Kenwood dnx7160 and topo?

I just installed the kenwood dnx7160 and called garmin to ask if I could buy the topo maps to install and they said I couldn't and if I uploaded it, it could make the system unstable. I've seen on other forums people installing 24k topo maps on there kenwood dnx6100+. Anyone have experience with this and mind walking me through it? Will it make the system unstable? Thanks

Also I emailed garmin and there response was "that unit doesn't have an sd card slot therefor cannot upgrade the maps" but it does have an sd slot!

Thanks again

 

I have 24K TOPO maps I put on an SD card and read successfully on my DNX9960. Here are some of my experiences.

The Garmin software sucks. I did the full loading of the wrist GPS then upgrade to get the software on my PC, then did the free 24K TOPO maps (non Garmin) that are compaitble with Garmin handhelds. I even tried to use the Newer Garmn software that has 3D capablity. THe thning is the colors and lines on the maps are all jacked up and only a specific amount of zoom works. Too close and you see nothing that gives any terrain cues. Too far and its all a black line mess with so much you cant see. Also it takes FOREVER to load the maps on screen and if you try to zoom out , look else where (like a national park 4oo iles away) then zoom in you cna freeze the GPS and have to reboot or at least it will become so slow to load each map square that you might as well not even use it. Its really only useful for seeing where you are RIGHT THEN, not planning etc.

So after my first successful attampt to load a map on an SD card (you can only load ONE map on each SD Card due to the file naming structure). I have not been able to compile a map that my head unit can read and been successful ever since. Basically it takes HOURS to compile a map to an SD Card. Why? Hell if I know. I finally gave up. I have considered trying a preloaded SD card but dont want to be out the money if it does not work and the Garmin maps are just not as detailed as the free maps.

If you have more specific questions you can ask but this is a sore subject for me... I really wanted 3D topographical, switch on the fly type stuff and possibly a way to load satallite imagery etc but the technology just is not there yet and Garmin software is a bitch and finicky