eTrex HCx - card size

[robgul]

Does anyone know if there's a maximum Micro SD Card size that the eTrex HCx can handle ... at the moment I have a 2Gb and that seems OK.

What I had in mind was to see whether it was possible to put in a very big card and load the complete UK MapSource Topo  AND also load the Mapsource Europe map

I realise that you can only transfer/use 1 file BUT with a bit of trickery I am wondering if I can load one map - access the card and change the file name, and then load the second map.

Then when I want to "change maps" I can put the SD card (in an adaptor) in my Smartphone and, I think, switch the file names back and forth to the default file name.

If that makes sense - how big a card can I use?

EDIT - Question still to answer please - but also : is the GPS compatible with SDHC?
... and looking at SD prices it may be simpler to just have a couple of cards rather than bugger about with file names.

Thanks

Rob

[andygates]

Why not just have one card with one map in your GPS, and a second card in your phone, and swap 'em?

[robgul]

Why not just have one card with one map in your GPS, and a second card in your phone, and swap 'em?

That particular penny had dropped while I was out this afternoon!  Thanks.

Just as aside -wouldn't it be clever if the eTrex had a slot to store spare cards safely inside it??

Rob

[frankly frankie]

Its so easy just to carry spare cards.  Though if you swap to a different map using this method the GPS can be slow to reboot - has to build new index etc.
New software supports SDHC.  There is still a file size limit and a tiles limit, but these are both pretty huge.
Its good to combine map types in one compiled .img file - for example I had to take someone to Heathrow Terminal 5 and my Metroguide map hasn't got it on - so I added the OSM tile for the Heathrow area (which has good T5 detail) and then just switched the Metroguide Heathrow tile off, in the GPS map menu.  Seamless transition between maps, and the best of both worlds.

[robgul]

Its so easy just to carry spare cards.  Though if you swap to a different map using this method the GPS can be slow to reboot - has to build new index etc.
New software supports SDHC.  There is still a file size limit and a tiles limit, but these are both pretty huge.
Its good to combine map types in one compiled .img file - for example I had to take someone to Heathrow Terminal 5 and my Metroguide map hasn't got it on - so I added the OSM tile for the Heathrow area (which has good T5 detail) and then just switched the Metroguide Heathrow tile off, in the GPS map menu.  Seamless transition between maps, and the best of both worlds.

Thanks - I guessed you'd be along with the answers    

My plan is to load as much of the UK as I can onto one card (within the tile/size limits) - that should be enough.  I've just ordered MapSource for the whole of Europe - I'll work out a way to get as much on another card(s).  (and I've just ordered a couple for SDHC cards too)

The other thing I do have which is useful (at least to me as I love maps ... I read them in bed) ... is almost the whole of the UK OS 1-50k from Memory Map on my Palm Treo Pro Smartphone, as several large-ish files ... very good, when hooked up to the inbuilt GPS - downside is the phone is too fragile to use on the handlebars - hence the eTrex

Thanks for the answers!

Rob

[robgul]

This is the answer from Garmin - seems like SDHC will NOT work.

Rob
=======================

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.
 
I will be happy to help you.

The Garmin etrex you have there will accept a 4GB SD card, however it
will not accept and is not compatible with the SDHC card's. The unit can
use up to a 4GB card, however I feel the 2GB card is more than
sufficient to use with the unit you have there. If you can locate a
larger card that is not SDHC then this will be ok to use with the unit.

I hope this helps you.
=====================

[frankly frankie]

This is the answer from Garmin - seems like SDHC will NOT work.
"The Garmin etrex you have there will accept a 4GB SD card, however it
will not accept and is not compatible with the SDHC card's."

Oh dear I sit corrected.  I suppose I thought all microSD cards bigger than 2Gb were SDHC.  Aren't they?  All the ones sold by 7dayshop (23 found, 4Gb to 16Gb) are.

And you've just ordered a couple - do they come with SD adaptors? (most do) - if so at least you can use them in a camera or summat.

Do you know what software version is installed?
Setup > System Setup > Menu (ie LH key) > Software

From Garmin's website:
Changes made from version 2.80 to 3.00:
    * Add support for maps greater than 2 GB.
    * Correct wrong indication of 'Vertical speed' and 'Glide ratio'.

[robgul]

.... I was hedging my bets with the cards ... my Palm Treo Pro will take the cards I have bought ... and my camera will also with an adaptor.

S/w is the latest download from Garmin ... and yes, it had the implication of BIG cards being usable.

Rob

[Manotea]

My Etrex Vista HCx with now current software has a Sandisk 4gb SDHC card and works fine with all of GB Topo loaded. Doubt if its been anywhere near 2gb worth of data though.

[robgul]

When the postman arrives I will investigate.

Off at a tangent ... the 4Gb MicroSD in my phone is doing something odd - works fine in the phone (Win Mob 6.1) (got Mem Map and a load of MP3 on it) - and you can "see" the directories from the PC -  BUT the card will not read in the PC (in its adaptor) - says there's an I/O error??

Any ideas?    When the new card arrives I'll probably try and re-fromat the one with the problem ... but it does seem off.  It's not the adaptor at fault - it works with other cards I have.

Rob

[robgul]

When the postman arrives I will investigate.

Off at a tangent ... the 4Gb MicroSD in my phone is doing something odd - works fine in the phone (Win Mob 6.1) (got Mem Map and a load of MP3 on it) - and you can "see" the directories from the PC -  BUT the card will not read in the PC (in its adaptor) - says there's an I/O error??

Any ideas?    When the new card arrives I'll probably try and re-fromat the one with the problem ... but it does seem off.  It's not the adaptor at fault - it works with other cards I have.

Rob

UPDATE : As suggested by Manotea - the 4GB SDHC card is installed (also with the whole of Topo UK) and seems to work fine.   Next step is to see if I can get the whole of CityNav Europe on a card ....

... and the phone card seems to have sorted itself - I think it might have been the adaptor?

Rob

[pdm]

My Vista HCx suppots HD cards.
I have 8 and 4 GByte cards.

However, the maximum map set size is 4GBytes, leaving another 3GBytes (on the 8G card) for tracks and USB storage.

4G is enough to cover all of Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as Topo UK and Topo Suisse.

(It does, however, take about 10 hours to build the mapset and upload it all!)

[Manotea]

Why not just have one card with one map in your GPS, and a second card in your phone, and swap 'em?

That particular penny had dropped while I was out this afternoon!  Thanks.

Ive been using different cards for different products (effectively, different geographic areas) as each card can only have one mapset.

Penny has just dropped that I could build one mapset with tiles from different products. Plenty of room on the card.