Glenn W

My refurbed C550 I purchaced from GPSdiscount.com works great. However, I would be very carefull when buying through e-bay. Garmin does not support units purchaced through auctions. If you are not buying through an auction, you should be OK. The link below lists Garmin's authorized online retailers; you may want to verify the seller's claim first. http://www8.garmin.com/cgi-bin/online/onli...IT=Show+Dealers

I also used CS7 on my 60CSx without problems before I got a free upgrade to CN8NT. The only downside, other than being slightly out of date, is that you need a 2GB card to fit all the map segments in CS7; only 1GB is needed for NT-compressed CN. Also, CS7 is broken into a lot more map segments than CN which is inconvient if you are trying to load as many topo maps as possible on a high capacity card; you will hit the 2,025 segment limit before running out of memory. Really, these are not serious issues. I'd go ahead and use what you've got for now. GW

No, you do not manually transfer the file. Remove the card from the GPS and plug it into the card reader. It will now show up as a removable drive. Take note of the drive letter and the available storage on the card (it will be less than 2GB). Launch Mapsource as usual. Select all the street and topo maps you want to transfer. Make sure you do not exceed the available space on the card or the 2025 segment limit. The system will not warn you, but the transfer will fail. From the transfer menu, select send to device. In the pop-up window, select the removabale drive identified above. Make sure the maps box is checked, and click send. Now it's time to be patient. This is the fastest way to transfer maps, but it will still take a long time. GW

The current limit for the 60CSx is approximately 2GB (largest card that will work) but you are also limited to 2,025 map segments. Therefore, you cannot load all of both products on one card (too much data and too many segments). However, you can upload all of CN 2008 NT and all the topo for the states west of the Dakotas (certainly all the states you are visiting). Someday the 60CSx may be able to use 4 GB cards and handle more than 2025 segments, but Garmin has not yet figured out how. Tip: You can speed your map transfers by uploading to the card directly through a USB 2.0 compliant card reader instead of uploading through the USB 1.1 limited 60CSx. An SD card reader can be purchased for about $10 these days. Also, not using the computer for anything else during the transfer helps speed the compilation process, especially on older computers.

US TOPO and TOPO 2008 do not have autorouting capabilities. The 24K scale National Parks Topo products do have limited autorouting capabilities.

I too am using a PDA screen protector that was cut to fit my 60Csx. After more that 1 year of use, it's still working great. I think I paid under $5 for a pack of six screen protectors at a local electronics store (i.e., Circuit City or Best Buy).

Only those copies of CityNav V8 purchaced after May 1, 2007 (the date version 2008 was announced) are eligible for free upgrades.

Where? I don't see it anywhere on "myGamin"? I bought it from Amizon on Aug. 2nd and registered it on mygramin on the 3rd. Do you have to buy it from gramin to get the free update? Log into My Garmin. Near the top of the screen you should see: myGarmin™ Services Free map update available for your StreetPilot c550, North America. >> Order Now If you don't, try clicking on the link that lists your reciever with its serial number. If that doesn't work, shoot Customer support an e-mail or call them. Note that not all Garmin car navigators qualify for the free upgrade. The following models are excluded from the offer: StreetPilot i2, i3, i5, c320, c330, c530, 2730, Quest 2, iQue 3000 - M3. Most of these models have been discontinued.

Thanks, Garmin's customer support just verified that a free upgrade DVD for the C550 I bought with V8 after May 1 will ship as soon as it is available. I also confirmed that the "My Garmin" website now supports ordering the free upgrade without contacting Garmin customer support. GW

I'd consider the Visa HCX. It has all the functionality of the 60CSx in a smaller, backpacker friendly form factor. As a bonus, it's cheaper than the 60CSx. The only real downsides are that the screen is smaller and, as a new model, its reliablity hasn't been proven to the extent the 60CSx has.

The segment limit is 2025 not 1025.

Those are receiver modules that plug into OEM and aftermarket nav systems, not the chip itself . However, it is possible that those modules incorporate the same Garmin chip as the Cx line.

I too feel that the Media Tek chip in no way trumps the SiRF chip. The choice to use it in the HCX models was probably economic based (similiar performance in a cheaper package). Also, given Garmin's tendency to keep older models in their lineup, I suspect the 60 CSx will soon by relagated to second string status with reduced price tags (prices are already dropping). The next generation Garmin's don't need to compete with the HCX models, they need to compete with the satellite-photo-compatible offerings from Magellan, Brunton, and Delorme.

Sorry, if the C330 works the same as my girlfriend's C550, there is no way to disable the auto zoom feature. The C-series was specifically designed to have minimal setup options for those who want simple turn-by-turn routing without the whistles and bells.

Danny, My C550 supports text to speech by including a language engine in the firmware and a library of "voices" designed exclusively for the C-series StreetPilots. If nRoute included similliar code written for Windows, you could get the same capability in a laptop. That said, Garmin dosen't provide this code, and no one has hacked a third-party solution. I suspect Garmin deliberately hamstrung nRoute to avoid giving low-end models (such as the GPS 18) the ability to simulate features only their high-end street navigators have.

The 60CSx will give you voice prompts through a laptop if you install nRoute and either CityNav or CitySelect (I think MetroGuide would also work but I can't confirm this). Please note the turn prompts you'll get are generic (i.e., "Turn left in 300 feet"), not text to speech (i.e., "In 300 feet, turn left on Main Street").

No unlock codes needed. Install to your heart's content.

Can't help you with your current problem, but for future map purchases, consider using Garmin's map viewer first to see if there are enough improvements in your area to justify the expense. Being disappointed is much less painful if you haven't spent money for the privilege.

With CityNav NT and Topo 2008, you should get the 2 GB card. If you load all of CityNav NT, you can still load about 1/3 of the TOPO 2008 before hitting the 2 GB max and the 2025 segments max at nearly the same time. Because the older version of Topo used less memory than topo 2008, you woiuld typically run out of segments before running out of memory on a 2 GB card. That is no longer the case with Topo 2008.

I uploaded some test caches from geocaching.com to my C550 using Garmin's new Communicator interface software and a USB cable. Just for kicks I also loaded some Topo maps. If I were desperate, I could find a cache using just the topo maps and the uploaded cache; I suppose the C330 has the same capability. In fact, even without the topo you could probably find caches using paper maps and the C330. However, because the street pilots are not field rugged, and I have a 60CSx, I never tested the theory. GW

I noticed that the roads in my area are located with far less accuracy on TOPO 2008 as compared to Topo USA. It's so bad, my home plots on the wrong block. It seems Garmin gave with one hand (named roads and shading), but took away with the other (less accurate roads).

Plug in card reader to USB port and make sure your computer recognizes the card mak a note of the device name (i.e., F-drive) Start Mapsource Select all maps maps you want to transfer From menu, select Transfer - Send to Device Select the card reader as the device (in this example it would be the F-drive) Check Maps under What to Send Click Send Wait patiently for transfer to complete When done, plug card into 60CSx and start unit. There will be a delay as the maps compile. That's it.

If you have time, it would be worth while to get a 1GB or 2GB microSD card. The 1GB card sells for a low as $10 online, and will hold over half the US and Canada (1.6GB total) or all the US and Canada if you have City Nav NT (<1 GB).

I would suggest only buying through an authorized online supplier (see link below) Garmin Dealers I've bought two receivers from GPSDicount.com with great success. Good prices and fast shipping. GPSDiscount.com

If you set the unit to display true north, the compass will automatically adjust for declination. I suspect there are look-up tables in the firmware that define the declination as a function of your reported location.