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How long will Garmin provide lifetime map update?
I am in the process of buying a new Sat Nav and thinking to buy a Garmin Nuvi, however i was wondering how long Garmin provides map updates? There is an old article back from 2011 with the forums, however i wanted to know if its still relevant. Do Garmin really provide updates for the lifetime of the device or does the device stop working after a couple of years like apple does with its Ipads where the device cannot handle the software updates?
Comments
It means for the life of the device.
Devices don't stop working after a couple of years. Or more than a couple.
They work for many, many years. They may outlive you.
This is true for older devices that, perhaps, cannot use an sd card.
All new devices have the ability to have ever-expanding maps installed on a removable - and therefore expandable - sd card.
The internal memory of such devices is pretty much irrelevant.
In any case, getting back to Sijackson's OP, any new Garmin device you buy now should be able to receive lifetime map updates for many years to come unless Garmin or Here folds or drastically changes the map file format.
I was looking at a couple of reviews of the the Garmin DriveSmart 60 and the Garmin DriveSmart 70 however the general feeling from the two reviews is that the 7 inch model is too large for your average car. Has anyone got a 7inch Garmin? is it really too big? I think a 7-inch model would be great, but after reading reviews I am a little worried that its now going to be too big for my car.
(yes I have asked the question on several forums. I was not expecting to get a reply - Thank you)
I believe, if at all possible, that one should see a device "in the flesh" before buying.
I have a 5-inch (screen) device, but keep it fairly close to me - in a place which is probably illegal in many places, but not where I am. If I had to have it mounted farther away, I would have a larger device.
My gps is much smaller but I never put it in the window for use. I'll sit it on top the dash just to allow it to get a satellite lock. After that is stays down in a cubby hole that the console of my car has just ahead of the shifter.
While it's true the GPS won't get as good of signal reception down there as it does in the window, it has seldom been an issue for me.
I have also used 5" devices a lot, such as the Nuvi 3550, but I mount them closer. Currently I'm using my iPhone 6s plus (a 5.5" screen) with Garmin StreetPilot and Galileo. I like this mounting location, it doesn't block off any of the important displays.
I make my own custom "Frankenmounts" by chopping up and modifying the originals from Garmin and Bracketron. Here's a 7" Garmin Dezl 760 mounted high in my VW Tiguan a couple years ago.
And here's the Dezl in a low position
With a large screen, in a smaller car you will need to make some compromises on what you are willing to block, such as the radio, heater controls, etc. Also, a big screen can be more distracting. I like to keep it below my field of view of the road. That way I can glance down at it when I need to see the map without it being a constant distraction.
If you aren't resourceful enough to make your own custom mounts, you may find a large screen impractical. They can be rather heavy for something like a A/C vent mount, and too in-th-way with a beanbag on your dashboard. There are a couple companies, such as RAM Mounts, that have systems of components for mounting almost anything anywhere in your car. This can get kind of expensive, but is worth looking into if you want a pre-built solution.
gpsfiledepot map:
The 2018 version of City Navigator shows only this of the same area:
As I arrived at I-80 I zoomed the GPS out to 1.2 miles and was amazed at the historical locations that popped up. I'd seen these places on a Nevada Ghost Towns map but nothing else. Love it!
Glad the new gps is working well for you. :)
Wow. What an incredible amount of info that you get when using sources other than City Navigator.
Please take me with you on your next trip.
I've read there's a back-door way to load a track on these units. Once I have that figured out this may be my ideal GPS for exploring back country I'm totally unfamiliar with. But again, for me the large size is a plus, not a hindrance.
The last time I tried using a transparent overlay (such as the ones created by the program above), it did not seem to work properly on my Nuvi or Dezl. Did not spend much time troubleshooting, so maybe I did something wrong. If you try the IMGfromGPX program, let us know if it works.