wrangler

Hi there,
I just bought a used Nuvi 710 that has the Middle East 2008 maps loaded on it. Because it is a used unit, it came with only the car charger and nothing else. If I need to update maps to Middle East 2010 onto this unit, what do I need to do? I googled it and there seems to be maps available in the shape of torrents, but then they talk about launching mapsource, connecting the unit etc. etc. which is new stuff for me. Help in this regard would be appreciated.

Cheers.

HumVee

wrangler, any Garmin map products that you would get for your Garmin nüvi 710 using torrents would be pirating, and therefore illegal. Garmin does not use that distribution channel. A new City Navigator Middle East NT DVD runs $147 on Amazon.com - but you may be able to just update the existing roadmap, if it was purchased legitimately. I understand that you got the GPS unit used, so you may not know if the loaded map is legitimate or not. I'm sure that Garmin reps could look up the serial number and let you know what they show associated with that GPS unit. If the loaded map is legit, getting it updated with nüMaps One Time Update would be $99 purchased through Amazon. A nüMaps Lifetime subscription would be twice as expensive, but you would be able to get quarterly updates for your GPS unit (for the lifetime of the unit, or whenever Garmin finally retires the NT product line and moves on to something else).

wrangler

Thanks Humvee, The person I bought this from, told me that the unit came with pre-installed maps therefore I presume this is a ligit install. Therefore I'll look into the option you mentioned and will try to update the maps. The problem is, there is not much help available from the vendors as there is only distribution channel available for garmin and they would only tell to buy the new maps cd but nothing else.

HumVee

No problem, wrangler! I wasn't trying to pronounce any judgements - I just wanted to relay the facts (as I understand them). Also, I make no judgements on people who choose to search for illegal maps - I understand that Garmin maps are expensive (& certainly wish that they were less expensive). But the money from selling map products is what pays for further map updates and development. If none of us were willing to pay for maps, then Garmin wouldn't have any incentive to provide updates.

I figure that people who seek out pirated Garmin maps shouldn't expect support from Garmin if they run into any problems, and need to watch out for all kinds of nasty malware that might be hidden in a torrent that could infect your computer - but I feel it's a personal call. There is a third route - legitimate free maps created by enthusiasts. You'll find all kinds of maps for many regions of the planet on sites like GPSFileDepot. Such maps might not be updated as frequently as Garmin's editions, may not cover as large as an area or not in as much detail - but they are free and do work with Garmin GPS units. Also, finding road maps is a challenge, because such maps become dated so quickly compared to topographical maps, and are hard for volunteers to maintain (largely because the the complexity that allows for turn-by-turn directions). If you do come across good free road maps, let the forum members know! Personally, I'd like to find some free nautical charts...the Garmin charts are so expensive, I can't even think about buying one to mess around with (but I'm not an avid boater).

If you decide to go with a Garmin update for your n710, then you need to decide whether you want to purchase a "one time update" (which is exactly what it says it is - one update) or getting a nüMaps Lifetime Subscription. The latter (as I mentioned earlier) provides quarterly updates (or whenever Garmin rolls one out for your particular map) for the functional life of our device. It's got a steeper up front cost, but if you have a need to keep your nuvi updated, it pays for itself after 2 or 3 updates. You should be able to skip the local retailers, and deal with Garmin online (assuming you have a stable and decently fast internet connection to allow you to download large files).

Before doing any of that, I would recommend you try to register your n710. Create an account on myGarmin, then follow the links to register your product. If nobody has ever done that with your device before, then it will be very easy. If it has been registered, there's probably a way to let Garmin know you're the new owner. Once you've registered, then it's very simple to see which map products are associated with your device(s), and what updates are available.

Keep asking questions! It's a good way to learn....

wrangler

Well I checked the gpsfiledepot but they dont have maps for the UAE and Oman in their list. I've sent them an email to inquire, and will update if I hear from them. I'll check the other option u suggested.