New here and request help/info on Garmin Echomap 50s

Discussion in 'Garmin GPS' started by FIRE UP, Jul 25, 2023.

  1. FIRE UP

    FIRE UP

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    Hey folks,
    Brand new here. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this forum. I have an issue with a question or two on a unit we have on our boat. The boat is a 2014 Bennington 25RC with a 350HP Yamaha 5.3L. We purchased it used with a mere 24 hours on it back about 4 years ago or so. The boat came with the Garmin Echomap 50s already mounted in the dash. We've put around 100 hours or so on the boat in the time we've owned it and it, and the Garmin unit has been functioning flawlessly.

    But we took the boat out two days ago for a family fun day and my son noticed that the Garmin was no longer showing charts. There was/is no shoreline, no coves no reference to relate to where we are in our Lake Havasu in Arizona. And we'd ran that boat up and down the lake many times and there were "tracks" that showed the path of each time we traversed the lake. Those are gone too.

    The unit seems to function fine other than no charting or tracks. For reasons unknown, it has slipped my mind to "Update" this unit on a regular basis just like I do with both my Zumo XT for my motorcycle and my Drive Smart that we have in our motorhome. Sooo, when I contacted Garmin support, the nice gent worked with me to load up a 32GB mini SD card with the latest updates for my system. PROBLEM: No matter how much WE (he was on the phone with me all the while we tried) tried, that Echomap 50s would not take updating. We tried several times and nothing worked. We even tried to "force update" with a method that is supposed to force the update down the GPS's throat! Nope, it's not gonna take it. That nice gent from Garmin Support, spent well over 3 hours on the phone with me trying to remedy my issue(s). I'd buy that guy a lunch if I could get to him!

    Soooo, what I have WAS a very nice working Echomap 50s until recently. It now will not show charting in any form and, it won't take any updating. It was working so flawlessly for the four years and then, this. Any ideas?
    Scott
     
    FIRE UP, Jul 25, 2023
    #1
  2. FIRE UP

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    It's hard to know what to suggest that wouldn't have already been suggested by Garmin Support, if you haven't done a factory reset I would start there :-

    Select Settings > System > System Information > Factory Settings.
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Jul 26, 2023
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  3. FIRE UP

    FIRE UP

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    Well folks,
    I did call Garmin support and they spent around 3.5 hours on the phone with me trying everything in the book to get this unit to update. We reformatted the brand new 32GB SD card several times and re-loaded the neccessary updates. Then I'd head out to the boat with phone in hand and, together we'd attempt many, many times to update the unit. It just refuses to accept updates. And, Garmin even thought that they'd try one more attempt by sending me a Garmin 32GB Micro Sd card with all the appropriate updates on it, just in case the card I was using was causing problems. Nope, using that new Garmin card made no difference.

    I don't know if they think the two issues are related or not but I think they are. Not being able to bring up charts or maps on the screen and not being able to update the unit has to be tied together somehow. But I'm certainly no wizard at this stuff. So, it may be time for a new one.
    Scott
     
    FIRE UP, Jul 28, 2023
    #3
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