Magellan Explorist 500 Maps
Rut
Hi there, I've been trying to decide on what to do about map software. Last I heard the Mapsend TOPO Canada package was a few years old, likely missing some significant detail for cities, so I didn't want to commit to spending $115 to unlock the software that came with my unit unless it's possible to update it regularly. Spending $50 just to get Sask/Man seems a little pricey when double that gets me the whole shebang.
Also, I noticed there are some Garmin maps that are free for downloading. Has anyone tried to convert them to a Magellan-friendly *.imi format? Is it even possible? I know there are some utilities floating around and wouldn't mind giving them a shot, I downloaded the source "free" maps but they don't do anything on their own.
My eXplorist 600 can *barely* handle displaying the map and if I get up to highway speed with the map on high detail it is not uncommon to see the unit lag several kilometers behind me as it tries to draw the map. The good news is the hydrography (rivers, lakes) are really accurate (in Ontario anyway) and the POI database is good. The contour lines are absolutely useless and normally only one or two will appear on the screen .... giving you no idea whatsoever if it's a hill or a valley coming up. There are places that the Niagara Escarpment isn't displayed.... I don't know about you, but I consider a 200' cliff to be an impediment to travel.
I certainly agree with the rant tag! MapSend Topo Canada seems out-of-date and there is no indication that it will be updated any time soon. The MagicMaps site is good for being free, but there is no Manitoba detail outside of Winnipeg, which is my main stomping ground. That why I was hoping to make my own maps or convert someone else's maps to *.imi format.
2) Open up a bunch of the .IMG files into GPSMapedit. This is to get some tiles merged together, as converting them individually would be a real PITA. Maybe try a group of 16 first to see how it goes.
3) Go to -tools.com/magellanmapseng.html and carefully read through everything.... Take the file created in step 2 and convert it to SHP files and follow the instructions to make maps.... Lines and polygons are fairly simple. POIs are a PITA....
I think it might be a little bit easier than that. Instead of downloading the Garmin maps that Ibycus created and converting them to *.shp files, the NTDB has the data available for download in *.shp format from this location.
No, it is MUCH harder that way. The shape files from the Government come in a whole bunch of files to represent each entity. Mobilemapper wants a single shape file for lines, polygons and points, which the method I have shown creates. In addition, the method I have shown merges the maps together so that you only do this once. The government data is by individual 1:50000 tiles. There is no way to merge within Mobilmapper, so this must be done in advance.
Excellent! Magic maps indicates they are not adding any more developers right now so I don't have access to any of their tools or documents but will give it a shot this weekend - hopefully with some free topo and DirectRoute my mapping needs will be cared for
Hmm... seem to be having some issues doing the conversion to Polish Text format from the Garmin *.IMG files using MapEdit, I must be missing something here. PTxt2shp gives me some errors trying to convert to *.shp, I'll have to try the conversion using the TXT2SHP app and see if the txt file will convert properly.
It appears to have been a problem with my source file, something must have happened when I saved the file as Polish Text. I was able to recreate my map segment and save it in Polish Text fomat again, and this time ptxt2shp coughed up the required *.shp files. Now to work out POI.
I'm getting stuck at one part of the conversion process. I take the .img files, save them as 'Polish text', then open them in the txt2shp program, but I end up with an empty screen in TXT2SHP. Can anyone direct me please?
I can convert my original files, the .img files to Polish, then to .shp files. I'm wondering where I find the POI files to start working with them. Are they amongst the .img files I've downloaded from Ibycus?
"In need of clarification"? Maybe not for some, but I nearly coughed up my coffee when I read that....I was working things through, word by word, line by line even got to MapMaker, but realized at that point that I really was missing important information with POIs. I'm guessing they need to be split out of the files I downloaded from Ibycus, just haven't figured that one out yet.
I think that's what most people have problems with, those instructions are referencing two different maps which are being used for the topo and POI information. I was scratching my head for a while until I finally broke it down in a spreadsheet to determine what was being one with which file. I'm still just looking at a bunch of *.shp files myself, I find my time is a little monopolized at the moment but hopefully will have a chance to work on this more on the weekend.
Take that file and convert it to a CSV file using Excel or similar in the proper format as described in the tutorial. Each type (category) needs to be under its own heading. See -tools.com/creator.html
Many handheld GPS users spend most of their time on the map screen, and Magellan has made this the center of their new interface. Simply touch the map screen to bring up the four corners menu, shown below at right.
Even so, there is one downside. By providing access to things like Map Options from multiple places in the interface, it can lead to confusion. And handheld GPS receivers are already complex beasts. Overall though, I do like the interface.
The eXplorist 510, like all the new eXplorists, is set up for paperless geocaching. Shown below (clockwise from top left) is a list of nearest caches, individual cache screen, filters and the options menu.
I just purchased the 510 Marine Edition. I notice that when the pre-installed world base map is checked at the same time the sd card Navionics marine map is checked, then the base map does not display any streets other than major freeways. When I uncheck the sd card Navionics map, then the detail on the pre-installed world base map returns. Is this normal or is there something wrong with my unit?
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