One of the best things about Garmin GPS is their absolute flexibility when it comes to navigating anywhere in the world. Thanks to an ingenious international mapping system that allows you do store the map data for whatever area you are traveling in on a standard MicroSD card, you can essentially carry charts and road maps for pretty much the entire world in your pocket with you wherever you go.
The MicroSD card format is compact, reliable, and secure, they use high density flash memory (the same as Digital Cameras and MP3 Players), which is completely stable under almost all conditions. This means that even if they get wet, or are dropped, you will still be able to extract the essential mapping information from the card, and find your way using it no matter where you are.
Because traveling in a boat is fraught with so many hazards, such as adverse currents, hidden sand banks and shallows, and sharp rocks just below the surface of the ocean, having the most detailed maps possible is essential if you are to make your journey safe. To this end, each MicroSD card is absolutely packed with the maximum density of information about a specific area, rather than being spread out over a large area in poor detail, which some manufacturers provide.
That is not to say that you will need to invest in dozens of Map cards for a short journey however. Most of the available maps cover comparatively large areas such as the western coast of the USA, areas of the Mediterranean around Greece and Italy, and the Caribbean, so on a cruise you should find it easy to get all the information that you require from a single card.
Although on initial inspection, the MicroSD cards seem quite expensive to buy, with prices around $175 each, you should put this into perspective and compare them to the relative price of having paper charts of a sea area in the same sort of detail. Charts can cost upwards of $50 each for a much smaller area, meaning that the SD cards are actually extremely good value.
Using the Garmin GPS MicroSD card maps is as straightforward as any other operation of your satellite navigation system. You simply open the protective cover from the card slot in the side of the device, slide the card into place, and then switch on. It will automatically triangulate your position using the satellite signal, and then plot where you are on the map. If you have put the wrong map into the Garmin GPS, it will warn you, and advise you to replace it with the correct one. This prevents you from mistakenly following the wrong chart, which could prove dangerous.
If you have chosen to purchase a Garmin GPS without a map screen on it, you can still benefit from the same quality and interactivity available on the electronic maps by using a laptop PC wherever you are. All the maps are available on CD ROM disks that are compatible with Windows and other operating systems. This means that you can enjoy the convenience of using more complex mapping software to track your position via your GPS and computer, and use them to plot your course in advance.
Although it may be tempting to buy second hand MicroSD cards and disks, or look for bargains from other brands rather than investing in genuine new Garmin ones, due to the comparatively high per unit cost. This is almost always a bad idea. With a second hand map, you have no guarantee that it will be up to date and in full working order, and with non branded maps, there is no guarantee that they are accurate, and if they have been cheaply made, corners may have been cut that could put you at great risk in the event of an accident at sea.
By combining Garmin GPS with Garmin maps, you get the highest quality available, and can be sure that you can rely on the information provided to get you to where you want to be with a minimum of fuss. Whether you opt for the portability of a single device with the maps on MicroSD card, or prefer to choose a simple GPS and combine it with a lap top computer for navigation, you get the same quality when you choose Garmin
