Loading Maps into Garmin Etrex

This is the situation

I have a laptop and have Hema Raser maps loaded into it with Ozi Explorer, including Google Earth.

However I have a Garmin Etrex which needs to have Australian Maps loaded into it, particularly for WA and in my case to get accustomed to it Victorian maps so I can use Lat'Long.

How do I download maps into the Garmin, including having them in the right format?

Thanks

Jeff

G'day Jeff

Get onto Detrackozi if he can't do it then it can't be done.

cheers dave

PS I just googled How to load maps onto Garman Etrax and there are a few suggestions. Here is one
http://www.ehow.com/how_5020135_load-maps-garmin-etrex.html

If you go to the garmin website they provide a free download that allows you to load your own data in.

Here is the link:

http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/

If you search through their help on the right you may also get some answers.

I used this on my garmin to historic mine site data into it and it filled the memory of the unit. It did load most of the points though.

The Google Earth product is also good as it will allow you load image overlays which I have used to show where reef locations are.

Jeff,

I am in the same boat with a Garmin Oregon 450. I need to find out what maps will work and what will not.

I ordered the Johnny Appleseed 5m contour maps when I purchased the 450. I could not "unlock" them etc etc as I am a computer idiot. So the helpful guy at JA took over my computer and remotely installed the maps on the 450 for me. That all worked well after I bought extra memory in the form of a micro SD card, so that I could the entire maps of Australia. I bought an 8 gig and then found out that the 450 will not read more than 4 gig on that card.

BUT, I did not like the JA 5m maps as they had virtually no tracks shown on them. So I ordered the Topo Map of Aust and NZ from Garmin.

I have spent about 45 minutes on the phone with Garmin and now have these new maps unlocked and sitting in BASECAMP. However, it does not seem to matter what I do, I cannot remove the previously installed JA 5m maps from my micro SD card in the 450, nor can I figure out how to then get the new Garmin topo maps into it.

A very frustrating experience and I guess I will have to spend another half an hour talking to Garmin help desk today. These devices are not aimed at computer cretins such a I.

I will be very interested in the answers you get to your question.

Cheers,

Jig

Does your Garmin model allow Custom Map like the new models eg. Rino650 If so I may be able to help as I can get any map that loads in OziExplorer onto my Rhino.

Thanks Fellas

Going to Maryborugh for the long weekend so will try when I get back

Jeff

Hi Geof_Junk,

We have been looking at the Garmin Montana GPS,and yes it does allow custom maps and I have been told that I could not load any maps from Oziexplorer, the only thing we could load were track files and shape files.

You have our attention.......

So there is a way to load maps from ozi into Garmin GPS though customs maps.

Example..... A WA Geomaps that have been calibrated can be transfered into a Garmin GPS, and will it still stay calibrated and work or will
it need to be recalibrated to work in the Garmin GPS, and how difficult is the process as we are still getting our head around Oziexplorer.

Cheers Laurie & Roz

The easiest way to load maps on to a Garmin GPS is to use "Mapsource"

Here is a way you can get it free

Here is a tute that will help you load your Maps

To be honest I wouldn't remove any maps from an existing SD card I would prefer to keep them and just buy another card, Cards arn't that expensive these days.
If you really want to remove maps from your card you will need to do it though your computer, connect your GPS to your Computer click Start/My Computer/Removable Disk/Garmin there you should find everything that is on the card, highlight it all right click and delete if you want to delete everything on the card. If however you do not want to delete everything on the card you will need to be a little more selective, unfortunately I can't help you with that.

Probably easier to use the card reader on your computer if you've got one, or buy one of those USB card reader adapters for a few bucks.

Disclaimer here though: if it all goes pear shaped and you bugger it up don't hold me responsible.

Regards
John

The map has to be imported into a GIS program and converted to a kml/kmz raster file. This will need to be loaded on your mirco SD card in a folder called Garmin/CustomMaps

eg F:\Garmin/CustomMaps\SH5102-Laverton.kmz

If you need more info PM me

Regards Geof.

Hello Geof,

Could you please give me some directions on how to get waypoints onto my new Garmin Oregon 450.

I have used the SAVE / Export to GPX File in Oziexplorer. Then I put these files onto the Micro SD card in the 450. But could not find when I turned the 450 on.

Does the Garmin recognise these GPX waypoint files or do I have to convert them to something else first ?

Thanks a lot,

Jig.

Tui65

Thanks for that info - the Mapsource tutorial was good and answered one big question I had - When you install a map on the unit memory it deletes the map previously stored in the memory. Obviously (?) this does not happen when you store it on the micro SD card ( obviously, maybe, huh ???? - I hope I am right about this )

I used Basecamp from Garmin to get the Aust and NZ Topo maps into the 450 after the Garmin help desk told me what to do. Some people are telling me to use Basecamp and others to use Mapsource. I am confused !

The thing about Basecamp that I cannot understand is that when I conect the 450 to my computer both the SD card and the Garmin 450 internal memory come up as drives. BUT when I click on SD card, nothing opens, so It lookas though there is nothing there.

When I go into Windows Explorer and click on that same SD card drive, there is the GARMIN FILE with all the maps in it. So why does this not show up on Basecamp ? I will go now and have a play on Mapsource and see what happens.

Thanks again,

Jig.

Jigalong wrote:Hello Geof,

Could you please give me some directions on how to get waypoints onto my new Garmin Oregon 450.

I have used the SAVE / Export to GPX File in Oziexplorer. Then I put these files onto the Micro SD card in the 450. But could not find when I turned the 450 on.

Does the Garmin recognise these GPX waypoint files or do I have to convert them to something else first ?

Thanks a lot,

Jig.

Jigalong you are nearly there, once you have save them on your PC (gpx) with OziExplorer. Run Basecamp select your Memory Card (Mirco SD card) then use File...Import.....click on GPX file on PC . Job done. You can then use the drag and paste function to add it to your Basecamp My Collection with does not have the number limitation that GPS does

Geof,

Good instructions thanks - I am making progress. I IMPORTED the GPX waypoint files into Basecamp, then I EXPORTED them to the Micro SD Card (Removeable Disc (E:).

But when I turned the 450 on, I could not find these waypoints. I just dumped them onto the SD card, I did not put them somewhere inside the Garmin file on the SD card. Should I not have put them onto the SD card, but onto the 450 internal memory (I wanted to put them onto the SD card because there is so many of them).

I'm getting there !

thanks a lot,

Jig

Jigalong wrote:Geof,

Good instructions thanks - I am making progress. I IMPORTED the GPX waypoint files into Basecamp, then I EXPORTED them to the Micro SD Card (Removeable Disc (E:).

But when I turned the 450 on, I could not find these waypoints. I just dumped them onto the SD card, I did not put them somewhere inside the Garmin file on the SD card. Should I not have put them onto the SD card, but onto the 450 internal memory (I wanted to put them onto the SD card because there is so many of them).

I'm getting there !

thanks a lot,

Jig

It seems that you imported the GPX file to My Collection. This is the best location for all your waypoints. Your model of GPS will only allow 4000 waypoint so limit your number below 4000 on GPS and inserted Micro SD. If you right click on your waypoint group (in library) use the send to function and select Memory Card

Jigalong wrote:Tui65

Thanks for that info - the Mapsource tutorial was good and answered one big question I had - When you install a map on the unit memory it deletes the map previously stored in the memory. Obviously (?) this does not happen when you store it on the micro SD card ( obviously, maybe, huh ???? - I hope I am right about this )

I used Basecamp from Garmin to get the Aust and NZ Topo maps into the 450 after the Garmin help desk told me what to do. Some people are telling me to use Basecamp and others to use Mapsource. I am confused !

The thing about Basecamp that I cannot understand is that when I conect the 450 to my computer both the SD card and the Garmin 450 internal memory come up as drives. BUT when I click on SD card, nothing opens, so It lookas though there is nothing there.

When I go into Windows Explorer and click on that same SD card drive, there is the GARMIN FILE with all the maps in it. So why does this not show up on Basecamp ? I will go now and have a play on Mapsource and see what happens.

Thanks again,

Jig.

I have only saved Maps to Micro SD Cards so I can't say if Maps previously in the GPS memory are deleted when you load another Map, I hope they arn't, in fact
I'm fairly confident Garmin wouldn't be that silly.

I have both Basecamp and Mapsource, I have played around with Basecamp but always end up going back to Mapsource because I find it easier.

Regards
John

Hi Geof,

Thanks for your advise.....at the moment we are still deciding on what GPS to buy, but the Garmin may go to the top of our list now,
as we have been looking at everything that is compatible with ozi Explorer CE OR OziExplorer Android.

Our main aim is to be able to load WA geo Maps and Tengraph Maps on to our GPS.

We will be watch this thread with interest.

Cheers Laurie & Roz