FalconView/TalonView

[Saber27]

Greetings all.  First Post so I hope I don't step on anyones toes.  I inherited a Garmin Etrex Venture HC and was trying to figure out how to install Custom TOPO maps onto it, as I am a bit off the grid, shall we say, from Garmins standard load.  I regularly use FalconView as my Mapping program and it will create a GeoTiff map, with drawing overlays, etc. of any displayed map scale very quickly and easily.  The public release version, TalonView, should do the same thing.  After many attempts, I don't believe that I can load a converted GeoTiff into my Venture HC.  Now, I'm wondering if anyone has tried either FalconView or TalonView to create a Geotiff to be imported into a Garmin product.  If so, was it successful, and which Garmin was used?  Before I invest in a GPS unit, I'd like to know that I can add custom maps with relative ease. 

[Indrid Cold]

That GPSr doesn't use raster maps at all, you would need to get on of the newer models such as a Montana or Oregon et all, and convert you GEOTIFF to a GarminCustomMap format

See: http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/custommaps

[Saber27]

Yep,  Kind of figured that out the hard way, after downloading about 15 different recommended programs, doing conversions, and ultimately failing to get the darn thing to accept anything that I attempted.  Still wondering if anyone has used either FalconView or TalonView to create a Geotiff for loading into one of the newer models, though.  Thanks for the info. The Etrex still is good for sending GPS data to my laptop and plotting information on the FV display, so it's not a complete waste of time.

[Boyd]

Never heard of those programs, they sound interesting. I use GlobalMapper for any work with GeoTIFF.

If you want to play around with it, MOAGU is a program that attempts to convert raster imagery to Garmin's old map format, which is what your eTrex supports. It's basically a hack, but a pretty cool one. It has lots of limitations, but you could give it a try - the author is a member and frequently assists people here.  http://moagu.com/

[Saber27]

I tried Maogu, got it to convert just fine, like all the instructions said.  However, when I go to send the converted GeoTiff to the Garmin, the loading portion simply hangs and shows no sign of loading anything.

Check out FalconView at falconview.org.  This forum will not let me post a direct link.  They have several opensource versions for download.  I also found a download link at softpedia.com after searching FalconView in Google.

I will say that there is a very intense learning curve with the program.