Mapsource Preloaded Micro SD Question

[RednekF350]

I just bought a new Garmin 60CSX and I ordered the Mapsource Micro SD NE US Topo with it. Everything works great.

I want to eventually get the Bluechart Micro Sd but now I am thinking I would be better off buying a CD instead and loading it on to a micro SD in the unit so that I can have other maps loaded without having to change a chip each time I want to go to different map bases.

Was buying the NE Topo on the micro sd a mistake? Should I have bought the cd and downloaded what I needed into the unit?

I should have thought about this before I bought it but I am a techno-dunce to begin with.

Any help will be appreciated.

Scott

[toddm]

With the cost of microSD these days, I would buy the CD and load what you want onto the microSD card. Not only is the cost much much cheaper, but then you can put all the map types you want for the area you want(topo, bluechart, city navigator) on a single card only having card space limit what you put on.

 

For not much more than the cost of one topo microSD (you need 12 to cover the whole US) you can buy the whole US on CD and then get a 1-2gig microSD card to load maps onto. IMO it's a great marketing from garmin, because it would be almost $1000 to get the whole US topo one card at a time. Where the whole US on a CD is $120 and every topo map for the entire US, AL and HI will fit on a 2 gig card that's probably another $50.

 

The bluechart microSD cards are even worse, they are $160 to over $600 a pop and it appears as though you'd have to buy a ton of them to cover the whole coastal US. It appears as you get the whole americas (all of US, canada, S. America) for about $160 on bluecharts CD. To get the preloaded microSD versions to cover that much you'd spend well over $1000, just the 2 cards that have the majority of the east and west coasts are $1000, plus you don't get alaska, HI, the great lakes, gulf of mexico etc.

 

In other words, get the CD/DVD versions and buy large capacity blank microSD's and load what you need onto blank cards. You could have the entire US Topo, Bluechard, City Nav, and a couple 2 gig cards for less than $500 that way

[RednekF350]

With the cost of microSD these days, I would buy the CD and load what you want onto the microSD card. Not only is the cost much much cheaper, but then you can put all the map types you want for the area you want(topo, bluechart, city navigator) on a single card only having card space limit what you put on.

 

For not much more than the cost of one topo microSD (you need 12 to cover the whole US) you can buy the whole US on CD and then get a 1-2gig microSD card to load maps onto. IMO it's a great marketing from garmin, because it would be almost $1000 to get the whole US topo one card at a time. Where the whole US on a CD is $120 and every topo map for the entire US, AL and HI will fit on a 2 gig card that's probably another $50.

 

The bluechart microSD cards are even worse, they are $160 to over $600 a pop and it appears as though you'd have to buy a ton of them to cover the whole coastal US. It appears as you get the whole americas (all of US, canada, S. America) for about $160 on bluecharts CD. To get the preloaded microSD versions to cover that much you'd spend well over $1000, just the 2 cards that have the majority of the east and west coasts are $1000, plus you don't get alaska, HI, the great lakes, gulf of mexico etc.

 

In other words, get the CD/DVD versions and buy large capacity blank microSD's and load what you need onto blank cards. You could have the entire US Topo, Bluechard, City Nav, and a couple 2 gig cards for less than $500 that way

Thank you for the response.

You confirmed my fears.

I should have poked around a little before I bought the preloaded micro. It was $70.00 shipped.

I started thinking about it as soon as I put the card in the slot. I wondered how I would put in the Bluechart info and then still have the Topo without having to change chips each time.

Live and learn.

Thanks again.

Scott