Help With Garmin GPS

[Cooter]

I recently purchased a new boat, and it has a Garmin GPSMAP 185 on it...It's an older unit (2001), but has to do for now...I have G-Charts for my area, but can't get contour lines to show up on the mapping feature. Anyone out there used one of these units, or know what I'm doing wrong? Unit accepts card, but just won't give me contour lines. Thanks

[yarcraft91]

Cooter:

Do you have the manual for that GPSmap 185? If not, you can download the manual from the Garmin website.
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/GPSMAP185Sounder_OwnersManual.pdf

It appears that if the unit does not show an error message when you load the G-Chart card, the G-Chart maps should be used automatically. If that is not happening, it's possible the G-Chart card is faulty. Do you see any map details other than those from the GPSmap 185 internal database files? The Garmin mnaual has a number to call if the card doesn't work- 1-800-427-6460.

I've found Garmin support to be pretty good, on the rare occasions when I have needed it.

[Shellback]

I have a Garmin 498C and a data card for S.E. inland lakes. Not all lakes have the contour lines. Did you try different lakes, especially the larger ones to see if contour lines are available? I have a Garmin Mapsource CD, what lake are you looking at, and I'll see if the lake shows contour lines on my CD version.

[Cooter]

I have a manual, and it was also my understanding that contour lines should automatically load when I put the chip in....I have two chips (Wisconsin North Inland & Lake Michigan Offshore)...The offshore chip gives an error message when I put it in the unit, therefore I'm not using it....The Wisconsin Inland chip seems to load properly when it is put in the unit, but won't display the contour lines on the lakes that it indicates should have them...I just got the unit, and am gonna play around with it this afternoon to see if I can figure out the problem...Thanks for the quick ideas/help, was hoping someone had a similar unit with the same problems that could diagnose....Keep the help coming, I'll get it figured out hopefully

[Shellback]

Looking at the manual online, I think there is something in the Map Options menu that allows you to control what you see on the map.

[yarcraft91]

Yes- p. 81 directly mentions checking the map options if contour lines do not display.