Question About Garmin "locks" And Maps??

[ubievol]

i've read a number of references to the "lock" on garmin map software. obviously this is some kind of copy protection. i'm trying to understand exactly what it means.

 

if i buy autorouting software to use on a 60c, install it, and then buy another GPSr can i use it on the 2nd GPSr or is it "tied" to the 60c only? or is it "tied" to the computer it is installed on, with the ability to download to multiple GPSr units?

 

along the same lines, suppose i'm planning a trip in california and want to use different maps in the LA area and the san francisco area with not enough memory in the 60c to load both at the same time. is there a solution other than taking my laptop along? for example, could i take the software CD (or preferably a copy), install it on a relative's computer, and download new maps (or does the "lock" prevent this)? could i burn a map of LA for example onto a CD, and then use a relative's computer to load the map files from CD onto the 60c?

 

thanks for helping out with this!

[+YuccaPatrol]

The mapsource mapping software and maps come with a license to use the maps on two units. So you can get another GPS unit and use the maps on it.

 

This is where some of the Magellan units win for functionality. They can use memory cards and carry all their maps on them.

 

However, I still love my 60CS but being able to switch out memory cards would have made this unit nearly perfect. . . .

 

Unfortunately, you do need a computer with mapsource loaded onto it. You certainly could install the software on multiple machines though if you needed to.

[+W7WT]

You can get the disk for City Select for the 60C free, however to install it on your GPS you must have the unlock codes which you get from Garmin. They also allow you to install it on one more GPS. City Select is all of the US and most of Canada. You can go to Garmin site and look at what it covers in the Mapsouce. I have the City Select on both my iQue 3600 which uses a SD card. A 256 card covers all of the Pacific North West states. On the 76C which has 115 Mbs I have all of Washington, most of Oregon, southern part of BC and AB, Northern part of Idaho.

Your 60C would probably cover all of Washington and part of Oregon. You can always load what maps you need. Dick, W7WT

[+Renegade Knight]

To answer the rest of the question.

 

Garmin keeps track of your unlock codes since you get them from Garmin directly. You can install mapsource on as many computers as you like and plug in the codes that Garmin gave you into each of them.

 

However Garmin itself will only give you the codes for two GPS units.

 

What I don't know is if you can buy a 3rd GPS with it's code and then use that 3rd code in your software to operate the 3rd GPS. The other thing I don't know is if Garmin has figured out that some people seem to collect GPS's and if you get a GPS V, 60CS use two codes then get their PDA GPS with comes with City Select (like the GPS V does) if they will give you the 3rd code since in theory you have the rights to 4 having bought the software twice.

 

Ok maybe I just confused things more.

Edited December 1, 2004 by Renegade Knight

[+YuccaPatrol]

 

Ok maybe I just confused things more.

Yeah. . . . should have stopped after 4 sentences

 

Garmin will sell additional unlock codes. I have 3 Garmin mapping units and I have contacted them about buying additional codes. I don't remember the price but it was enough that I decided my oldest mapping GPS can get by with 2 year old maps. . . .

[+Alan Ellis]

Speaking of the locks and codes for Mapsource......

 

Are the "unlocks" for the entire CD or can you specify a certain area?

 

Also.....When you download a new map, is there a way to keep the current maps on the unit, or are they overwritten every time? What I want to do is keep my local city map on my unit all the time and occasionally download different maps depending on what new place I go to.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

------------------------------------

www.JackieandAlan.com

[+Renegade Knight]

Ok newer software has you unlock the entire mapset which is 2 CD's for version 5. They are up to version 6. Older mapsets had regions. This may be an issue if buying used.

 

As for your GPS, uploading a mapset erases the entire mapset in the GPS's memory. So you replace the mapset with a another one and you can't just swap map sections in and out of memory.

[+welch]

 

Ok maybe I just confused things more.

Yeah. . . . should have stopped after 4 sentences

 

Garmin will sell additional unlock codes. I have 3 Garmin mapping units and I have contacted them about buying additional codes. I don't remember the price but it was enough that I decided my oldest mapping GPS can get by with 2 year old maps. . . .

What I think Renegade is talking about is, If I have bought two seperate copies of the same version of a certain product (getting two codes each time, making a total of four). Do I just have to go threw intstalling it twice (having the program on my computer twice?) or can I just install it once from one CD and use all four unlock codes on it?

If you can go and buy additional codes from garmin and use the, it would seem like you could just the use them all on one. Anyone know for sure?

[+chuck401]

Speaking of the locks and codes for Mapsource......

 

Are the "unlocks" for the entire CD or can you specify a certain area?

 

Also.....When you download a new map, is there a way to keep the current maps on the unit, or are they overwritten every time? What I want to do is keep my local city map on my unit all the time and occasionally download different maps depending on what new place I go to.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

------------------------------------

www.JackieandAlan.com

If you add the new maps to your most used maps (in the same map set) you can load both. When you are done with the maps that are used rarely you can delete them from the map set.

[+briansnat]

along the same lines, suppose i'm planning a trip in california and want to use different maps in the LA area and the san francisco area with not enough memory in the 60c to load both at the same time. is

 

You should have enough memory to load both in the 60C. I got all of the San Fran/Sacramento area in my Vista with room to spare in my Vista, which only has 24 meg. Granted I was using Mapsource Topo which seems to take up less memory than City Select.

 

Regarding the unlocks, I think the GPS V was originally sold with the City Select maps for your region on it for free. If you wanted other regions, you had to pay to get the "unlock code" for them.

 

I think with the 60 series, you have to buy the City Select software, but the unlock is free for the entire thing.

Edited December 2, 2004 by briansnat

[+Sputnik 57]

You can load all of City Select from about Laguna Niguel almost up to Vallejo on a 60C, but since my bet is you will be traveling on I-5 or US 101, and don't need all the detail in between, you may just want to load metro LA, and metro SF, and rely on the basemaps in between. The 60C will autoroute on local maps if loaded, and on the default base map for points in between.

 

You could load LA, Tucson, Fort Stockton and Houston and autoroute, the 60C using base maps for the those long empty stretches along I-10. You'd still have hotels, local maps, and points of interest for your stopping points along the way.

[ubievol]

thanks for all the info!

 

the SF/LA example was just one i made up, trying to figure what would be too much to load into the GPSr all at once, to investigate how "re-loading" would be handled away from home. someone posted here that he could not get all of LA into his 60c. i don't remember if he was referring to the autorouting street software and topo, or just one.

 

sounds like as long as i have the software CD and access to a computer, i would be in business if i needed to change the downloaded maps.

[+Sputnik 57]

I loaded Mapsource on my desktop at home, my desktop at the office, and my laptop, all with no problem. I copied the CDs onto the hard drives, so I don't have to lug them around. As long as you are only downloading maps, etc. to not more than 2 GPSrs, you are fine.

[ubievol]

here is a follow up ...

 

is the current Garmin topo and city select software when purchased for a 60/76 "unlocked" for the entire USA?

 

this question stems from a garmin V owner complaining that he had to buy additional "unlocks," and from garmin's www site listing a "topo east" and a "topo west."

 

thanks again!

[+welch]

here is a follow up ...

 

is the current Garmin topo and city select software when purchased for a 60/76 "unlocked" for the entire USA?

 

this question stems from a garmin V owner complaining that he had to buy additional "unlocks," and from garmin's www site listing a "topo east" and a "topo west."

 

thanks again!

Not sure.

I have a V, got it last Feb, i bought it in a 'deluxe' package, meaning it came with city select (five), and full unlocks. Earlier non-deluxe packages would give you a cert to unlock one region (if they came with CS). to get more you had to pay garmin for them. Thats probably what the person was talking about.

They have lots of different topos (us, nat park, 24k etc). I have an older version of the us one, and its two different disc. one for the 'west' one for the 'east' US. Maybe thats what they meant, or maybe the newer ones are broken down differently.

[+briansnat]

here is a follow up ...

 

is the current Garmin topo and city select software when purchased for a 60/76 "unlocked" for the entire USA?

 

this question stems from a garmin V owner complaining that he had to buy additional "unlocks," and from garmin's www site listing a "topo east" and a "topo west."

 

thanks again!

When you buy the Mapsource disk it's fully unlocked. The V originally came with your region free and you had to pay to unlock others.