Garmin Gpsmap 545 Coastal problem (buggy)

[Capt. Thunderbolt]

I purchased a Garmin Gpsmap 545 and the Garmin VUS008R Charleston to Jacksonville Bluechart G2 chip,external antenna and flush mounting kit. Had the unit installed and it seems to work great. I updated to the latest software ver 2.3.

I have my unit set up with a safe depth of 1 foot and a bridge height of 6 feet.

Here is the problem. I am at my Marina ( Bahia Bleu) in Thunderbolt, Ga. and select the Where To? option from the home screen. From there I select the All Services option. From there I pick Hogans Marina, about 2 miles from where I am located. No Bridges and depth no shallower than 5 feet at mean low tide.

I then select the Guide To option. This is available because I am using the PREPROGRAMMED G2 Vision Card to use the Auto Guidence feature. A little circle spins on the bottom left of the screen the I get a error message that says unable to calculate this simple Route.

After several calls and Emails to Techsupport, I am informed that there is a bug on the chip that will not allow it to make the calculation if anywhere between your location and the service has a depth of 6 foot or less at mean low.

This was one of the reasons I purchased this system, since I kept my working Garmin 182 unit. Techsupport said this problem is being addressed in the next version of the Vision chip. I asked would they swap it out when it is ready since mine has a programming bug, and I was informed that I would have to pay a fee to get the bug free chip.

In my opinion that is crappy support.

Anyway, buyer beware as at present this is a unadvertised nonworking feature. Besides that I like the unit. It is not as easy to navigate as the 182 and the fishermans Eye View is nothing spectacular.

[bluewaterpirate]

Capt Rick ....

Who did you purchase your G2Vision Card from .....take it back to them I'm sure they'll refund you money or be willing to exchange it for a new one without the bugs when it is released. By the way, I'm using the Norfolk to Charleston G2 Vision and the "Guide To" feature works without any issues. I did set the warning depths to what the assigned draft of my craft 3 ft. The other thing that doesn't jive is their support person tellng there would be a fee to fix something that didn't work to start with. That just doesn't sound like Garmin and the way they've been handling the issues with these new units.

[Capt. Thunderbolt]

Please check your email. I fowarded you the back and forth email from me to Garmin, and as I read it , I will be charged for an update per Josh at tech support. FYI I bought my electronics from Jim at BOE. I also bought a furuno fcv585 as well. I have no issues with the furuno or Jim at BOE. Jim was helpful and shipped all products quickly. It took several calls and emails from Garmin tech support to figure out that there is a bug in that Vision Chip

[tron_1]

Have you tried navigating out into the channel then do your "Guide To"? Sometimes the alogrithm doesnt extend into the Marina's. I have seen this when people try to use this feature when the boat is on a lift or close to land. You could also put the unit in simulator mode and reposition the boat just outside the marina or different areas and try to recreate the Guidance feature.

Tron_1

[Capt. Thunderbolt]

Called Garmin Techsupport again, and rehashed my issue about the Guide to option not working in the Savannah, Ga area . This is because at mean low tide some areas between where I am and where I want to go is less than 6 feet at mean low tide. That issue is being addressed and enhanced. The tech rep told me they built 6 feet into the software for safety.

But when you set up "your boat" you tell the unit your safe depth, which for me is 3 feet. I am assuming that is the change they are going to make, to use your safe depth instead of a constant 6 foot.

The Tech rep gave me his name and said when the new chip is available - probably 6 mos, to call him and he will do a warrenty swap at no charge. So Garmin recognizes a problem and is willing to do something about it.

[RangerOne]

Now I wish they'd put out some outdated G-Chart cards for the older models.
They're a bear to find...ebay ya know.
I am still looking for a PNW G-Chart card.