Author Topic: Hey Siskiyou I am confused (Read 594 times)

Al Tierney · « **on:** September 14, 2005, 06:22:19 PM »

Just got a Garmin 60CS and a Legend for my Police Dept. team going down and helping out in the Gulf Coast. Want to buy and load the US TOPO on both. Never used mapping GPS units before. Downloading is a new experience for me. When I read the Garmin Site, I get a headache.

Before I buy the US TOPO:

First, does the Garmin US TOPO CD have an unlock? It is not one on Garmin's list that have unlocks.

What is the deal, can I load on both GPS units. Is it a one shot deal? If I load New Orleans on both, then come back up to the DC area where we are based when finished, am I then going to have to buy TOPO again for that area? The website makes it sound like you only get part of the maps on the CD and you have a one time choice?

Or is this all based on my PC and not the Garmins?

Can I load onto a third Garmin GPS? We have another we are not taking?

Please advise in simple terms.

Thanks, agdexter

Siskiyou · « **Reply #1 on:** September 20, 2005, 03:59:08 PM »

Sorry it has taken me so long. I have been working long shifts on a number of incidents. Make it home, eat, hit the shower, and early out.

There are three disk in the Garmin US Topo package. With the help of my smart wife I have all three loaded on my laptop. Over the last few years I have uploaded and replaced a number of map sets on my Garmin Legend. I have a full load on my 115MB Garmin 76C.

I have also helped other emergency responders update their Garmins off my laptop.

1. No unlock code.

2. I have loaded the software on both my units.

3. You can load map sets from the software on to your Garmin up to it's storage limit. If you go to New Orleans you can load a map set for it, when you return home your can load a your home mapset back on it. Before you depart for your out of area hunting trip you can load a mapset for it.

Other brands do have limits.

Al Tierney · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2005, 05:08:14 PM »

Thanks,

Al Tierney

Siskiyou · « **Reply #3 on:** October 13, 2005, 09:09:03 AM »

Al Tierney:

Let me know how the gps units worked for your officers.

A friend of mine who left for the Gulf Coast in a rush late August returned yesterday. He said thing were a repeat of the hurricane damage to road signs as they were in Florida last year. Because of the short notice he failed to take his new Garmin 76C with him. Says he needed it down there. Shame on him.

But maybe I should not blame him. As a retired City fireman he had everything provided by the City. If equipment was destroyed or lost on an incident the City replaced it. Not so with the contractor he is working for. The contractor encourages his employees to take their own equipment. If the tools are lost or destroyed on the job it is the employees problem. To me a mapping gps in the hands of a driver taking a big rig outfitted for emergency use make sense. Especially when they use rental tractors some of the time. You never know when the driver might have to drop that trailer in nasty weather. You might have to go back and find it. Would you want to take your expensive gps unit to an un-secure environment?

I take a gps almost everywhere when I travel. If I can I will take one to the happy hunting grounds. New territory, and will need to find my way around.