GPS V and maps

[schnauzer]

Novice GPS'er 'ere........

I'm about to purchase a GPS V as I was impressed having seen a demo.... the question is....... I only really want it as a 'toy' to play with on my trips round the UK, and maybe the odd trip abroad If I get an 'atlantic' base one, with the MapSource European City cd, and given that most of my usual trips are north of edinburgh,
will I need any other map source, and has anyone got any recommendations???? or is their enough detail for wot i want as it is??


And I was warned owning a GS would cost money.....

 

[boxer]

As far as I know Garmin V is sold only with City Select maps. Go to GARMIN. Select City Select from "Map source Map Veiwer", this will show you the level of detail you can expect.

The base map only shows major roads. I don't think auto route will work unless City Select or City Navigator maps are installed on the V, but as it comes bundled with City Select - no problem.

If you are buying 2nd hand [without City Select] then I believe most Mapsourse products can be used without the auto route function.

 

[schnauzer]

ok, so i presume if i want scotland and north of england coverage of 'b' and 'c' roads I need to purchase another map source..... any recommendations anyone?

 

[PanEuropean]

Schnauzer:

If you buy a GPS V - either new or used, it does not matter - it should come with a "CitySelect" CD. If you get an Atlantic model, then you should get a European CitySelect CD. I cannot imagine anyone selling a used GPS V (or SP III, for that matter) without the CD, it just does not make sense.

The only thing you need to watch for is this: Way, way back (about 2 years ago) when the GPS V and SP III first came out, the package included the GPS, the CD, and a coupon to unlock only one region on the CD. Europe is divided into about 5 regions. If you are buying a GPS V or SP III from a person in France, for example, and they only have the region that includes France unlocked, then you will not be able to use the data from the CD for other regions, like for example, the UK, without buying another unlock coupon from Garmin to unlock the rest of the regions on the CD. This "full unlock" of a CD is expensive if bought after the fact. But, since about January of 2003, Garmin has been including a coupon in the box of the SP III and, I think, the GPS V as well that gives you a full unlock of all the regions contained on the CD - all of Europe, or all of America. This is what the term "Deluxe" means when you see it in the product name - "Deluxe" includes all regions unlocked. So, no concerns at all since then about only having a partially unlocked CD.

The GPS V ships with a CD called "CitySelect", and the SP III ships with a CD called "CityNavigator". Either product will work in either unit. Both products contain identical visible map detail. For motorcycle purposes, it does not matter which you have, they are functionally equal. But, it is better to have CitySelect with a GPS V, because the map segment sizes are slightly smaller, and the GPS V has only a limited, non-expandable amount of memory available to store map segments on.

So, if you are buying a used unit, always ask the following questions:

1) Is it an "Americas" (USA) or "Atlantic" (Europe) basemap model?

2) Does it include the original CD, plus the unlock codes? (The unlock codes should be backed up onto a floppy disk from the MapSource application by the seller before they ship it to you, so that you can just "restore" the codes from the floppy disk to your PC when you get the unit.)

3) What regions are unlocked? The entire CD (all of Europe, or all of America), or just one region?

4) What version is the (CitySelect or CityNavigator) CD? Very old units shipped with version 4, recent units with version 5, and since late December 2003, units ship with version 6. Newer versions include additional detail, plus of course they are more up to date.

The simple answer to your question is: If you have the UK and Scotland region unlocked, then you will not need to buy any additional maps. But, if the CD is quite old (version 4), you may want to buy an upgrade later, which will probably cost you a few bucks - check Garmin's website for the "list" prices of the update, and check the internet retailers for the "street" prices of the update. You CAN buy European updates from American retailers, no problems there.

Hope this helps you,

PanEuropean

 

[schnauzer]

Brilliant - just what I needed to know I actually managed to get the chancellor to agree to a new GPS V which has europe city select V6 and a full set of codes.

Cheers pan