Installing Maps for BaseCamp on Mac

[herbs2]

Howdy,

When you download and install MapInstall for the Mac you also get MapManager. It has become trivial to install the maps (using the gmapi file) for BaseCamp. Simply unzip the gz file by Double Clicking it. Then Double Click the resulting gmapi file and the MapManager app will open and ask if it should install the map.

Good Luck,
herbs2

[johnsabina]

My Macbook running OSX 10.6.8 does not produce the results listed in either this post or the tutorial.  Upon clicking on the download the Michigan topo map, I get a file 154-7599-mitopo11.trz.  Double clicking on that file produces 154-7599-mitopo11.tar.  Double clicking on that produces a folder mitopo11.gmapi.  Double clicking on that just keeps producing more folders and files.  The map is not in Garmin Basecamp.  I cannot import any of these files or folders into Basecamp.  To see the map drop down box suggested in the tutorial, I had to first customize the Basecamp Toolbar by dragging the map source drop down box to the toolbar.  That box shows only the Global Map as present.  What am I missing?

[Boyd]

Was Basecamp installed BEFORE the map? If so, it should have worked as described - double-clicking the download should have resulted in a .gmapi file. I suppose it's possible that there could be a problem with the specific map you are trying to use however.

[johnsabina]

BaseCamp was installed before the map was.  I will try a different map, just to see if that is the issue.

Thank you for the tip.

[johnsabina]

After reinstalling Map Installer and Map Manager, the .gmapi worked exactly how it was supposed to work.  Many, many, many thanks!!!

Now, to tackle getting this map unto my new eTrex 20.

[Boyd]

Great, glad you got it working.

[johnsabina]

What exactly is the correct way to install a map from BaseCamp to my eTrex 20?  (My GPS unit is just new and does not have any micro SD card installed.)  I used MapInstall to install a Michigan TOPO map to my GPS and it seemed to work fine.  Now I am trying to add a New Jersey TOPO map as well for an upcoming trip.  Both maps are in BaseCamp and work as expected there.  Following the same procedure as I did for MI, NJ appears to work (MapInstall shows installation complete), but NJ TOPO does not appear on my map list on the eTrex.  Do I have memory issues?  Nothing in the owners manual that I can find defines the memory available or the capacities of micro SD cards that will work.

This is anything but straightforward!

[Boyd]

Each time you send a map to the device, it is placed in the Garmin folder and named gmapsupp.img. Therefore it will replace whatever map was previously sent. To send multiple maps, you need to go into the Garmin folder on the device and manually change the filename after sending, but be sure to retain the .img file extension. So you could rename the first map MItopo.img, then send the second and name it NJtopo.img and repeat as needed.

The map name is stored internally in the file and on the GPS it may be different from what you expected. BTW, you might be interested in my NJ topo if you haven't already seen it: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/294/ and also http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/276/

[CDuck]

Ah, what a revelation.  I have read the Garmin Oregon user manual backwards and forwards.  There is nothing in there that says you need to manually change the names of your files on the device after you upload them from the computer.  Thank you.

[Boyd]

Yep, Garmin is still living in the past when it comes to the newer devices. Older models would only recognize a map if it was named gmapsupp.img. They really need to update their software to be smarter. Every Garmin device has a file named GarminDevice.xml that describes its capabilities. This file includes info that says whether the unit will recognize multiple map files. Unfortunately, Basecamp doesn't look at this file. If it did, it could automatically assign unique filenames so that the user didn't have to do this manually. Maybe some day they'll address this.

[maps4gps]

Every Garmin device has a file named GarminDevice.xml that describes its capabilities. This file includes info that says whether the unit will recognize multiple map files. Unfortunately, Basecamp doesn't look at this file. If it did, it could automatically assign unique filenames.

However; because transfering data directly to the GPS is a very slow process, we usually
recommend transfering to the micro memory card in a card reader, then moving the card to the GPSr.   A copy of the GarminDevice.xml file would also have to be on the memory card.

[Boyd]

Newer Garmin units have fast USB 2.0 interfaces, but that's a good point. It would be pretty easy for Garmin to modify the unit firmware to put the file on a card when inserted in the GPS however.

Also, there can be advantages to manually copying GarminDevice.xml to a data card. If you do that, then Basecamp will recognize the card as though it were your GPS. This will allow you to download Birdseye (if you have a subscription) directly to a card without the need to connect the actual GPS to your computer.