City Navigator North Amercia for Garmin Nuvi 660

ADSLUSER

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660 and was wondering if it's possible to get city Navigator maps for North America to upload on to it via DVD or SD card? Anyone? Thx

Krusty_Clown

Yes, you can buy it on SD card or DVD..
153 Sterling for the SD card, or 240 sterling for the DVD..

Metroguide is a little cheaper, and you could probably buy it over the net (It's an unlocked product), but it doesn't have device based routing.

ADSLUSER

Krusty_Clown wrote:

Yes, you can buy it on SD card or DVD..
153 Sterling for the SD card, or 240 sterling for the DVD..

Metroguide is a little cheaper, and you could probably buy it over the net (It's an unlocked product), but it doesn't have device based routing.

Thanks. It's quite expensive to buy from the UK. On eBay, they are selling it for a lot cheaper. See link below. Can you tell me if this will work on my Garmin 660? I'm a little confused about NT compatible units. Thx.

http://cgi.ebay.ie/New-Garmin-City-Navigator-NT-North-America-V8-microSD_W0QQitemZ200086705567QQihZ010QQcategoryZ58047QQcmdZViewItem

Krusty_Clown

That's on a MicroSD card, rather than an SD card. You'd need to be sure that you can use a MicroSD to SD card adapter firstly..

Secondly, the Garmin website suggests that the above SD card (not MiicroSD card) is supported, but I would peg off a mail to Garmin support first, just to be sure (without directly referencing eBay!). The concern being that they might region-lock the products somehow, although this hasn't really been their practice in the past.

I'm not too sure how maps on external cards work, do they need to be unlocked, or do they work plug-and-play style?

ADSLUSER

Krusty_Clown wrote:

That's on a MicroSD card, rather than an SD card. You'd need to be sure that you can use a MicroSD to SD card adapter firstly..

Secondly, the Garmin website suggests that the above SD card (not MiicroSD card) is supported, but I would peg off a mail to Garmin support first, just to be sure (without directly referencing eBay!). The concern being that they might region-lock the products somehow, although this hasn't really been their practice in the past.

I'm not too sure how maps on external cards work, do they need to be unlocked, or do they work plug-and-play style?

There appears to be a SD version which is a safter bet I guess. Now you've got me worried if they're region locked but I can't seem to find anything up on the web about this. Hopefully they're not as otherwise, there doesn't seem to be North American maps available in Europe - only American imports. I'll try and contact Garmin and see what they say. Also, does anyone know if the SD version of the maps are unlocked or not, unlike the DVD version?

robinph

Krusty_Clown wrote:

Metroguide is a little cheaper, and you could probably buy it over the net (It's an unlocked product), but it doesn't have device based routing.

It is possible to make the MetroGuide maps autoroutable on the device itself, see here.

Krusty_Clown

robinph wrote:

It is possible to make the MetroGuide maps autoroutable on the device itself, see here.

Or you could use MetroWiz.

ADSLUSER

Thanks everyone for your advice. Now I've got plenty of options to think about

robinph

Krusty_Clown wrote:

Or you could use MetroWiz.

That looks like it is a wrapper program for all the steps on the other forum posting. Defintaley an improvement though as it's easy to get confused with all the GMAPSUPP.img floating about the place.

ADSLUSER

Used Metroguide with MetroWiz and it works a treat. The Metroguide now offers autorouting on my Nuvi 660.

desb

ADLUSER

Very interested in your post. I am buying a GPS before travelling to the US. After much research I have decided on Garmin and am planning to buy from www.handtec.co.uk

I am assuming it is best value to get say a Garmin 370 at €497 coming complete with US maps. However I love the idea of a larger screen but the 670 works out at €609 which is really too pricey.

My questions are:
1. Is the wider screen worth on extra..does it make the unit easier to read without glasses?

2. I dont understand your point about uploading a US map. How easy is it to do this? Does it cost much? Do you end up with quality US maps as good as Garmin original?

Thanks!

ADSLUSER

desb wrote:

ADLUSER

Very interested in your post. I am buying a GPS before travelling to the US. After much research I have decided on Garmin and am planning to buy from www.handtec.co.uk

I am assuming it is best value to get say a Garmin 370 at €497 coming complete with US maps. However I love the idea of a larger screen but the 670 works out at €609 which is really too pricey.

My questions are:
1. Is the wider screen worth on extra..does it make the unit easier to read without glasses?

2. I dont understand your point about uploading a US map. How easy is it to do this? Does it cost much? Do you end up with quality US maps as good as Garmin original?

Thanks!

Yes, the wider screen does make a difference and once you get used to it, you'll never go back to a smaller screen. The 660 series is also notably brighter so it's very visible during the day unless the sun is shining directly on the screen. One caveat though, with the brighter and bigger screen does come at the cost of shorter battery life. However, the 660 comes with 3 power options in the box - AC adaptor, USB lead that charges and a car charger. The box quote 6-7hrs but realistically under normal usage it's more like 3hrs. So bring the car charger with you and you're sorted. Uploading the US map is straightforward. All you do is install the map from the DVD. From the software, you can then highlight on the map which areas you wish to upload on to your Nuvi. The more memory you have, the more maps you can upgrade. However, please note there are two types you can buy - routeable and non-routeable. The latter being the cheaper of course. For routeable maps, choose the NT version of the city navigator maps.

desb

Thanks ADLUSER. I am now sold on the 600 series. However looking at the Garmon website, as far as I can figure, the City Navigator® North America NT v8 seems to be the one to buy (not exactly user friendly website). That costs $139 for the DVD (for domestic US market only?). The 670 from handtec is just €138 more expensive than the 660 and also speaks street names (not a big deal admitedly). So although expensive, it looks like I have made a decision (at last!).

Thanks for your help again.

ADSLUSER

desb wrote:

Thanks ADLUSER. I am now sold on the 600 series. However looking at the Garmon website, as far as I can figure, the City Navigator® North America NT v8 seems to be the one to buy (not exactly user friendly website). That costs $139 for the DVD (for domestic US market only?). The 670 from handtec is just €138 more expensive than the 660 and also speaks street names (not a big deal admitedly). So although expensive, it looks like I have made a decision (at last!).

Thanks for your help again.

Yes, if you buy the 670, it does represent better value than buying the 660 and the America maps separately. Go for it, if you need US mapping, you won't regret it. As regards the 660, it also reads street names. Not a big deal but when you get used to it, it's pretty cool! Good luck with your purchase!