Mexico GPS Map owners READ THIS

[markgoodrich]

If you have the Bicimaps set for Mexico (and probably their Latin America map sets, too), Garmin's latest update locks you out of using the Bicimaps. Here's what I just received from my dealer:

 

Last week, Garmin released a new locking system to protect their maps. This new system is not compatible with the current one we use for our maps. Garmin is releasing this new system as part of their 2010 maps update and as far as we know it works this way:

 

1. The customer receives a notification from Garmin to update their maps.

 

2. When the customer starts the updates, a new version of mapsource, 6.15.9 which includes the new locking system is installed automatically in the customer PC

 

3. Also a GPS firmware update is made to the customer’s device.

 

 

 

As soon as both Mapsource and the GPS firmware are updated, the locking process we currently use will no longer be recognized by neither Mapsource nor the GPS yielding in that the maps cannot be seen.

 

If the customer keeps using Mapsource version 6.15.7 and the GPS firmware is not updated, the maps can still be seen.

 

This also applies to preloaded cards, which are manufactured with our current locking system. Any GPS device that has had the firmware updated, will not be able to recognize our maps. Also, some new models are being launched with this new firmware, so that our locked SD cards will not be recognized.

 

 

 

This new locking system caught us by surprise and we cannot yet assess its long term effect. Meanwhile, we have started receiving notifications from customers who have updated their Mapsource and firmware versions yielding in that our maps cannot longer be seen by them. We will not let our customers down and so have identified an interim solution for this situation but it will take us from 4 to 6 days to have it available.

 

 

 

If you receive notices from your customers regarding this issue, please let them know that we are aware of it and that we will provide a solution by the weekend or early next week at the most.

[johnlt]

Thanks for the heads-up Mark. I ain't gonna update sh** for a while. All my Mexico maps work great with my latest version of Mapsource (6.15.7) and my Zumo as well as my 276C. I understand piracy can be a problem but IMO Garmin is a little paranoid with their 28 character lock codes, come on, give me break!