Adding maps to an eTrex

This is the eTrex Legend HCx, and I have several 2 GB microSD chips that
are compatible with it.

This GPS has a rough (no detail) map in internal memory, which works
fine with no additional maps. Following Jack Erbes' guidance, I put a
"Garmin" folder onto a chip, then put a 3rd party (public domain, I
guess) map that I entitled "GMAPSUPP.IMG" into that folder, and the
result is detailed street information in the area covered by the new
map. Excellent.

I would like to add more than one such detail map, to expand coverage.
What should that second (and third, etc.) map be titled, and does it go
in the same folder? Is there a way to instruct the GPS to look for the
new map as my location approaches the boundary between them, or if it's
contiguous with the original one will the transition be automatic?

Thanks!

Ignorant.not.stupid wrote:

Unfortunately there is not a way (that I know of anyway) to combine
multiple gmapsupp.img files in to a single file. The process is that if
the maps are seen under MapSource, you can select maps from any number
of Garmin or non-Garmin mapping products and then upload them to the
receiver. The process takes a little time and MapSource processes the
selected maps into a file and then uploads it.

To add maps or change the file later, you have to repeat the process and
include the new or changed maps in the selection, upload it again, and
it will overwrite the existing file with the new maps.

The GPS receivers will only use the gmapsupp.img name and only find it
if it is in a \garmin folder off of the root of a memory card. And the
GPS receiver has no menu that allows you to choose other files or
locations.

There is some third party mapping that can be installed to be seen in
MapSource and then combined into a gmapsupp.img file. I recently got
some topo maps from this site that are that way:

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

I installed the free 24K Maine topo maps from that site and have found
them to be better than the maps Garmin sells. And I could see them in
MapSource and was able to combine them with other Garmin locked mapping,
upload them to my 76Cx, and they worked perfectly.

If you have non-MapSource third party mapping in a gmapsupp.img file you
can put it in another folder on the memory card and then control which
folder the GPS receiver will read on start up by changing the name of
the \garmin folder and renaming the folder you want to use to \garmin.
The renaming of the folders will have to be done on another device, a PC
or PDA for example, as the GPS receiver has no way to do that.

Jack

Jack Erbes wrote:

Thanks, Jack (ever the patient tutor!)

So it's really a separate chip for each detail map, and each map must be
labeled gmapsupp.img. SD is cheap so that's ok, but I had hoped that the
GPS handled more than one at a time.

Also, I have defined many important sites on Google Earth, and would
like to move them onto the GPS. I'm certain there's a way, but haven't
found it though GE sees the instrument via USB.

Iggie

Ignorant.not.stupid wrote:

That would work too, to have each on a separate card. And small cards
are very cheap how. It is ironic that Garmin never really "finished the
job" on the 60/76 "x" series models by adding a card utilities menu that
would let you handle multiple files and folders so you could load and
save user data to and from the card and even select from multiple
supplemental mapping files.

At the time that Garmin was developing those models the best receiver on
the market and Garmin's toughest competition was the Magellan Meridian
receiver that used a SD card. That receiver did have a Card Utilities
menu that let you do choose supplemental map files and also store and
load user data from the SD card.

As near as I can tell, the Garmin software developers operate in a
vacuum and with the opinion that if they don't think it up by themselves
it is not worth doing.


I don't do GE but if you are getting lat/long positions from it you can
start MapSource, place a waypoint anywhere on any map, then copy the lat
long position from the GE info and paste that into the Properties Menu
for the waypoint and you would have the waypoint at the same location as
you are seeing in GE. As you do that you can also change the name of
the waypoint and there is a comment box that will let you enter a lot of
additional details (addresses, phone numbers, anything you want) about
the waypoint.

Then you upload the waypoints to your eTrex. When you choose a waypoint
from the list of stored waypoints you can see the comments. And when
you see the waypoints on the map on the eTrex you can put your cursor on
them to highlight them, press Enter, and you'll see the properties that
way too.

If there are multiple map objects under your cursor when you go to
highlight a map object, a list of the objects will pop up and you can
select the one you want the details on.

Jack

On 09/09/2009 15:46, Jack Erbes wrote:


You can do this using Mkgmap. Download and instructions here:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mkgmap
See the --gmapsupp option

I think its also possible using Sendmap, download it here:
http://www.cgpsmapper.com/buy.htm

--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk