Author Topic: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?  (Read 2716 times)

Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« on: 13 July, 2009, 08:51:43 pm »
For my eTrex Legend HCx I have a City Navigator Micro SD card France & Benelux plus a MicroSD card 2GB for storage. I was hoping I could have the map card installed to navigate a two-week tour during the days, while tracking at the same time, then at the end of each day insert the MicroSD storage card and save the day's track to it. This is because there won't be enough memory on the device itself to store the whole two-week's track. But I don't see a way to do this, now that I've tried it. I can only store a long track to the card by selecting the Log Track to Data Card option with the card installed - which means I can't use the map card when actually cycling. Dammit. Is there a way to do this?

If there isn't, is there a cheaper Garmin GPS that I could use purely for tracking to card (no map required), while I use the eTrex Legend HCx for navigation?

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #1 on: 13 July, 2009, 08:59:18 pm »
Maybe I'm missing the point but couldn't you simply copy the city nav files onto your 2gb sd and run from that with log track to card enabled (assuming f&B city nav is significantly < 2gb, alternatively buy a 4gb sd card)?

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #2 on: 13 July, 2009, 09:20:03 pm »
Thanks. You're not missing the point. Sounds good to me - I didn't know I could copy the City maps. I would need to copy the map to my hard-drive, then save to card. I'll try it.

(I read somewhere that bigger cards than 2gb tend not to work properly in the Garmin, or maybe I got that wrong)

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #3 on: 13 July, 2009, 09:23:41 pm »
Thanks. You're not missing the point. Sounds good to me - I didn't know I could copy the City maps. I would need to copy the map to my hard-drive, then save to card. I'll try it.

(I read somewhere that bigger cards than 2gb tend not to work properly in the Garmin, or maybe I got that wrong)

Hopefully (!) it will work. AIUI the registration process links the files to the GPS not the card.
I've got a 4gb sd card in my Vista HCx.

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #4 on: 13 July, 2009, 10:08:26 pm »
I connected my PC to the GPS unit in USB Mass Storage mode and copied everything on it to my desktop. There are two folders: EULA and GARMIN. The GARMIN folder contains two files: GMAPSUPP.IMG (225,548 KB = 0.215 GB and will fit on my storage card) and GMAPSUPP.UNL (1 KB). EULA appears to be empty.

Do you know what exactly I should save to the empty MicroSD storage card? Everything above, or only the IMG file? I would assume it's everything but would prefer to be sure.

Incidentally, during this process I lost my base map in MapSource. I wonder where that went to!

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #5 on: 13 July, 2009, 10:28:01 pm »
Not sure exactly. My eTrex with gb topo (pc/dvd product) contains one folder (\Garmin) containing one file (gmapsupp.img, 236mb). The .img (mapo tile) file was downloaded from the pc.

My guess is you only need the .img file. hth

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
    • Fuchsiaphile
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #6 on: 13 July, 2009, 10:30:35 pm »
I connected my PC to the GPS unit in USB Mass Storage mode and copied everything on it to my desktop. There are two folders: EULA and GARMIN. The GARMIN folder contains two files: GMAPSUPP.IMG (225,548 KB = 0.215 GB and will fit on my storage card) and GMAPSUPP.UNL (1 KB). EULA appears to be empty.

Do you know what exactly I should save to the empty MicroSD storage card? Everything above, or only the IMG file? I would assume it's everything but would prefer to be sure.

Incidentally, during this process I lost my base map in MapSource. I wonder where that went to!

Your GPS will only display the map saved as garmin/gmapsupp.img on the SD card.
As I understand it, the .img supplied on your City Nav card is 'locked' to that card and copying it to another won't work unfortunately.  So if the City Nav card is read-only you're stuck.  I hope someone is going to come along to prove this wrong!!
The 'log track to data card' option works very well but it is a more-or-less continuous process - not something you do as a 1-off at the end of each day.

Your cheapest option IMO is to find a 'used' copy of Metroguide Europe on ebay and install that to Mapsource and to your 2Gb card, and enable 'log track to card'.   That would cost much less than a 2nd GPS.  The maps are unlocked, and just as good really.   Chalk the City Nav card (bad buy) up to experience.
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #7 on: 13 July, 2009, 10:45:19 pm »
Looking at Windows Properties/Attributes for garmin/gmapsupp.img - it doesn't show as Read-only. I'll have a go tomorrow (I was assuming Manotea had actually done it!). At least my GPS is still working.

Point taken regarding 'bad buy' (subject to above).

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
    • Fuchsiaphile
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #8 on: 13 July, 2009, 11:07:10 pm »
How much space is on the card then?
Daily tracks only occupy around 250Kb per day at default settings.  Even with big daily mileage, a 2-week tour would only use say 5Mb max.  Increase the figures by 50% if you go to 'More Often' for the trackpoint frequency.

You can of course save each day's track manually, to one of the 20 slots in 'User Memory' (not on the card) - but these saved tracks are a bit compromised - downsampled and no timestamps.
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #9 on: 14 July, 2009, 11:50:21 am »
Oh well. I copied the City Nav map to the MicroSD storage card but I got a notice "Can't unlock maps". So it won't work.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #10 on: 14 July, 2009, 11:57:55 am »
So copy the whole lot, empty eula folder and unl file and all.  It may need them.
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #11 on: 14 July, 2009, 01:18:46 pm »
That's what I did - copied the lot. I'm not surprised it won't work, otherwise anyone could distribute the maps.

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #12 on: 14 July, 2009, 06:44:26 pm »
Looking at Windows Properties/Attributes for garmin/gmapsupp.img - it doesn't show as Read-only. I'll have a go tomorrow (I was assuming Manotea had actually done it!). At least my GPS is still working.

Point taken regarding 'bad buy' (subject to above).
Sorry, I've only worked with the PC/DVD offerings. Still, now we know!

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #13 on: 14 July, 2009, 07:43:49 pm »
Workaround: Get a netbook and install GPSbabel to slurp tracks off your device.  O:-)
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

amaferanga

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #14 on: 15 July, 2009, 10:44:22 am »
See here, post by user meic.  He/she says that they can write tracklog data to the pre-programmed SD card.

Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #15 on: 15 July, 2009, 11:38:48 pm »
If tbere's free space on the pre-programmed card it should be OK to log tracks to it, but the card is likely to be the smallest that will hold the France/Belgium data so there may not be all that much free space.
Also, once you start using the card it may be a good idea to back up the card data (i.e the gmapsupp.img file) to your PC just in case things go wrong.

The unlock generator is probably for generating codes to unlock the DVD data for new GPS units rather than for moving card data onto new cards, but I could be wrong.

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
    • Fuchsiaphile
Re: Navigating with map and tracking tour at the same time?
« Reply #16 on: 15 July, 2009, 11:43:17 pm »
Please let us know how you get on - this is a fairly common query so it would be good to know the answer!
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll