Hi, I have all my county's public footpaths as a KML file, I was wonder if there's a way to save a map image with the paths on it as part of the image? Thanks in advance
I do this as an image overlay loaded on my Montana 650 and Monterra then Enable them. They show up as a "picture" on top of the map
Hope helps
ok thanks I'll give that a go. I probably should have said I know nothing - so I copy the KML file to my gps (etrex30) and select image overlay yes?
Garmin devices don't recognize .kml files so that will not work. You could try converting your file to .gpx tracks, but that might be problematic if it's a big file. I think you could do the conversion here, but I suggest you try it with a small file for starters. It would appear as a track when loaded on the gps.
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com
If it's a big file, there are a couple simple utilities that can turn it into a transparent overlay in Garmin's map format. I think this is what z_statman is suggesting. The result will be a Garmin .img file that can be enabled/disabled in the map setup menu on your eTrex. If you enable another map at the same time, the trails on the overlay will appear on top of it.
Have a look at these. I have not used either, I use more powerful/complex/expenive software myself. ;) The first one is free.
http://www.javawa.nl/imgfromgpx_en.html
http://www.gpx2img.com
Excellent thanks
Looking a little closer, those two programs work with .gpx files and not .kml, sorry. You would first need to convert the .kml file to a .gpx file using a site like the one I posted above, or a program like gpsbabel.
GPSU (www.gpsu.co.uk) is good for converting KML to GPX - and lots of other formats, too. The free version is usually sufficient.
Save the overlay as a kmz file and place in the Custom Maps folder within Garmin on the GPXr then enable to be seen
.kml files are "containers" that can contain a variety of completely different things. Garmin "Custom Maps" can only contain one very specific thing - raster imagery in the form of non-progressive .jpg files no larger than 1024x1024 pixels each.
I doubt that is the kind of .kml file the OP has. Most likely his files contain vector data which is something completely different. They are more similar to .gpx files.