View Full Version : Now for something I just learned.....



Team2hunt
07-29-2008, 06:06 PM
I have always transferred info from Mapsource into my Garmin MAP60CSx with the cable. It took forever......:( I had an issue last night transferring maps into my GPS. For some reason Mapsource couldn't "find" my device. So this morning I removed the SD Micro chip and used the SD card adapter. This fits nicely into my laptop's card reader. Mapsource found the device in drive F: and the transfer of maps was.......well. Fast! In only a few minutes the transfer was complete. Before I would wait 15 minutes for the map set to build and another 15 minutes to send. Just goes to prove.....it's never too late to learn something new. :D

WhereRWe?
07-29-2008, 06:08 PM
I guess I'm not smart enough to sync my PDA with the laptop via Bluetooth, so I've always removed the SD card from the PDA and stuck it in the slot on the computer to update the card. Works great! LOL!

Gob-ler
07-29-2008, 08:46 PM
If you would have asked I would have told you.

That's the only way I transfer anything to the Memory Card for the GPS.

Starzz
07-30-2008, 08:37 AM
So what this means, is that because I'm getting a GPSMap 60Cx, that I should be getting something like one of these http://www.kingston.com/flash/readers.asp.

Team2hunt
07-30-2008, 08:49 AM
So what this means, is that because I'm getting a GPSMap 60Cx, that I should be getting something like one of these http://www.kingston.com/flash/readers.asp.


My MAP60CSx has a replaceable SD Micro chip, and all I did was go out and purchase a 1G card and the adapter. The larger adapter is so I can plug it directly into my laptop's card reader on the side.

here: Walmart.com: Kingston 2GB microSD Card w/ Full-Size SD Adapter for your Digital Camera, Mobile Phone, GPS Device, or Camcorde... (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9107226)

Starzz
07-30-2008, 09:03 AM
I don't have a card reader on my computer, so I'll need a USB reader.. right? :)

Team2hunt
07-30-2008, 09:11 AM
I don't have a card reader on my computer, so I'll need a USB reader.. right? :)

How often do you travel off the island and how far do you go? The 64MB card that comes with the GPS'r holds a lot of info. I had all of New England with City Navigator and Topo, on the original card it came with. The only reason I am downloading maps again is for the Quebec to Indiana road trip. 2 places I don't usually cache in.

You don't really need the card reader for the unit to work. It's just easier. The more you travel the more you would need to have it.

Starzz
07-30-2008, 09:50 AM
I don't travel too far, but this fall, my aunt and I will be going to New Hampshire for a week. :)

Thanks for the help! :)

Team2hunt
07-30-2008, 10:28 AM
I just used Mapsource to look at the size of the maps for:

New Brunswick
Quebec
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont

and it would ALL fit on the 64MB card the unit comes with. Save your money for the really important stuff..................:)

WhereRWe?
07-30-2008, 04:14 PM
I don't have a card reader on my computer, so I'll need a USB reader.. right? :)

Yeah - but they're really cheap. :D:D

Looking at T2H's comments (an the stuff at the link he provided), you need both the SD adapter for the MINI-SD card in the 60csx, and the USB adapter to connect your SD card to the computer.

Hey! We're in New Brunswick on a caching trip prior to the Quebec City mega-event. We're near Campbelton - up north. Nice area! ;)

Starzz
08-26-2008, 11:47 AM
I should have my new MAP60CSx tomorrow! So when I load the maps on the 64meg card it comes with, it'll take awhile.. right??? After I have the maps loaded, then all I will have to do from then on, if I stay in the area, is load waypoints, and that should only take a few seconds, right?? :)

Team Richards
08-26-2008, 01:16 PM
I should have my new MAP60CSx tomorrow! So when I load the maps on the 64meg card it comes with, it'll take awhile.. right??? After I have the maps loaded, then all I will have to do from then on, if I stay in the area, is load waypoints, and that should only take a few seconds, right?? :)

That is what I see with my 60CSX, although I would recommend upgrading the card to a 2 gig, they are about 20 dollars and you can load a lot more maps that way. I load 500 waypoints at a time and it only takes 10-20 sec

WhereRWe?
08-26-2008, 05:02 PM
I agree with Team Richards - get a bigger SC card - but uploading waypoints and maps are two different things.

The 60CSX holds cache data (waypoints)in its internal memory (not sure exactly how much that is), which is one of the mail reasons why it is limited to 1,000 waypoints. Waypoints are loaded in seconds.

The expansion card (the "X" in 60CSX) is where the maps are stored. I have a 256mb card, and have stored the maps for all of New England, Atlantic Canada, NY, NJ, and PA. So I assume that a 2GB card will hold most of the country (which will take some time). The maps I have loaded take about 0 minutes to format the file and load it into the GPSr.

You can still upload waypoints to the expansion card using Garmin's POI loader, but they won't show up the same way as the regular waypoints. This gets a little too complex to go into here, however.

And hey, congrats on the upgrade! You'll be glad you did!

Haffy
08-26-2008, 05:49 PM
I agree with Team Richards - get a bigger SC card - !

Would that be a South Carolina card? :D

Team2hunt
08-26-2008, 06:36 PM
I should have my new MAP60CSx tomorrow! So when I load the maps on the 64meg card it comes with, it'll take awhile.. right??? After I have the maps loaded, then all I will have to do from then on, if I stay in the area, is load waypoints, and that should only take a few seconds, right?? :)

On the new unit coming soon. I think with the limited area that you cache in you should be ok with the 64MB card the unit comes with.

Here is a good deal if any one wants a 4G SDHC card: http://www.buy.com/prod/sandisk-microsdhc-4-gb-flash-card-sandisk-4gb-microsd-high-capacity/q/loc/101/205001871.html

Haffy
08-26-2008, 07:10 PM
I didn't think the 60 series supported the SDHC format though but I might be wrong.

Starzz
08-27-2008, 01:04 PM
I got it! Niiiiiiiice GPS! I loaded ME, NH, VT, MA, & NB. Took about 8-10 minutes. Haven't loaded any waypoints yet. I'll do that on my day off tomorrow! :)

aaronpriest
08-28-2008, 10:22 AM
Congrats on the 60CSx, I love mine! Here are some tricks and tips I've learned:

The 60 and 72 x series do not support SDHC and so anything over 2GB is likely not to work reliably. You can get a Kingston 2GB MicroSD with an SD adapter for $7.25 and free shipping from NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134478), that's the best bargain I've found. If you don't have a card reader, you'd still need a USB adapter or use the much slower USB port on the GPS. Maps transfer many, many times faster to a card reader if you are sending topo or very large areas. Since I rarely update my maps and I'm afraid the flimsy latch in the GPS could easily break, I just use the Garmin's USB port to transfer waypoints and tracks. Since they are tiny in size they transfer within seconds over the slower USB 1.1 link anyway.

I understand the 60 and 72 series have a 2025 map segment limitation, regardless of memory. If you have an NT version of City Navigator or City Select, the map segments are MUCH larger and so you could easily put the whole US on a 2GB card without hitting 2025 maps. With Topo however, there is no NT version and the segments are much smaller. It would be possible to hit the 2025 map segment limitation before filling up the entire 2GB card. Weird anomolies happen then with maps not being drawn, routes not being calculated, etc. I've loaded up City Navigator NT, Topo, Blue Charts, and some custom maps for nearly all of New England without hitting 2025 map segments though, so I don't think this is a problem for most people. You can see how many maps you are sending with MapSource before you send them, just be sure they are under 2025. It would take a LOT to reach this limitation! If you really needed more than 2025 maps, you could have a 2nd pre-loaded MicroSD card. A spare card sits well between the batteries and the installed card. Just remember it's there when you change the batteries! I lost my original 64MB that way. :mad:

True, the internal memory is limited to 1000 waypoints. There are ways to work around this using Garmin's POI Loader and saving more waypoints to the SD card. For the technically curious, I use GSAK and use a filter of a 75 mile radius for where I typically would be geocaching. This results in about 766 geocaches. I then export this list as a MapSource file using GCSE.gsk for symbol generation (search in GSAK forums for instructions). I send the geocaches using MapSource and it has nice symbols for each type of cache on the GPS. To get all the geocaches for the state of Maine (~3190) I run a second GSAK macro called GarminPOI_gpx.gsk. I then can send all the waypoints for the entire state in that output folder using Garmin's POI Loader. It saves an unlimited number of waypoints to whatever available memory is on the SD card. The only catch is that they cannot be edited or deleted. You can only manage them by uploading again or removing them with POI Loader. The advantage of doing both GSAK macros is that the caches I'm most likely to find I can edit, mark as found, etc. becuase they are in the internal memory. But I still have all the caches for the state if I'm outside of my typical stomping grounds, I just can't mark them as found or edit them on the GPS. Since I also use CacheMate on a PocketPC, I've never had a problem with this. I update my GPS maybe once a week, unless I manually download a new cache that just came out.