Garmin Street Pilot 2610 GPS

[JaceBeck]

I just got the new 2610 Garmin GPS and used it on our last camping trip of the year last weekend. This is the best portable car navigation system that I have used so far and that includes all of the Delorme Street Atlas and others that I have used on my laptop. It never missed a turn or road and even auto-calculates a return to your route if you get side-tracked.

Rather than give a lengthy review of my own here, check out this detailed review from gpsinformation.net...

http://gpsinformation.net/sp26xx/sp2610rev.html

I picked it up off the web for about 25% off list price, new.
Jace

[joshua32064]

Did you use the built in antenna or hook up an external antenna?

[JaceBeck]

I bought the external antenna but have used only the internal one so far. I am amazed at it's accuracy and ease of use. The remote control is really good as you don't have to lean over and poke the screen or punch buttons while you are trying to drive.

The screen is nice and bright and there are a lot of customization options.
Jace

[joshua32064]

I think I am going to purchase the unit as soon as I finish this e-mail.

I was able to find it for $800 and that price includes tax and shipping. Sounds like a great deal!

Thanks for your suggestion.

[joshua32064]

Jace,

Question for you. I just got on the Garmin website and from the way it looks, the unit is pre-loaded with the major thoroughfares and highways of the United States.

From what it appears, if you want to find a certain address in lets say California, you need to download that information from a CD which is included into the unit.

Is this correct or am I missing something? Do I have to download an address to the unit every time I want to find a place or am I able to download all the street for a state for example into the unit?

I look forward to your response and I appreciate your help.

[Fun-Lovin]

Are you currently using it with the laptop or as a standalone. I was using a Earthmate with the streetatlas and a laptop that really worked nicely but currently I have and use a Garmin GPSMap 76. Its really nice but the drawback I have found is it only holds about 4 maps. It can be used in conjunction with a laptop or standalone with limited maps.

[JaceBeck]

Joshua32064,
The answer to your basic inquiry is no to part one and yes to part two.

The 2610 has a 128meg compact flash (CF) card that will accept the highly detailed data from the City Navigator (CN) CD rom and it will accept a lot of data...in my first trial almost all of Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Chicago metro area.

It also is excellent at combining basemap data with CN data so you could, for example...load the Minneapolis metro area and the Chicago metro area and have a seamless route created for you that is a combination of basemap and CN maps for long trip.

Further, you can upgrade the CF card so you can add more CN map detail, all the way up to 2 GB, though those cards are very expensive. The total space for all of the CN maps is just under 2 GB. For my use around Minnesota and the occasional long trips the 128 seems far more than adequate.

Lastly, I got my unit from www.safetracgps.com and the were great to deal with. They may be out of stock right now, but they give you the option of backing out if they are. Hope this helps.
Jace