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Scooby99 Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:18 am Post subject: TomTom 520 & US map download queries |
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Hi – I own a TT 520 and I am going to Florida in 3 weeks (Disneyland etc, nothing too complicated). Thought it would be useful to buy Sat Nav maps and cheapest way seems to be to download (to buy on an SD card costs around £75).
Options seems to be to download (from TT website)
USA v8.45 @ £54.95
North America 2GB v 8.45 @ £64.95
Firstly, can anybody tell me the difference / will I be OK with the cheapest ?
Do I merely download to an SD card and swap the SD card with my current UK maps ?
Does this have any implications for my stored UK POI (are these saved on the internal memory, so when I am back in the UK I swap the cards back over and I am back where I was ?)
Is there any way I can check whether the download has been successful and the maps will work, or do I have to get to the States and swap over then, hoping that they will work ?
Many thanks for any help you can give – I am a bit nervous that I will create future problems for myself and /or I will get to the USA and find nothing works. |
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mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:47 am Post subject: |
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USA covers just USA, North America includes Canada etc.
Get a 4GB empty card (or larger as the device can support up to 32GB capacity SDHC cards), put your UK map on the card and then purchase/ download and install the North America map to the same card, pop the card in to the device and you can select which map from the change preferences/ manage maps/ switch maps option - Much faster than messing around swapping cards around as they are easily lost! - Mike |
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dhn Frequent Visitor
Joined: Oct 08, 2007 Posts: 2544 Location: Toronto CANADA
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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Scooby, your UK pois are within the UK map folder. There will be no issues when you swap maps as Mike mentioned. _________________ David |
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Scooby99 Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Guys - thanks for your help so far. I am not too technically minded, so just to confirm :
Step 1 - with the UK SD card in the TomTom, copy the entire contents of the existing card (I assume via Explorer ?) onto my PC;
Step 2 - swap the SD cards in the TomTom (I have a spare 4gb somewhere) and copy the UK maps from the PC onto the new SD card (do I create a new folder on the new SD card to receive the UK maps, and a new folder to accept the US map ?)
Step 3 - download the US maps and (I assume) and save it to the new US folder on the SD card.
Does this sound right ?
Any way I can check everything is OK before I get to the US ?
Thanks again for your help. |
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dhn Frequent Visitor
Joined: Oct 08, 2007 Posts: 2544 Location: Toronto CANADA
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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Scooby99 wrote: | Hi Guys - thanks for your help so far. I am not too technically minded, so just to confirm :
Step 1 - with the UK SD card in the TomTom, copy the entire contents of the existing card (I assume via Explorer ?) onto my PC;
Step 2 - swap the SD cards in the TomTom (I have a spare 4gb somewhere) and copy the UK maps from the PC onto the new SD card (do I create a new folder on the new SD card to receive the UK maps, and a new folder to accept the US map ?)
Step 3 - download the US maps and (I assume) and save it to the new US folder on the SD card.
Does this sound right ?
Any way I can check everything is OK before I get to the US ?
Thanks again for your help. |
1. Step 1 is correct
2. Make sure the card is a sdhc card. No, copy the map folder from the pc in step 1 to the card in step 2. You don't make a new folder for the UK map or the US map you plan to dl.
3. Download the US map using Home and, with the sdhc card (step 2) in your unit, select that for the install. Home should create the appropriate folder on the card. _________________ David |
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Scooby99 Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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dhn - many thanks for your guidance. I shall give it a go.
You haven't mentioned any way to check if the download and set up is succesful, so I shall assume I cannot check until I am in the US. Shame.
Thanks again. |
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dhn Frequent Visitor
Joined: Oct 08, 2007 Posts: 2544 Location: Toronto CANADA
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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No, while in the UK, you can switch maps and select US.
Now then, you'll see your car icon in the middle of nowhere because the sat signal is still placing you in Britain and, of course, the US map can't show you there.
BUT, you can do Advance planning...........
Select the start point, say (make sure you select the FLA flag, not the US flag) state - Florida, city - Tampa - street, City Centre.
Destination: Florida, City, Orlando, Street, City centre.
It'll plan the route and you can see it mapped out on the summary map.
Just remember when you do get to Florida, it may take a bit longer to grab the initial gps signal, maybe 10 minutes or more. So, if you've got a rental (hire) car, try to be in the open and stationary while your unit grabs the signal. _________________ David |
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Scooby99 Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Excellent - thanks again. |
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mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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If you want to play around with the USA map while in the UK with both maps loaded bear the following in mind, if the device gets a GPS position fix it will offer to switch maps to the UK one as thats more suitable for the location, answer no to the on screen message to carry on using the USA map then switch back to UK&ROI when you have finished via the Change Preferences/ Manage Maps/ Switch Map option.
The same will apply when you get of the plane in the USA, if the UK map is selected and the device has a GPS fix it will offer to switch maps to the USA map - Sometimes this can make the choice easier rather than have to mess around with the device after a long flight - Mike |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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Can I stop you for just a second...
I'm a bit unsure where your existing UK map is.
You say in your first post:
Scooby99 wrote: |
Do I merely download to an SD card and swap the SD card with my current UK maps ?
Does this have any implications for my stored UK POI (are these saved on the internal memory, so when I am back in the UK I swap the cards back over and I am back where I was ?) |
Then you ask in your second:
Scooby99 wrote: | so just to confirm :
Step 1 - with the UK SD card in the TomTom, copy the entire contents of the existing card (I assume via Explorer ?) onto my PC;
Step 2 - swap the SD cards in the TomTom |
Are you sure you actually have an SD card at all at the moment?
The 520 will have been supplied with the UK map on the internal memory, and there was a dummy piece of plastic in the SD card slot, just to keep it clean.
Unless you have already bought an SD card and moved the UK map onto it in the past, then it will still be on the internal memory.
So, you could leave the UK map where it is and just download the new US map to a new SD card. Then you can switch between them as already described, because the TT can use both memory locations at the same time.
-----------------------------------------
Also, you said:
Quote: | Does this have any implications for my stored UK POI (are these saved on the internal memory? |
All your POI and Favourites etc. are stored in additional files inside the folder for the map you are using and always stay with it.
So if you had a UK map on the internal memory, there would be a folder called "Great Britain" (or a similar name) and inside that folder would be the actual map files and all the POIs for the UK.
If you bought a US map and installed it onto an SD card, then there would be a folder on the card called "North America" (or whatever). All the built-in POIs for America would be inside that folder and and once you had switched over to using that map, all your own Favourites and POIs would go inside that folder too.
Hope that clears up a few points - Andy. |
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dhn Frequent Visitor
Joined: Oct 08, 2007 Posts: 2544 Location: Toronto CANADA
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:30 am Post subject: |
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dhn wrote: | Scooby, your UK pois are within the UK map folder. There will be no issues when you swap maps as Mike mentioned. |
_________________ David |
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Scooby99 Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:04 am Post subject: |
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Andy_P - you may have a point about the SD card - I have never checked but assumed the info was on a card !
I will hopefully be doing the downloading etc tonight so thanks again for all your help. If I get stuck (entirely possible), I shall post again.
Cheers. |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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dhn wrote: | dhn wrote: | Scooby, your UK pois are within the UK map folder. There will be no issues when you swap maps as Mike mentioned. |
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There would be if they were downloaded to a piece of plastic |
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dhn Frequent Visitor
Joined: Oct 08, 2007 Posts: 2544 Location: Toronto CANADA
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Valid point, Andy. You'd think there would have been an error message somewhere along the line, don't you think?? _________________ David |
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