Stolen SD card from Garmin GPSMap 500. What do I do now

[joyfull]

Just put boat on mooring on the Tamar and found my SD card has been stolen from the cockpit mounted GPS. The boat was alongside in Exeter Canal Basin for four months and anybody could have walked aboard. Put it out on a swinging mooring and bingo.

How best to replace. Will a current chart card work on a 2008 unit?

 

[halb]

Perhaps put a request on the Wanted forum?

 

[yachtorion]

When you say 500, which exact model? e.g. if it's a 551 it has a built in UK chart which doesn't need the SD card and can be updated via the Garmin website.

 

[joyfull]

Thanks. I will check if it is a 500 or 550. I think there is some basic map info without the SD card. I will run it and see.

 

[TimH]

Try ringing Garmin support in the UK. I have found them very helpful and knowledgable. I managed to loose my SD card over the side. Garmin have two ways now to get SD cards with maps for most recent chart plotters. First type is downloadable and can be copied for a month or so as many times as you like but will only work on your registered Garmin machine. Other type is just an SD card but can be used on any compatable machine. Pretty much impossble to copy apparently. A real bugger if you loose it or someone knicks it. I went for the downloadable and have several copies which can only be used with my chartplotter but can also be used with Garmin Mac/PC homeplotting computer software.

 

[rob2]

Perhaps put a request on the Wanted forum?

Dead or alive?

Rob.

 

[Pete7]

Sounds like you are in for some fun, this is my story. Garmin 555s from about 2007. Decided to update the SD card last year. Paid £99 for the update off the Garmin site and stuffed the SD card into the puter. Failed, SD card wasn't big enough for the latest charts of the English Channel. Buy a new 2Gb SD card and download chart. Wander down to boat only to find Garmin 555s can't see the card. E Mailed Garmin who explain that I need to update the operating software for 2 Gb cards first. Download latest O/S and back to the boat and install, eventually after several false starts. Back home and down load Garmin chart to new SD Card, then back to boat. Garmin 555s failed to see new chart. E Mailed Garmin and was told I needed a file on the SD Card before I install the new chart. Back to the boat, install SD card and download file "Garmin Device, XML Document".

Back home download chart onto SD Card and return to boat. Install and finally it works. Well not quite, first the speed over ground doubled so I was doing 10 knots around the Solent instead of the previous 5 knots. Sorted by doing a factory re-set. Second problem is the depths have reverted to read in feet rather than meters and the menu option to change this seems to have disappeared.

I wish you luck, my advice would be to go to a Garmin dealer and just buy a complete new up to date card with the latest chart. It if doesn't work its the retailers problem, not yours. Don't bother with the posh Vision 2 which has photos etc, wasn't worth the extra.

This is what the Garmin Card will look like once complete with files and latest chart:

 

[[3889]]

Hmm, to confuse things further, I copied my SD card without any issues to use on my desktop with Homeport. Both original and copy also work in the replacement 551 I had to buy when Garmin refused to repair or replace my original 550 five year old unit, or let me pay the difference for a 551, which they would have replaced Lucky for them I'm too lazy to fit another make of plotter.

This is the file structure:

 

[Lindsay All At Sea]

Thanks. I will check if it is a 500 or 550. I think there is some basic map info without the SD card. I will run it and see.

Did you manage to sort out whether you needed extra charts or do you still require the SD card?

 

[joyfull]

Did you manage to sort out whether you needed extra charts or do you still require the SD card?

Not yet. As it is not working at the moment.

It is a Map550 and has some internal charts but can't get it working as the screen was frozen after I crashed over the Exmouth overfalls when running the SD card (now stolen). I did a reset (Start + Home) and it is now somewhere off the coast of Florida with a ? in the boat icon, so possibly not picking up the antenna. It is new to me and so I have not yet found how to work it. I will check the antenna connections this weekend and try adn reset again.

And ideally would like to get BlueChart2 Vision SD card once I know it is working.