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New to 60CSx: Is the basemap really this basic?


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I just spent $350 on the 60CSx and love the thing...except for one thing: The base map that it comes with seems to be extremely limited - only containing major highways...not even county roads, let alone neighborhood streets.

 

Do I really have to pay $140 for this City Navigator map set that I then download to the unit?

 

Furthermore, what I have read in these forums seems to indicate that I may not even be able to directly load this map onto this unit because it doesn't have internal memory?!?

 

I guess I should have researched the purchase further - if these limitations are in place from the get-go, I have to say I'm fairly unimpressed.

 

Thanks for reading/responding.

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Yes, youll have to buy the maps City Nav goes for about $100 online though you could buy different older/cheaper version or ask in the GPS gerage forum is someone would like to sell you an unlock code and CD.

The unit should come with a micro SD card for you to use.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

This unit does come with a 64MB micro SD card, but is that enough to hold the CN8 package?

 

Additionally, when I purchase this online, can I download it immediately, or do I need to wait for a DVD/CD to arrive?

 

Thanks again for responding.

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This unit does come with a 64MB micro SD card, but is that enough to hold the CN8 package?

It will hold some subset; likely your immediate metro area.

 

 

Additionally, when I purchase this online, can I download it immediately, or do I need to wait for a DVD/CD to arrive?

 

It's over a GB, and is not downloadable in the usual sense.

Edited by fratermus
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So if I'm driving across several states on a trip, I would have to continually remove the microSD card, load a new metro area onto it, load that into the GPSr, and then move on and do the same for the next large city if I want detailed info like neighborhood roads and points of interest?

 

Wow - I'm shocked they didn't work this into the unit.

 

I will use my unit mainly for storm chasing. As such, I want a unit that has the capability of connecting to my laptop and dumping my location into some software that will overlay my location onto a radar software app that I have. I found that the "auto" units (such as the NUVI line) don't have a serial connection that offers an NMEA output for the other applications, thus I went with the 60CSx because it DOES have that output.

 

THe auto units though appear to be around the same price of this unit, but not only do they come with the CityNat8 software, it is fully pre-loaded and I wouldn't have to worry about reloading other sets...but then it doesn't offer the NMEA output... can't seem to win either way.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone.

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So if I'm driving across several states on a trip, I would have to continually remove the microSD card, load a new metro area onto it, load that into the GPSr, and then move on and do the same for the next large city if I want detailed info like neighborhood roads and points of interest?

 

Wow - I'm shocked they didn't work this into the unit.

You can drop another $25 for a 2gig card, and be able to load the entire U.S. on it, with room to spare.

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So if I'm driving across several states on a trip, I would have to continually remove the microSD card, load a new metro area onto it, load that into the GPSr, and then move on and do the same for the next large city if I want detailed info like neighborhood roads and points of interest?

 

You can get a 1 or 2 gig microSD card, depending on how much map space you need. I just picked up a 1 gig SanDisk microSD with a SD adapter for $18.00 on E-Bay, that price included shipping. A 2 gig microSD will hold all of the US and still leave room for additional storage or some Topo maps.

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So if I'm driving across several states on a trip, I would have to continually remove the microSD card, load a new metro area onto it, load that into the GPSr, and then move on and do the same for the next large city if I want detailed info like neighborhood roads and points of interest?

 

Wow - I'm shocked they didn't work this into the unit.

 

You don't need to remove the MicroSD card to load maps. get one big card (either 1gb or 2 gb) put it in the unit and you'll never have to touch it again. you can load and delete maps just by plugging the GPSr into your computer via USB. (It might be faster to use a MicroSD card writer though - especially if it's USB 2.0)

 

The 60CSx can hook up to your laptop via USB or serial, so you're good to go that way.

 

You should be able to find a copy of city Navigator NT 8.0 for $110 or so - don't pay $140 for it. Get the NT version on DVD and you'll be able to fit the whole US and Canada on a 1 GB card.

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Whew - that's a relief - thanks for all fo the confirmations that I will be able to fit all of the US data from CityNav8 onto one card.

 

I've already placed an order for a 2GB microSD card from amazon (a non-Ultra one since I read those are not good with Garmin).

 

One more question: Are both the CityNav8 and the CityNav8 NT sets compatible with the 60CSx or should I get one or the other?

 

Furtherore: Can someone recommend a reputable online dealer for this purchase? Any good ones that will give me the good price ($110 or so)?

 

Thanks again for all the replies here - this has been a great help.

Edited by mammatus
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I bought mine from Amazon for $109, and got it the next day with free shipping.

 

I chose the non-NT version. While the NT version is a smaller, apparently it is slower when doing searches (due to the different compression, and there some reports of other search problems with the NT version that doesn't occur with the non-NT version). Since every last bit of City Navigator NA fits on a 2GB card with space to spare, that's the route I went.

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BTW - You're probably going ALSO want to get the TOPO maps eventually, especially for storm chasing. Even though I've got a 60CSx with the CN8 NT on mine, I've also got certain chucks of the TOPO installed.

 

I found this past season that for pheasant hunting out in the middle of nowhere (N-central KS), I'd need to switch over to the TOPO screens to see the smaller dirt roads that we were traveling. I was amazed at how small of a "road" would be shown on the TOPO, w/o any reference to it in CN8. That'd probably come in handy when you've got an F5 running you down and you're looking for the best way out...

 

Go to Garmin's site (www8.garmin.com/cartography/ontheTrail/) and browse around the MapSource Map Viewer (upper right of the screen) to see what detail will be available in the locations you're interested in.

 

Happy chasing-

RenHoek

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I got my city maps from JJI Electronics. Fast service, and best price I found for new stuff. I just didn't feel comfortable enough that a used version and a tranferred unlock code were going to work.

 

The only City Navigator that I found on JJI Electronics site was version 7. Did you get version 7 or version 8?

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I bought mine from Amazon for $109, and got it the next day with free shipping.

 

I chose the non-NT version. While the NT version is a smaller, apparently it is slower when doing searches (due to the different compression, and there some reports of other search problems with the NT version that doesn't occur with the non-NT version). Since every last bit of City Navigator NA fits on a 2GB card with space to spare, that's the route I went.

 

I've heard these rumors too.. but only here in this forum. In reality, everyone I know (myself included) who use the NT version of the software on a 60CSx haven't experienced any problems with slowness or searching. We can, however, fit all the maps for the US and Canada on a 1GB card. No rumor about that. :o

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I found this past season that for pheasant hunting out in the middle of nowhere (N-central KS), I'd need to switch over to the TOPO screens to see the smaller dirt roads that we were traveling. I was amazed at how small of a "road" would be shown on the TOPO, w/o any reference to it in CN8. That'd probably come in handy when you've got an F5 running you down and you're looking for the best way out...

 

Unfortunately for my area, it doesn't show any roads built since 1970. It's very odd to see the POI for the large highschool in what it shows as a big empty space without a road for miles...

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