Gps for Christmas

[kidnmolly]

My wife got me a Garmin gps model 60csx this year has anybody heard if they are good are not this is my first gps and does anybody know where to get free maps to download to this unit.

Thanks

 

[Boatist]

Re: Gps for Christmas

I assume you know about the $50 rebate.

 

[kidnmolly]

Re: Gps for Christmas

Wife tells me she got $60.Do you have one and do you like?

 

[Boatist]

Re: Gps for Christmas

No I have an older Garmin GPSMAP 76. The unit works great but screen hard to read in many lights. My unit's base map has all the Buoy info and I have had no need for the detail maps on this small screen.

 

[imported_Curmudgeon]

Re: Gps for Christmas

.. and does anybody know where to get free maps to download to this unit.

No such animal as "free" maps for a Garmin (or any other I'm aware of). :^

 

[johnbo]

Re: Gps for Christmas

There does seem to be some support for the Garmin devices in the open source software community. This is obviously going to be more for the software types, but it is heartening that there is some progress.

Here is a link to someone's web page that talks about talking routes setup on Google Maps and converting it to be loaded onto a GPS unit. http://www.marengo-ltd.com/gps/

I've seen, but can't seem to find the link right now, a entire set of tools, and some public domain maps that can be downloaded using these tools. They also allow detailed maps of your own creation to be loaded. There is an exchange site with various maps that folks had already created.

[Edit] Just found the following link: http://www.keenpeople.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=4&Itemid=3 that seems to point at the proper tools and procedures.

Later,

johnbo

 

[kidnmolly]

Re: Gps for Christmas

Johnbo thanks for the info.How do you like your Seaswirl. I just bought on this past summer as my last boats motor died a week before holidays so I went and bought a new boat.