Garmin Oregon GPS question

[Luck e 1]

I know i put this in two forums but this one may get more traffic and thus better response?

So I am getting an Oregon 450 for christmas and as far as I can tell I have three options of getting maps...buying the chips, downloading from computer, or buying the cd rom. (i think)

can anyone speak to which option my be best and why?

Or i could just ask...what is my best option to get lake maps on this unit?

[Ed Carlson]

Do you have any other Garmin GPS or Chartplotter units, Nüvi, a Garmin Marine unit...ect?

I ask, because this would influence my recommendation.

[Luck e 1]

I don't...this will be my first.

[McGurk]

If the 450 is the only thing that you will ever use the chip in, and don't plan on ever using a laptop for navigation/management, get the Micro-SD card that plops right in. Slick and easy.

If there is a slim chance that you would tether your 450 to a laptop and use it to navigate with, get the garmin mapsource cdrom version. Then you can use a computer and it's large screen to do your research and waypoint management, and load the lakemap data onto your 450 as needed (it will hold a lot!).

I hope I didn't confuse you too much.

[Westsidefishing]

I just bought CD-ROM for my Oregon 450t. Like McGurk said with CD you can view maps on computer and do some scouting night before you go out to Fish and you can also put more maps on one SD card (4gb max size), so you do not have to switch cards.

[bigbad401]

I bought the CD ROM for my Oregon because I like to see the maps on my computer also.

[Chad_Fish]

A little off topic but I am also looking at getting a oregon for the ice and I was wondering if there is a way to transfer waypoints from a humminbird 997 over to the oregon?

[Tom7227]

Got a Garmin 78s and went with the CD. You can download the Basecamp software and with it and the CD you can put waypoints anyplace you want. I had to hand transfer the waypoints from my Lowrance units and it wasn't too bad on the computer but I think it would have been very difficult on the unit. With the CD you can limit what you download and that allows things to run a bit faster.

[MN Mike]

A little off topic but I am also looking at getting a oregon for the ice and I was wondering if there is a way to transfer waypoints from a humminbird 997 over to the oregon?

You sure can, I just did it on Saturday with my Humminbird 798, do you have Humminbird PC installed on a computer? If not, do so, it's a free download from Humminbird once you sign up for a free account at Humminbirds site.

You can export your data from the 997 to a SD Card, import that data from the SD Card to Humminbird PC, from there you can edit your waypoints if need be, then export the waypoints in a .gpx file format.

The GPX file format is a universal format that can be imported into many different programs, Garmins Mapsource, EasyGPS (free download) and GPSTrackmaker (free download) just to name a few. Hookup your Oregon to the computer via a USB cable and then transfer your waypoints to the Oregon from any one of those programs, it will only take a few seconds.

Mike

[Chad_Fish]

Thanks Mike sounds easy enough.

[Ed Carlson]

The Oregon 450 has plenty of internal memory and as you at this time only plan for the single unit, the CD Rom option is appealing. You will have a second download from the CD to another registered Garmin unit if you wish. But be careful not to access them both when loading the mapping into your new 450...just the 1. This is why I always recommend to new Garmin users to register them first, so if anything gets messed up, they can track it and make it good more easily for you.

Register the 450 and the mapping cd on the Garmin site right off the bat, right out of the box. It pays off in convenience and future deals offered you once you do. Faster service if ever needed too, and you can track everything you own handily in one spot, your new free account at Garmin. Garmin has exceptional support and tools on there web site and easily accessed from your personal account.

[Luck e 1]

I see from the posts that the CD would be best...but as I was looking at the Garmin HSOforum it looks like the only option I have for the Inland Lakes map- North Central, is the download. I don't see a chip or a CD rom. Am I missing it? Is there a second option for lake maps other than the Garmin Inland lakes maps?

[eyebjim]

I have the garmin 450. I have the garmin streets chip this is nice for driving etc. I also have the lakemaster CD rom. I would not get the inland lakes CD unless you really need the whole US. The lakemaster Cd has been great and like stated you can bring the maps up on the laptop. YOu can get this from garmin or right from lakemaster.

[Luck e 1]

So I just called the help line and here is what I found out...probably what you guys already knew and were trying to relay to me.

Options:

Chip:

easiest to plug and play.

CD Rom:

Good because you can put the maps on your computer, then look at the maps on a big screen. you can also then download a few maps onto your device so you don't have to change chips out. Also...I think he said you may not have to "activate" the whole maps on your unit so it may not take up as much space and may help it run faster? Can put it on multiple computers...but he told me it will only work with one device, which goes against what some have said...don't know who to believe on that one.

Down fall...have to order and wait for it.

Download:

Instant map that you get immidiately. The guy said that you can only download one map onto a SD card at a time, and that if you do mulitlple map downloads, they jsut write over eachother. For example. Lets say I wanted both the Mn Lakemaster and the WI lakemaster downloads. If I did the MN one first, as soon as I downloaded the WI maps it would in essence erase the MN maps. I really questioned him on this because I didn't think that seemed right...but thats what he said.

So I asked him if...once I have put the CDs on my computer and loaded them onto my SD card if I could run multiple maps at once. He said that you CANNOT have two maps running at the same time.

For example...if I bought the city Navigator maps to see local streets and the Lakemaster chip for the lake that I would have to "engage" the street maps when I am driving to the lake, and when I got to the lake I would then have to "disingage" the street map and then "engage" the lakemaster maps.

So it seemed like best options would be either getting the CD or getting the chip.

Honestly...I may call back to double check with another person. I can't believe that if you downloaded the MN lakemaster maps, then downloaded the WI maps you would lose the MN maps.

[bigbad401]

Honestly...I may call back to double check with another person. I can't believe that if you downloaded the MN lakemaster maps, then downloaded the WI maps you would lose the MN maps.

Once you load a map into the Oregon, go into the Oregon through the USB and change the file name of the map you just loaded. With Garmin the maps all load from the CD with the same file name, so just change it. I have several maps on my SD card, all with different file names. Just make sure that you keep the same file extension. So you can have multiple Lakemaster maps on the GPS at the same time.

You can only have one map engaged at a time. Use the City Navigator to drive to the lake and then turn on the Lakemaster map. That is what I do.

[Luck e 1]

bigbad...

Ohhhh. So the guy was kinda wrong in that unless you change the name, it will overwrite...but he never mentioned changing the name.

That is great to know. I will still probably do the CD rom.