Which GPS for the car???

[richie]

That has at least V9 for me to install on my PC as I like to play wirh maps.

Cheers...

Still have GPS60 for bikes...

 

[John Armstrong]

As you already have a Garmin that eliminates most other makes. Below is absed on my knowledge of the SP3, Quest 1, 2610 and 2820

Do you want traffic info capability, ability to fit to the bike if possible, latest chipset, full post code search etc? If it's no to 1, 3 & 4 but yes to 2 then a 2610, yes to 1, 2, 3 and 4 then a 2820.

Above assuming you're not interested in a Quest or SP3 which have slower recalculate speeds than a 2610. But they both have battery back up, in the Quests case this is actually a usefull battery life. Both are limited to a certain extent by the maps you can load onto them.

Assuming money is a factor, and you dont want off car / bike battery back up, a nice 2610 with 2gb CF card with bike and car fittings would get my

 

[richie]

Thanks John, but I was thinking more in the lines of the Nuvi, but I dont think you get the maps on a dvd with it....

 

[John Armstrong]

Not played with the Nuvi, but I'd get one you could use in both vehicles then if one goes TU you can use the other

 

[judge]

I don't believe the maps DVD come with any of Garmin's car systems and also Garmin no longer support 2nd unit unlocking. To upgrade the mapping on your 60 you will have to buy mapping for it or buy a new dual purpose Garmin system you can use on both.

I've just bought a Zumo 550 and I cannot use the maps for that on my 60CS

 

[Marjorie Proops]

Richie, I swapped from Garmin to Tom Tom Europe 3 months ago. I picked it up at Halfords Plymouth and set off for Austria there & then. The missus punched in preferences whilst sat in the passenger seat and our destination address in the Alps. Before we had gone 1 mile it was set up and had the route calculated, 999 miles through 4 countries straight out of the box - no cd's, versions, or computors. Just under £200 iirc. Easier to use, easier to see, more detail, better voice commands. I've been with Garmin since 1990 when we installed our first commercial marine set and still have a Garmin on the bike so I'm not anti Garmin at all, but for everyday general car use the Tom Tom is the biz, (unless you actually like uploading/downloading/cd's/versions/pratting about of course).

All IMHO of course

 

[richie]

Cheers guys, thanks for the info. Not worried about second unlock for GPS60 .

Do like having the maps on the PC as well though. Its nice to create routes and waypoints at home before setting off IMHO.

Still if that is the way of the past so be it. There are some lovely roads in Ireland which are on a friends Nuvi. But the Nuvi will never take them as they are longer than the normal roads.

So the GPS goes staright nack to what it is supposedly for "Taking one from A to B" but that aint why I got one, I already generaly know where I am going

 

[Boxerboy55]

Tom Tom for me

As stated above, plug and play. So easy the wife and kids can use it to get them them to known addresses / post codes.

Just don't trust it absolutely - read a map before you go. I followed the bxxxxxd onto what became a single track road while heading to Skye and had a grumpy 20 miles back to main road once I realised the mistake

 

[Bumpkin]

Do like having the maps on the PC as well though. Its nice to create routes and waypoints at home before setting off IMHO.

All but the very top of the range Nuvis don't do routes as featured in Quest, 2610 2720, 2820 and Zumo. Just A-C via an optional B, the unit decides which roads to use. OK for just getting there but useless for recreational bike use where you want to follow specific roads.

 

[richie]

So, someone who has done the legwork, which Garmin units still come with DVD installable software?

Cheers

 

[John Armstrong]

So, someone who has done the legwork, which Garmin units still come with DVD installable software?

Cheers

Do you mean:

the mapping comes pre-installed eg 2820 but can be upgraded by an update DVD?

You have to download from a DVD onto a CF card any mapping eg 2610?

Or, you get the mapping on a SD card eg (I think) Zumo?

 

[richie]

Do you mean:

the mapping comes pre-installed eg 2820 but can be upgraded by an update DVD?

You have to download from a DVD onto a CF card any mapping eg 2610?

Or, you get the mapping on a SD card eg (I think) Zumo?

I mean you install the software to your computer, then upload maps, routes waypoints etc to the gps unit.

I repeat the best thing about GPS for me is the mapping software, not the GPS.

 

[John Armstrong]

Do you mean:

the mapping comes pre-installed eg 2820 but can be upgraded by an update DVD?

You have to download from a DVD onto a CF card any mapping eg 2610?

Or, you get the mapping on a SD card eg (I think) Zumo?

I mean you install the software to your computer, then upload maps, routes waypoints etc to the gps unit.

I repeat the best thing about GPS for me is the mapping software, not the GPS.

All three can preplan routes / waypoints and then send them to the GPS. To make things "easier" the 2820 for example, comes pre-loaded with the maps, but for those who want to, also comes with a DVD for loading the maps onto a PC.

 

[Bumpkin]

To find out if a Garmin unit comes with the Mapping on disk rather than just pre-installed on the unit check the 'in the box' tab for each model from here. You should be looking for 'MapSource® City Navigator North America NT DVD or City Navigator Europe NT DVD (full unlock)*' as one of the bullet points.

If you're buying a discontinued product then you can check the same thing here.

I have heard of people who purchased products with only pre-installed mapping asking Garmin for the DVD and getting it although this was a while back and maybe against current policy. If you can find your unlock code from myGarmin (I don't think there's a way to get it from the unit itself) then you could borrow anyones disk of the same version of the mapping and install on your PC.

To upload routes you will need a Garmin GPSR that supports that feature, as I mentioned previously, lesser Nuvis and C & i series StreetPilots don't. You can still use Mapsource to upload way-points to these though and can do this without having an unlock for those units on the PC. These will be uploaded as Favourites rather than full on POIs, I think these are prone to being overwritten if your list of Favourites gets beyond a certain limit (50?). You will need an unlock for at least one GPSR installed to see detail mapping though.