities). The GPS V Deluxe maps cover almost all cities (thousands and thousands) and includes the unlock code for all of them. The additional coverage and complete unlock code is well worth the extra money. If you were to buy an original GPS V package today (which icludes only 1 unlock area), you qualify to get a free update for the additioan city coverage for your 1 area. If you then want to unlock all areas, it will cost an additional $100. See: http://www.garmin.com/unlock/index.html So buying an original GPS V package for $369 vs $412 for the Deluxe is not much of a bargain, especially if you don't have to pay sales tax for the Deluxe package. Steve Simpki

After looking at the larger MAP330 manual that I downloaded today it appears the only differences in the text are that they added reference to the MAP330M (Marine). Since they have identical software, this doesn't add any new information. So you should still download the SporTrack manual for a description of newer features (Road Screen, Vertical Profile, semi-auto route creation, etc.)not covered in the MAP330 manual. It can be found at: http://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/newprod/manual_SporTrakSeries.pdf This also describes the Waypoint Projection feature found in MAP330 version 2.09 (not officaly released yet). Steve Simpkin

OOPS!!! I gave the wrong link for the MAP330 manual! Try: http://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/newprod/manual_MAP330M.pdf instead. Sorry. By the way I notice this version is about 7.3 MB in size compared to the 5.3 MB version I downloaded earlier this year. Maybe they added documentation for some of the newer features. Steve Simpkin

The MAP330 has the exact same address search features as the Meridian and SporTrak lines. With small variations (SD card access, speedometer screen, etc.) they run almost identical software. The instructions on how to search for a street address can be found on page 43 of the MAP330 manual. It is basically as described by Geoffrey above. Although it is not obvious where to find the English version of the manual on Magellans site, it can be found at: http://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/oldprod/manual_GPS300.pdf (Thank Ken Ash for this link) You might also look at the SporTrack manual for a description of newer features (Road Screen, Vertical Profile, semi-auto route creation, etc.)not covered in the MAP330 manual. The latest official software release for the MAP330 is 2.08, but I beleive the address search feature was there since the 330 was released. You can find a pre-release version of V2.09 at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m330/files/ The most obvious feature it adds is Waypoint Projection. You can find a summary of all software changes at: http://celia.mehaffey.com/allory/magfeat.htm Steve Simpkin

Your MAP330 *IS* capable of address searchs! I do them on mine all the time. Address search works the same on the following Magellan receivers: MAP330 (yours!), Meridian (all versions) and the SporTrak (all versions). Of course you can only do address searches in the areas covered by the maps loaded on your unit from Mapsend Streets, Streets & Destinations and (I believe) Topo. All recent Garmin mapping GPS receivers also do address searches when loaded with MapSource MetroGuide, CityNavigator (Street Pilot III) or CitySelect (GPS V), but not worldmap, R&R or Topo. Steve Simpki

There have been some negative experiences with AdvancedGPS. See the topic "*DO NOT* Order from AdvancedGPS". Perhaps they have improved since then. Please let us know how your experience is with them. Steve Simpkin

The only problem I have with Best Buys is price. The last time I priced the GPS V there it was $499.99 + tax ($38.75 here) = $538.74. You can buy the GPS V on line from www.tigergps.com for $365.61 + shipping. www.tvnav.com is also another great place to buy online. Steve Simpkin

quote:Originally posted by TresOkies: MeMap does not work with eMap firmware after 2.70. It looks like Garmin started compressing or encrypting the lawyer screen to keep things like MeMap from working. It might be interesting to look at firmware version 2.6 and 2.7 and see if the data at the same offsets look like something that might be a lawyer screen. Maybe they encoded it in ROT13 as a joke on us. I would assume that future versions of the firmware for the eTrex and others will prevent you from using MeMap in the future. -E -- N35°32.981 W98°34.631 Actually, my understanding is that Garmin did not intentionally make changes to the eMap software to disable MeMap. They simply ran out of code memory space and compressed most text messages to make more room to add features. If you look at: http://celia.mehaffey.com/allory/garfeat3.htm#emap you can see all the improvements made to the eMap since Garmin started posting updates. The eMap with its current software has many more features than it was originally designed for. It was originally intended to be a low cost GPS receiver with simplified controls and features. Nineteen software updates later, it can hold its own against most other recievers and is probabbly the eaisiest to use mapping receiver made. Steve Simpkin

quote:Originally posted by TresOkies: MeMap does not work with eMap firmware after 2.70. It looks like Garmin started compressing or encrypting the lawyer screen to keep things like MeMap from working. It might be interesting to look at firmware version 2.6 and 2.7 and see if the data at the same offsets look like something that might be a lawyer screen. Maybe they encoded it in ROT13 as a joke on us. I would assume that future versions of the firmware for the eTrex and others will prevent you from using MeMap in the future. -E -- N35°32.981 W98°34.631 Actually, my understanding is that Garmin did not intentionally make changes to the eMap software to disable MeMap. They simply ran out of code memory space and compressed most text messages to make more room to add features. If you look at: http://celia.mehaffey.com/allory/garfeat3.htm#emap you can see all the improvements made to the eMap since Garmin started posting updates. The eMap with its current software has many more features than it was originally designed for. It was originally intended to be a low cost GPS receiver with simplified controls and features. Nineteen software updates later, it can hold its own against most other recievers and is probabbly the eaisiest to use mapping receiver made. Steve Simpkin

quote:Originally posted by Atilla the Pun: quote:Originally posted by Zuckerruebensirup: I seem to be having trouble with using my windshield mount in combination with the GPSr wrist strap. If I attach the wrist strap, the GPSr apparently won't fit into the mount. If I remove it, the unit snaps right in. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. But it seems crazy that they would sell a "package deal" that you can't even use together. I don't want to have to remove and reattach the wrist strap every time I take my GPSr in my vehicle. Unfortunatly I think a 1/4" hole is going to be requred to use them both together. I've attached the DC/PC cable to the mount so I'm always bringing it back and forth to the house. I haven't attached the lanyard yet, but when I do I think a hole will have to be drilled in the mount. AtP I filed a shallow 2 inch long groove into the mounting bracket so the lanyard could exit out the gap at bottom of mount. Not pretty or elegant but it does allow me to leave the lanyard attached while using the mount. Steve Simpki

quote:Originally posted by Atilla the Pun: quote:Originally posted by Zuckerruebensirup: I seem to be having trouble with using my windshield mount in combination with the GPSr wrist strap. If I attach the wrist strap, the GPSr apparently won't fit into the mount. If I remove it, the unit snaps right in. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. But it seems crazy that they would sell a "package deal" that you can't even use together. I don't want to have to remove and reattach the wrist strap every time I take my GPSr in my vehicle. Unfortunatly I think a 1/4" hole is going to be requred to use them both together. I've attached the DC/PC cable to the mount so I'm always bringing it back and forth to the house. I haven't attached the lanyard yet, but when I do I think a hole will have to be drilled in the mount. AtP I filed a shallow 2 inch long groove into the mounting bracket so the lanyard could exit out the gap at bottom of mount. Not pretty or elegant but it does allow me to leave the lanyard attached while using the mount. Steve Simpki

quote:Originally posted by Gil: The problem you are having has to do with the Department of Defense random changes to the timing of the civilian satellite signal,(SA)Selective Availability. The end result is your waypoint location is always changing sometimes as much as 500 ft. GPS Selective Availability (SA) has not been used since its deactivation by the President on May 1, 2000. At that time, the United States Government stated that it has no intent to ever use SA again. There has been no change in this policy. Refer to: http://www.igeb.gov/sa.shtml Steve Simpki