map don't have routable roads in this area error message

[zippydooda]

Newbie to my Oregan 650T. I have downloaded & installed U.S.OSM Routable map from GPSFileDepot. I physically live in Germany and from there I searched and selected a Geocache in Hawaii. The GPS started its' calculation - then I got this error message " map does not have routable roads in this area". I assume I got this message due to the fact that there are no trails or roads from Germany to Hawaii. Can anyone confirm or verify my assumption? I was trying to test the GPSFileDepot map as routable and usable for my up coming vacation. I hope I don't sound too stupid but wanted to verify the maps as a good alternative to other much more expensive options. Thank you in advance.

[zippydooda]

  Well after watching 52 people on this forum read but offer no reply I called Garmin support. The answer to my question is if I try to "route" a long distance (Germany to Hawaii) it is too much data for the GPS to calculate. The nice lady at Garmin also indicated that GPSFileDepot maps should work with no problems as long as the maps are "selected" in the GPS settings. I will test the maps later this month in LA and Hawaii. 

[Boyd]

Well after watching 52 people on this forum read but offer no reply I called Garmin support.

You should realize that GPSFileDepot is just a repository for the work of many different authors. There are no standards for "GPSFileDepot Maps", each author does whatever they like.

I try to help when possible, but have no familiarity with that map, so I didn't reply. Have never been to Hawaii so I wouldn't be able to evaluate how good that map is anyway. Generally speaking, I'm not very fond of OSM maps in my part of the country (NorthEast US) so I don't use them. The roads are there, but the names are often very different from the signage you will see. It's not necessarily "wrong", but the OSM maps will have road name, like "Main St" while the signage will show a number such as "Route 45".

And the OSM maps don't have anything resembling the set of POI's (gas stations, restaurants, shopping centers) as real Garmin maps. OSM also lacks the speed limit display found in Gamrin City Navigator, and you won't get lane assist. These features work on the Nuvi and certain high end Garmin handheld models like the Montana, but not on units like the eTrex or GPSMap series.

So it depends on what you need as to whether they are a "good alternative" to Garmin City Navigator. If I were driving around a city, I would not want to depend on OSM - but that's just me. From what I understand, the EU OpenStreetMaps are better than what we have here.

Sounds like a great vacation - enjoy!!

[Boyd]

BTW, there should be a way to get routing to work without actually being in Hawaii, but I don't know the specific menu option for it on the Oregon. It is called "simulation mode" on some Garmin models, "Demo mode" on others. Basically, it turns off the GPS receiver and instead, you choose a point on the map as your current location.

So you would turn on simulation mode, pan the map to Hawaii, then set a spot as your current location. After doing that, you should be able to create routes and do searches just like you were actually there.