Garmin GPS62s. GB Discoverer 1:25k for the Lake District & BaseCamp

Former Member over 12 years ago

Hi

I have a Garmin GPS62s and I use BaseCamp on a laptop. I would quite like to be able to use Garmin GB Discoverer 1:25000 for the Lake District on both but for the life of me I can't work out if it is possible and I feel reluctant to spend £130 finding out.

The BaseCamp page quotes the following:
BaseCamp will automatically read your GB Discoverer map data when your Garmin is connected to your computer via USB, ready for you to plan your next adventure.

In relation to microSD/SD cards, the Which format is right for me? page quotes the following:
Pre-programmed datacards are immediately ready to use out of the box. Simply unpack the card and insert it into your compatible GPS device. These maps do not need to be unlocked to your device which allows you to move the card to multiple units if desired, however, you will not directly have access to the mapping on your computer.

Does this mean that if I buy the relevant card, I can use it with my GPS62s and when I connect my 62s to my laptop and fire-up BasCamp I can access the full map? Does it also mean that if I were to replace my 62s with some other Garmin GPS device in the future, I could continue to use my very expensive map?

HELP!

0 Former Member over 12 years ago

Have you checked the cost of buying Birdseye Select credits to cover a similar area? With Birdseye you can pick which areas you want and buy more credit later to add extra coverage. The maps are downloaded to the PC and transfered to your GPS so you can use them on the PC without having the GPS connected. You can only load them to one registered GPS at a time (I'm not sure if there is a facility to de-register them from one unit to reload them to a new unit). If your 62s came with the full GB OS 50k card then you can leave that in and load the Birdseye mapping to the internal memory so no need to swap cards (and not lose one!). <snip>

I must admit that I hadn't considered BirdsEye Select, I don't really know anything at all about it. However, based on your suggestion, I will investigate - thanks.

My GPS62s didn't come with any maps at all, just the basic device and I have subsequently bought the MemoryMap v5 1:25k OS map for the Lake District - I am trying to knock off the 214 Wainwrights.

0 SUSSAMB over 12 years ago

I took advantage of BirdsEye select as I had a free £20 voucher included when I bought my Etrex 20. I certainly wouldn't pay for it ... the map is raster based so gets very blurry as you zoom in. The free maps from www.talkytoaster.info are far better IMO.