[steveindenmark]

What maps are you using in you Garmin GPSMap60Csx?

I have recently bought the above handheld and the basemap on it is useless.

Do I neeed to buy Garmin Maps or are there free downloads that I can plot routes on and that are as good as Garmin Maps.

Steve

[seldom_sn]

steveindenmark, on 15 April 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

What maps are you using in you Garmin GPSMap60Csx?
I have recently bought the above handheld and the basemap on it is useless.
Do I neeed to buy Garmin Maps or are there free downloads that I can plot routes on and that are as good as Garmin Maps.
Steve

All basemaps I have seen are useless without detail maps. They are only needed when you need to zoom out beyond the range of your detail maps.
Assuming you are in Denmark, look at http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ , http://sites.google....e/openfietsmap/ , and http://www.opencycle...encyclemap.org/ .
If you are in the US, I'd suggest http://forums.gpsfil...t.com/index.php instead of the last two.

This post has been edited by seldom_sn: 15 April 2012 - 03:13 PM

[sussamb]

Or www.talkytoaster.info for when/if you're in the UK

[team tisri]

steveindenmark, on 15 April 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

What maps are you using in you Garmin GPSMap60Csx?

I have recently bought the above handheld and the basemap on it is useless.

Do I neeed to buy Garmin Maps or are there free downloads that I can plot routes on and that are as good as Garmin Maps.

Steve

The basemap is utterly useless, it will only show the biggest roads and in such low resolution it's still not worth a lot.

If you live in the UK swing by www.talkytoaster.info

If you live elsewhere take a peek at garmin.openstreetmap.nl


The free maps aren't desperately good at routing you from point to point - sometimes they will produce the best imaginable route and sometimes they will take 10 miles to get you to a place two miles away. As with any mapping product, as long as you know the limitations you can choose whether to work around it or use something else.

The great thing about the free maps is that, well, they are free. And if you don't like them you get your money back.

This post has been edited by team tisri: 16 April 2012 - 02:09 AM

[briansnat]

I have City Navigator, 24K topo and 100K topo on my 60CSX

[steveindenmark]

I am going to get the City Navigator for Europe to begin with. I want to be able to plan routes on the PC and download them.

Can I only do this with the DVD version? If I do get the DVD version and download it into my GPSmap 60csx. Does it operate exactly the same as if I had bough the SD card or downloaded it direct?

Steve

[sussamb]

You can plan routes on your PC regardless of whether you buy the DVD or card version, and also if you download directly. But be aware of the following:

If you buy the card you can't update the maps but it can be used in any Garmin device that has a card slot.

If you buy the DVD it's locked to the first device you load it to.

If you download directly you cannot update the maps later, and the download is tied to the device.

More detail here from Garmin FAQs, note that where it says 'mapping is not immediately available' you only have to download the free Garmin program Basecamp that reads the maps straight off the GPS :

Question: Should I purchase mapping for my GPS on a disc, pre-programmed datacard, or as downloadable content?

Answer:
Mapping for Garmin GPS devices is sold in a variety of formats. It may be purchased on a disc, as a pre-programmed datacard, and some maps can be downloaded directly from the Garmin website. Please see below for the benefits of each format.

DVD/CD: Maps purchased in this format will require a computer to use but they will allow you to plan trips on your computer and transfer waypoints, routes and tracks to your GPS device. The installation process will install the mapping and the MapSource or BaseCamp application to your computer. MapSource or BaseCamp can then be used to send maps to either your device or a blank datacard since most devices will not hold all of the data on the device. Please note that most mapping products in this format are unlocked to a single device and they are non-transferable. City Navigator maps in this format can be updated by purchasing a map update, when available.

Pre-programmed datacards: Pre-programmed datacards are immediately ready to use out of the box. Simply unpack the card and insert it into your compatible GPS device. These maps do not need to be unlocked to your device which allows you to move the card to multiple units if desired, however, you will not directly have access to the mapping on your computer. City Navigator maps in this format are not eligible for map updates and mapping from the card cannot be copied. If you wish to obtain updated content, a new card will need to be purchased.

Downloadable Content: Maps purchased in this format can be downloaded directly from the Garmin website. This is the quickest method of getting mapping for your next trip. Downloaded maps can be sent to either your GPS unit or a blank datacard since most devices will not hold all of the data on the device. All maps in this format are unlocked to a specific device and they can only be used on the device that they were unlocked to. Similar to the pre-programmed datacards, this mapping is not immediately available on your computer for use in planning routes. City Navigator maps in this format are not eligible for map updates. If you wish to obtain updated content, a new download will need to be purchased.

This post has been edited by sussamb: 29 April 2012 - 12:19 AM

[steveindenmark]

Thanks for that Sus. It is almost as clear as mud. But I am going to go for the CD version because it appears I can then pick and choose which maps I put on my Garmin as well asbeing able to put custom routes on as well.

Steve