garmin nuvi 40lm three years later, and free maps for older nuvi models
It's been a little over 3 years since I bought this thing. How has it fared out? Let's talk about that, what the best older nuvi models are, and how to keep the map data current with free stuff.
Currently, I have a nuvi 40LM and a decidedly old StreetPilot i5, which I'll talk about more in a moment. The only thing that's gone wrong with the 40LM is that the power button popped off. However, a quick dab of superglue fixed that right up and it's held ever since. You'd never know it popped off and it was the best superglue job I ever did (I was quite proud of myself because the repair worked so well). That was about a year ago.
The 40LM still works the same as when I first got it. It rarely complains and I can confirm that it is reliable.
However, being I use GPS so much, I need a proper backup, so here are my adventures with that.
Ye Olde StreetPilot i5 is unfortunately just too old to use
I bought one of these 6 months ago for use as a backup and for nostalgic reasons, given my first Garmin satnav was an i3 and the i5 is very similar to it. The problem is the unit will not support any memory card over 2GB. And since the free OSM maps for the US are now over 3GB uncompressed, I literally cannot upgrade the maps in the i5 anymore.
That was a bummer, so I needed an alternative backup unit that could support more map data.
Enter the nuvi 200
I decided to go ahead and buy a used nuvi 200. The cost was $27.49 exactly. I don't have it yet, but it should arrive in the mail a day or so after I publish this. The going price is between $25 to $30 to get one with mount and bracket, so what I paid was fair.
Why did I go with the 200? Because I already know this unit. Any 2x0 series would have been fine, be it a 200, 250, 260 or 270. It just so happened that a 200 model is what was available, so that's what I bought.
All 2x0 models have the SiRF chipset in it. That means solid, fast GPS signal acquisition, and that works just as good today as it did back in 2007.
Updating maps for free on a nuvi
An appropriate memory card is required for this. The maximum memory card storage the nuvi 2x0 series can support is 8GB, so the 8GB microSD card w/SD adapter is what's needed.
After that, all it takes is stuffing the memory card full of free OSM map data. Done and done. No need to buy maps.
Additional note: All the older StreetPilot models, meaning the i2, i3, i5, c310, c330, c340, c550 and c580 have a 2GB cap on the SD storage it will support. And 2GB as noted above will not fit the entire US. In other words, for full use of the OSM maps, a nuvi is required since it can support 8GB.
Why didn't I just buy a new nuvi and make the 40LM a backup?
First, I didn't feel like spending the money on a new one.
Second, they have bugs. Garmin will attend to the bugs and release patches as they always do, but new-model bugs are not something I want to deal with.
Third, the 2x0 has no dopey menu animations, which I sincerely appreciate. My 40LM has menu animations and I hate them.
Fourth, there's nothing in the newer models that I would find useful.
It's totally true that the older nuvi 200 is a dirt simple satnav, but assuming it works like it should (which I hope it does, given it's used,) it will get the job done in fine style. Should my 40LM fail, the 200 will be there as the backup.
Rich's handy dandy tips for getting along with an older 3.5-inch Garmin satnav
I'll end this one with some tips on using the older, smaller nuvi satnavs from Garmin. This covers all 3x0, 2x0, 2x5, 5x0, 11xx and 12xx models.
Tip 1. Only use free OSM maps
While it is possible to "borrow" Garmin map data from other units or from a download somewhere (but not from here; don't ask), you are better off using the free OSM maps.
Need a reason? It's updated monthly. Not annually. Not quarterly. Monthly. It doesn't get any more current than that. No, you don't need to update every month. Update whenever you want. The point is that it's nice the map data is updated so often.
Tip 2. Enter Favorites by coordinates whenever possible
To the best of my knowledge, every nuvi has the option to manually enter coordinates when you want to.
Bing Maps is without question the easiest when it comes to getting coordinates. Find a spot on the map, right-click and ta-da, instant coordinate info.
For any instance where a street address can't be mapped, the coordinates can always be mapped.
Tip 3. Use a 2D "Track Up" or "North Up" map view
Using 2D gets more usable (keyword there) map info on the screen and in many instances is easier to read on a 3.5-inch screen.
Tip 4. Update the firmware (only if the battery still holds a charge)
Do a search for "Garmin WebUpdater", download that, install it and use to update your old nuvi to the last-released firmware for it. Most nuvi owners never update their firmware. Do so on yours, as it will apply necessary patches. Since you have an older unit, you only have to do it once.
If the battery doesn't hold a charge, see next tip.
Tip 5. If the battery is stone dead and won't hold a charge, replace it
The internal battery on the nuvi is easy to replace and they are readily available and cheap (usually under 9 bucks, depending on model). There are also plenty of YouTube videos that show you step-by-step how to replace the battery on a nuvi. Just search it on YouTube and you'll find the one for your model. Yes, it's easy once you see how it's done.
You need a battery that can hold a change to perform a firmware update, else you'll brick the nuvi.
Tip 6. Routing trips over 200 miles/322 kilometers all at once is a bad idea
It's not that the nuvi can't route a trip over 200 miles. The problem is that over that much distance, you may encounter a signal drop where the nuvi gets "confused", tries to recalculate and locks up.
If you have no choice but to route a distance of over 200mi, the best thing to do is to cycle the nuvi's power every time you take a rest stop. It's probably true you'll stop for a break every 50 to 100 miles or so. When you do, instruct the nuvi to stop routing, power it off, unplug it, plug back in, power back on and reroute. This will almost always cure any GPS satellite weirdness and prevent lock-ups.
Tip 7. If sun glare is too much to deal with, get a shade
GPS shades have been around for a long time now. If the sun prevents you from seeing your satnav's screen properly, shade it. Some older nuvis have backlights that aren't as bright as they used to be, and if you have one like that, the shade is a cheap way to extend the life of your satnav.
Happy navigating. :)
Epiphone ES-339 Guitar Review
While at the Guitar Center last week, I tried out an Epiphone ES-339.
Now if you've been reading my blog at all, you know I think this is the best value guitar of 2015. Does it live up to the hype I gave it?
Yes.
Looks even better in person than I thought
I said before that this guitar has sex appeal, and wow does it ever. The sunburst finish on this guitar is spot-on correct. The burst is correct, the hue is correct, it's all correct.
Smaller than I thought - but not in a bad way
It's easy to think this guitar is an ES-335 size. It's not. The ES-339 truly is of a Les Paul size.
In other words, it's a super-comfortable player.
Sounds "smooth" like an ES should
I don't like using words like "smooth" to describe a sound, but there's really no other word that can describe ES tone. It's a sound that's not supposed to have the treble attack of a Strat or a Tele, nor is it supposed to blare in volume like a Les Paul would.
All I can say is that yes, it has the smooth tone of a proper ES.
Neck and frets are a just-right size
Thankfully, the Epiphone ES-339 has a modern neck feel to it. If it were true-to-vintage spec, it would buzz all over the place. No buzzing in this ES.
Now granted, I prefer Fender/Squier neck sizing over Gibson/Epiphone, however if I owned this guitar, yes I would feel totally comfortable with it. And I'm sure many other players would feel right at home with it also.
Weight is just-right for me
The ES-339 is a semi-hollow body, so it's light, but surprisingly not too light like I thought it would be. It has a nice weight to it to make stand-up play very comfortable.
However, there may be some who wish it had an extra half-a-pound to it. Personally, I think the weight is just fine as-is.
Epiphone reports the weight at an average of 7.2 pounds. That's a few tenths less than your average Strat weight.
Great alternative for those that want something that's not a Stratocaster, Telecaster or Les Paul that has loads of class to it
The ES-339 is a sexy guitar with sexy tones to match. There's not a bad piece of hardware anywhere on the guitar and it requires no upgrades whatsoever. It is a "set up in USA" guitar prior to being sold, so it's pretty much out-of-the-box perfect with only very minor adjustments necessary.
Will the 339 woo me away from my Jazzmaster? No. But I may consider picking one up in the future. This is one of the modern greats from Epiphone, no question about it.
I sometimes wish Epiphone built nothing but semi-hollow and hollow-body guitars, because they do it so well, even for Asian builds. Great stuff. Truly.
Cheap import guitar of the week #5 - Chaul Reed Smith
For this week's cheap import guitar of the week, I'm talking about a Paul Reed Smith, I mean, um.. Chaul Reed Smith guitar.
China copies of guitars like the PRS Custom 24 exist. And like with any of these I list, I have absolutely no idea how it plays or sounds, but again, cheap, and that's what counts here.
When you look these up, most have the bird inlays and gold-gold-gold everywhere, even on the frets. The back of the guitar is usually mostly correct. For those knowledgeable about the PRS Custom 24, the first thing you'll notice as a giveaway that it's fake is that the rear plate isn't the correct shape. But who cares given how low the price is?
What's the best part about this guitar? It's cheap enough to where you can hack and mod it up and not care.
Personally, what I'd do with this guitar is put in a set of Seymour Duncan zebra humbucker pickups. Specifically, the SH-4 JB Bridge and the SH-1 59 Neck which can be bought as a set. The zebra look would work well for the finish on the PRS copy, and it's a good pickup set without spending an insane amount of cash on it.
Worth it? That's your call.
DigiTech RP360 Review
Take a DigiTech GSP 1101, put it in pedal form, add in a 40-second looper, and you get the RP360.
Although the RP360 has been on the market for something like a year, I just found out about it recently. My cost for it was almost free because I traded out my GSP1101 for it.
I took a guess that the RP360 sounded just as good as the GSP1101 with the addition of a 40-second looper in it. And I was right. It sounds exactly like the GSP1101. And believe me, that's not a bad thing. Not at all. In fact, it's a very good thing because the GSP1101 is a supremely good effects processor.
A while back I owned a Hotone Wally looper pedal. It started developing problems. Namely, the internal storage it used would crash, resulting in high-pitched nasty noises, so I had to part with it.
Ever since then, I've wanted a looper again. But at the same time I didn't want to give up my GSP1101. When I found out about the RP360, that is what I was waiting for. A floor unit that has just about everything the GSP1101 has, and a looper. I was sold.
Interface
Not as good as the GSP1101 was. The GSP's menus were a lot more straightforward. The RP360's menu layout, while not exactly terrible, does the annoying thing of making you scroll horizontally instead of vertically to get to certain functions.
Yeah, I can get to everything I need to, but that go-right-or-left-to-do-anything is a bit trying on the nerves. However, it's nothing I can't get used to.
Weight
Just right. It also has nice rubber feet so it stays put. Good. Very good. The RP360 has some weight to it, but isn't too heavy. DigiTech definitely got it right here.
Foot button spacing
Good. No complaints here.
Display
This could be larger when looking at it from standing position. Yes, it's readable, but I'm 100% sure it would totally get washed out in sunlight for outdoor gigs. But then again, so would any other pedal even with an LED display.
For indoor use, yes, it's fine. And for playing gigs, you can assign custom presets so you could operate the unit by muscle memory without even having to look at it if you wanted to.
Sound
Oh, yeah, we're doing really good here, said sincerely.
Like the GSP1101, you do have to purposely set the unit to "MIXER" output instead of "AMP" for feeding into a mixer/recorder so it sounds right. I knew this up front, so it was no big deal.
Drum Machine
Fairly useless, but nice to have, I guess. Some players will appreciate it.
Price
Even if I had paid full retail price for this, it's still one heck of a multi-effect pedal for the price.
Now if you're thinking, "Gee, if the RP360 had an expression pedal, it would be perfect", you want the DigiTech RP360XP. Same thing as the RP360 with expression pedal attached. Yes, it costs more than the RP360. However, it should be noted that you can get the RP360 and add on your own control/expression pedal later, and it doesn't have to be made by DigiTech. So if you already have an expression pedal, it can hook right up to the RP360.
A farewell to rackmount units
The reason I bought the GSP1101 originally is because for the longest time I used nothing but rackmount effects processors. I used them so much that I had become basically anti-pedal. I hated floor units, hated wires running on the floor, hated the fact that pedals get dusty really quick, and so on.
However, things change. I changed as a player.
You can't use a looper without it being a floor unit; that's required. And pedal technology has advanced enough to where you can get all of what was in the older rackmount units in a floor unit and have an expression pedal if you want and have the looper too.
For home recording, which is what I do most, it basically doesn't get any better than the RP360. Small enough not to be a burden, big and weighty enough for each foot control in a chassis that stays put and, of course, great sound.
Like I said, I was sold, and in less than a day of owning it, I was so happy to ditch the rackmount for this. I lost nothing by switching over.
Oh, and one final selling point of the RP360. It comes with a power supply. Yes, it does. No need to buy a separate one. That's about $20 saved right there. Maybe that's not much, but I can't stand electronic things that don't come with their own power supplies (like the Wally Looper).
Alternatives?
Yes. Both ZOOM and BOSS offer multi-effect processors, so be sure to see those as well.
Cheap import guitar of the week #4 - Chibson Ace Frehley Budokan VOS Les Paul
Why be someone that pays huge for one of these when you can have one for absolutely dirt cheap?
Yes, there are people who pay big for one of these things. Why? Because some KISS fans are willing to pay big money for certain things.
If you're going to buy this, you might as well get it cheap, and that's where this Gibson copy of the Ace Frehley Budokan Les Paul comes in.
How is it wired? I have no idea. Does that matter? Not really, because the only pickup that matters in this guitar is the rear (bridge) side, given that's the only pickup Ace ever used.
If you wanted to have this be the "total Ace sound", all that's required is installing a DiMarzio Super Distortion. Seriously, that's it. It's not like Ace's sound was anything special.
This is yet again a guitar you buy just for looks and nothing else. It's got that classic 1970s look to it, and the lightning bolt fretboard inlays do look pretty cool.
When you look at the photos for this guitar on the link above, you may think the pickups aren't mounted correctly. In fact, they are. The "crooked" look is because of curved pickup rings (or frames or whatever you want to call them.) If the lean bothers you, they can be swapped out easily with replacement rings for real cheap.
You also might be wondering where the pick guard is. It doesn't come with one - but that's a good thing because the vast majority of the time, the guard is installed wrong on these guitars even when built by Gibson or Epiphone, and at times the guard is the wrong color (such as white instead of creme.) Get yourself a dirt cheap guard, and problem solved.
So yes, this Paul takes a little work to get it into "full Ace mode", so to speak. Worth it? That depends on how much you like the look of this guitar. If when you look at it, you think, "Yeah! I'd love to have one of these!", then go ahead and get one. With some minor tweaks, it can be a great player - if you get can used to the 3-pickup layout, that is.
Should you bother seeking one of these Chibson Ace guitars?
NO!
It's really not that difficult to mod a Les Paul style guitar to fit 3 humbuckers. AND REMEMBER, it's only the bridge side that needs to work ANYWAY for an "Ace" LP guitar. All you need to do after that is put lightning bolt stickers on the fretboard and an "Ace Face" on the headstock.