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starbox189

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Everything posted by starbox189

  1. I have a Garmin Montana. I recently read on one of the postings in this forum that there are free maps out there that will run on my Garmin. I thought only Garmin's proprietary maps could be loaded on a Garmin. I would appreciate any information as to where these maps are available. Thanks.
  2. Danward79, this is disheartening news. I sent in a defunct unit to Garmin and they returned an apparently brand new unit (although they labeled it a "refurnished unit") a week or so ago with a serial number 28T006xxx. This replacement unit has a lower serial number than the unit you just sent in! I wonder what gives?? So far it has been working fine, but I haven't used it too much as yet. It took a a few weeks for my first unit to go bad. I wish Garmin would come clean with an explanation of what's wrong. Wish I hadn't sold my trusty 60CSX to get this Montana. I have very little confidence in this unit.
  3. I have the same skepticism as you. I recently return a Montana 600 because of screen calibration issues. They just sent be back a "refurbished" unit, but it appears to be a brand new unit. It seems to work fine but I wonder if it will act up especially in light of you being on your third unit. Makes me wonder if they really have the problem resolved. I sold my old reliable 60csx in order to get the new Montana. I'm wondering if this was a mistake. Time will tell. Garmin is uncomfortably silent about this issue, however, they are standing behind their warranty.
  4. I bought a new Montana 600 unit 3 or 4 weeks ago and it worked fine for a week or two and then the touch screen calibration went way out of wack. Evidently, Garmin couldn't devise a software update to correct this. Garmin told me to send the unit in for service. They just returned a "refurbished" unit to me, however, I believe it's a brand new unit. The serial number is much higher than my original unit. The new unit seems to work fine. I have read about this problem with Montana units on this forum and it appears to be a common problem. I spoke with a Garmin customer service rep today regarding a different issue and I asked him if they are getting a lot of units back because of this problem. He said he had not heard of this issue and thought it was very rare. Hardly, it's all over this forum. The two big questions now are...(1) have they fixed the problem with different hardware since the earlier units were assembled, and (2) will my new unit eventually act up again???
  5. I started this thread. I just sent my unit back to Garmin in Kansas today for repair/replacement. After reading all the replies I wish I had never bought this unit. I wonder if when I get it back it will act up again in the future. I had a beautiful 60CSX full of all kinds of maps that I sold on Ebay in order to buy the Montana. That old 60CSX was a fabulous unit that is bullet proof. Wish I could turn the clock back. I wouldn't have bought the new Montana. No confidence in it now.
  6. Are other people finding that the calibration of the screen is way off and the calibration routine does not correct this? On my unit, if I press the screen with a map displaying, the pin icon appears around 3/4" higher than where I pressed. With drop down menus such as Where To, if I press on a button, the button one or two rows higher will light up. Customer support says they know about this and a software upgrade is in the works but they don't know when it will be released. Think this is true or is it a hardware problem? This flaw makes my unit very aggravating to use. Are others experiencing this problem??
  7. I have a Montana 600. The biggest problem, at least with my unit, has not been fixed yet these upgrades. The touch screen is out of calibration and the calibration routine does not correct it. On my unit, if I touch the screen when a map is showing, the pin icon appears about 3/4" higher than where I pressed. On the drop down menus such as "Where To", if I press one of the buttons, a button two lines higher will light up. The forward button on the bottom does not work at all because of this. This flaw makes my unit very aggravating to use. Customer service says they aware of this and a software upgrade is in the works but they can't say when it will come out. I've read where other users say it a hardware problem. I sold my 60CSX with all it's mapping software to get this Montana and regret that move so far.
  8. How come Garmin no longer lists the Colorado series GPS's on their website. Is there something fundamentally wrong with them? They're turning up as refurbished units everywhere. I have a 60CSX that I really like but I'm thinking of getting a Colorado, too. Comments anyone??
  9. I just bought a new 4 GB micro SD card for my 60CSx. I'm running the latest firmware. Is the maximum number of up-loadable map segments still 2025 or can it accept more?
  10. Does anyone know what changed in the SirfStar III chip set upgrade from the previous version to 3.0s??
  11. I have a Garmin 60CSX and a Streetpilot C330. I have City Select, Topo, Blue Chart and Topo 24K all loaded on the 60CSx (2gb card). It's a toss-up whether you need both. If I were to start all over again I'd probably simplifiy my life and just get the 60CSx. It's okay for driving but the larger touch screen and voice prompts of the Streetpilot are really nice. One problem, however, in having two separate units is that you have to buy separate mapping software updates. Another person here commented on getting a good mount. I couldn't agree more. A cheap vibrating mount makes any GPS virtually unreadable. Stay away from the type that use a flexible arm; they're awful if you're on a road that's even slightly rough. The Garmin windshield mount for the 60CSx is marginal in this regard. The windshield mount for the Streetpiot is much more stable. In the end, it's all about how much money you feel like spending.
  12. New 60x series units have been shipping for a few months now with chipset version 2.80, however, Garmin's software update collection only goes up to v2.70 with July 19 as the date of their last update. What's the hold-up in providing v2.80?? Is their normally responsive product support starting to slip??
  13. Currently, I own a Garmin 60CSx and a Street Pilot C330. I have a 2GB chip in the 60CSx and have downloaded all of the continential US and the eastern half of Canada from CN V8, the northeastern region of TOPO, the northeast region of Topo 24K and the northeast region of BlueChart. I have a windshield mount and use it for driving, geocashing and marine navigation. It is one heck of a GPS. I also love the C330. It is better suited for driving mainly because of the voice commands. It's also much faster to enter information via the touch screen. The larger screen is a big plus too. Also, the windshield mount is much stiffer and it doesn't vibrate the way the 60CSx does if you're not on a smooth road. I just recieved CN V8 NT for the C330. Since I don't absolutely need both units, I'm debating whether to pay the $75 and download CN V8 NT or sell the unit on e-may for perhaps around $300. If I was starting from scratch again, I'd just get the 60CSx, but I hate to part with the C330.
  14. You haven't actually unlocked them yet. You should get a pop-up screen when you first try to view the BlueCharts in MapSourse telling you to unlock them. Go through the procedure and enter the 25 digit code. If you don't get the pop-up, try Utilities/Unlock Maps to get the appropriate screen within MapSourse to enter your code.
  15. I tried the MicroSD card out anyway. It appears to perform perfectly. I own a Garmin 60CSx. I live in the NE. I was able to download all of the lower 48 from CN V8; the northeast region of BlueChart; the northeast region of Garmin TOPO and Garmin TOPO 24K. Incidently, even though it is a 2GB card, it's actual capacity is 1.89GB. Regarding DigitalMediaOutlet, I don't know what to think. They have a peculiar website that can only be accessed via Google search or e-Bay. The web address is https://ssl101.webhosting.optonline.net/dig...erchantmanager/ Check it out and see what you think. Evidently I got a "bulk" memory card. I e-mailed SanDisk about them. All SanDisk came back with was "We're sorry but we are unable to help you". Go figure!!
  16. I recently bought a "new , unopened" 2GB MicroSD SanDisk card from Digital Media Outlet on e-Bay. I paid around $90. The memory card was mailed to me only in it's plastic case. It was not packaged in sealed retail packaging from SanDisk as you would expect. I'm wodering if it was used. Has anyone else bought a 2GB MicroSD card from Digital Media Outlet, and if so, did it come in just the plastic case? Are they a legitimate retailer?
  17. From a hardware standpoint, both units work about the same and they are both quality units. The big difference is that Garmin's software, customer service and dealer network wins hands down. Garmin is a much more stable and progressive company. They have far more software and accessories available. Magellan has changed hands a few times and they seem a bit risky at this point.
  18. I have Magellan Topo 3D. It was bought and registered with a Magellan GPS unit that I recently returned. Do you know if this software can be used with another different GPS unit now, or is it forever locked to the unit I just returned??
  19. DogFleazjr: If you decide to download V2.7 to replace v2.8, please report back if you see any difference in performance. My unit came with V2.8 and after only a day or two of using it I accidently downloaded v2.7. I never got familiar enough with the unit to determine if it performs differently now.
  20. I just bought a new 60CSx and it came with chipset version 2.80. Not really understanding what I was doing, I mistakenly downloaded version 2.70 from Garmin update website and replaced the 2.80 it came with. Any idea how I get the version 2.80 back?? Does anyone know what the difference is??
  21. I just got a new 60CSx. It came installed with Unit software version 3.00 and Chipset software version 2.80. I just mistakenly downloaded Chipset software version 2.70 from Garmin's update collection which is the most recent version they indicate on their website. Evidently I downgraded from the 2.80 version it came with to the 2.70 version. What is the difference between these two versions and how do I get back to version 2.8??
  22. I owned one for a short time along with 3D topo and Direct Route V3. The unit itself is a very nice piece of hardware. It has a solid feel. The large screen is great, however, it needs to be backlit all the time in order to see it. Like a PDA. It obtains a fix very quickly. It is much more sensitive than my Garmin 60CS (which I am selling) and I would say about as sensitive as my new 60CSx. Overall I didn't think it was too big. It's a bit on the heavy side when you wear it on your belt. It has a patch antenna which works best when the unit is horizontal. It still hold a signal when held vertical but loses about half the signal reception. This makes it not particularly suitable for mounting on your windshield. Additionally, at night the screen is way too bright to drive with. There is no night mode like with a Garmin. Here's the down side. It's very basic and has no extra bells or whistles. The operating system uses a hierarchy of folders, not icons like a Garmin. It's okay but it feels old fashioned. Magellan's 3D topo is pretty good, much better than Garmin's basic topo (I don't know about Garmin's 24k topo, it's probably similar). Magellan's DirectRoute, however, is awful along with it's limited and outdated POI's. It only picks the shortest route which can lead you to a logging road when you're driving. Addtionally, Magellan has not updated the operating firmware for the XL since Dec 05. It was a hard decision but I decided to get rid of it basically because the operating system and software felt like old technology when compared to Garmin. I like a helical antenna instead of a patch. People complain alot about Magellan's customer service but the few times I contacted them they were okay. The ownership of Magellan has bounced around to much for me to feel comfortable with them. They were just acquired by some sort of a partnership in California. I ended up replacing it with the Garmin 60CSx and feel much better now .
  23. I just looked on Garmin's FAQ web page. They say that currently cards only up to 1GB will work. Is this true, or will a 2GB card work, too?
  24. I just bought a Garmin 60CSx and a 2GB Sandisk Micro SD TransFlash for it. Both are in the mail. I have heard that some people are having problems downloading into certain memory cards. Is the card I have coming okay?? Which cards are problematic??
  25. Disregard this post. I was incorrect. This charting software is available from Magellan's website. I had difficulty in maneuvoring Magallen's website to find it, however, I have not been able to find a dealer that I can purchase it from.
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