Which memory card for the Garmin GPSmap 60CSX

I think I may just abandon it, since I just learned you can only have one .img file on the card. I have a city navigator one and a topo one, but can't combine them (don't have the cd), so I'm stuck. (I think?)

You can have as many .IMG files on there as you want.

However, the GPS is only going to use the one named "GMAPSUPP.IMG" in the Garmin directory.

I have two IMG's, one for topo and one for CityNav, on the 4GB MicroSD card in the GPS. (Readme.txt is a short how-to on changing between the two, topo mapset.png is a screenshot of the areas loaded on that mapset. The receiver ignores these files.)


To change between the two, I can either mount that card as a volume on a computer and rename it there, or remove the card and use a file manager on my Palm to rename the files.

how big of an SD card can I use in the 60Cx? I was told that 2 Gb was the max and I ordered one from GPScity.com along with my City Navigator DVD, but they shipped an 8 Gb card. Will the 8 work just as well as the 2? Does it matter? I have to say I am a complete computer/software/GPS illiterate

Craig

You can use the larger card; there are some limits as to what the GPS can address, though.

appreciate it - I'm sure they'll exchange it for a 2 Gb if I ask, I'm just leaving out in the morning for a trip and wanted to have the GPS up and running.

With the latest firmware you can have at least a 4 gb map set - I have map set that is just over 3 gb and it works fine. Keep in mind you are limited to 2025 map segments.... when you select maps to download, it'll tell you at the bottom of the map tab how many map segments you have selected.

The extra memory can be used to save your track log for the day... you can set the GPS up to automatically save the days track log to the micro SD card with full resolution, named with that days date.

To load that big map set that I made, using the USB interface, it takes several hours.

I obviously have a lot of homework to do since this all sounds like a foreign language - so I guess no reason to swap the card out for a 2Gb. I'm leaving out of here tomorrow, I'll have to mess with the GPS and City Nav when I get to NC. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet. Thanks again!

You might want to combine the maps with GMapTool.



The 'Join' tab allows you to combine maps, I think. I've only recently started playing with GMapTool, so I could be wrong, though.

Hey I know this is a bit of an old thread, but it still comes up on a google search so I thought I would add my experience in this area.

I am running a SanDisk 16GB card without any problems.

Got all of North America installed and room left over for topos, though, as mentioned earlier they must be renamed via an external device to be recognized as the current map.

So, anybody got a 32GB in there yet?

Chris

3 DR650s (change 'em like my underwear:)

In the past year I've had 2 micro SD cards fail while in use in one of my 76cx's.

Both were off brands, and neither were recognizable in a computer afterwards... in other words I lost the daily tracklog files on them.

So I started looking over my memory cards... the SanDisk brand cards specifically say they are shockproof, freezeproof, etc. None of the others that I have make these claims.

So it might be worth your while to spend the couple of extra bucks for the SanDisk cards. I got a two pack of 4gb Sandisk cards at Walmart for around $17 dollars... worth it for my peace of mind.

For whatever it's worth, I've been using a [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]Transcend 8 GB microSDHC Class 6 card for about 3 years now without any issues. As far as I can tell, Garmin has still not provided a firmware update that would allow for access to multiple maps on a single card (without plugging into a laptop or phone and changing file names), and the size limit for the gmapsupp.img file is still 4GB. Given these limitations, I've found that the most practical thing to do is to carry a number of 4GB cards with a different map on each. The it's simple to swap them out on the fly.

One thing I am curious about, and maybe someone here knows the answer to, is whether the 60CSX is faster or more efficient (battery-wise) when it's working with a smaller map (say, only Wisconsin), rather than a larger (say, North America)? This would give another motivation for using multiple cards.
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Odds of them releasing any firmware updates for that line of receivers (60 and 76) is slim to none, considering there's the 62 and 78 series out now.

So unless you're willing to reverse engineer it and build your own ... i wouldn't hold my breath on it.

As far as speed/efficiency, no, not really. It's only reading the part of the map that it needs when you draw it, so it doesn't really matter how much data's on the card at any one time.

It's cached the first time you start the gps after loading the map too. That's the slow part, but it's only done once.

After 3 years of heavy duty use, my gpsmap 60CSX still works perfect.
No matter if the 4GB or the 8GB micro SDHC-card is in use.

My 60CSX is mounted to the handlebar of the XRR with a bicycle-mount for 10 bugs.

Anyway, would be interesting to see how many operating hours your 60CSX has done so far.
You can find out by holding the "Startbutton" + the "ENTR" button at the same time when starting the device.

Mine has done 500 hours so far.

What are units, minutes?

I have:
900,000
400,000
300,000
150,000
on four76Cx

More interesting, how many miles on total Odometer? I have:
100,000
55,000
35,000
18,000

That timer can be reset with a page+enter+power.

@SnowMule:
Wow, thats what I call a worn GPS.
And I thought mine looks crappy.

How many hours has this 60CSX done before the reset (altogether)?

Are there any malfunctions of the device?

I'd had it for about 5 years before I sold it. No idea how many "hours" were on it, but I used it several times a week, pretty much all year. Snowmobile, motorcycle, truck.

It had definitely seen better days. Screen protector saved it numerous times.


Crashed and split it wide open a few years ago...


I was able to repair it and it picked up right where it left off.


Earlier this year it started having some problems.... :huh


Reloaded firmware a few times, wiped the card... Got it working mostly-well again, but it still had some issues.


Ended up selling it on ebay for over $100.
About once a year I'd wipe everything and reinstall it, seemed to work a little better afterwards.

Mid-2010...

OK guys,
I've read all 3 pages a my heads in tatters

Please bare with me i'm a full blown technophobe !!!

Ok 60csx , love it , got SW France topo card and just bought

City Navigator (All Europe) , with a Sandisk 32gb .......thinking the bigger the better .................it would seem not

So i'm here trying to load the whole of Europe onto the 60 and, no way , seems i'll have to load sections as i need them !!!

Is this right ?

I'm planning a route round the Caspian Sea next year and can't load the full route , and as said not being the best person with computers i don't fancy dragging my laptop along on the trip

If anyone answers , PLEASE EXPLAIN IT IN ENGLISH not tech talk

Cheers Phil

Hi Phil,

I never thought of a SDHC card bigger than 8GB because I am almost exclusively using "open street maps" (these are maps that you can download from the internet for free) and they are max. 4GB in size, as far as I Know.
Furthermore I have never heared of somebody using a massive 32GB SDHC card in a 60CSX...
On this card there must be enough space to store a worldmap + a map of the moon
I have to admid that there are not too many roads on the moon but on the other hand the "Topo Australia-map" was also pretty large, although the outback does not have that many roads too ...anyway

When I am traveling trough many countrys on one trip I just put the Openstreetmaps from each country to a 4GB or 8GB SDHC card in advance.
When reaching a boarder, just switch to the appropriate map by changing the SDHC card inside the device.
Thats better than dragging a laptop along on the trip.