Help with Garmin 178C

Paul · 19 May 2006, 10:57

My new boat will be arriving in a few weeks with a Garmin 178C plotter/sounder that will be flush mounted. I am thinking of using the Mapsource CD ROM rather than the pre-programmed datacard so that I can plan routes at home and then transfer them to my plotter. I was about to buy a CD ROM so that I can start planning routes when I discovered that you can get regular or small areas of coverage and I am not sure which to buy. I am sorry but I have a number of questions!

1. Should I get the small or regular coverage?
2. Do the blank data cards have sufficient storage to store a whole coverage area or more or just a number of charts?
3. If I buy the CD now will I be able to look at the charts without "unlock" details of my plotter as it is not yet in my possession.

Thanks

chris p · 19 May 2006, 21:26

Hi Paul

i have the garmin 182c and use the pre programed card and the bluechart CD. in answer to your questions 1= the coverage depends on how far you travel, the CD, i went for the largest posible one i could aford (it payed off as i now use it a lot) the pre programed is solent area only.
2=the storage cards come in differnt sizes get the 32meg or larger
3= you will have to unlock it NO CHOICE you will get a code for the CD (registerd on the garmin site) then register the unit on the garmin site so the card will work in the 178c
with the cd/programable card you can do all passage planning from home, much warmer and dryer.
hope this helps

chris

Paul · 19 May 2006, 22:51

Very helpful, thank-you. I thought that the small area charts might have covered their particular area in more detail than the regular charts for the same area.

DGR · 20 May 2006, 12:41

The smaller packs just cover a smaller area - they go down to the same level of detail.

I decided to go the same way as you - flush mounted 188C, CD ROM and datacard. The other advantage is that you can update the firmware easily everytime Garmin update it (they send you an e-mail, and you just download it to your card, plug it into the unit and way you go). I've been sent 4 or 5 updates in the 2 years I've had the unit.

I unlocked 1 area on my CD ROM - but as it covers from southern Scotland to Lands End (and a bit further) - that pretty much covers my needs!! I bought a reasonably big datacard (128Mb) and it gets all charts and plotting data I've ever needed or wanted on it - my basic 'load' covers all the charts from the Irish Sea from Isle of Man down to St David's Head. Remember to save the tidedata 'map' to the datacard as well - otherwise your tide prediction feature won't work.

Hope this answers the Q!!

D...

Paul · 20 May 2006, 15:12

Yes it does thank-you. Just one other thing. If you plan a route but decide to change it when you are out on the water can you still plot points from the GPS or does all of the planning have to be done on the PC?

DGR · 20 May 2006, 17:01

Yes - you can still do plotting and course changes etc on the unit - same as you would if you were programming it 'conventionally'. The PC is just easier to most of the planning on.

D...