(If that's possible)

I install the Blue Charts. It asks for the serial number of my GPS which it
says is either on the bottom of the unit or the box.

No number on the bottom of the unit. No number on the box.

Over on the right are instructions for displaying the unit ID. No choice
for GPSmap76cx but a line listing all the other 76 units. I select that.
It says, "Click Menu twice then System Info".

I do that. There is no System Info choice. I look in setup and a bunch of
other menus and places. There is no System Info anywhere.

I open up the case. There is a sticker in the battery compartment with the
right number of digits. Its the only number anywhere in the packaging or on
the unit that is the right length and isn't molded into the case. I get my
unlock code.

The web page and email that send me my unlock code list the GPS as "unknown"
and with a different serial number! I load some charts on a data card and
stick it in the GPS.

When I turn the GPS on, I get a message saying it can't unlock the charts.
Sure enough, there's nothing there except the base map.

I look back at the email with the unlock code. It says, "If you are having
trouble, contact us here." I click.

It says, "WEB PAGE UNAVAILABLE!"

I've seen all the warnings that there are no refunds for unlock codes.
Wadda you bet that, after spending an hour waiting on the support phone line
tomorrow, they tell me I'll just have to purchase another unlock code?

Now that I've spent all this money, is managing this thing going to be the
never ending nightmare of frustration that Micro$oft has beaten us into
accepting as the human condition?

--
Roger Long

I got it.

I registered the GPS which I hadn't done the first time. The information on
finding the serial number in that site section is more complete but still
wrong. It says it is on the back but it is inside and is the sticker I
first used. I also appeares on a very small sticker on the top (not the
bottom) of the box that doesn't look like the sticker they show a picture of
on the web site.

Anyway, I went through the routine of unlocking for a second GPS (you are
allowed two) and it worked. I have my GPS working but now I have to call
Garmin and find out whether they think I have two units and see if I can
pursuade them to delete the first, ghost, unit so I can load the charts on
the backup GPS I have yet to buy.

--
Roger Long

Roger ,, my Lowrance H20 C GPS is sitting on the desk. No unlock code.

All I do is turn it on, insert the little card with the navigation charts ..
and these charts cover everywhere on the east coast, west coat, everywhere.

The reason I went with Lowrance was the unlock code setup from Garmin..

A sailor on the newsgroup recommended the Lowrance to me.

I bought mind from Tiger GPS.. and internet store.. total was under $300.

If you are really upset with Garmin bring the GPS back and go Lowrance.

===
"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I got it.

I registered the GPS which I hadn't done the first time. The information
on finding the serial number in that site section is more complete but
still wrong. It says it is on the back but it is inside and is the
sticker I first used. I also appeares on a very small sticker on the top
(not the bottom) of the box that doesn't look like the sticker they show a
picture of on the web site.

Anyway, I went through the routine of unlocking for a second GPS (you are
allowed two) and it worked. I have my GPS working but now I have to call
Garmin and find out whether they think I have two units and see if I can
pursuade them to delete the first, ghost, unit so I can load the charts on
the backup GPS I have yet to buy.

--
Roger Long

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:21:23 GMT, "NE Sailboat"
wrote:

If you are really upset with Garmin bring the GPS back and go Lowrance.

Good advice in my opinion. I helped a neighbor set up his Blue Charts
and felt the same level of frustration. CMAP and Navionics chips can
be plugged into any compatible GPS unit, or read on your PC with a USB
adapter. The new NT Max chips are quite nice.

Well, that's the price of inertia. I was given a Garmin with Blue Charts to
use as Harbormaster and became familiar with it and built a nice mount for
it on the steering pedestal. As a result, I didn't do the kind of
comparison shopping and research I would normally do when I decided to get
my own. The unlock codes are non-refundable so I'm in too deep now and I've
been using if for road naviagation since Christmas so taking it back isn't
an option.

I've got it figured out now so it will work for me but, even without having
seen a Lowrance directly, I'd urge anyone to look very carefully before
leaping into the "blue".

--
Roger Long

I feel a little better. My adventure into Garmin world left me with two GPS
units registered. One was a ghost with a unit ID matching the serial number
of the real one and a serial number that came from God knows where. Since
you can only get the charts to unlock with two units, this meant that I
wouldn't be able to load them into a back up GPS when I purchase one.

I wrote and email to technical support asking them to please kill the ghost
GPS. Immediately after, I went back to the Garmin site and my account to
look around some more. The ghost GPS had already disappeared! It clearly
wasn't a case of the fastest technical support response on the plant becaust
it was less than a minute since hitting the sent button. The Garmin system
must have automatically checked, figured out that something was bogus, and
killed the record.

Cool.

(I'd still buy something else though)

--
Roger Long

NO!

The ghost unit still shows up in the unlock section.

Too weird. Buy Lowrance.

--
Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I feel a little better. My adventure into Garmin world left me with two
GPS units registered. One was a ghost with a unit ID matching the serial
number of the real one and a serial number that came from God knows where.
Since you can only get the charts to unlock with two units, this meant that
I wouldn't be able to load them into a back up GPS when I purchase one.

I wrote and email to technical support asking them to please kill the
ghost GPS. Immediately after, I went back to the Garmin site and my
account to look around some more. The ghost GPS had already disappeared!
It clearly wasn't a case of the fastest technical support response on the
plant becaust it was less than a minute since hitting the sent button.
The Garmin system must have automatically checked, figured out that
something was bogus, and killed the record.

Cool.

(I'd still buy something else though)

--
Roger Long

FWIW, I have two Garmin GPS units -- one on Essie, one on the Trophy 180,
and they both set up easy as pie. I don't recall ever having to "register"
either unit to get them working, and I have a bluechip card that I use in
both of them, depending upon which boat is going out. Never a problem.

"KLC Lewis" wrote

FWIW, I have two Garmin GPS units -- one on Essie, one on the Trophy 180,
and they both set up easy as pie. I don't recall ever having to "register"
either unit to get them working, and I have a bluechip card that I use in
both of them, depending upon which boat is going out. Never a problem.

That's very interesting. Maybe the chips, which are the same price as equal
coverage area unlocks from the CD, are more swapable from GPS to GPS. I
went with the CD so I could do trip planning on the computer at home and
because you can get an unlock code for a new area in minutes instead of
waiting for a chip to arrive in the mail. You could do it with a laptop via
WiFi somewhere.

When you unlock a region on the CD, you have to enter the information for
your GPS at the same time. The software then encrypts the data card so that
the maps will only unlock in the two GPS units you entered information for.

Can you stick your data card in a USB card reader (available for ten bucks
from Radio Shack) and read the charts back into Mapsource on a computer?
I'm curious but I'll bet not. The would have killed the rational for buying
the CD if they allowed that.

I wonder if you can make a back up copy of your data cards with a card
reader. I'll bet they have figured out a way to prevent that as well.

--
Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...

"KLC Lewis" wrote

FWIW, I have two Garmin GPS units -- one on Essie, one on the Trophy 180,
and they both set up easy as pie. I don't recall ever having to
"register" either unit to get them working, and I have a bluechip card
that I use in both of them, depending upon which boat is going out. Never
a problem.

That's very interesting. Maybe the chips, which are the same price as
equal coverage area unlocks from the CD, are more swapable from GPS to
GPS. I went with the CD so I could do trip planning on the computer at
home and because you can get an unlock code for a new area in minutes
instead of waiting for a chip to arrive in the mail. You could do it with
a laptop via WiFi somewhere.

When you unlock a region on the CD, you have to enter the information for
your GPS at the same time. The software then encrypts the data card so
that the maps will only unlock in the two GPS units you entered
information for.

Can you stick your data card in a USB card reader (available for ten bucks
from Radio Shack) and read the charts back into Mapsource on a computer?
I'm curious but I'll bet not. The would have killed the rational for
buying the CD if they allowed that.

I wonder if you can make a back up copy of your data cards with a card
reader. I'll bet they have figured out a way to prevent that as well.

--
Roger Long


Ah, I see now. That probably is the difference. I'll have to get that reader
(does it allow writing too? Special software?) and see if will allow me to
make backups. I have a card for Lake Michigan and another for Southern
California (obviously not much use to me anymore, as long as I'm here), and
would hate to lose them. On the other hand, though, I have The Cap'n and its
charts, so a loss of bluechip data doesn't leave me in the dark. And since
the Cap'n charts are on CD's, if I lose the computer I can always rebuild
them.