i am new to this but had a garmin on my boat,i was wondering if anyone has any experience with the oregon?also do i need map chips to upload maps? thanks
You may be able to find what you need right here, but your question is pretty general. The OR will take a 4GB microSDHC card, if that's what you were asking. Read the tutorials to find out how to make the best use of this site. Garmin also sells maps on DVD and cards. On the whole, DVDs permit the most flexibility, although the maps are locked to a single GPSr.
so you are saying buy an updraded map on a sd card then use on a dvd player.then it will be locked?thanks
silvereagle, what?
You don't need a chip unless you want to load more than the onboard memory allows (I'd get a chip from http://www.newegg.com or even bestbuy since it allows a lot more flexibility.
Now, with that said you can buy Garmin's map or download maps from here. Make sure you've installed mapsource then follow this tutorial: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/
I think you got confused with the "DVD player" part.
If you purchase official Garmin maps there are three options.
1. Download the maps to your computer from Garmin's website. Most of the time this is a bad idea because the maps can only be installed on your GPS and they cannot be used on your computer. They will be permanently locked to your GPS and can't be used on another one.
2. Purchase a memory card from Garmin. This will plug directly into your GPS and be ready to use immediately. It can also be plugged into any other GPS, but it can't be copied. It also cannot be used to view the maps on your computer.
3. Purchase the maps on a DVD from Garmin. This is not like a movie on a DVD, it's a disk that you put into your computer. The maps are then installed on your computer so you can view them there. You then connect your GPS to the computer and send the maps to it. These maps can only be used on your gps and cannot be used on another one.
The fourth option which Dan describes is to download some of the user-contributed maps on this site.
oh ok thanks so much for the help i am learning this thing.it seems cool,what maps give the most detail?is it the 24k? or is birdeye the way to go.thanks all
Depends on how you define details. The Birdseye imagery will have a finer resolution then the 24k maps; however the maps will have features labeled. You will also have to interpret what it is you are looking at in the imagery.