http://www.garmin.com/manuals/MapSou...UsersGuide.pdf

It says that in order to do real time tracking on a PC with MapSource
Bluechart you must do the following:

Garmin's latest version of Map Source does NOT support real time
tracking. The last version that supports this is 6.5 which I use and
plan to stay with. N'Route is... well... it just doesn't have the same
features - IN PARTICULAR the ability to create a route via a "route
tool" i.e. a series of mouse clicks as opposed to stacking waypoints
in a list. Please someone tell me I'm wrong and that N'Route has that
feature... otherwise it's Map Source 6.5

Why Garmin made this change is a mystery to me.

regards,


Spamson


1 - Have a valid unlock code for your GPS unit installed in MapSource.

2 - Receive real time information from a Garmin unit that supports
locked maps.

3 - The GPS unit must be in Garmin transfer mode, not NMEA mode.

It also says that it will not work with older Garmin units.

The basic issue, as I understand it, is that Garmin backfeeds the PC
with data from the GPS only if it is "married" to the unlocked CD in the PC.

all correct


Garmin is probably not going to be remembered fondly for long term
support of some of their equipments and technologies. For example, they
just discontinued support for the G-Chart cartriges that preceeded the
SD chips currently in use.

Any investment I make in chart plotters or GPS equipment would look for
something that is a little more versatile with other families of
equipments and charting in the long run and does not hang its future on
the business decisions of a single company.

I agree to a point. Using highly proprietary hardware/software has
worked well for Apple. Even though Garmin's gear only talks to other
Garmin family members as you put it... I honestly don't think they
have exploited that... evidence this by the fact that they are VERY
competitive in the market place i.e. when you compare apples w/apples.
I don't think they are locking others out so much as protecting their
intelectual property. In particular their "Blue Charts".