Baja 540 Maps?

[DevEmp]

I just got home with my new Lowrance Baja 540C and I'm bummed. I plugged it, configured it, tried to zoom in on myself, and wow, nothing. There's nothing on the screen. My 60 year old street isn't on the map, neither is the larger cross street. Nor does the unit show a 40 year old state highway a few miles from my house. It shows the small towns along that state highway, but that's it.

Do I really have to spend another $100 for the Map software, SD card and card reader to get this thing to work right?

 

[DevEmp]

I'm going to guess by the loud silence that yes, I do have to spend more money to get it to work right.

 

[UK4X4]

I don't think many have lowrance here

 

[adventureduo]

Dont stress! It's a great unit!

$99 for 3 states then the thing takes on life. There hasnt been a trail we've been on that it didn't show! Trust me, spend the extra money on the map card and you'll be golden. Hopefully others will chime in, as i know we aren't the only ones with a 540C.

http://www.lowrance.com/en/Products/Mapping/FreedomMaps/FreedomMaps-USA-EX/

You dont need a card reader. Just buy the SD card and pop it in the unit. It will give you all the detailed info you need.

This is the one you need... and the same one we have..
The part number for the maps is Freedom Maps F104EX-W and i bought it from AdventureGPS.

Got ours here.. http://www.gps4fun.com/

EDIT: I guess it went up $109.95 now.

Make sure to have your firmware updated to the latest version too.

 

[crawler#976]

I'd recommend skipping the preloaded cards. Buy the CD version, get a 2G card, and you can load an enormous amount of data on the machine. I've got NM, AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO, WY, MT, ID, OR, and WA loaded on the machine at 1:24000 topo detail.

 

[spressomon]

Ok...based on the positive user testimonials here and on MUD I bought the 540C a couple weeks ago. We just got back from a 5-day mostly off-road excursion and I got to seriously use it.

As above: Spend the $99 for the MapCreate Topo DVD...it comes with the SD card USB reader and a token 256Mb card.

I, inspite of its gargantuan size, really really like this GPS. If I ever get time I'm going to write a review and post it up...as I have not found any serious review of this worthy GPS...OJ included.

A couple little nits: (But the list of positives is long long long!!!)

I found 2-highways in Nevada that were completely & erroneously labeled...it labeled the actual Hwy 361 as "Hwy 2" for instance.

It would be nice if MapCreate could display the names of mountain ranges.

And, although this feature might be there I couldn't easily figure it/find it: The ability to pick a point to nav to (on-road) and have it lay out a road based route. It just seems to allow "as the crow" flies distance route nav'ing.

But overall and comparatively speaking I am shocked I actually found a GPS I don't love to hate ;-)

 

[mjm]

I bought the CD w/reader. It is possible to create files with multiple states, but I have found it is better to create smaller single state files. You can and should overlap a bit to make sure you have complete coverage. the overlap does not seem to cause any problems. The receiver seems to knit the files together seamlessly.

I am very pleased with mine. I have been using it for about a year. The only beef I have is getting the tracks off the card into the map software. I am probably making a simple error, which is easily corrected. This is the only thing I need to get right before my next major trip.

I originally wired mine into a switched source. Every time I shut the engine off, I had to turn it back on. I ended up wiring a switch near the receiver and connecting to direct power.

To answer the original question, I did not have anything missing in my area. On the other hand, the map for my area seems to be off by 100-200 feet. In my driveway, the Baja 540 shows me in the middle of a street at the end of the block. I have found it to be dead on in the areas I like to go off road.

I have a TJ and mounted it where the footman loop used to be. I have pictures at http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=49094&hilit=lowrance

 

[DevEmp]

I bought the CD w/reader.

So did I, just waiting for it to show up.

I originally wired mine into a switched source. Every time I shut the engine off, I had to turn it back on. I ended up wiring a switch near the receiver and connecting to direct power.

I'll be wiring it to switched source, too. Reading that it draws constant power even when off isn't too appealing to me. It seems inconsistant when aquiring signal from a cold start, though. It's been mostly under a minute, but yesterday it took more than 5, and I had to go in to the system menu to force it to aquire the signal.

I have a TJ and mounted it where the footman loop used to be. I have pictures at http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=49094&hilit=lowrance

Where to mount it is a problem for me. I can't mount it to the footman loop as my Tuffy center console takes up that space. I thought about mounting it above the driver's sun visor, but then my passenger/navigator can't use it. Right now I've got it where the stock radio sits but I'd like to be able to angle it to me or to the passenger. I don't leave it in the Jeep, either... that's just asking for it to be stolen.