Ovewhelmed

[Reverend Bill]

I tried to follow the tutorial on getting a NOAA raster image map into my Montana 600. I am completely overwhelmed.  Any thoughts?
Thanks.
-Bill

[Boyd]

Are you talking about this MOAGU tutorial? http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/creating-raster-noaa-charts-for-garmin-gps-units-with-moagu/

That would be a completely wrong approach for the Montana 600. MOAGU is a hack for converting raster imagery to vector imagery for old Garmin handhelds. Your Montana supports raster imagery natively, so there is no need for that.

I am not at all familiar with NOAA charts, but that tutorial says they may be available as geoTIFF. If possible, that is what you will want. If not, that tutorial mentions a program that can convert to geoTIFF.

Once you have the geoTIFF you should be able to use a couple different programs to convert to Garmin's "custom map" (.kmz file) format. Have at look at g-raster from the same author (who is also a member here): http://moagu.com/?page_id=155

Another program that might work is MAPC2MAPC: http://www.the-thorns.org.uk/mapping/

I use Globalmapper myself, but that is expensive GIS software and arguably over-kill for what you want.

[babj615]

May I ask what format(s) the NOAA maps are available in?

WHich do you have access to?

[Reverend Bill]

IThere are free raster maps of NOAA charts at this link:
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/

[Reverend Bill]

Boyd, you say "that tutorial says they may be available as geoTIFF. If possible, that is what you will want. If not, that tutorial mentions a program that can convert to geoTIFF.

Once you have the geoTIFF you should be able to use a couple different programs to convert to Garmin's "custom map" (.kmz file) format. Have at look at g-raster "

So with my Montana, get the raster chart in TIFF, and convert it to .kmz with g-raster
That is my mission?
Thanks.
-Bill

[Boyd]

Exactly! 

[dbperry]

So with my Montana, get the raster chart in TIFF, and convert it to .kmz with g-raster
That is my mission?
Thanks.
-Bill

Actually, the G-Raster program has native support for the NOAA BSB file format. So your mission is even simpler:
1) download the charts you want from NOAA in the NOAA BSB native format
2) Use G-Raster to convert them to KMZ

Reference:
http://moagu.com/?page_id=155
(See the second bullet under G-Raster features)

Disclaimer: I haven't tried this - it looks interesting - so I don't have first hand knowledge that it will work...

Dave

[Boyd]

Also note that the Montana is especially well suited for this. It can use custom maps with as many as 500 individual tiles. All the other Garmin handhelds max out at 100 tiles. I am not familiar with g-raster, but you should keep this in mind because the program might try to limit you to 100 tiles since the Montana is a relatively new device.

If it does limit you to 100 tiles, you could split your map into 5 sections of 100 tiles each. When you load them on the Montana, it will combine all custom maps (.kmz files) into a single map.

[Reverend Bill]

Success!!! It was a bit of a challenge, but It worked.  Thanks to you all for your assistance and direction.
-Bill

[Boyd]

Great, glad that it worked. 

[leszekp]

Standard version of G-Raster limits you to 100 tiles, but this is because the graphics library I use has major memory management issues that causes it to choke on large images. The update page has a hacked version that can do images that generate >250 tiles, but it's flaky and may not work on all raster maps. I'm working on a full rewrite that will eliminate the old graphics library, and lift the 100-tile restriction for the standard version, but it will take a while.

Maps converted from raster to vector using Moagu's BMap2MP utility should work on the Montana and related units - I've used them successfully on my 62s. But unless you've hit the 100 or 500 tile limit, Custom Maps are a far better choice in terms of ease of creation and quality. Moagu (and BMap2MP) are hacks mainly intended for older units that don't support Custom Maps.

[Boyd]

So, in order to make a custom map with 500 tiles using g-raster, it would first be necessary to use some other software to split it into 5 smaller images and then convert each of those?

[Indrid Cold]

So, in order to make a custom map with 500 tiles using g-raster, it would first be necessary to use some other software to split it into 5 smaller images and then convert each of those?

Hummmm... reminds me of this:

WHOLESALE PLUS SIZE CLOTHING, WOMEN WHOLESALE CLOTHING, PLUS SIZE DRESSES, PLUS SIZE TOPS, PLUS SIZE SWEATERS, PLUS SIZE PANTS, PLUS SIZE SKIRTS, PLUS SIZE SUITS, PLUS SIZE SWIMWEAR, MISSY PLUS SIZE, PLUS SIZE FASHION CLOTHING, OFF PRICE CLOTHING, PLUS SIZE CUSTOM MAPS

[Boyd]

Yes, the Montana is the plus size of the GPS world. 

I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of Dental Floss

[Reverend Bill]

Me and the Pygmy Pony, over by the dental floss bush