X50v Garmin GPS 10 MapSource & Arkon DM320

LRRP · 10-18-05, 01:10 AM

I went out and built my GPS kit around my X50v and decided to use the Garmin GPS 10 Bluetooth with the Garmin MapSource along with the Arkon DM320 car mount. So I am very pleased with this combo. The GPS 10 works great although I am not too fond of the on/off button as one can simply press ever so softly and turn it on. Turning it off requires you to hold the button in. They should have made it with a sliding switch. And then there is the very tiny piece of rubber that covers the hole to plug in the charger. What does one do with that plug? I decided to store it in my tool box of things. Other than that it's cool. I use one of those $5.00 jelly pads and place that on my dashboard then place the GPS 10 on the jelly pad. It will not slide off. I also place it on the passenger seat and I get great satellite reception there as well.

The Mapsource software ($140.00 Bucks!) works well and has a turn-by-turn voice that is nice. I travel around Texas and have yet to find anything poor about it. I am sure other map software is out there, but I can't vindicate purchasing it just yet.

Lastly, is the new Arkon DM320. This car mount is great! The 9 inch mount sticks to the windshield and it sticks on! It's nicely designed and feels right when you hold it and it looks cool on your windshield. I like the roundness of it rather that the square one. The speaker works well and I can hear the voice commands perfectly. I like it and I am glad it came out just when I was about to purchase one. Thanks to Aximsite for releasing the news about it! I think I will go and look at some Pelican cases and bundle it all nicely in a little travel case.

Garnin GPS 10 - $130.00

Garmin MapSource SelectCity North America V7 - $140.00

Arkon DM320 - $49.99 (Aximsite discount).

-Lrrp

12-05-05, 03:01 PM

Just a FYI, the GPS10 auto-shuts off if you use the GPSconfig tool (provided from the Garmin web site) to set it. Mine auto-shuts off in 3 or 5 minutes.

12-15-05, 11:06 PM

Can you put the Map Source US TOPO maps on the GPS 10 or only the SelectCity software. I do a lot of off the main road travel in my job and it would be nice to have the TOPO maps like I have on my Garmin eTrex Vista C. Any help would be useful. Thanks

12-15-05, 11:21 PM

As far as I know, you can only use the Navigator, CitySelect, and MetroGuide series maps.

To be absolutely sure, send Garmin support an email, and they usually respond within one working day.

12-15-05, 11:42 PM

Thank you for the quick response. I will try that and contact them. Thanks for the help. Do you know of any good gps units that work with the axim x30 that can use topo maps?

RT_Rider · 12-16-05, 04:32 PM

I don't think Garmin's topos will transfer to the Axim, but it is worth checking with Garmin, they do transfer to the iQue3600 and M3/M5 so they might work with the GPS10. But if Mapsource won't work, the GPS 10 will switch seamlessly between Garmin and NMEA protocol depending on what software is running when it is linked. So Maptech, Memory-Map, etc will put topo map capability on your Axim with the GPS 10.

XPLORx4 · 12-16-05, 06:43 PM

I have Garmin US Road and Rec, Topo, and National Parks Topo, as well as City Select 7, and all of them download and display on my Axim/iQue/GPS10. The only trick to displaying the topo maps is that you have to disable the City Select maps that overlay it. Somewhere on Garmin's site I read that there is a certain "order of importance" when multiple map sets are loaded. I think the auto-routable map sets take top priority, followed by Road and Rec, followed by the Topo series.