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Garmin Legend Mapsource download
Ted wrote in message ...
Gary S. wrote in message ...
On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 23:40:37 +0100, "Paul"
wrote:
Bought a Legend not long ago, just bought Mapsource Metroguide. I have
just
tried to download a map to the Legend for the first time and I get an
error
message that says if I continue I will erase map data pre-programmed by
Garmin. It then says that I can retreive pre-progranmmed data by going to
Garmin website. What does this mean? I have no routes or waypoints on the
legend, only map present is Europe basemap which I thought could not be
overwritten, am I wrong?
Any time you start a session of map loading, all previous contents of
the map memory (completely seperate from the waypoint/route/track
memory) are erased.
The basemap, as you say, cannot be changed or erased.
The Legend is shipped with a database of Marine POI (points of
interest) loaded into the map memory.
" The standard map coverage includes:
1. Cities with population 200K and above worldwide
2. Nautical navaids for North and South America"
If you ever wish to have the Marine POI data back, you can download
the file from the Garmin site. Not finding it there right now, but
many people have it, and I think it is in the files of the Legend
Yahoo group.
It seems like most of the Garmin Marine POI data consists of an incomplete
set of channel buoys.
This sounds like a great time for a mild philosophical rant about the role
of buoys during marine navigation with GPS.
Buoys were invented to help skippers find and stay in the channel. GPS is
an
even better tool for helping a skipper find and stay in the channel. Why
then do GPS manufacturers show all those buoys when what boat pilots really
want is to know where the center of the channel is? A simple route line
down
the middle of the channel with a waypoint at each turn is so much better
than a collection of a hundred obscure buoy locations. My thesis is that
marking buoys with GPS or showing buoy locations on a GPS map is a complete
waste of time and only done by skippers trying to cling to old navigation
technology. It seems to me that channel centerlines, harbor entrances and
underwater hazards are the only things a boat captain needs to see on his
GPS. Throw all those buoy POIs away! They just clutter up your display.
I plan my yacht adventures by going to
http://map.marineplanner.com/mapping...chartindex.cfm
and identifying waypoints by noting the lat lon from the nautical charts
and
then making a route down the center of all the channels I intend to
navigate. I also make a proximity waypoint for any hazards I wish to avoid
along the way. I find this to be much more useful than the marine POI data
from Garmin.
If I was to get more serious about marine navigation then of course I would
go out and get the Garmin Blue Charts but for now the above technique is
perfectly adequate for pleasure boating.
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