What memory for the Garmin 60csx

[+Bodaway]

I did a search and went through ten pages of results and could not find one that addressed my questions. I am sure it is there, but I could not find it.

 

I understand that the card needs to be formatted in FAT32.

 

Will the 60csx work with a 4gb or 8 gb SDHC card?

 

If not, what size and format (SD or SDHC) are people using?

 

Basically I just bought this unit and want to put the largest and fastest memory card in it that will work so that I don't have to worry about swapping cards if I want to load tons of maps.

 

Thanks

[+briansnat]

I think Garmin says 2 gigs is the max the 60CSX supports but I saw somewhere where it was increased to 4 gigs. A Google search couldn't verify the latter number.

 

As far as the format I use whatever it was formatted in out of the box.

[seldom_sn]

I think Garmin says 2 gigs is the max the 60CSX supports but I saw somewhere where it was increased to 4 gigs. A Google search couldn't verify the latter number.

 

As far as the format I use whatever it was formatted in out of the box.

 

My 60CSX Software Version 4.00 supports 4Gigs of files on an SDHC card. It may actually accept an 8 Gig card, but I believe the map limit is 4 Gig. I used my 4 Gig card right out of the box. If you are transferring that much data, be sure to do it to a USB2 external SDHC card reader. ($5 or $6 US at Amazon). Otherwise, you'll be much older before the transfer completes. The 60CSX only has a USB 1 transfer capability. If you already have a USB2 reader, make sure it supports SDHC. My old one didn't and the only way I could transfer to a 2MB card was via the 60CSX.

[+Bodaway]

I think Garmin says 2 gigs is the max the 60CSX supports but I saw somewhere where it was increased to 4 gigs. A Google search couldn't verify the latter number.

 

As far as the format I use whatever it was formatted in out of the box.

 

My 60CSX Software Version 4.00 supports 4Gigs of files on an SDHC card. It may actually accept an 8 Gig card, but I believe the map limit is 4 Gig. I used my 4 Gig card right out of the box. If you are transferring that much data, be sure to do it to a USB2 external SDHC card reader. ($5 or $6 US at Amazon). Otherwise, you'll be much older before the transfer completes. The 60CSX only has a USB 1 transfer capability. If you already have a USB2 reader, make sure it supports SDHC. My old one didn't and the only way I could transfer to a 2MB card was via the 60CSX.

 

Thanks for the reply. I hear what you are saying about the older readers not being compatible. I found that out with SD cards that I use with my camera, the newer models did not work in my old reader so I had to get a new one. Hopefully it will work with the micro SDHC cards. I think it will.

[+Bodaway]

Well I just ordered a 4gb SDHC card for $8.99 with free shipping.

 

If it won't work, I will put it in an adapter and us it in a camera.

[+graldrich]

Well I just ordered a 4gb SDHC card for $8.99 with free shipping.

 

If it won't work, I will put it in an adapter and us it in a camera.

I'm using a Kingston 8gb micro sdhc card on my 60cxs.

[snowfleurys]

... if I want to load tons of maps.

That is a big if. Expect to spend tons of time loading tons of maps.

 

1. That GPSr only recognizes maps in a gmapsupp.img file. Each time you want add an additional area or data from another mapset, the gmapsupp.img file must be again created and then sent to the GPSr.

 

2. The latest software for the GPSr increased the max file size from 2Gb to 4Gb, however the max number of quads/tiles for that GPSr is still 2025. Not an issue with CN NT as most of those are state sized, but other Garmin products and 3rd party mapsets usually average less than 1Mb per quad/tile.

[eaparks]

To add more info. to the above post. I have loaded 1.7 Gb, about 1,900 mapsegments of various maps (some Metroguide, Topo, Blue Charts, Inland Lakes, & custom maps) and using a 1.? card reader it took 17 hours. Same maps with a 2.0 card reader later took 14 hours. CN does load quicker than Metroguide but then I was only loading 1.7Gb. So utilizing all 4 Gb (3.5 Gb) can take quite a long time and you will have to do this every time you want to add any additional maps to the GPS, as snowfleurys mentioned.

Edited September 12, 2009 by eaparks

[seldom_sn]

To add more info. to the above post. I have loaded 1.7 Gb, about 1,900 mapsegments of various maps (some Metroguide, Topo, Blue Charts, Inland Lakes, & custom maps) and using a 1.? card reader it took 17 hours. Same maps with a 2.0 card reader later took 14 hours. CN does load quicker than Metroguide but then I was only loading 1.7Gb. So utilizing all 4 Gb (3.5 Gb) can take quite a long time and you will have to do this every time you want to add any additional maps to the GPS, as snowfleurys mentioned.

 

I think most of the time involved with the above must be due to map segments and associated indexing.

I can load ALL of CNNANT (a shade over 1Gig, 64 maps), plus 120 Meg of homemade topo, some of which is routable (52 maps), in about an hour and a half using a usb2 SDHC card reader. Of that time about an hour is spent processing indexes etc. and a half hour is spent transferring.

[+steveski74]

The file system format for the card is FAT32, which only supports up to a max file size of 4gb. Even if the card could support more, the map content is all stuffed into one file which can't be more than 4gb anyway.

Unless a new software version goes to ext2 / 3, NTFS or whatever Mac use, then 4gb will always be the upper limit.

[eaparks]

To add more info. to the above post. I have loaded 1.7 Gb, about 1,900 mapsegments of various maps (some Metroguide, Topo, Blue Charts, Inland Lakes, & custom maps) and using a 1.? card reader it took 17 hours. Same maps with a 2.0 card reader later took 14 hours. CN does load quicker than Metroguide but then I was only loading 1.7Gb. So utilizing all 4 Gb (3.5 Gb) can take quite a long time and you will have to do this every time you want to add any additional maps to the GPS, as snowfleurys mentioned.

 

I think most of the time involved with the above must be due to map segments and associated indexing.

I can load ALL of CNNANT (a shade over 1Gig, 64 maps), plus 120 Meg of homemade topo, some of which is routable (52 maps), in about an hour and a half using a usb2 SDHC card reader. Of that time about an hour is spent processing indexes etc. and a half hour is spent transferring.

 

Yes, the indexing of the maps and the segments loading are notoriously slow when you load the entire U.S. in older versions of Metroguide