Updating Garmin G2 map

[Crewdog]

The Garmin Rep at the SW Florida Rendezvous was gracious in handing out firmware update v 7.5 and it installed easily and quickly.

Had a free couple of days to try and update the 5212 G2 map so I'll let all the Tugnuts know my experience. Of course maybe some of the Old Salts have already encountered this.

I had recorded the Unit ID #, and used it to register the 5212 online and that went smoothly.

The site shows updates available, so I chose to download the US Marine Detail Map g2 Update Card v14.50 (at no cost) onto an SD card on the computer. Download said complete so off I drove to the boat to merrily update the map; just a way to work boat into my day.

With chartplotter powered down, i inserted card and powered up all the Garmin gear, and message on card update screen said "Could not unlock card".

Got home and did a search on Garmin.com support site and found this:

https://support.garmin.com/support/...caseId={60b357f0-418b-11df-d1c1-000000000000}

Well, I re-formatted the SD card, and prepped it as per Garmin instruction in the above link, and this time brought along the laptop with an attached SD card reader to use the marina wifi to download the update. Of courese it gagged at 258mb of 1.9gb so went BACK home to the reliable hardwired cable internet connection and downloaded.

Got back to boat and just like Emeril, WHAM! it updated fine.

I'm wondering if some of the folks on long cruises carry a laptop and SD card reader for just this sort of thing.

Anyway, it was a little frustrating as I couldn't find anything in the Garmin manuals about this, and the instructions on the download page didn't include this upfront.

Bill

 

[Cocoa Gold]

Thanks for the link, Bill. Very helpful to have when I go to do the same.
Alice

 

[circusmar]

Unless they changed something recently I'm pretty sure that your 5212 is not *really* updated... IIRC to have access to the new versions of the detail maps you now need to leave that SD card in the slot. Once you take the card out your unit will revert to the maps it shipped with. This issue is a pretty big PITA to those that use the Vision map cards. Once out of the Vision map coverage area one has to swap cards or rely on the old, preloaded maps that shipped with the unit.

Also - Garmin's site is having a lot of trouble linking to updates. Pretty much the only way to get an update today is to go out and buy the $100 card. Hopefully they bring the downloads back.

 

[Crewdog]

The display on my 5212 on bootup shows firmware version 7.5 and G2 map version 14.5

Seems to work fine, both with or without the SE Inland Lakes card.

I'll be ordering the Canada card before leaving for Desolation Sound trip.

Bill

 

[circusmar]

Update: Garmin fixed it!

Downloads are live and unlike previous iterations they do indeed update the internal maps. Now working without the card having to be in the slot.

Crewdog - My unit shows 7.6 firmware...