Help needed with new Garmin GPS

[andrec1]

Hi there, I have just purchased new Garmin Oregon 650 and have downloaded basecamp and both kmz and gpx maps for mount feathertop which were free downloads from the OSP books site( I also have their daywalks Victoria bookwhich is how I came to know of their GPS maps for this walk), Anyway I have downloaded acording to their instructions, then copied across from my PC to the gps. When I click on my computer whilst the gps is hooked up to the PC I can see the files sitting there., when I disconnect and attempt to locate the files on the gps they are nowhere to be seen. What am I doing wrong, what have I missed, maybe in set up of GPS initially?

[PeterJ]

I had a problem with maps but once I located them under the Garmin folder rather than top level all worked fine. Not sure it that relates to your problem though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[sthughes]

If they are .gpx files then they are tracks and/or waypoints and not maps. Maps are .img files. Perhaps try looking in the "Tracks Manager" on your Oregon 650?

[andrec1]

Thanks, I can't find a .omg map of feathertop to download, anyone have a link for one. On the OSP site they say to download the .kmz file which gives a 3 dimensional view of the walk on Google earth, which I then uploaded onto the gps, as I said the file is there on the gps but cannot locate it anywhere. Is this something that will appear all of a sudden when I am at the location itself? Same with the.gpx file thatis sitting somewhere in the gps but I can't see!I 've never used a GPS before so not sure what to see. I have go e through all the onscreen menu options trying to find these maps with no luck. I'm leaving in a day and would really

[andrewp]

Hi andrec1,

The kmz file is not useful for your GPS. The gpx file is a track, not a map. You will be able to see the track when you are in the area, but it will just be a line marking the track. It may include waypoints marking important features e.g. Feathertop summit. You can view what is in the gpx with Google Earth. The gpx file needs to be loaded in the Garmin/gpx folder on your GPS.

You can download Open Street Maps for Garmin GPS for Victoria from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/riyiux3ldpqma0w/8v_4Ao4k3U. OSM-AU-Vic-10m v4.img has 10m contours and the other file has 20m contours. You only want to load one of them. It should be copied to the Garmin folder on your GPS.

Cheers

[dancier]

In my Edge 510 I have a new files folder that I put the GPX files into and the Etrex 20 has a GPX folder that they go into, with Windows file explorer or with Basecamp you can drag the file into, Internal Storage. Just keep on playing, you'll get there eventually but check the Track Manager to see if it's there.

[photohiker]

You need a map. A GPX or KMZ is a path, not a map.

Have a look here for free maps: http://www.osmaustralia.org/garmin.php

With a map and a GPX you should be set.

Get the map first, install it and make sure you can see it on your gps. Then load the GPX (not KMZ)

Let us know any problems you have.

And take paper maps and a compass.

[andrec1]

Thanks so much guys, now I'm making some progress. Loaded the 10m contour map into the GPS folder within the GPS folder so that when I go into track manager Feathertop appears under a heading "favourite tracks". Selecting Feathertop I see various info of the walk distance assent etc ,a mountain tab on the lower right gives me elevation info, the middle tab on the right gives me a track which I have made red, this is shown on a plain white background, I don't see contours or greenery, is this something I see when I'm there?
I also loaded the GPX into the GPX folder within the GPS folder. I loaded basecamp into both Custom maps folder and the GPS Folder, but not able to see this anywhere.
Also loaded the OSM Victoria map into the GPS folder, but can't find this on the GPS Menus. I can see all these maps are sitting in the GPS when it is hooked up to the computer, however when I disconnect the only thing I see is the initial Feathertop map in track manager.Maybe that's all I'm supposed to see, and the rest is just working in the background for when I'm in the location? I was looking for a custom maps folder on the GPS where I loaded Basecamp but there is not a tab that says custom maps that I have been able to find.

[photohiker]

Any MAP file with a .img name, like the OSM-AU-Vic-10m v4.img I think you are using should be in the Garmin folder on the GPS.

You seem to be struggling with the difference between a map (.IMG) file and a GPX file. They are not the same.

A Map (.IMG) file is an electronic map with contours and roads, topo features, etc.

A GPX file is a collection of points that make up an electronic path that can be plotted on top of the map on your GPS.

This info may help you: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... orage_Mode

Bear in mind that newer Garmin GPS like yours, can have more than one .IMG file in the Garmin directory, as long as their names are different.

I'm on a Mac at the moment, but this is a screenshot of the folder structure:

[portlester]

Hi Andrec1

Others have already helped you with your original question, and I can't add anything to their advice.

If you are like me you will find your introduction into the world of GPS both exciting and extremely frustrating. I have found it very difficult to get a straight forward, simple description of how to setup and use my Garmin eTrex30 for quite some time. To help you along you may want to take a look at the files listed under Navigation on the Canberra Bushwalking Club Training and Safety's webpage, in particular An introduction to the effective use of your GPS. I have found them very useful. The guide is based on both the eTrex30 and the Garmin Oregon 550 and would therefore also be relevant for your 650.

cheers
Ian

[GPSGuided]

I think the easiest way to learn for non-techheads is to look up Youtube. There are heaps of review and teaching clips. Text instructions tend to get quite confusing for the noobs.

BTW, firmware 3.90 has just been released.

[walkabout]

Portlester, many thanks for the link. I hope to be getting an etrex30 in the not too distant future and will need all the help I can get.

[Thaddeus]

the file extension "kmz" denotes a file format originally designed by a company called keyhole. The extension stands for "keyhole mark-up language" Keyhole was a company that created large databases of satellite photos and made them available to the private sector. Google earth bought out Keyhole in 2004. You can use kmz files in your garmin by placing them in the custom maps folder. To do this, first connect you gps and say yes to use as a usb mass storage device. Find the Gps device on your computer and go to the garmin folder and find the custom maps folder. Copy your kmz files into this folder. After you disconnect your gps and turn it on, you must first go to the map page and open the map menu and enable custom maps. Provided your kmz map files have been created within the file size limitations they should work. They will not appear until you have zoomed in to a specific zoom level. You do not need to use garmim basecamp to perform this task.

[photohiker]

Just to be clear, a kmz or kml file is not a map, it is generally a track file like a GPX.

There are converters like GPSBabel that convert between the two formats.

[GPSGuided]

Or convert them online. Often simpler for these small track files.
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

[Thaddeus]

Just to be clear, a kmz or kml file is not a map, it is generally a track file like a GPX.

There are converters like GPSBabel that convert between the two formats.

a kmz file can be a map. Best advice is to refer to the garmin website for accurate information. See link below. I have made heaps of maps in a kmz format. They have successfully loaded onto my Garmin map62s gps and displayed as a map in the background.


https://support.garmin.com/support/sear ... 0000000%7D

[photohiker]

Just to be clear, a kmz or kml file is not a map, it is generally a track file like a GPX.

There are converters like GPSBabel that convert between the two formats.

a kmz file can be a map. Best advice is to refer to the garmin website for accurate information. See link below. I have made heaps of maps in a kmz format. They have successfully loaded onto my Garmin map62s gps and displayed as a map in the background.


https://support.garmin.com/support/sear ... 0000000%7D

Thanks for the correction. I would correct my comment to say that a kmz file is not usually a map.

Can you explain how you create your kmz maps?

[icefest]

Can you explain how you create your kmz maps?

Like this: http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/custommaps_instruct.pdf

Write a script to download listmap data and you can have detailed topo of the peaks you want to climb. I think I'll do it for the harder trips I do from now on.

[LandSailor]

Just as a side note for those who may not be aware, kmz files are just zip files containing one more kml files (and other formats).
If you want to view the contained files directly you can decompress a kmz file using any zip program.

Also another minor tip Ive found useful on my Garmin is to change the bottom-left hand corner display from the default satellite strengths to GPS accuracy/margin of error. Its showing effectively the same thing just in a more meaningful way imo.

[GPSGuided]

Bottom left hand corner?

[LandSailor]

Bottom left hand corner?

Yep

[GPSGuided]

Ok! Got you. It's top left on my Oregon 650.

[andrewp]

by icefest » Mon 28 Apr, 2014 11:50 pm

photohiker wrote:Can you explain how you create your kmz maps?



Like this: http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/custommaps_instruct.pdf

When talking about maps in relation to a GPS one normally refers to a vector map. The map inside a kmz is just an georeferenced image. In my experience they do not scale well to cover large areas e.g. a whole state or country. They work OK for small areas such as a single walk. And of course to make the custom map you need a good digital image of the map. Scanned maps are often distorted.

I did try the instructions from Garmin, but found georeferencing the image with Google Earth was much too fiddly. If you use, or have access to, OziExplorer there is a program OziMapToKmz that will do it for you. Go here http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=130525. The link to download the program that works is 6 posts down Posted - 15 oct. 2009 : 20:04:22.

Cheers

[Thaddeus]

There are many ways of creating maps in .kmz format.Since I am in the mineral exploration business, I have access to GIS programs such as ERSI ArcMap and MapInfo. However, one of the biggest limitations for people outside of an industry that uses GIS software has been that GIS software has tradionally been quite expensive. That has now changed with opensource software freely available for anyone to download. check out the link below:

http://www.qgis.org/en/site/

with this software you can open and edit map data that you can source from government websites to create maps that suit your needs.

One piece of software that makes creating custom .kmz maps for garmins easy, is a fairly cheap one called MAPC2MAPC. It can be downloaded from:

http://www.the-thorns.org.uk/mapping/

If you already have say oziexplorer maps you can use them to create .kmz files this one is handy because you can create maps by picking and choosing only the parts of the map you want, for instance the areas along a track you wish to walk. this is helpful for getting everything you want in the space limitations

[Thaddeus]

Here is an example map that I made for a trip to Hinchenbrook Island using the sofware I mentioned in the previous post. I also have some for the overland track if anyone is interested. To view this map on your garmin, copy and paste into the custom maps folder that you will find in the garmin folder. unplug gps, turn on and go to map page, hit the menu button and enable custom maps. if you have google earth loaded on your computer you can click on the file and it will open google earth automatically and zoom to the map.