Using old City Navigator micro SD card on replacement Vista HCx

[AikenDrum]

I've bought one of the 90 quid end of line Vista HCx's off Amazon, to replace my old one, which got a badly cracked screen during an unfortunate tarmac interface at le Tour last summer. I have the City Navigator Europe maps on micro SD card, and thought I could just swap them over but, oh no. 

What's the drill to get it working on the new Vista - do I have to email garmin support and get them to derive an unlock code to pair the maps to the new unit, or is it easier than that?

[phil d]

Did you buy City Navigator on an SD card, or did you download it to the SD card yourself?  If the former I understood that it was transferrable between devices.  Indeed, having just bought the same thing off Amazon as a spare I rather hope this will be the case.  I spent an hour or so yesterday setting things up, but was using an SD card with OSM on it.

[AikenDrum]

Yep, I bought it on an SD card, but the new Vista warns that it can't unlock the maps when it's switched on with the card in situ. I'll be mightily unimpressed if I find that I have to buy another set of the same maps for the new Vista.

[phil d]

Reply #3 from Feanor on http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55054.0 seems fairly clear.  I'll try mine tonight.  Othewise I guess I'll just rely on OSM

[Feanor]

Certainly if the maps were originally supplied on SD card they ought to be transferrable.

It it the same model of device you are transferring it to?
The reason I ask is that some devices have limits on the maximum card size and maximum image file size they can handle.
CN Europe ( all of it ) runs to over 2GB, which pushes it over the size limits on some devices / firmwares.

First thing I'd try is running the WebUpdater from Garmin's site, and make sure you have the latest firmware on the device.   That may be all it takes.

[phil d]

Don't know about AD, but my card (UK & Ireland only; I have another card with France and BeNeLux) was bought to go with a Legend HCx, and will shortly be tried in a Vista HCx (the Vista currently being offered far cheaper at Amazon).

[AikenDrum]

Yep, it's the identical model (Vista HCx). The old one still works, but it's got a badly cracked screen. The software on the older Vista is at an earlier release (Software 3.00, GPS SW 2.80) - the newer one is (SW 3.30, GPS SW 2.90).

[Feanor]

I can't think why it's behaving like that, if it's a genuine original Garmin SD card.
I certainly would not re-purchase the maps in this case.
You've already purchased them, and are entitled to use them.

If it were me, at this stage, I would just totally unlock the image using SPESHUL TOOLS and be done with it.

But that is the language of the Dark Side, and I shall not utter it here.
PM if you want to try this.

[phil d]

Phew.  My card is fine in the new GPS.  Hope you get yours sorted quickly, AD

[AikenDrum]

With a little fettling, under the sage guidance of Feanor, it's working just fine now.

 

[frankly frankie]

Someone else who was asking me off-list about this (actually I think he was looking to unlock his DVD map) has come back with this:

I went onto the Garmin web site and registered my old GPS (Vista Cx) and
then went to maps and unlock codes and applied for an additional unlock code
for the PC City Navigator Europe NT v9. It asked me for the number on the
box of the new GPS (Vista HCx). It then sent me a 25 digit unlock code and
instructions how to apply it.

Copy and paste the code to Mapsource as follows:
Launch Mapsource on the PC
Press Ctrl-U
Select ADD, then paste the unlock code into the space provided
Select OK