What's the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx micro SD card maximum size?

 

Greetings,

I haven't found this in the forum archives unless I'm searching for the wrong terms but I bet someone here knows the answer and has hands-on experience with the topic.

What's the maximum size micro SD card that can be used by the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx? Feel free to make my day and tell me a 4GB SDHC card will work wink since all of the the Lower 48 states from Garmin's Topo 2008 DVD will need something bigger than a 2GB card.

Thanks!

Sorry I Can't Make Your Day...

According to the FAQ section of Garmin's website:

Question: What is the largest size microSD card that I can use in my X-series GPS unit?

Answer: At this time, the 2 GB cards are the largest microSD cards that can be used for the X-series GPS units. However, the X-series GPS units are not compatible with the San Disk Ultra II cards and therefore we do not recommend using the Ultra II micro SD cards with any of the X units.

Last modified on: 06/01/2007

Maybe someone who actually owns one has different information.

--
Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold

Thanks

Gary A wrote:

According to the FAQ section of Garmin's website:

Question: What is the largest size microSD card that I can use in my X-series GPS unit?

Answer: At this time, the 2 GB cards are the largest microSD cards that can be used for the X-series GPS units. However, the X-series GPS units are not compatible with the San Disk Ultra II cards and therefore we do not recommend using the Ultra II micro SD cards with any of the X units.

Last modified on: 06/01/2007

Maybe someone who actually owns one has different information.

Thanks.

I also found this regarding the Legend Cx that may imply that a 4GB card can be read on a HCx so long as I don't exceed 2 GB (and 2025 map tiles) for individual maps. Maybe that'd let me put the US Lower 48 from Garmin's Topo 2008 into two files, a East and a West. And I still hope someone here may tell me that the HCx can handle bigger files than the Cx mentioned below.

Found elsewhere on the internet:

What's the largest MicroSD chip I can use on Garmin eTrex Legend Cx?

When the products were launched in Jan 2006, 512MB was the largest available on the market, so the manuals and Garmin's web site answered this question with "512MB". You can still find references with that outdated answer.

1GB and 2GB MicroSD cards becamse available later in 2006. They work fine. Garmin specifially warns against the SanDisk Ultra II 1 Gb.

In 2007, 4GB and 6GB microSDHC cards became available. However, the units remain bound by a 2GB limit for a single map file in most mapping products. That's not terrible; 2GB holds the entire U.S. for any Mapsource product. The GPSes are limited to 2025 map tiles and the Topo product, in particular, uses tiny (county sized) tiles so it's easy to run into that limit long before you run into the 2GB limit.

City Navigator Europe v9 (NT-not) has been confirmed to support maps > 2GB and it appears that the 2GB limit still holds true if multiple mapping products are used.

in my etrex Legend HCx i use

in my etrex Legend HCx i use a 4gb microSD from memorex.. works just fine

Only 2Gb out of 4Gb used (Sandisk Ultra II)

I purchased a Sandisk Ultra II 4Gb microSDHC card for my eTrex Vista HCx hoping it would work.

As it turns out 2Gb out of the 4Gb is recognisable/accessible. Its as if its a 2Gb.

I would like to know if thats due to the 2Gb limit on the Garmin device or a Sandisk Ultra II problem?

Yes, not clever to buy before you have done your homework but hey, here I am.

.

The main thing I would suggest is only use the topo maps you need... don't bother loading the entire thing as I doubt you will ever use them.

--
Garmin c330 w/ 2011 maps

I just purchased a Garmin

I just purchased a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx and the new software will handle a 4 gig micro sdhc. I was able to load just about all the TOPO US 24K West. You might want to visit the Garmin website and see if there's also new software for your Legend HCx. The regular chip works, but it's been reported that the Ultra doesn't. Good luck.

microSD card sizes

Am using a 2GB card in my eTrex Venture Cx.

Have tried a friend's 4GB microSDHC card. Works just fine.

Will try another friend's 8GB microSDHC card.

With the latest firmware update maps beyond 2GB can be used too. But: is the map limit size now 4GB instead of the previous 2GB or is it more? Or in other words: would there be a point at all in getting a card bigger than 4GB?

Cheers,
Joerg

Re: file size

herrb wrote:

is the map limit size now 4GB instead of the previous 2GB or is it more? Or in other words: would there be a point at all in getting a card bigger than 4GB?

There is a 4 GB file size limit imposed by the FAT32 file system. So you can hold more than 4 GB of data on the card as long as a single file does not go over the limit.

So a bigger card only makes sense if legend hcx can read additional img files when you rename them gmapprom or gmapsup2, like the 60CSx.

Or you can always try to format the card to ntfs and see if the gps unit will recognise it...

max card size

i have mine loaded with an 8 gig card, and it works fine. now, i don't have a single map file over 4 gig. don't confuse the fat32 limit on the size of ONE file -- 4 gig -- with the partition (volume) size limit of 2 TB up to 8 TB depending on cluster size (32kb gets you 8TB).

edit: also confirmed that the unit recognizes > 4 gig by looking at the 'card info' page in the setup. mine shows 6753.9 mb "free space".

8GB microSDHC in eTrex Venture Cx

Did you ever try putting a 8GB microSDHC into your eTrex Venture Cx?

I just bought the same GPS and I'm wondering which microSD to buy.

I would like to hear more on

I would like to hear more on the sdhc and the etrex legend hcx, I couldn't get a map to load on a 4gb sdhc, finally called garmin and they said "hc is not supported", so did you guys who got it to work use a sdhc or just a sd card? If you got a sdhc to work and help or tips would be great. thanks

Legend Cx ...upgrade firmware = SDHC works

I downloaded the latest firmware revision for my Etrex Legend Cx (went from 2.x upto 3.4)

I couldn't get the update to install until I put the unit in DEMO mode (settings -> system, first field) This step was not mentioned on the txt file instructions from Garmin.

After the reveision, it recognized a 4Gb generic SDHC microSD card which contained a map >1GB in size. (Prior to the reveision, the unit would basically barf on the 4Gb microSDHC, page key lag, map drawing never finished , etc)

Now it works

Interested in learning more

I just received a eTrex Vista HCx for Christmas and I'm wondering what to get for memory card

.

What are you planning on putting on the card?

For what types of activities are you planning to use the device?

8 GB SD card confirmed to work

In case anyone still cares.....

I just tried an 8 GB SanDisk Micro SD card in my eTrex Legend and it seems to work well. The topo map on the card loaded normally.

dj

Great

I just ordered an 8Gb sd for my 2450 that is in the mail.

--
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)

Maximum Size...

From the manual under "Using the Mapping Databases" (p. 5):

The eTrex Vista HCx and Legend HCx are equipped with a slot for a microSD card (user provided) that can be loaded with detailed maps from optional MapSource disks. With selected MapSource mapping data, you can view listings of nearby restaurants, lodging, shopping centers, attractions and entertainment, and addresses. The amount of data transferable is 24 MB for the eTrex Summit HC and Venture HC, for the eTrex Vista HCx and Legend HCx it is determined by the size of the microSD card.

.

Not sure why we are digging up an old thread, but what that bolded statement is empirically true, the unit itself can only use cards up to a certain size. For the unit described in this thread, that limit is 4GB officially, I believe. Possibly 8GB by user reports, but the unit also has hard limits as to the size map file it can read.