Topics

The attached file has instructions for making a custom map for Garmin GPS.  I was not able to post the instructions.  If anyone is able to take the instructions from the text file and post it, that would be better.  Please comment with suggestions or clarifications to the instructions.

When I make a map for Garmin GPS, do I need to begin with data that has a Coordinate System of WGS84?

I have a basic map which looks good in BaseCamp.  The land is yellow #FFFF8B and the lakes/water color is  #0030FF.  According to TypViewer, both of those colors are "Garmin" colors.  When I open the map on a Garmin Montana 600, the land is green and the water is purple.  Any advice on how to fix this is greatly appreciated.

Is it possible to select a specific layer in GPSMapEdit? Is it possible to delete a layer?

I have a .img file which I would like to distribute for use with Garmin GPS handheld units for topographic navigation.
I don't want people to give copies of the .img file to others.  What do I need to do to distribute this GPS Map so that the file will only work on the specific GPS where it is installed?

Using QGIS, I can add labels to my map with the Text Annotation tool, but I don't see any way to customize the look of the labels created with that tool.  Is there any way to custom the labels or is there a plugin that makes labels where the size, color, etc., can be adjusted?

I have a map with two vector layers.  The polygon layer represents lakes and the polylines layer represents hiking trails.  Both layers have labels applied in the layer properties.  The labels for the lakes show at all zoom levels but the labels for the hiking trails only show when the map is zoomed very far in.  Both layers label properties are the same.

Could this be based on the column width that I set for the label?  Any ideas on how I can get the hiking trail labels to show just the lakes labels show.

I have a map made of many different vector layers.  There is a contour layer of polylines. I also have DEM data in a .gdb file with lots of MultiPolygon data it in.
I'm using QGIS/OSGeo4W64 and I would like to add shading to show the elevation changes.  I read a bit about hillshading and I've found some instructions but it all seems to deal with raster data.  As far as I can tell the .gdb file is all vector data.  Do I work with the contour vector layer?  Or, do I work with the DEM data in the .gdb file?  Are there qgis plugins that will help?  Do I need to deal with colorramps?

I have a map made from vector layers and when I compare my map to the same area on a map produced by a commercial map maker, my map is stretched horizontally.  The commercial map measures 30" x 25", my map of the same area measures 30" x 18"
I made maps from the same shapes file in both QGIS and ArcMap and both maps look the same.
I don't know if this influences the shape of the map but, the Reference System Information from my map data is: Code NAD83 (EPSG:4269) Codespace  EPSG
The commercial map is NAD 27

I have a canoe map and each portage/hiking trail between lakes has a label.  In QGIS I can apply lots of style options to change the way the labels look but am using MapEdit to create the .img format map and I don't see any way to apply styles to the labels with MapEdit.  I'm using a custom .typ file which I edit with TYPViewer and I don't see any way to style the labels in the typ file either.

I understand "routing" on road maps.  Is it possible to add routing to a canoeing map where the "route" goes directly across a lake to a specific portage (hiking trail between two lakes) and continues on through several lakes and portages?

I created a .img map that I want to distribute.  I would like to prevent others from copying the map and giving it to others.  cGPSmapper has software to "lock" the map so it can only be used with a specific GPS device or SD memory card.  It looks like the cGPSmapper software that has the lock feature is very expensive, is there any other way to lock a map or prevent users from copying the map or using it on multiple devices?

I imported several shape files, polygons and polylines intp GPSMapEdit and assigned a map skin .typ file.  The map looks good in GPSMapEdit but when I export to Garmin .img format and use MapsetToolkit or JaVaWa GMTK to install the map into MapSource (or make the map available to BaseCamp), the map is blank.  In the lower-left corner, it reads, map created with http://cgpsmapper.com  but the rest of the map is blank.
In the map properties, I have levels 0 and 1.  I tried various TRE sizes and RGN limits but nothing has worked.  Any ideas for what I can check or change?

I am using GPSMapEdit to make maps and MapsetToolkit to install the maps to MapSource and then to my GPS. It worked for me yesterday on a different computer.
But today MapsetToolkit runs through the process and the window pops up "Convert completed" but the new map does not show in the Mapset Installed window.
MapSource is installed on my C: drive. MapsetToolkit is installed at C:\MapSetToolKit_v1.77 and cgpsmapper is installed at C:\MapSetToolKit_v1.77\cGPSmapper
I also tried installing with MapsetToolkit with the Install button in the lower-right but I get the message "Cannot insert a Mapset in Mapsource"

I have the .img .typ .tdb .reg .mdx .mp files all in the C:\MapSetToolKit_v1.77 folder.

Any ideas of things to check or what I might be doing wrong?

I have a vector polygon (blue color) shape file with a hole in the center of the polygon.  I added the shape file to GPSMapEdit and I am using a .typ file to edit the colors, transparency, draw level, etc.


The hole is always white. I can make the blue polygon transparent and raise or lower it above or below another polygon, but whenever the blue polygon is visible, the hole in the center is white.

I have a map created with QGIS and I need to convert the map to Garmin .img format.  The only way I know how to convert to .img format is with GPSMapEdit.   How can I save or export the map from QGIS to some format that I can open with GPSMapEdit?
Or, is there a different software that I can use to create a .img file and will that software work with whatever I can get from QGIS.
As far as I can see, with QGIS, I can only save as various image formats.

IF, you use a GPS for canoe tripping in the BWCA or Quetico wilderness, what brand/model do you use?  Wondering which brands are most common.

I created a topographic map of a wilderness area for use with hand-held GPS devices.  I know how to format the map for use with Garmin GPS.  I'm looking for instructions to format the map for use with other common hand-held GPS units.

I am using GPSMapEdit to edit a map that is an odd shape, not a rectangle.  The map has 5 levels.  A separate "Area of Map Coverage" polygon is on each level.  I would like to delete some parts of the topo map which are in (or beneath) the Area of Map Coverage polygon, but in order to do that I need to move the Area of Map Coverage polygon to the side, delete some data and then move the Area of Map Coverage back to the exact location.  I can't really delete the Area of Map Coverage and then re-draw it for each level because the map is huge.
Is there any way I can delete some of the map without moving the Area of Map Coverage polygon aside?
And, if that is possible, do I need to delete the data, zoom to the next level and repeat for each level?

I have a .img that I  use with my Garmin Montana GPS.  I open the .img file in GPSMapEdit, save as .mp, then Export as .img format.  Then I use MapSetToolKit and the .typ file to produce a topo map that works in BaseCamp and on my GPS.  In BaseCamp, everything is the same, but on the GPS I only get the zoomed-in levels, if I zoom out to view a large section of the map, the map does not show.
Since the new .img file displays all zoom levels in BaseCamp, I assume the levels are being affected when by the method I am using to install the .img file on the Garmin Montana 600 GPS unit.  Is this a problem with MapSetToolKit?  Any advice appreciated.  Let me know if  you have any questions.