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Random Quote: Dad, when are they gonna start biting?
If you have properly formated your SD card before placing it in your card reader the problem probably is in your card reader. Not all card readers will work with a 4gb card. I'm using an 8gb card without any problem.
Check your card reader to see if it's rated for HC cards or if there is a gb limit. I'm no computer expert but I have read that some readers are limited in the size card they can read.
SDHC is actually a slightly different format than SD. (hence the name)
If your device was made before SDHC cards were widely available, it will not be able to read/write the card properly. All SDHC readers should be backwards compatible with SD cards. If you're in doubt, use a 2gb or lower card. (SD)
I never use anything more than a 2GB SD card when updating software or adding charts on any multi-function unit, even the Furuno MFDs. Something about going over 2GB complicates the matter, I don't know why but it always does.
Has anyone done a download of the charts from your 4xxx/5xxx for homeport on a 2G chip?
Yes, it worked fine (4212). I haven't figured out how to get it to use the charts once copied to disk though. The SD card has to be in the reader slot. A project for another day..........
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Terry Jason 35, Yanmar 370 hp, Lots of fun at a leisurely pace
I'm in the computer business and data storage is my specialty. I suspect you either have a defective card or your card is not compatible with your reader. You should be able to insert the card, go to my computer, right click the drive letter associated with your SD card and select format. If that option doesnt come up and your system locks up, then the devices is timing out. That will happen if the its a bad card and can happen if the card is not compatible with the reader. The point about SDHC above would be the first thing I would look at. If your card is SDHC, does your reader support that? If it does, can you read other SDHC cards?
Yes, it worked fine (4212). I haven't figured out how to get it to use the charts once copied to disk though. The SD card has to be in the reader slot. A project for another day..........
What are you trying to do with them?
Buy the HomePort software from Garmin. It reads the charts from the SD card (not your computer's hard drive) and you can create routes, waypoints, etc., then upload them back to your plotter.
I know with Lowrance (put the rocks down), the SD cards must be formatted with FAT and not FAT32 or NTFS. On the same note my head units will tell me the format is incorrect and ask if I want to reformat. If I say yes.....BINGO! all better.
If you formatted the SD on your Windows machine it may have automatically formatted in FAT32.
Edd
__________________ If you didn't get a Border Collie, you shoulda just got a CAT!
With Garmin, at least with my 545, you format the card in the Garmin device. To format an SD card place the unformated card in your GPS while the unit is off. Then turn the unit on. When the unit boots up it automaticly formats the card.
If you want to load data on the card all you have to do is remove the card and then put it back in the unit. When you put the formated card into the unit while it is on a window will open automaticly giving you options for data transfer to or from the card.
Buy the HomePort software from Garmin. It reads the charts from the SD card (not your computer's hard drive) and you can create routes, waypoints, etc., then upload them back to your plotter.
Neat program, $29.00.
Yes, I have homeport.
The problem is I want to copy the charts off the sd card and have homeport read them from disk. So far, the only way homeport will use them if they are on an sd card in the reader. That's not optimal for me, especially for my laptop. For that machine, I'd have to always have the sd card reader with me and that is a pita.
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Terry Jason 35, Yanmar 370 hp, Lots of fun at a leisurely pace
The problem is I want to copy the charts off the sd card and have homeport read them from disk. So far, the only way homeport will use them if they are on an sd card in the reader. That's not optimal for me, especially for my laptop. For that machine, I'd have to always have the sd card reader with me and that is a pita.
That's how it's designed to work. I don't know why.
using a SDHC card 
