GPS - Re: GPS units that can't be updated - what about the units built

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Re: GPS units that can't be updated - what about the units built

Jack Erbes

2007-07-12, 3:33 pm

Gary wrote:
> Peter, I'll admit to being completely clueless when it comes to updating my
> Magellan RoadMate 500 using anything other than the updates sold by
> Magellan. Now that Magellan has told me that they're no longer supporting
> the 500 and that there are no more updates available can you tell me how to
> get newer maps into it? Thanks.

Being a GPS user can be tough. And Magellan and Garmin are not wasting
much time or money on making it easier. I shifted from Magellan to
Garmin last year but still follow Magellan topics. You never know when
you'll change back again.

If I go to the Magellan web site and flounder around on their slow
loading pages (apparently now on one of the slowest servers in India) I
eventually find the support page for obsolete products:

http://www.magellangps.com/support/obsoleteProducts.asp

And choose the RoadMate 500, it takes me to a linked page

http://www.magellangps.com/support/....asp?prodid=956

but I get the following error:

"The system cannot find the file specified."

I try some of the other links to support for other obsolete products and
get the same error for every one. So I'm at a dead end street here.
These are the kind of issues and problems that make me glad I'm no
longer using a Magellan.

It pisses me off but I decide to see if I'm screwed up or they are. So
I go back to the support page again:

http://www.magellangps.com/support/

I ignore the legacy products link and choose the RoadMate series and
RoadMate 500 from the Product Support & Updates > My Magellan is >
Select a Model select boxes and click on the Submit button.

That takes me to a support page for the RoadMate 500. Hooray! But I
can't post a link to is because it is an "active server page" (has a
..asp suffix) and it does not have a visible URL. This does nothing to
further my esteem for things Magellan. Why the hell would they want to
make it this hard to share info about their products?

But, anyway, if you go to the Magellan pages and ape my actions, you can
get to a page that will maybe help you start figuring this out.

On the RoadMate 500 page I found a Updates/Upgrades section that had
some FAQ that should help you. It looks like the normal process for
upgrading the maps on those involves (or did at one time at least)
require some registration and unlocking or authorization interactions
with Magellan. And I suppose at least some of that is going to involve
your having to pay for or buy an upgrade.

No seller of automotive GPS receivers gives away free updates for
mapping data. They will (or may, and should) give away free updates for
the software in the GPS receiver that uses the data because those
updates go to fixing design and software errors that keep the product
working right or the way they said it would. Every generation of
Magellan (and Garmin) hardware goes to obsolescence with unfixed issues
and unresolved errors. That is called "poor product support" and is one
of the things that drove me from Magellan to Garmin.

Don't take any of this as a personal flame, I'm venting on Magellan
here. But you have to be stubborn and persistent to figure some this
out and make it work. This newsgroup is a good start for getting help,
alt.satellite.gps.magellan is another group that is more specific to
your needs and you may get better help there.

Jack

Jack Erbes

2007-07-13, 10:33 pm

Gary wrote:
> Jack, Thank you very much for the reply and for such a detailed response.
> I've already got the latest update that Magellan had available. I think
> that I paid $99.00 for it awhile ago but IMHO the maps were a bit out of
> date then and they are greatly out of date now. I wouldn't mind paying
> Magellan, or anyone else for that matter, to keep the unit up-to-date. I
> just get the impression from Magellan that there's no way to update it.
> That seems like such a waste and if you know of any third-party software
> that will update it I'd love to know how to do it. I'm trying to research
> it but I'm having a tough time understanding much of it. Thanks, again!

I guess the bottom line is that if Magellan is not going to support it,
no one else will. And I'd not be surprised if we are not seeing at
least the beginnings of the decline and fall of Magellan's empire here.

And as far as you or someone making maps for it, the Magellan maps are
proprietary and no third parties that I know of are making and selling
maps for them. In fact, I don't recall reading or hearing much or
anything about people being able produce and upload maps to the
Magellans on a do it yourself basis.

The Garmin proprietary maps are a little more open to map making by
third parties. It is a moderately technical and complex process but it
can be done. I think some third party maps are offered for Garmins in
Britain and/or Australia. And there are a number of people making
Garmin compatible maps for third world places for which there would not
otherwise be any mapping available. A number of people are making maps
to satisfy various personal needs. And a lot of that mapping is free
for the downloading.

But there is nothing like good autorouting maps for North America for
Garmins that is available for the downloading. If you want good mapping
for a Garmin you can generally buy what you need from Garmin if you have
a receiver that does not come preloaded with it.

And when I'm talking about third party maps for Garmins and Magellans
I'm generally referring to handheld mapping GPS receivers. There may be
some or even the same compatibility with the automotive models but there
does not seem to be as much interest in making maps for those as there
is for the handhelds.

Jack

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