Garmin MapSource BlueChart CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, Americas (010-10317-00)

User Review: - Good detail, works fine
I delayed buying the MapSource Blue Chart CD-ROM for a couple of months after buying a Garmin CPSMAP 76CSx because I couldn't get comfortable with what worked with what and what would it look like, and how much would it cost to download the marine charts I felt I needed. Enough time passed that I finally had to make a decision whether or not the handheld GPSMAP was going to function as a backup to my boat's chartplotter or not as I had to pick up my boat from a shipyard 120 miles away and bring her home. I got the chart coverage I needed as part of my "free" download and the loading of the CD into my laptop and the download from my laptop to the Garmin all went smoothly. The handheld Garmin worked perfectly and mirrored my chartplotter accurately for the two and half day trip up the Inter Coastal Waterway. I could have navigated the whole trip with the BlueChart if I had to, although it would have been inconvenient due to screen size.

---

User Review: - The Good and Bad
The BlueChart Maps provide plenty of detail and are fairly simple to read on your device. The programs are also fairly simple to load on your PC, unlock and upload onto your Garmin device. There is one major flaw to this software...when you buy the CD you can only unlock one very small portion of the maps, if you want to unlock additional maps on your CD you need to purchase an unlock certificate for each region you wish to unlock. IMO if you buy the CD you should be able to access and use the ENTIRE CD. Just another way to rip off the consumer!

---

User Review: - What a ripoff!
There aren't many choices for nautical chart software for the Garmin 76cx so I sprung for the Bluechart Americas package expecting it would cover at least a few of the 10,000 lakes up here in Minnesota. Well, they did manage to cover Superior and even Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, but they missed a little something called the Mississippi River (at least the northern half) and the other 9,997 lakes. What's unbelievable is the unlock process. Holy cow! I can choose to unlock the Rainy Lake area for the $100+ I spent for this package but if I want Lake Superior it's another $100+!! Wow, I wasn't expecting that I would get all of the Caribbean or Lake Titicaca (Peru) for the initial price but I certainly expected they would include the only two lakes covered in Minnesota for the same price. What a colossal rip off! It's pretty rare to find blatant examples of unfair business practices in this day and age but I think this falls in that category. Incredible!

---

User Review: - Garmin Support is AWFUL
Six weeks now and I still don't have this GPS running. Wait 45 minutes for tech support to get on phone, then they have to hand you off to someone else which means another 45 minute wait. Their instructions and web site are not intuitive and are very unclear. A friend who is a software designer can't figure this convoluted mess out. The best help is through others who have struggled with this and posted remarks and solutions on the internet. I would not recommend Bluechart Americas to anyone. This was supposed to help me navigate in my kayak, but it is giving me ulcers. This is a good stock (GRMN) to short. It just has to go down.

---

User Review: - Version?
I called amazon to find out what version they were currently shipping and they informed me that they could not tell as the product was in a different physical location. Does anyone know what version Amazon is shipping now?

  Next page of reviews >