Help with updating charts on a Garmin 541s

[SFS]

I'm still wading through the archives on this topic, but will actually need up-to-date information, so I thought I'd post.

We have a Garmin 541s chartplotter. Since we are shoving off this week for an indeterminate amount of time, I'd like to update the charts. Garmin told me last year (on the phone) that they update charts twice a year, in September and March, and the cost would be $99. I checked the Garmin website (which is really unwieldy) yesterday, and I am now uncertain as to whether this is even possible. If it is possible, it looks like it might be as much as $220, which seems steep. The good news is: that price now includes Explorer charts of the Bahamas.

Does anyone have any recent experience with updating their US charts on this unit? Any info will help me be forearmed before attempting to call Garmin tomorrow.

 

[HMT2]

Ray,

I have done this, it Is not too hard, but it can be frustrating. You need an sd card and a card reader to go into the usb drive of your computer. My map updates have been free. But they are the basic charts that come with the 541s not their Blue Chart product. If you have not updated the operating system that might be worth doing too. If your device is registered with Garmin it is pretty simple to ask it to go out and find updates. I am out of town and away from my computer, so I can’t look up the software I use for updates. I will say I have had very good luck with Garmin support. PM me if I can help further. I will be back in town this evening and will then have access to my computer

 

[HMT2]

BTW you will want to save all of your routes and waypoints before you begin this process. I always have two cards of the data. One I use for updating and one I keep in case it all goes to hell, that way I still have my hard earned data.

 

[SFS]

Mike, thanks. I will PM you.

Still looking for additional experience and/or info from others.

 

[SFS]

Well, we called Garmin today, and they said (with a lot of attitude) that the 541 is no longer supported. Supporting a unit more than "3 to 5 years old" is contrary to their business model. The guy said, directly, that "we would go out of business if we kept giving away map updates, no one would ever buy new units".

However, we can buy a whole new mapset for the 541 for $219, which is a "discounted price" compared to buying a completely new unit (which would come with new maps).

I guess they HAD to buy ActiveCaptain and DeLorme, for the additional revenue streams.

 

[MKirk51]

My experience is with the 545s but should be the same.
I updated the device software, and I think it may have updated the built-in map also but not sure. I purchased the SD Bluechart card this past December so wasn't paying enough attention to the map part of the software update process.
The update software was pretty easy to find on the Garmin website, and installation was pretty easy. Download to your PC, insert an SD card, run the .exe file, and it will extract the needed files and copy to the SD card. Power up the plotter, THEN insert the card, and it will display an update window. That was it. Bootup screen shows software at Copyright 2011 V5.60 (from V4.80), and the map shows "US Marine detail g2i v2.51 2.51", and underneath was the bluechart version numbers. You can probably compare the US Marine version to yours and see where you're at. Or just run the update. If you're already at these versions then I guess that's the best you're gonna get.
I found the bluechart card on ebay for $135. Found some cheaper but they were older. This one is V2017 V18.5. I'm not sure it's the latest and greatest available but I think so. I downloaded Garmin Express and ran it with the card in my laptop, registered the card, and it says no updates available. But I'll recheck next month.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I have a 420 model (similar vintage, smaller screen) and the updates go exactly like @MKirk51 describes. I also bought a SDcard with maps separately, so the map update was not an issue. the nice thing about Garmin is that the process is generally the same, almost regardless of the model.