Am I the only idiot who finds memory map impossible to connect to any type of device? I have tried numerous garmins, mobile pdas, even their new adventurer 2800 ( after 3 hours today I am about to give up and send it back!). I know that a few of my mates ( who are not idiots) fibd it impossible aswell.
Memory map need to make life easier for us non techy people!!

How are you trying to connect to it? I have an old Garmin and just plug it in tell MM that it is a garmin and tell it the correct Com port.

Is your lead USB or straight from a 9 pin comm port?

yes what you doing I use it across two computers and three different devices without issue.
I assume you know the port is correct, have tested it works, and know the cable works too.

three computers, usb cable, 5 different devices, still no luck. My new mm adventurer has been doing the "spinning eggtimer" wait thing for over 2 hours now!!

Are you using an acutal usb cable, or a serial cable plugged into a serial–>usb adaptor?

I am using a usb cable. My new adventurer 2800 doesn't work either!! Comes preloaded with maps etc, can't access them, not convinced the mm software people are really on the " let's make this easy for everybody" wavelength

Which model is the gps? The older garmins use a USB cable that is actually a combined USB to serial convvertor and serial cable though it's all one piece. These need the right drivers in place to work.

I'm using mm for one of these just fine.

If you're using a usb cable (and not a serial to usb conversion) all you should have to do is install all the drivers, software etc. Once you have done that, just connect everything up and you should be away. In the older versions of windows it was quite important to install everything first, before connecting your device for the first time. Like clubber said, if you use a serial converter you have to install all the drivers for that too.

check the garmin website and make sure that you have the correct drivers downloaded for your gps model

No no no! Older garmins have a USB cable that is one piece but internally is 1 the original serial cable and 2 a USB to serial adaptor so you do need a driver for the adaptor. You can usually spot this because the USB plug is bugger than normal.

Didnt know that clubber. I got mine 2nd hand off here, and it came with a serial lead and a separate usb to serial adaptor. Not sure if this is whats supplied with them from new, or whether you have to get them.

Berni: maybe you could take a picture of everything you've got (cable and garmin) and people might be able to sing from the same hymn sheet, and actually provide you with some useful advice!?

This might be bl**dingh obvious, but has OP set Memory Map up for his GPS? Click on the GPS icon at the top of the screen, then GPS set up and complete as appropriate.

I have tried all of these things a hundred times! The new mm adventurer 2800 does not connect to mm maps either!! driving me completely insane. I have spoken to the mm tech guys, they talked me through it,still failed. I hook up loads of things to various computers and have never struggled once, I have spent years trying to get mm maps to talk to various approved devices and failed every time. I do the "gps" then "gps setup", but still no luck! still hoping for inspiration/the right answer from here

Some sort of firewall problem? If the mm guys can't help then I figure it has to be something to do with your computer.

Does your computer recognise when the device is connected? If its usb, and all the drivers are installed correctly, it should make a "nice" noise when you connect it. If the correct drivers aren't installed a "harsher" noise is played. Also, look in device manager (right click on my computer–> properties, then click device manager). If the mm adventurer is connected via usb, swithced on, and installed correctly it should be dispayed in that list of devices somwhere.

edit: What operating system are you using? If you are using windows vista you can get to device manager by simply typing "device manager" into the search box in the start menu (omit the " marks obviously)

Using vista, just trying your "device manager" route, thanks for the tip, I'll post results later!

I have spent years trying to get mm maps to talk to various approved devices and failed every time

After years of trying, don't you think it would be less stressful all round if you chose another similar product?

uplink, you are so right, but the mm maps are the easiest to make the tracks on and I have whole of gb. Still no luck!!

Memory map recognises gps's, you have to start from that position! 😉

It sounds like your computer does not recognise the gps device. 3 likely problems will cause this. Firstly, the device driver might be installed wrongly. De-install and reinstall the device driver first. Secondly, are you using the correct type of cable? The cable you use might need to use could be a specific one – this is certainly the case with my geko 201. Thirdly, if you're sure you've got the right cable, there could still be an issue with the CABLE DRIVER – have you definitely loaded this software correctly too? De-install and re-install this driver just to be sure.

Assuming you've cleared the 3 questions above, and your computer definitely recognises the cable and gps, then you can start messing with the gps settings in memory map. These are pretty straight forward to be fair, and there's only a few fields to fill in. You need to choose the type of device ("garmin" from the drop down list). Your GPS manual should tell you whether to then use the model setting as "serial" or "usb". But if unsure try each. You need to input the licence key and serial number, and select the appropriate port.

The other thing to try is swap which usb port you are using and re-try?