One of the first things I do when working with a Garmin gps unit is making sure it is up-to-date. There is no way telling how long the unit has been in the warehouse or on the retailer’s shelf before you purchased it. When I was helping a friend who had owned a gps unit for three years I found it had not been updated. We avoided a problem because we updated it before loading a mapset.
One of the reasons the 60CSx is currently a good unit is that it has been in the food chain long enough for those growing pain issues to be corrected. The Colorado t has been around long enough and generated enough heat on Garmin to get it fixed.
Here is the Garmin list of fixes, updates, and additions to the Colorado t as of January 19th, 2006. You need to make a habit of checking the website for updates, and you can sign up for e-mail updates. I do not depended on it or receiving an e-mail.
http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3891Garmin’s Webupdater is rather painless. You can get the download here:
http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jspOnce Webupdater is installed on your computer just connect your Garmin gps to your computer with the provided cord. With the computer on power up your gps. In your program list you will find Webupdater in your Garmin folder.
The Colorado t has been around long enough that it is starting to mature and most of the needed fixes have been made. But every once and awhile a fix needs to be fixed.
I noticed that there is a January 2009 update for a couple of the eTrex HC models.
Your drumbeat is taking you away from purchasing Topo 2008. Admittedly I avoid it for a year or so but I already had US Topo, USGS Topo State series, and DeLorme Topo software. I like having topo software which I can create waypoints, and tracks on, or transfer waypoints and tracks from my gps to the computer and display them on a map. I carry my map binder in my pickup during the season. These maps with enhance data has been an asset to our hunting group.
One of the features of Map Source products is that you can create a waypoint on your computer map, and then view that waypoint in Google Earth.
We have set down at the computer and planned a day long hunt on a map using existing waypoints, creating new waypoints, printing the map, and printing the Google Earth photo with our data on it. Mapping software is just another tool in the toolbox. It maybe the lug wrench that goes with the jack.
