SD card issues with the Garmin GPSmap 60csx

[+Lady Loki]

Hi. I'm having trouble with my GPSmap 60csx. I have a 4 gig SD card in it, all the software is fully updated, and yet it won't read the SD card. I've tried everything I can think of, so I thought I'd ask here, since someone has to have had this problem before.

 

Admittedly, I bought it from a pawn shop, but other than the SD card issue, I've had no performance problems with it. (My other half calls it the Etch-a-Sketch, since she shakes it if it's not pointing us right... and it sometimes even works! But I don't consider that a performance problem, just that I probably need to calibrate it, which I've been meaning to do.) I was thrilled to find it at the pawn shop, since it's a far better unit than I'd be able to get any other way and it's enabled me to both find caches and get my family into it. I just wish I could load some darn maps!

[tr_s]

If it was bought from a pawn shop, maybe the SD-card was never readable in the first place?

 

Does the card appear as a disk if you connect the GPS to a PC? If so try reformatting the card and throwing some free/OSM maps onto it.

[+Tyros]

I think it has to be formatted as FAT32, it won't read other formats.

[tr_s]

I think it has to be formatted as FAT32, it won't read other formats.

 

Yeah I forgot that detail, FAT32/FAT16 it is. If it's a 4GB card it's likely Windows will refuse any other format method than fat32. Also ensure you don't do a Quick format.

[+Lady Loki]

I think it just won't read the card. I reformatted the long way and it still doesn't read. Thanks anyway, guys.

[ao318]

First, what are you or have you loaded onto the card?

 

Second, how are you loading that info onto the card?

 

You need a program like map source or base camp to load maps onto the card and all the maps must be selected at once to be installed onto the card. The card does not hold .gpx files, you will need the aforementioned software or something like GSAK to load geocaches onto the unit, not the card.

 

Hope some of this helps you but need more information to truly help.

[+Lady Loki]

I've been trying to use BaseCamp to load maps onto the card while it's in the GPS, and I also tried to install them before I put the card in the GPS. I can load caches onto the GPS fine, it would just be nice to have some more detailed maps when I'm trying to figure out exactly where we're headed.

 

When I try to load maps onto the card when it's in the GPS using BaseCamp, the card doesn't even show up; it says there's no available system memory.

 

What other information would be helpful? (This is my first GPS unit, so I'm pretty well clueless... it took me a week to even figure out where the card goes, but it also didn't come with any documentation, so I had to find that myself. )

[tr_s]

If you can see/read the card using the PC then I don't think anything is wrong with the unit's card reader. Does the card show as the correct size in Windows Explorer?

 

In case basecamp acts up, try loading the maps to an USB memory stick first (will end up in \Garmin), and then copying them manually to the card (should also there be put in \Garmin).

 

Also use free maps such as Openstreetmap to ensure there is nothing weird going on with licensing issues. Given your location between Illinois and Indiana - by checking your profile; try this map and just copy it to \Garmin on the memory card, no basecamp needed:

 

OSM map for latitudes W90 to W80

Edited May 10, 2012 by tr_s