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kmz files to GPS maps

Started by redrobin77, August 27, 2011, 10:24:59 AM

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redrobin77

Still new to the conversion of files to GPS usable files.  I'm trying to convert the KMZ map of French Creek to a readable format for my Garmin Oregon 450.  Any help?  I have GPSBabel, Mapsource, etc. , but maybe I'm not using the right format.  Have converted to KML then tried GPSBabel, but not a good GBP file.
Thanks

Seldom

Hard to tell what kind of maps you want to make:

Garmin custom maps ARE KMZ files, so I don't know what you'd be using GPSBabel to convert them to.
Garmin custom maps are RASTER maps.  That means they are pictures like JPEGs that are georeferenced so that the picture aligns with geographic features.

To make Garmin custom maps see this link and click the "Create your own.." tab:
http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/custommaps

If, however, you want to make VECTOR based maps, like the topo maps available from this site, you should look at this tutorial:
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-create-garmin-topo-maps/
You'll see it's a little more complicated than Garmin custom maps.

redrobin77

Many thanks for the help.
The map that I've tried to load is the French Creek, PA map.  Seems already configured from a .jpg to a kmz.  I've loaded on the Oregon 450 and enabled it (and it alone), but it doesn't seem to be there.  Do I need a different map file enabled as well?

Boyd

If that map was correctly made, it should become visible when you enable custom maps on your Oregon. The setting is global - all custom maps you have installed are either on or off, you cannot turn individual ones on/off.

You need to create a folder named CustomMaps inside the Garmin folder on your GPS (or a data card) and place the file inside of it or the unit won't recognize it. There are also some strange issues where certain maps don't work because of the filenames. Filenames can only contain letters and numbers, with no whitespace and now special characters. Further, .kmz files are actually zip archives that can contain many individual .jpg files. If any of those .jpg's has an illegal name, it can also cause the map to not be recognized.

You need to zoom WAY in to see custom maps. The zoom level varies depending on the detail (resolution) in the map images. Zoom in to about 300 feet and make sure you are centered on a location inside the park and it should work if the map was correctly made.

On my Oregon I've seen a stange bug where custom maps sometimes don't show when I first turn them on. Then if I close the map view, go back to the main menu, then return to the map and drag it around it will show. I have the older Oregon 400t and haven't upgraded firmware for awhile, so I don't know if your 450 will have this kind of issue.

redrobin77

Thanks again.
The map that I tried loading was off this site.  I repeated the process of making a custom map by the Garmin method, starting with a JPG.  I completed the KMZ in Google Earth, but when I put it in the CustomMaps folder, when I start the unit, it says that it is too big to open (only 6MB and I have the space on the unit).  I'll try loading on to a micro SD when I get one soon.

Boyd

How many tiles are in the .kmz file? None of them should be more than 1024x1024 and there is also an overall size limit (in MB) per tile. You may also find some help in Garmin's own support forum here: https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?f=205

redrobin77

Great to know...I was using one JPEG, obviously way too much. I went back to the original KMZ downloaded and there were 20 sub-sections layered!

Appreciate the help.  I reloaded the download and now it shows up.  Thanks to all for the help.  Cool stuff.

Boyd

Glad you got it working. The basic specs are that you can have a maximum of 100 individual jpeg tiles and each should be no larger than 1024x1024. They don't all have to be in the same .kmz file however, you can have as many .kmz files as you like but the total on the device is 100. The Montana however allows you to have 500 jpegs, which is nice. I assume this is because it clearly uses a faster processor than the Oregon/Dakota/62 series.