Garmin Map updates

[Big Fella Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Fella]

Got a message tonight on my Garmin Nuvi 250W saying that my maps are out of date and to go to the Garmin site and get the latest version. This is where I now had to get lacey to call an ambulance.... $279.00. Holy crap. This seems like a rip off to us. Now the Boss Lady is saying that we might as well chuck it away because at that price we are not going to update the software. The unit retails for $399.00. That makes the computer part worth $120.00 and that's before I would haggle on the price. What a rip off.

Know where you can buy cheaper <LEGAL> maps for the Garmin units anyone?

<edited by mod>

[borgy Member Find all posts View Profile Close borgy]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Big Fella

We have a couple of years old Garmin and we are thinking of updating to the 2009 maps too, but from my searching it seems that they are only A$99.

http://www.gpsoz.com.au/garmin/garmi...ng_cnv2009.htm

Cheers
Borgy

[Big Fella Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Fella]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Cheers Borgy,

I knew someone here would know something, as always.

Big Fella

We have a couple of years old Garmin and we are thinking of updating to the 2009 maps too, but from my searching it seems that they are only A$99.

http://www.gpsoz.com.au/garmin/garmi...ng_cnv2009.htm

Cheers
Borgy

[Lazy Eye'd Mike Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Lazy Eye'd Mike]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Lad's

I have the Nuvi 250 and performed a copyright breach by downloading illegal and pirated software maps.

I reckon garmin made enough outa me when I bought the unit. <That they did, maybe more if they decided to take you for piracy and copyright breach too.>

The nuvi works great, and the < illegal >maps come into thier own. I also loaded shonky maps, the free topo maps for garmins using mapsource and on a recent trip to cania gorge the unit performed flawlessly. I am impressed with the shonky maps, I knew exactly where I was on traks not shown on the 2009 maps. This will delay the purchase of a '4wding' specific GPS for a while now. You will need to purchase a SD card to upgrade the memory, but they are a dime a dozen these days.

If you need any help with the above < DO NOT CONTACT ME>. <This single line has got me a ban of a few months to have a think about what I have done, and also a chance to go over the rules again> *So dont bother contacting me for info, otherwise I will be banned for good*>

Mick.

<edited by admin, who is about to give you a holiday> First and final warning on this.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Borgy, well done for offering a legal source to obtain maps from..

Big Fella, also good you found this of interest.

Lazy eye, well you wont be able to read this for a month or 2.. and you will then know the exact reason why you have a temp ban.
After the legal action that was pending only about a month ago in regards to pirated and cracked software, I am finding it unbeliavable that some people are so stupid as to post what you did on a PUBLIC forum!!

May as well just paint a target on your ass, because by posting what you did you brought PP into the equation. And we dont like having our asses painted.

You will also need to re-read the rules before you come back, if you dont agree, then Bye bye. Your IP has been logged as well, so we know if you join under another name incognito.. :wink:

[Deeptank Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Deeptank]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Having worked in various areas of software/IT for a couple of decades it just blows me away how some folk think software should be free. To electronically map Australia is no mean feat and takes thousands upon thousands of man-hours. Those people must be financially compensated for their work - it's that simple.

Garmin make HARDWARE, just like Tom Tom, Navman, Mio etc. etc. NONE of these companies make maps. In the case of Australia, most GPS's use Whereis mapping and Navteq are also muscling in on the act. A fucntioning GPS is the combination of a hardware device and a software map from two different manufacturers.

This is rather like buying a PC or a Mac and then saying, "Well, they got some money from me, so I won't pay for the software." Then you proceed to load it up with cracked software and wonder why it crashes or otherwise shows poor performance. Why stop there? Toyota got a enough of your money from the sale of the Prado, so surely you should be able to fill up for free at you local servo too. Doh.

So here the scenario: You've bought a Prado (not a cheap car) and most likely some 4x4 accessories (not usually that cheap, eh?), then you bought a GPS (while they're getting cheaper, goodens are still $500,- odd) and then you skip 99 bucks on a cracked map. WHY? Why would you take the chance of your GPS crashing and getting lost for the sake of 99 bucks??? You could screw up your holiday, get lost, not find that doctor/hospital/petrol station etc. etc.

The illegal aspect aside it seems such false economy it isn't even funny. And then to brag about it on a public forum is just the cherry-on-top. Have a word with yourself...

Righty-ho, just had to get that off my chest...! :shock:

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Re: Garmin Map updates

As counterpoint, and not supporting pirating the commercial mapping, consider this:

You are probably a citizen of Australia, and you pay your taxes.

One of the things the government does with your tax money is to engage in mapping the country (I think they use various input like the armed forces, and the SRTM (http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/) but the method does not really matter). This mapping data is accumulated and concatenated into usable topographical and geographical resources at Geoscience Australia (http://www.ga.gov.au) who then make it available as paper or electronic maps for private and commercial use and licensing.

At this point, any private citizen has free access to the mapping data. Costs only get incurred if you want that data printed onto paper or otherwise processed into another form commercially, such as for auto-routing GPS maps. Personally, although I have none of these, I have little problem with paying for the auto-routing maps as there is a lot of work embedded in getting them to work well.

There are free alternatives that use this GA/SRTM data on your GPS such as Shonkymaps, Contours Australia, and others. As far as free Auto-routing maps are concerned, I know of none at this point, but work is being done down at the OpenStreetmap end of town (http://www.openstreetmap.org), and the results are promising. If you have a GPS and want better maps, this is one project you can help to your own future benefit.

My point is that if you do not want to pay for GPS maps, you don't have to, there are alternatives available that do a very good job, especially in remote areas where autorouting is less relevant than it is in the cities. This is also the sweetspot in terms of value for your tax dollars

Michael

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Totally correct and a good post, thanks.

The issue we have is when people perform copyright breach PUBLICLY! :roll: What they do in their own home is their business, but here, it becomes ours.

We all remember that legal action HAS now been threatened against this forum twice.. Resulting in heavy backpedalling and removal of threads/ posts & members that violated the terms of use.

I dont like having to read every post to make sure no one needs a bum smack, its tedious as hell.

As said, theres plenty of other alternatives without breaching ethical lines that people spend big $$$ on R&D to make to sell to you.

[Deeptank Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Deeptank]

Re: Garmin Map updates

I hear you Michael - and I use Shonky Maps myself in one of my Garmins, in addition to Whereis. If it's shareware or copyright free material in the public domain then naturally that's a different story.

My point referred to the 'theft' (no other word for it) of intellectual property. No excuses for that... and to go to a public forum to ask for a crack and/or then gloat about it is just plain moronic. Like I mentioned before, we might as well discuss which petrol stations are easy to do 'runners' from as surely we already paid enough when we bought our cars/fourbies, so why should I get my wallet out at the bowser.

Most of us would never steal anything which consists of hardware, but when it comes to digital data (CD-ROM, download etc) all too often it seems to be a free-for-all.

[Maverick Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maverick]

Re: Garmin Map updates

Hi guys,

For all you Prado drivers that have Garmin GPS units, Garmin are now doing "lifetime updates" for your registered Garmin GPS. Cost is about $150.

Check out the Garmin website.

Mark