Garmin Mapsource

[Andy Hird]

I've just bought a cheap Garmin from Dixons and it came with Mapsource V6. How do I go about getting the latest version, and will it cost me ?
Many Thanks,
Andy

 

[Fanum]

Wait until v8 comes out (soon) and get that....free.

 

[Greg Masters]

Wait until v8 comes out (soon) and get that....free.

.... only if you don't register your new purchase with Garmin before the release date!

Greg

 

[Deleted account W]

I'm using version 6.9 of Mapsource, there isn't much difference to 6.

If you want to update it click on Help and select "Check for software update"

 

[(RIP) willstatt]

It's City Select V6 that you want to update to version 8..... not mapsource.

 

[PanEuropean]

It's City Select V6 that you want to update to version 8..... not mapsource.

A good point.

For the benefit of new forum members, it's probably time to re-state a commonly confused issue:

1) 'MapSource' is a computer application (an executable, or program) that is provided free of charge by Garmin on all of the CD's that they sell.

2) MapSource is used to view the cartography on a computer, so you can plan routes on a computer, and upload and download routes, waypoints, track logs, and different segments of the maps to and from your GPSR.

3) Garmin provides downloadable free updates of the MapSource program (the data-moving tool). These can be obtained from the Garmin website.

4) The cartography itself is a totally different story. If you want to buy updated cartography, you need to pay for it. The cartography is updated about once a year. For example, the current version of CityNavigator Europe is version 7. Whenever you purchase updated cartography, it comes to you on a CD or set of CD's, and the MapSource program will also be on those CD's.

An easy way to avoid confusion is this: Different versions of the cartography will always have single digit revision numbers (e.g. Version 6, Version 7, and so on). Different versions of the MapSource program, which is the tool for manipulating and working with cartography, will always have version numbers with at least one decimal place (e.g. MapSource 6.7, MapSource 6.8.1, etc).

The confusion comes from the fact that Garmin originally marketed their cartography under the brand name 'MapSource'.

Michael

Postscript: There is a trend now towards providing the complete cartography load 'built in' on all the newer GPSRs. This has been made possible by falling prices for DRAM memory. 5 years ago, a 32 meg chip for a StreetPilot III cost about $50. Today, most new Garmin GPSRs, such as the 2620, 2660, 2720 and so forth ship with two gigabytes of built-in memory. This is enough to hold all the maps for a continent.

If you buy one of these newer GPSRs, you won't get the MapSource program with it, you will get a smaller and less complex program called 'Trip and Waypoint Manager'. This is because you will never need to upload map segments into your GPSR (they are all in there already), all you will need to move back and forth between your PC and your GPSR is routes, waypoints, and track logs.

MapSource (the older, bigger application) will do everything that Trip and Waypoint manager can do, and MapSource can be used with the newer GPSRs without difficulty. It doesn't work the other way around, though. If you have an older GPSR that you download map segments to, Trip and Waypoint manager won't support that function.