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.

On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:05:13 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

the Cap'n charts are on CD's

The Cap'n should be able to use NOAA's free, down loadable BSB charts.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:05:13 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

the Cap'n charts are on CD's

The Cap'n should be able to use NOAA's free, down loadable BSB charts.


Possibly. It comes with all of the US on the CD's, you would really only
need additional charts for outside these areas, Caribbean, etc.

Yes, the card reader looks just like a removable thumb drive to the
computer. You can transfer files back and forth using Windows Explorer.
Mine is a Targus TGR-CDR25 and it has got to be the most useful computer
item I ever got for ten bucks. It has slots for four different kinds of
cards.

I think Garmin puts all its copy protection encryption in the file written
to the card. All the maps go in one big file and the GPS or Map Source
program then reads the unit ID numbers included in the file and compare them
with the hardware. I'll be very surprised if you don't find that you can
make as many backups as you want for the GPS(s) you are using or make back
up files on your computer disk that can then be used to make new cards
later. I'll bet you can't view the maps on your laptop though. Please let
me know if you can.

Since the cards can be easily written to, I'll bet that the first GPS you
insert them in writes it's unit number to the card and they won't thereafter
work in other units. You probably "registered" without realizing it.
Garming is putting us through all this to keep a hot gray market in copies
from developing.
--
Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
Yes, the card reader looks just like a removable thumb drive to the
computer. You can transfer files back and forth using Windows Explorer.
Mine is a Targus TGR-CDR25 and it has got to be the most useful computer
item I ever got for ten bucks. It has slots for four different kinds of
cards.

I think Garmin puts all its copy protection encryption in the file written
to the card. All the maps go in one big file and the GPS or Map Source
program then reads the unit ID numbers included in the file and compare them
with the hardware. I'll be very surprised if you don't find that you can
make as many backups as you want for the GPS(s) you are using or make back
up files on your computer disk that can then be used to make new cards
later. I'll bet you can't view the maps on your laptop though. Please let
me know if you can.

Since the cards can be easily written to, I'll bet that the first GPS you
insert them in writes it's unit number to the card and they won't thereafter
work in other units. You probably "registered" without realizing it.
Garming is putting us through all this to keep a hot gray market in copies
from developing.
--
Roger Long


I too have had so much hassle with Garmin and BlueChart
because of their piracy paranoia that I would seriously
think twice before continuing with this brand. Having
purchased a GPSMAP 172C and the Atlantic BlueChart, plus a
data card to write the relevant Adriatic charts to that I
had paid for, I was ready to set off with my notebook PC for
my boat in Italy.

As I had a few hours to spare I idly put the CD into my
desktop and found that I had to jump through all the on-line
hoops to register and get my unlock codes - a procedure I
could never have embarked on if I had left it to when I was
on board without any internet connection.

Then, after three weeks the unit failed - no power-up. When
I was back home I tried to contact Garmin, to be put on hold
for hours. My e-mails went unanswered. Eventually, after an
incredibly frustrating series of attempts to get a response
I did manage to contact someone in the European repair
centre in the UK who told me to send the unit to them. Here
things got better, I received a new unit in short time at no
cost - other than my courier cost to them.

Then the problems began again. The data card would not read
- I had to again jump through the unlock code hoops on-line
again; now my second unit allowance is used.

I have noticeable chart errors for the northern Adriatic -
possibly these are fundamental errors in the original
Italian charts, although a friend with C-Map does not have
them. I reported them to the Garmin cartographic group -
without acknowledgement. I did note a later upgrade to my
set of charts but have no intention of having to pay for it,
which I would have to do, even if I hadn't used up the
second permitted unlock code.

No, never again Garmin.

BrianH.

Roger Long wrote:
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)

It's easy to confuse the Unit ID with the serial number of the unit.
However, connecting the unit to a laptop or PC with Mapsource installed
searches for and displays the Unit ID, since without this, no connection is
established to enable data, map or chart transfers between.the unit and the
PC,

Unlock codes require the unit ID, area code, and software code (type), for
Garmin to generate the unlock codes. Unlock codes that will often work with
the PC will not unlock maps/charts for the instrument, although unlock codes
for the specific instrument will unlock maps/charts on your laptop or PC.

The reference codes that are supplied with the software you buy, eg
Bluecharts, have to be supplied to Garmin, together with your unit ID,
before they can supply you with an unlock code for that instrument, and ONLY
that instrument. True, Garmin allow you 2 sets of codes with your software,
and it would seem that you would have to re-register your 2nd instrument
(when you buy it) and explain to Garmin that you have mistakenly supplied
them with the wrong unit id the first time you sent the info to them,
otherwise they will assume that you already have 2 instruments and have
used up your allocation of unlock codes.

I don't see the point of buying a second unit, since you will already have
the charts on your laptop and some of these on your handheld GPS. Garmin
however do recognise that some people will own 2 GPS mapping units, hence
their software allows 2 such installations.

One tip Roger. When selecting charts to upload to the unit, you may overlook
the fact that some larger area charts contain smaller area charts, ie the
same area is covered on 2 or more charts, but be aware that the detail
contained in the small area chart can be substantially greater than that
contained in the large area chart, so that zooming in to a large area chart
does not give you the same amount of detail as using the smaller area chart.
I therefore tend to ignore large area charts when uploading and instead use
more small area charts in my instrument (a GPSMAP60CS).

I have also found that road maps, (City Select and City Navigator) over-ride
the BlueCharts when loaded to the same unit, and you have to untick such
maps in the Map Page before you can use the BlueCharts. This can be a
nuisance in coastal areas when you may have used the road map to drive down
to the marina and want to use the BlueChart to navigate out of the marina
and along the coast. This may be specific to my particular instrument, but
it's worth checking if you are faced with a chart with no detail!


Dennis.