Garmin 2610 Question December 21, 2004, 12:36:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48146If you get a 2 GB compact flash card to download maps to, can thedownload take place to the compact flash card thru the Garmin unitor do you need to do the download thru a card reader ? And if youcan do it either way, which is faster ?ThanksJC
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #1 – December 21, 2004, 01:33:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48154"If you get a 2 GB compact flash card to download maps to, can the download take place to the compact flash card thru the Garmin unit or do you need to do the download thru a card reader? And if you can do it either way, which is faster ?" As Tom said, you can download the map data directly to the card in the 2610; that's what I did. The 2610 supports USB 1.1, so it isn't very fast--a USB 2.0 card reader would be faster. But to tell the truth, the main thing that took time was not the data transfer itself, but the preliminaries. The PC software does a large amount of heavy calculating, which can easily take an hour or two, before it even starts to send data to the card. So my advice is the same as Tom's: don't buy a card reader just for this purpose, because it won't gain you much. Instead, just hook your PC up to the 2610 with the USB cable they supply, start up their PC map software, and let it run overnight. Look at it this way: at most, you'll only have to do this downloading business every year or two when a database update comes out...so as long as you don't have to be there while it's downloading stuff, who cares if it takes all night?Andy Baird
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #2 – December 23, 2004, 12:30:04 am Yahoo Message Number: 48229Quote"grenge" wrote: On the subject of the Garmin 2610, is there any reason other than cost why the 2620 would not be more adventageous?I have a 2610 mostly because the 2620 wasn't available last Spring. However, I prefer the 2610 for some rather specialized uses. In addition to its use in the LD, I take it in my 4x4 on rough roads and don't trust the mechanical hard drive to survive that environment. I also download topo maps from MapSource to it and there isn't much memory beyond the main map in the 2GB disc to do that, at least to the same degree. And I like the advantage of an excellent map on my laptop for all those neat map uses. Having said that, I see no reason why you wouldn't be completely happy with the 2620! Get it, enjoy it. Steve T
Garmin 2610 Question Reply #3 – December 21, 2004, 12:53:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48151Subject: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Garmin 2610 QuestionJC asked: "If you get a 2 GB compact flash card to download maps to, can thedownload take place to the compact flash card thru the Garmin unitor do you need to do the download thru a card reader ? And if youcan do it either way, which is faster ?"JC, I have not done it both ways so I cannot answer your specific question. I say if you have a card reader, go ahead and use it, because it might be faster and it won't be slower. Thats what I did. If you dont have a card reader, dont get one just for that. Download directly. Either way it takes a long time. I did it in the evening, went to bed, and when I got up it was done. Up- loading from cd to my hard drive went pretty fast, ie, less than an hour. TJ
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Garmin 2610 Question Reply #4 – December 21, 2004, 01:32:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48153Quote Subject: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Garmin 2610 QuestionJC asked: "If you get a 2 GB compact flash card to download maps to, can thedownload take place to the compact flash card thru the Garmin unitor do you need to do the download thru a card reader ? And if youcan do it either way, which is faster ?"JC, I have not done it both ways so I cannot answer your specific question. I say if you have a card reader, go ahead and use it, because it might be faster and it won't be slower. Thats what I did. If you dont have a card reader, dont get one just for that. Download directly. Either way it takes a long time. I did it in the evening, went to bed, and when I got up it was done. Up- loading from cd to my hard drive went pretty fast, ie, less than an hour. TJ If it's a USB attached card reader/writer then I doubt it would be much faster than just uploading to the GPS. A Compact Flash in a PC Card Slot adapter ought to be faster. But I wonder if the Garmin MapSource software will load directly to a Compact Flash card. I'd suspect that there is a custom protocol that is used between the computer and the GPS. Anyone with a 2610 look into this?Art
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #5 – December 21, 2004, 01:44:44 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48156"I'd suspect that there is a custom protocol that is used between the computer and the GPS. Anyone with a 2610 look into this?" No, the situation is the same as a digital camera with a flashRAM card in it: the OS ignores the camera or GPS and mounts the card as a mass storage device...so it's treated like an external hard drive or "pen drive." Things are much simpler that way. :-)Andy Baird
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #6 – December 21, 2004, 11:15:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48186Thank you all for your replies. I'm just kicking around which wouldbe the better unit to get: The Garmin 2610 which is mostly turn onand go; The Garmin iQue 3600 with its larger display and internalbattery for portability away from the RV; or The CoPilot 8 Live formy notebook computer, and an even larger display, but with thelogistic problems of setting up a functional platform for it nearthe dash.... I hate technology....too many choices !!!!!Scratching my head,JC
Garmin 2610 Question Reply #7 – December 22, 2004, 07:23:05 am Yahoo Message Number: 48192JC, We just flew to upstate NY for a week-end and took "Destiny" (our Garmin iQue 3600) with us. Not only did we have an easy time finding our destination, while there, in the car, Alex enjoyed it on the plane because of the internal battery. It told us our altitude, over which city we were flying, and our speed (598 mph). Made the flight more interesting and fun. We also take it with us in a new city when we walk away from the car sight seeing and know we'll be able to find our way back to the car. Of course it goes with us to the mothership in February to get our 26.5 MB. Brenda & Alex
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #8 – December 22, 2004, 09:36:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48216On the subject of the Garmin 2610, is there any reason other than cost why the 2620 would not be more adventageous? I notice a lot of talk about updating the maps etc. Since I have never had a GPS, I am trying to stand on the shoulders of more knowledgable folks before I spend the money.Thanks,Greg and Karen (NE Wannabees)
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #9 – December 22, 2004, 10:36:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48224On the subject of the Garmin 2610, is there any reason other than cost why the 2620 would not be more adventageous? I notice a lot of talk about updating the maps etc. Since I have never had a GPS, I am trying to stand on the shoulders of more knowledgable folks before I spend the money.Thanks,QuoteGreg and Karen (NE Wannabees) Greg and Karen,I believe the main concern of those who prefer the 2610 is the possible susceptibility of the 2620's hard drive to damage from use in an active environment. My 2620 survived recent encounters with CA interstates and LA highways that shook my rig roughly and incessantly. I'm not concerned with this issue but I'm very careful about not dropping it during swaps with my automobile. I've had no problems updating the operating system and route maps. You should know that the 2620 update to the North American maps runs about $150.00.Where are you NE wannabees from? New England or Nebraska?NH Paul
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #10 – December 22, 2004, 11:54:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48228Regarding the Garm
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #11 – December 23, 2004, 07:24:14 am Yahoo Message Number: 48232"is there any reason other than cost why the 2620 would not be more adventageous?" As Paul and Steve said, the 2610's CompactFlash storage card, which has no moving parts, may be more rugged than the 2620's hard drive. But that said, I think most users would be perfectly happy with the 2620. And because it comes preloaded with the map database, the 2620 is ready to go out of the box. So if you want a plug-in-and-go solution with no need for computer downloading, the 2620 is it. Now, Steve, how about telling us more about how you download topo maps to your 2610? I didn't know that was possible. How do you switch the GPS from using the normal street map database to using the topo maps?Andy Baird
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #12 – December 23, 2004, 07:51:20 am Yahoo Message Number: 48234"is it possible to load the United States and Canada on a 1GB compact flash card from Mapsourse v6 ? We won't be traveling to Alaska, Puerto Rico or Hawaii." You can download any combination of geographical areas you like from MapSource, but I doubt that you could fit the entire "lower 48" in 1 GB. But why try? The difference between a 1GB CompactFlash card and a 2GB card is only fifty or sixty bucks. If you're going to spend six or seven hundred dollars on a 2610, it doesn't make much sense to scrimp on the storage card.Andy Baird
Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #13 – December 24, 2004, 04:24:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 48269Quote... how about telling us more about how you download topo maps to your 2610? How do you switch the GPS from using the normal streetQuotemap database to using the topo maps? I use MapSource United States Topo and download it like the other program. Note, however, that all maps, waypoints, etc must be downloaded at the same time as you erase whatever is in the chip whenever you download. The 2610 defaults to the City Nav so to change to the Topo use the Menu button and touch Info and then Map Info. Then uncheck City Nav and Topo will come up. Would work the same if you had a marine map or Canada in there. By the way, The new version 6 of City Nav has improved the Canadian coverage from version 5 but still is less than the separate Canada map. And the version 6 has pretty good dirt road info. You may not need the Topo, but... The Topo also has landmarks that don't show on the City Nav including elevation lines. The Topo is an older map than City Nav since the USGS rarely updates their info and it is not a routable version like City Nav. But out in the boonies who cares?As for a source for purchase, and at the risk of really annoying some who have already purchased theirs, I recommend: http://www.gpsnow.com> . They are currently selling the 2620 for $919.95 BEFORE the $100 rebate. And the 2610 for $729.95 BEFORE the $100 rebate. I have dealt with them on at least two occasions and no problems. (Rebate expires 1/15/05.)And for those that find a map in error Garmin has an error report form: http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/errorForm.html> A fellow Caravaner found his neighborhood way out of reality and sent in the corrections and now v6 is correct for him. It works!Merry Christmas Steve T
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #14 – December 25, 2004, 09:50:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48332Quote On the subject of the Garmin 2610, is there any reason other than cost why the 2620 would not be more adventageous?Where are you NE wannabees from? New England or Nebraska?NH Paul I suppose that I should be more careful with the abreviations. By NE Wannabee I meant North East as in the NE Group. We are actually located just south of Rochester, New York which neither qualifies as New England nor Neb. As of this morning, my question about the 26010/2620 is moot. Karen decided that that was a bit much for people who are not yet seriously on the road so for Christmas I was given a Garmin Quest which is smaller and very portable. For the kind of traveling we do at present, it will work quite well once I find my way out of Taiwan which is the default map. However, the Map Source is loaded on the PC and the Garmin is talking to the PC. Tomorrow, we will go outside to find some satelites. Thanks for all the input. We will let you know how well it works when we go to the Mothership in about three weeks.Meanwhile, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.Greg and Karen (Wannabees in Western NY)
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #15 – December 27, 2004, 12:58:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48367Andy: What card are you using in your 2610 and where did you get it? Gary Gemberling 30TB Andy Baird andybaird@...> wrote:.The difference between a 1GB CompactFlash card and a 2GB card is only fifty or sixty bucks. Andy Baird[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin 2610 Question Reply #16 – December 27, 2004, 06:00:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48380"What card are you using in your 2610 and where did you get it?" It's a 2GB Sandisk card, and I got it from Buy.com. My suggestion is to stick to well-known brands like SanDisk or Lexar and buy from whichever reputable vendor has the best price. The first places I check are generally Buy.com, Amazon and J&R Computer World, as all three have competitive prices and are completely trustworthy.Andy Baird
Garmin Reply #17 – December 22, 2004, 11:34:27 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48226Andy: we will be taking the Garmin plunge in the very near future and would like your expert opinion of the best overall purchase. You can answer offline if you choose by addressing us at lazydazer at earthlink dot net.Thanx.Anne
Re: Garmin Reply #18 – December 23, 2004, 07:36:45 am Yahoo Message Number: 48233"we will be taking the Garmin plunge in the very near future and would like your expert opinion of the best overall purchase." Anne, I'm not sure what you need to know beyond what we've discussed already, but in summary: the StreetPilot 2610 with an added 2GB CompactFlash card is a little less expensive than the 2620 but requires some preparation (a one-time download from your computer) before you can start using it; the StreetPilot 2620 comes all set up and ready to go, so it's probably a better choice for most people. I'm assuming here that you want a GPS vehicle navigation system. The StreetPilot 2610 and 2620 are pretty clearly the best products in that category currently on the market. If you're just looking for a handheld GPS receiver for hiking or whatever, that's a whole different class of product. There are dozens of models to choose from, and I'm not an expert on those. As for where to buy, Amazon is always a safe choice, and generally have very competitive prices. At the moment, they're selling the 2620 for $941.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.Andy Baird
Re: Garmin Reply #19 – December 23, 2004, 09:50:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 48240For those looking for a Garmin 2620, the Wal Mart website has them for $965.44 plus $6.78 shipping before the $100.00 rebate.Monti
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin Reply #20 – December 23, 2004, 10:04:14 am Yahoo Message Number: 48241Not a great price. I just bought one a couple of weeks ago for $925 with free shipping. Stan ByerlyMonti mr2944@...> wrote:For those looking for a Garmin 2620, the Wal Mart website has them for $965.44 plus $6.78 shipping before the $100.00 rebate.Monti Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin Reply #21 – December 23, 2004, 10:59:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 48242QuoteNot a great price. I just bought one a couple of weeks ago for $925 with free shipping.QuoteStan Byerly Bought from....?Chris H.
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Garmin Reply #22 – December 23, 2004, 12:09:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48247Bought it from Foto Connection. If you buy from them on line, ignore their follow-up high pressure BS phone call. StanChris Horst chorst_2000@...> wrote:
Re: Garmin Reply #23 – December 23, 2004, 12:10:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48248Quote "I'm assuming here that you want a GPS vehicle navigation system. The StreetPilot 2610 and 2620 are pretty clearly the best products..."QuoteAndy Baird Andy and others on this thread,I've heard an awful lot about the Garmins and a few of the other brands but I have yet to hear any comments on the Pioneer AVIC-N1 and other models extant.Anyone have one of these or any experiences regarding them?Steve S. Lazy Bones
Re: Garmin Reply #24 – December 23, 2004, 12:54:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48250"I have yet to hear any comments on the Pioneer AVIC-N1" I ran across one review online. The owner was enthusiastic...but he had never used any GPS navigation system before, so he had nothing to compare it against. Basically, the review was mostly "gee whiz." The AVIC-N1's pros as I see them are that it's integrated with the dashboard stereo system (cosmetically neater installation), works with a backup camera, and has a much larger screen than the StreetPilots. Oh, and it's a DVD player as well. The cons are that it's integrated with the dashboard stereo system--so you can't use it in any other vehicle, such as your toad! To me that's a major drawback. Installation is very complex, involving numerous cables, antenna connections, wires to the vehicle's speed sensor (this means you can't use it on older LDs), backup light, parking brake sensor, etc. I find this really odd, since the whole point of a GPS is to know where you are, how fast you're traveling and in what direction--things the StreetPilots manage to figure out quite accurately without ANY external sensor connections. And of course once an AVIC-N1 is installed and wired up, it's there to stay. By contrast, you can unplug a StreetPilot from its single cable in seconds, put it in your pocket and carry it to your other vehicle. (That's how Sarah is able to use hers in a rental car in NYC right now.) As for the AVIC-N1's video player capability--that's swell if your idea of fun is sitting in the cab while the vehicle is stopped and watching movies on a 7" screen. The AVIC-N1 will refuse to play video unless the parking brake is set, so your passenger can't even watch movies while you drive. Also, you can't listen to CD or MP3 discs while driving, at least if you want to use the GPS/ mapping functions: the AVIC-N1 reads its map data from a DVD, and if that's in the drive, you can't have a music disc in there. Basically what you have at that point is an extremely expensive ($1,999) AM/FM radio. Finally, there's the price: almost twice as much as the StreetPilots. Can you tell I'm not won over by Pioneer's design? But hey, as a StreetPilot owner my opinions are suspect. ;-) Any AVIC-N1 owners out there want to give us the other side of the story?Andy Baird
Topic: Garmin 2610 Question (Read 2 times)
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Topic: Garmin 2610 Question (Read 2 times)
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