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Re: Garmin Legend Mapsource download

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Ted

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Mar 28, 2005, 8:23:55 PM3/28/05
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Ted wrote in message ...
>Gary S. wrote in message ...
>>On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 23:40:37 +0100, "Paul"
>><pa...@nievre.plus.nospam.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Bought a Legend not long ago, just bought Mapsource Metroguide. I have
>just
>>>tried to download a map to the Legend for the first time and I get an
>error
>>>message that says if I continue I will erase map data pre-programmed by
>>>Garmin. It then says that I can retreive pre-progranmmed data by going to
>>>Garmin website. What does this mean? I have no routes or waypoints on the
>>>legend, only map present is Europe basemap which I thought could not be
>>>overwritten, am I wrong?
>>>
>>Any time you start a session of map loading, all previous contents of
>>the map memory (completely seperate from the waypoint/route/track
>>memory) are erased.
>>
>>The basemap, as you say, cannot be changed or erased.
>>
>>The Legend is shipped with a database of Marine POI (points of
>>interest) loaded into the map memory.
>>" The standard map coverage includes:
>>1. Cities with population 200K and above worldwide
>>2. Nautical navaids for North and South America"
>>
>>If you ever wish to have the Marine POI data back, you can download
>>the file from the Garmin site. Not finding it there right now, but
>>many people have it, and I think it is in the files of the Legend
>>Yahoo group.
>>
>
>It seems like most of the Garmin Marine POI data consists of an incomplete
>set of channel buoys.
>
>This sounds like a great time for a mild philosophical rant about the role
>of buoys during marine navigation with GPS.
>
>Buoys were invented to help skippers find and stay in the channel. GPS is
an
>even better tool for helping a skipper find and stay in the channel. Why
>then do GPS manufacturers show all those buoys when what boat pilots really
>want is to know where the center of the channel is? A simple route line
down
>the middle of the channel with a waypoint at each turn is so much better
>than a collection of a hundred obscure buoy locations. My thesis is that
>marking buoys with GPS or showing buoy locations on a GPS map is a complete
>waste of time and only done by skippers trying to cling to old navigation
>technology. It seems to me that channel centerlines, harbor entrances and
>underwater hazards are the only things a boat captain needs to see on his
>GPS. Throw all those buoy POIs away! They just clutter up your display.
>I plan my yacht adventures by going to
>
>http://map.marineplanner.com/mapping/chart/chartindex.cfm
>
>and identifying waypoints by noting the lat lon from the nautical charts
and
>then making a route down the center of all the channels I intend to
>navigate. I also make a proximity waypoint for any hazards I wish to avoid
>along the way. I find this to be much more useful than the marine POI data
>from Garmin.
>
>If I was to get more serious about marine navigation then of course I would
>go out and get the Garmin Blue Charts but for now the above technique is
>perfectly adequate for pleasure boating.
>
>
>
>
>


scott

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Mar 29, 2005, 7:16:22 AM3/29/05
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and when the batteries die? or your handheld gps goes overboard? or your
fixed mount has a problem with the connection to the external antenna?

and personally i'd rather know where each edge of the channel is rater than
the center. The danger lies at the edge of the channel.

"Ted" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
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William G. Andersen

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Mar 29, 2005, 6:46:51 PM3/29/05
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I've got several routes loaded in my Garmin eTrex Mariner; some down the
middle of the channel and some going from NavAid to Navaid.
Some say you shouldn't use a NavAid as a waypoint. Well, first, I always
have a lookout and second, when relying on radar and GPS to navigate I'm
going slow, and even slower when approaching objects.

"Ted" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
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>

Ted

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Mar 30, 2005, 7:35:26 PM3/30/05
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scott wrote in message

>and when the batteries die? or your handheld gps goes overboard? or your
>fixed mount has a problem with the connection to the external antenna?

You seem to not be understanding the conversation.

If your GPS reciever fails in any way then you will not be able to track
anything,
buoys or channel centerlines. Thus, your response makes no sense.

Let me try again.

If you want to find the channel using the buoys then fine, go ahead and look
outside the boat and find the buoys and use them to figure out where the
channel is. If you want to use GPS to track the location of the channel
then that is also fine. Using both is even better.

The point being made is that there is no reason to ever need to track the
buoys with the GPS. You should track the channel with the GPS, not the
buoys.


>
>and personally i'd rather know where each edge of the channel is rater than
>the center. The danger lies at the edge of the channel.
>

Fine, make two lines down the edges instead of one line down the center.
GPS is quite flexible in that way.

>
>"Ted" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message

>>>

Ted

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Mar 30, 2005, 7:44:29 PM3/30/05
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William G. Andersen wrote in message ...

>I've got several routes loaded in my Garmin eTrex Mariner; some down the
>middle of the channel and some going from NavAid to Navaid.
>Some say you shouldn't use a NavAid as a waypoint. Well, first, I always
>have a lookout and second, when relying on radar and GPS to navigate I'm
>going slow, and even slower when approaching objects.
>


what good is a route that you can't follow because you will hit the buoys?

did you make a route to the buoys because for some reason a route down the
center of the channel was too much trouble to make?


William G. Andersen

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Mar 30, 2005, 8:45:49 PM3/30/05
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Nope. I like the idea of going buoy to buoy so that I can actually see how
I'm doing. When the fog's thick you can't see the buoys from the center of
the channel. Big ships that are constrained by draft have to stay in the
channel, a little boat like mine can run along the edge.
And in case you're wondering, yes, I've been in fog like that several times.
We slow down, hoist a radar reflector, turn on the nav lights, sound the
horn as required and use radar, GPS, and as many eyeballs as we have for
lookout. We always have a chart in use at the helm station - we normally
navigate using buoys and landmarks, and know where we are. An option would
be to get out of the channel and drop anchor - in most places I could beach
the boat. We've never thought it was necessary to do that.

"Ted" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message

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Short Wave Sportfishing

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Mar 30, 2005, 8:54:22 PM3/30/05
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On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 17:45:49 -0800, "William G. Andersen"
<wga...@cox.net> wrote:

>Nope. I like the idea of going buoy to buoy so that I can actually see how
>I'm doing. When the fog's thick you can't see the buoys from the center of
>the channel. Big ships that are constrained by draft have to stay in the
>channel, a little boat like mine can run along the edge.
>And in case you're wondering, yes, I've been in fog like that several times.

I've made the run back to Westerly from The Race in heavy fog just
using a chart plotter - it's tough slogging along, but you eventually
get where you need to go.

Then again, I don't really have to worry about shipping because I can
hug the shore line pretty close if I have to.

Later,

Tom

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