Navigator 5 EUR region addition questions

[ryeflyer]

Hello,

I am a '16 RT owner in Virginia. I am going to rent a R1200RT in late April in UK and ride through France and Spain for a couple of weeks. I have a Navigator 5 on my R1200RT here in Virginia, and would like to take the device with me for my European ride. I have to pay an extra daily fee to use the GPS on the UK bike, hence my desire to take my own.

My question is this...the internal memory is almost full with the USA maps on my device, and am wondering if I can simply add the Europe map to the micro SD slot in the battery bay. I really do not want to wipe the US maps off my own device if I can simply add the card to have it reside side by side with the internal memory. I plan to make further European trips, either by shipping my own bike, or renting again.

Any help with this would be most welcome. Many thanks...

 

[alancoles]

I purchased the Garmin MicroSD version of their City Navigator Europe NT maps a few years ago (v2014.40)and they work fine. I've used the SD card in my Nav-V, 390LM and 56LM without issue.

You will need a very small Phillips screwdriver to take the back off the Nav-V to install the SD card, so it's likely best to do that a bit before you leave to let you work with it. I like to setup the areas I know I'll be travelling to in advance if possible to save time and frustration. For me at least, it takes some time figuring out how to enter some of the addresses. Often entering the postal code seems to help.

The unit may want a restart to load the map when it is inserted. Whether it does or not, after you've installed the SD card go into:
Setting / Map & Vehicle / myMaps and confirm that a) the European map appears and b) there is a checkmark beside it to indicate that it is to be used for navigating. You can either leave your North American map(s) checked or uncheck them to reduce the potential hits on some searches.

 

[ryeflyer]

Excellent stuff - many many thanks!

 

[alancoles]

Your welcome.

As an aside, I strongly believe in buying maps that I need but aren't part of the Lifetime Maps deal (European for me) in the MicroSD format versus downloading them or buying the disc. The reason is that it makes these maps (my European maps) so easily and quickly transferable to whichever Garmin GPS I wish. When I was buying the map initially I was going to do the download to my Garmin 390LM but realized that it would not be easy to use it on the 56LM so I ordered it and just did the wait for the snail mail. Turned out to be a very good decision for me as I've been able to use the European maps by simply switching the card and have even lent the SD card to friends who were going to Europe (on the proviso that they replace it if lost). I've used those SD card maps as recently as this past November and and it has been to Europe more often than me - at least once per year since I got it! ;-)

 

[deilenberger]

Another possible caveat to the Garmin Euro Maps. Several of us bought them for a trip to Europe 3 years ago. At the time we bought the latest ones available. One chap got them on the chip, I downloaded mine.

The POI's were WAY WAY out of date. We found that in France about all there are is unattended self-service credit card gas stations - with the instructions on the pump in French and no option for English.

At this time, very few US credit cards had chips, and all the French stations required chipped cards. No option to pay cash. We found this out with about 20km remaining range on a fuel tank. Using the Euro maps to look for more gas stations, hoping to find an attended one - the maps led us to stations that had been out of business for a LONG time (broken up pavement in the lots, pumps removed, obviously hadn't sold gas for a very long time, etc.) We finally lucked out and found a couple in one unattended station from the UK on BMW's who had a chipped card, and they graciously let us fill up on their card in return for euros - at that point we were in the negative fuel range zone.

The same thing was true of lodging - all across Europe. Many places we checked out after Doofus (the Garmin lady) took us to them - were out of business - or closed for the "season" (we went the first week in September.)

Lesson learned - buy supplemental guide sources, or rent a local euro GPS, or ask Alex the euro-globe-trotter who frequently posts here. And in France - find someone who is bi-lingual to work the fuel pump. The on-line translator isn't going to work, the pump times out by the time you enter the phrase in the translator box. Bring a chipped card and know your PIN#.