[PATTERSON]

Trying to plan on doing a 4 Corners later this year with an old Air Force buddy of mine. I have a Garmin 276C GPS, and of course they quit making these shortly after I got it. The problem is that it uses a proprietary Data Card only up to a 512. And they do NOT make anything larger. The whole Garmin Maps program for NA is way up towards 1.6Gb now. Which means that if I did a trip thru every state in the Union, I'd need about 4 data cards. At OEM prices, they run upwards of $190 or better. Well, I figure that I could do the 4 Corners with just 1 more card/stick. I don't need to do the states in the middle because I'll be going around the country.....not thru it.

So, this card fits not only my model but will fit the 278 and the 296, the 376C, the 378, the 396, the 478, the 495 and the 496.

If you have one of these and just happen to have an extra 512 card.......please, touch bases with me, and lets work out a deal.

Thanks
Pat
cell 206-334-1614

 

[jeffklt]

So far all I can find is a 128 but couple more places to look.

 

[bikerj]

I assume you're referring to a 512 MB card?

Being that you're going around the country and not through it, can you load only those portions of the map that you'd need and disregard the rest?

Seems like I was able to do so with my StreetPilot 2730.

 

[messenger13_ver2]

$96.95 on eBay is the best deal I could find.

 

[meese]

Some guys over on ADVRider have found a 2Gb data card that works with those GPS units.

Check this link and this link.

 

[jeffklt]

I just emailed the guy on adv and will keep posted here

 

[PATTERSON]

JeffKlt
It would still take me 4 cards of that size to do the route I'd be taking. Thanks for the post to ADV.

BikerJ
Yes...the 512MB card
Realistically, Garmin says that I shouldn't load much more than 4MB on the 512MB card. That would only get me to the Florida Keys. And that's only doing the Northern states and then down the east coast......skipping some of the smaller downloads for a few states.

Joe
Still too much for me....but you never know....I might win a Lotto..... :dance:

Meese
Garmin never made a card that big for the 276c....unless they're lying to me. The same card is listed as being useable on all the models I showed in the first post.

Thanks guys
Pat

 

[jeffklt]

Pat,

FWIW I took a northern route going to the Boise, ID CCR from Myrtle Beach SC and came back on a more southern route and all of it fit on my 512k card in the 376C. I am very puzzled about Garmin telling you not to load more than 4mb on a 512mb card, I try to get as close to the max as I can when downloading maps and still manage to fit my routes in and keep tracking on. I have ordered the 2mb card adapter from the fellow in Russia and will let you know how it works when it arrives. I always travel with a laptop, so I often set up maps and routes ahead of time in case my plans change and then I just let them download at night in the motel if I need them.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

JeffKlt
It would still take me 4 cards of that size to do the route I'd be taking. Thanks for the post to ADV.

BikerJ
Yes...the 512MB card
Realistically, Garmin says that I shouldn't load much more than 4MB on the 512MB card. That would only get me to the Florida Keys. And that's only doing the Northern states and then down the east coast......skipping some of the smaller downloads for a few states.

Joe
Still too much for me....but you never know....I might win a Lotto..... :dance:

Meese
Garmin never made a card that big for the 276c....unless they're lying to me. The same card is listed as being useable on all the models I showed in the first post.

Thanks guys
Pat

 

[meese]

No, Garmin never made a 2Gb card for those older x76 units.

But some enterprising rider has figured out how to pop open a Garmin data card and replace the small memory chip with a 2Gb chip.

I haven't done this, as all my Garmin units are newer and thus take larger capacity MicroSD cards, but some friends who are still using the x76 devices have done it with good results.

So I thought I'd post the links here for reference.

 

[bikerj]

I wonder if Garmin uses the memory card for virtual memory, swap files, temp files, or something similar in order to facilitate the program in the device (like an operating system). Maybe that's why they recommended the 4 MB limitation for a 512 MB card, but that still doesn't make sense. It seems more plausible they would need 4 MB available for overhead for the card, thereby leaving you approximately 508 MB for storage. You might want to double check this.

 

[PATTERSON]

JEFFKLT and MEESE

I was looking at my mapping and do see that it is possible to do the route you're described, if I left out most of the NE U.S. states........ so, in order to complete the rest of the routing around the U.S., I'd still be buying another 512Mb Data card.

And I talked with Garmin and they said that unless they (the Russian) reprogrammed the processor and redid a bunch of codes.......the larger card won't read all the extra information it'd have in it. It wasn't designed to read that much originally. But, hey....if you get it and it works as well as the original.......WOW!
I did check out the two links that you included Meese......and it does look really good. But for my purposes, I have to weight the $150 vs the $90+ on eBay for another 512......and being retired and on SS now....I think that's the way I'm going to jump.

BikerJ

Turns out that a lot of the older cards did have a buffer area.....but the newer ones (the 512) was designed to take almost everything you could get into it....but not OVER the 512.


Thanks for all the info you guys.............it really helps.
Pat

 

[jeffklt]

Well I took the risk a couple months ago of paypaling to russia for the 2gb card and it finally came. I have loaded the entire US and Canada from MapSource and have .5gb left over. Pretty impressive!

Jeff

 

[dfinazzo]

Decided not to buy the Zumo 350LM for the moment . . .I have not found an owner yet
willing give me a comparison between it and a 376c - especially in the area of screen
brightness!! Also like that I can place individual information in all 4 corners of the 376c
screen when on route.

Went over to ADVRIDER and sent funds to the guy in Russia . . . waiting for the 2GB Card
and will post the results. I have a Garmin 376c - which now are selling on eBay for almost
more than $100 over the price I paid for it new - 6 years ago!!

I have three Data Cards 512MB, 512 MB and a 32MB - I will sacrifice the 32MB for the 2GB
chip conversion and will sell the others. I have tried to load the entire US on the 2 - 512 MB
cards but is does not quite fit so I am expecting the 2GB card to have no problem at all!!

 

[dfinazzo]

Well I got my 2MB data card from the guy in Russia - sent funds on 5/2 and got the card on
6/14 - not as fast as others had reported but I think well worth the wait. Now routes can
work flawlessly across the country without switching cards!!!

No issues I dropped the entire map of the US / Alaska / Canada / Hawaii / and what ever
was available in the Caribbean islands . . .

Card before loading


Card After Loading


So now I am off to selling my two Garmin 512MB cards!! Currently going on eBay for
about $95 each - I am letting them go for $85 each . . .anyone interested??