CAUTION: READ THE FULL POST BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES.
First off I must thank you for your question. A couple of months ago I checked for Map Source updates and software updates for my Rhino HCX and both were up to date. Checking for up dates this morning I found I was out of date, and I have corrected that.
Before we start the update process make sure you have a fully charged battery on your Rino. If the battery fails during the update to the unit most likely it will have to be sent back to Garmin for repair.
Is the version of MapSource installed on the computer the last version and does your gps unit have the latest software update?
You can check this out at the Garmin website. The easiest method is to install Garmin’s webupdater. Easy to do and it is free. Here is the link.
http://www8.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=999-99999-27After you have WebUpdater installed connect your gps unit to the computer. By the way if you are using Windows you should be able to find WebUpdater now in you program files. Go to Start>All Programs>Garmin>Webupdater. Your gps must be powered up before you select Webupdater.
Have your Topo 2008 opened up and go to HELP in the tool bar. Select “Check for software Updates”. You can also check Help in the tool bar>About MapSource and view what version you have installed. This morning 10/24/2010 I updated mine to version 6.16.1.
After you have updated the Rino do the following. We are looking for information.. Go To Main Menu>System Icon>At the top of the page select the box to the left of the X. Select Software Version. My unit is showing………
Software version 2.90
GPS SW Version 3.00
And the unit ID
Click OK
Back to the box on the top left and select Card Info
This page gives you some critical information. In the case of my unit I have a 1GB card installed. The page shows that it is 87% full. Three key items stored on the card show up, Maps 845.89 MB, TRACKS 2.52MB, and Miscellaneous 0.51MB, leaving me 118.19MB of Free Space.
My practice is not to exceed 90% of the card space. The system needs a little bit of operating room. If the card is filled to capacity problems can surface. A quick fix if I want more maps on board is to install a larger Micro SD card.
How full is your Card?? Is it at or exceeding 90%?
How Many Maps are installed on your card? This can be an issue. Even using a large card the unit will only recognize 2025 maps.
Lets go back to your topo software on the computer.
Using TRANSFER in the Tool Bar or select the gps icon with the Up Arrow. The receive from device widow will pop-up. Select all the options and you device should identify itself.
STOP!
The speed of the following options are dependent on your computer. I like to download the items to the MapSource and save them. In the case of my computer it took a couple of seconds to download.
The real time killer is when install a new mapset to the gps unit. If you want to add one map the whole mapset is removed, and the new map installed.
Think about this one before doing it. I would not do this if I have a pre-loaded Garmin Topo card. I do this with an after market Micro SD card.
Normally when I change a mapset….I re-format the card. That is why I save the data on the card. Tracks and routes a maybe more important than maps because new map can be created from your topo software.
If you want to reformat your Micro SD card, place it in a SD card hold, and then insert it in the SD card slot in your computer.
Select the My Computer Icon on your computer.
In the case of My Computer it shows up in drive H and shows a Garmin Folder. Once you have identified the correct drive, select the back arrow so that the drive line up is displayed for your computer. Mine shows removable Drive H.
Next Right Click on Drive H.
You will get a drop down with a number of Options.
Select Format
I select the Quick Format Option
Once this is done you have a clean card. If you failed to save the data it is gone.
Another option is to purchase a new 1 GB Micro SD card.
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Micro-Card-Retail-Package/dp/B000HWVOFQWhat Garmin says?
Question: Why didn't all of my maps transfer to my micro SD card?
Answer:
Please follow these steps:
1. Make sure the total amount of memory for the mapsets selected in MapSource does not exceed the size of the micro SD card. Left click the mouse on the "Maps" tab in MapSource, the total amount of memory for the mapsets selected will be displayed at the bottom of the page.
2. Check the total number of mapsets selected in MapSource. These devices can only hold a maximum of 2025 mapsets.
3. If it is within the parameters of the memory and the mapsets, the next item to check is the software version on the GPS device. With the version 2.90 firmware update, the ability to utilize the Mass Storage Device was added to the device. To find the software version on the device, follow these steps:
1. Press the 'Menu' button 2 times.
2. Select "Setup" and press 'Enter'.
3. Select "System" and press 'Enter'.
4. On the "System Setup", press 'Menu'.
5. Select "Software Version" and press 'Enter'.
6. If the software version on device is older than version 2.90, use the Garmin WebUpdater to update the software on the device.
4. Now try to utilize the "Mass Storage Device" feature in the GPS device. With Mapsource opened, the unit connect to the computer and powered on, prepare to load the maps as before but DO NOT select "Send To Device". Access the "Mass Storage Device" first. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Press the 'Menu' button twice.
2. Select "Setup" and press 'Enter'.
3. Scroll over to "Interface" and press 'Enter'.
4. Scroll down to "USB Mass Storage" and press 'Enter'. There should now be a picture of a GPS device connected to a computer on the screen of the device.
5. Left click your mouse on "Send to Device" at this time.
6. A box will now appear with "Find Device". Make sure the Mass Storage drive is listed. If it is, left click the mouse on "Send".
After the maps are finished transferring, power the GPS device off. Then power back on and check to see if all of the maps are loaded now.
These devices have been tested up to a 1 gigabyte micro SD card. Garmin does not guarantee any card larger than 1 megabyte will work with this GPS device.
