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any free map downloads for garmin?? any free map downloads for garmin??
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Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS How to find your way - traditional map, compass and road signs, or GPS and more
Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca




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  #1  
Old 12 Jun 2008
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any free map downloads for garmin??
hi im looking at buying my first satnav for my africa twin and have been convinced (buy threads on the site)that the garmin 60csx/cx is the go for me.sounds easy to use and can take the knocks BUT is it possible to download maps anywhere for free or do i have to buy pre-loaded sd cards?
im planning a trip uk to nz and will need maps for northern africa,middle east,iran,india etc also whats the story with basemaps?what should i look for when i buy,ive found cheap ones on ebay with 'atlantic'basemaps?any info would be great.
cheers.
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  #2  
Old 13 Jun 2008
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The preloaded SD cards ... I don't think they come with data that you can load onto your PC and plan using the larger screen. I prefer to buy the CD/DVD versions then load those onto a SD card I buy ... Oh .. the other thing the 60Cx takes a microSD card .. not a miniSD nor a plian jane SD card...

Next .. buy the wanderlust map set .. this should be better than any base map you get with the unit. So I'd not worry about base maps.

Get the Morrocotopo maps - free and the best you can get for Morocco.

Next If you want to spend a lot of time on the PC playing with free maps (days) then you'll need at least two programs (free; cCPSMapper and MapEdit IIRC) and then maps (free) Maps catalogue
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  #3  
Old 13 Jun 2008
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Hi, The following link is a guide on how to download a routable basemap for the Zumo so I don't know whether it will work on the 60csx, but you never know. I downloaded it on my Zumo and it gives me all the distances and main roads in Iran and Pakistan, for which there are no maps available. The proof will be in the pudding when I cross there later this year.

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As a matter of interest, I was at the German HU meeting and we had some presentations from a GPS "specialist" from Touratech. He reckons the best GPS units for motorcycles are the Zumo 550 and the Garmin 278. Apparently they both have the same features but the 278 is better for dusty conditions. The screen on the Zumo can become scratched as it's a touchscreen. In saying that, he also said that most of them are really only good for about 4 years at the max.

I'm sure there are lots of opinions out there but this guy really seemed to know his stuff. He gave out some valuable hints on how to get the best out of a GPS unit.
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Old 13 Jun 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KennyE View Post

.... the best GPS units for motorcycles are the Zumo 550 and the Garmin 278. Apparently they both have the same features but the 278 is better for dusty conditions. The screen on the Zumo can become scratched as it's a touchscreen. ...
For that reason I'm using these transparent sticky foils for camera and cellphone displays on my Zumo. Prevents the screen from being scratched.

Hans
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  #5  
Old 13 Jun 2008
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good stuff and cheers guys!ive been playing round on some of the sites mentioned and can see ill be needing alot of spare time sorting things out.on one site the files come as 'zipped' so i have to download an 'unzipping'thingy to open them??
as for the wanderlust maps im guessing i can plug my gps into my laptop and deleate the original basemaps and load the new ones on??hi kennyE,will check out the garmin 278 and see what its like,compare the 2.also are you still in scandinavia?if so keep your eyes pealed for LPG gas at petrol stations id be keen to find out what a litre is worth for my car,if avalible out there and the price of petrol...
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  #6  
Old 13 Jun 2008
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I've got the Garmin 276c which is an awesome piece of kit. It's now been replaced with the 278 which has full euro mapping built in. These were orignally designed as marine chart plotters, which means they've got the biggest, highest resolution screen you can get for bike use - it makes a huge difference when you're on the move. The only disadvantage is the need to buy expensive garmin memory cards to store additional mapping.
Last time I checked ebay 276c's were going for £250-300.

Another link for GPS maps:

NOeGS - GPS-MAG - Kostenlose Garmin Landkarten - Free Garmin maps
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  #7  
Old 15 Jun 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KennyE View Post
Iran and Pakistan, for which there are no maps available.
Errr
the link I gave has a map for Pakistan - with contours
It also has some maps for Iran .. not all of it though.
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  #8  
Old 18 Jun 2008
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Originally Posted by Frank Warner View Post
Errr
the link I gave has a map for Pakistan - with contours
It also has some maps for Iran .. not all of it though.

Cheers for that Frank. I'll give them a try.

Kenny
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  #9  
Old 18 Jun 2008
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Originally Posted by camnz View Post
hi kennyE,will check out the garmin 278 and see what its like,compare the 2.also are you still in scandinavia?if so keep your eyes pealed for LPG gas at petrol stations id be keen to find out what a litre is worth for my car,if avalible out there and the price of petrol...
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I'm on a small island in Southern Finland at the moment but will try to get the price for LPG when I head across towards Helsinki. Should be sometime next week. Midsummer preparations are well underway here at the moment.

Cheers,

Kenny
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  #10  
Old 18 Jun 2008
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cheers kenny hope the weathers good out there for ya,i will be out there mid july for a month or so
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  #11  
Old 2 Sep 2008
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Free maps NZ
Looking for free Garmin GPS maps of NZ?
Have a look here NZ Open GPS Project • Index page
Best wishes
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