GPS, Maps and Electronics Deals

[TomInPA]

Through December 3, Garmin is selling U.S. and Canadian customers the Lifetime Garmin NuMaps for only $39.99. If you ever thought about updating maps, this lifetime updates is the cheapest deal I have ever seen.

USA Garmin NuMaps

Canada Garmin NuMaps

Good luck and enjoy. This should extend the useful life of a few units out there.

 

[RossKean]

Thanks for the information. Just ordered and am currently downloading for my old nuvi 765. Zumo already has lifetime maps.

Edit: The current maps DON'T FIT on the 765!!! I ended out just downloading Canada and Northern USA which will be OK for the intended use in my car. I removed all of the alternate languages and anything else I didn't need but still not enough room for everything. I am going to put a larger memory card in it and see if I can store part of the maps on the card and still store MP3's. Not sure whether the mapset "bloat" is due to more detailed maps or a rapidly expanding POI file. Maybe its Garmin's way of forcing obsolescence in older devices? i.e. deliberately making the mapsets too large to fit in the memory space available on anything older than a few years.

 

[TomInPA]

Thanks for the information. Just ordered and am currently downloading for my old nuvi 765. Zumo already has lifetime maps.
Edit: The current maps DON'T FIT on the 765!!!

You can add a SD card to the 765T. I have one in mine and the maps work fine. Format in FAT32 (most SD cards are already formatted), add a folder to the SD card called GARMIN. Garmin Express will recognize the additional memory and will install to that location.

I recommend at least 8 GB card, but you can use 16 GB in the 765. I just put a 32GB micro SD into the Zumo 590 and it only cost $12.99 from Amazon, shipped free. There are some good deals out there.

 

[Twigg]

I love my 765T. It does everything the Zumo 550 does with the one exception of connecting the phone microphone to a headset. Garmin have steadfastly refused to implement that feature, because they like selling Zumos.

However, it is reaching the end of a long and productive life. Recently it has started rebooting at the most inconvenient times. It seems a bug has developed in the voice direction software causing a reboot.

Short of an expensive repair it's just not worth doing any other than sticking it in the car

I can see a Garmin Nuvi 2597 in my future.

 

[RossKean]

Thanks for the information. Just ordered and am currently downloading for my old nuvi 765. Zumo already has lifetime maps.

Edit: The current maps DON'T FIT on the 765!!!

You can add a SD card to the 765T. I have one in mine and the maps work fine. Format in FAT32 (most SD cards are already formatted), add a folder to the SD card called GARMIN. Garmin Express will recognize the additional memory and will install to that location.

I recommend at least 8 GB card, but you can use 16 GB in the 765. I just put a 32GB micro SD into the Zumo 590 and it only cost $12.99 from Amazon, shipped free. There are some good deals out there.

I have around 4 gig of music on the SD card in my 765T and it is full. I was planning to upgrade to an 8 gig card. Garmin says you can use a 4 or 8 gig card in the 765T. They don't recommend a 16 gig card but they don't explicitly say it won't work. I might give it a try since you had some success with it. (I assume you can still access MP3 files if the card is being partly used for maps?). Are you putting your routes on the SD card on your 765T?

On the last map update on my Zumo 665 (early summer), I found I was pretty low on RAM but was able to do the full install after getting rid of extra languages etc. Does anyone know if the map installation can be split between main memory and the SD card on the 600 series Zumo? I don't think this is an option for all Garmin devices that have slots for SD cards. I haven't installed the most recent maps since there will probably be a newer update by the time the bike is back on the road in the spring. Overall, I like the Zumo but there are a couple of things that will eventually drive me to a new GPS. The screen washes out pretty badly under bright conditions and I find that route calculation and POI searches are terribly slow sometimes. Don't suppose anyone has found a fix for either of these? i.e. Brighter replacement screen and perhaps a wipe and full reload to fix the slowness (suspect that's a processor issue).

As I mentioned above, I think Garmin is intentionally bloating its mapset to render older units obsolete. Lifetime maps are only useful if your device can accommodate the size and Garmin clearly states that although you may have lifetime maps, they will not guarantee that any particular unit will be able to use them!

Again, thanks for the heads up on the Garmin deal for Lifetime Maps!

 

[Fred W]

Yes. You can split the map set onto the device and sd card, or, better yet, you can load the entire mapset, or multiple mapsets, onto a large SD card. And you can definitely use a 16GB SD card on anything all the way back to a zumo 450/550.

The trick is to download and install your mapset(s) onto your computer only, which is an option. After that is done use the "mapinstall" utility (available free from Garmin) to transfer the maps from your PC to SD card. Because the transfers to my zumo 550 are via USB 1.0, I remove the SD card from the device and install it into a USB 2.0 card reader in my PC. The mapinstall utility will still find the card and allow the maps to be installed there.

I believe the mapset bloat is due to the ever increasing POI files more than any increases in the actual maps. They do a good job of removing roads that no longer exist, but the POIs never seem to get deleted once added to the database. It's actually becoming a problem because you can't trust that something (say a gas station) is going to be where the POI says it is.

Garmin (or Navtec) is missing a big opportunity by not providing an easy way for users to quickly feed back POI errors and additions.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Life time map updates does not mean forever. Lifetime refers to the serviceable life of the device as determined by Garmin.

 

[Madmudder]

Life time map updates does not mean forever. Lifetime refers to the serviceable life of the device as determined by Garmin.

+1

So before you plan to buy this map set, call Garmin and ask how long the life of your unit is expected to be supported!

 

[Fred W]

I disagree somewhat. While they will not continue to support obsolete devices, they will continue to allow you to update your maps (for perpetuity) as long as you can figure out how to do that. Just don't expect them to respond when you complain you can't fit them onto your device any more.

The lifetime upgrade is a bargain at that price for pretty much any GPS device.

 

[RossKean]

The lifetime upgrade is a bargain at that price for pretty much any GPS device.

Agree! For $40, its less than the standard price for a one-time upgrade. (Wish it was at that price when I bought LM for the Zumo last year!) I will try the map split on my Zumo if (when) it becomes necessary.

 

[TomInPA]

Fred correctly suggested using MapInstall to move maps downloaded directly to your computer to the SD card. Another method is to "clone" your SD card so it directly accepts downloads.

Copy the GarminDevice.xml file from the Garmin folder of your device, and place it in the Garmin folder of the SD card. The GarminDevice.xml contains the device information used to license map products to your GPS. By putting it on the SD card, Gamin Express and other map loading programs recognize the SD card as the GPS allowing a seamless direct install.

Otherwise, you can download to your computer and use MapInstall utility (free from Garmin), or MapSource or BaseCamp to install maps to the device.

Also, if you have a device that is no longer supported, you can still get a warranty replacement discount equal to 20% off on any new unit you buy from Garmin. I got my Zumo 590LM for $634 rather than $799 as a result of that discount for a malfunctioning StreetPilot. Not bad! Imagine getting over $160 off on a great new GPS for simply calling Garmin and tellling them your old unsupported unit no longer works properly. (The value of the replacement discount is 20%, so the value varies with what you choose as a replacement.)

 

[TomInPA]

If any of you are looking for a sub-$500 motorcycle GPS, Amazon is selling the Zumo 660LM for $427.40.

I expect to see this unit discontinued in the coming year and there should be some deals on refurbished units. I believe the unit above is new.

 

[Twigg]

The $40 is a bargain compared to the regular $80 price.

However, as many very good Garmin units are available with Lifetime Maps, at very decent prices, it might be worth considering upgrading the unit and comparing what you get as opposed to the features and benefits of your current device.

Clearly if you bought a Zumo without Lifetime Maps, then the $40 is a no-brainer.

 

[yamafitter]

Clearly if you bought a Zumo without Lifetime Maps, then the $40 is a no-brainer.

+1 and done. Downloading the latest NA map as we speak to replace my 2011 mapset.

 

[TomInPA]

Exceptional deal on a Garmin 660 New (not refurb) at $399. Just in case you're filling out that Christmas wish list...

 

[El Toro Joe]

Exceptional deal on ahttps://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0824] Garmin 660 New [/url](not refurb) at $399. Just in case you're filling out that Christmas wish list...

That is a great price. Amazon.com also has it for the same price.

 

[VMaxChuck]

Yep, $400.00 for a 660 with lifetime maps is an awesome deal! If I didn't already have one I would be all over that deal......

 

[TomInPA]

Looks like we are on the verge of that unit being discontinued. Get it while you can at a great price. Based on the history of the Zumo 550 it will hold within $50 of this price for years.

 

[Uncle Hud]

OK, I need little help here, because I must be missing something important.

Been thinking about the GPS dealio for a month or so, but I'm a cheapskate. I've got an iPhone 4S (cheapskate, remember?) that has a decent navigation app (Google Maps) with vocal turn-by-turn; plenty of room for a half-billion songs; and ... it's a phone. I also have a BIG FAT data plan (thank you, employer) that should be OK for handling GPS stuff two or three weekends a month.

So I just Bluetooth my phone to the -- something -- inside my hat, and I have everything I need except female companionship.

Why do I need to spend $400 for a Garmin when I can buy this (https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-HOL-AQ7-2COU) to keep the phone dry when it's attached to the Ram ball?