Download Maps For Garmin Basecamp

[Teena Ruiter]

Theinstructions for importing the maps on the Basecamp wiki suggest that double clicking the .gmapi file will invoke MapManager to import the maps ready for BaseCamp. I am at a loss to where the .gmapi file is - my Mac is also convinced there are none here...

I concurrently downloaded the OSM generic file to copy to the card in my Garmin, but need the detailed maps on my Mac to plan my routes. The global basemap does not have any usable detail for Thailand.

Up till I upgraded to el Capitan, i was able to install maps to basecamp on my mac. I tried all the aboveanswers[moderator edit after conversion to comment], but now i'm unable to install the OSM maps on my computer. I wish someone could help,

I have had the same battle for years. Every time I take a 'trip' (yearly) I stress because I cannot load maps from OSM to garmin with mac. I even stumbled onto a OSM thread about my case (my screenshot) from oct 2008...I recognize the setup. STILL can't do it correctly and spend more time than my vacations trying to get it to work. Pretty sad. I can get the gmap, but not the .img...hit and miss. I am about ready to give up on maps and just use my topo that i have.

OK. After file is unzipped, create a new folder. Give it the same name as GMAP folder. Move Gmap folder inside new folder. Then add .gmapi to the name of new folder. That will change it to a gmapi file. Double click it and install.

This is the answer that worked for me. The new folder can't have an extension in the name because you won't be able to add the .gmap folder if it has one. After putting the .gmap folder into the new folder you created, give that new folder the same name as the .gmap folder but with .gmapi as the extension. As Trint Cole describes :-)

You need to download the "osm generic macosx.zip" and this will extract to the file "OSM generic routable(THA_19-01-2015).gmap" and that when double-clicked will install on the mac using Garmin MapManager.app I think and Basecamp on the Mac will load it fine. It worked for me ok.

You may have downloaded the Windows or Linux file by mistake or got amongst the "Nullsoft Scriptable Installer script used to create the BaseCamp/MapSource installer." which is probably a Windows thing?

I am using el capitain. I have followed the renaming new folders advice above, and still nothing good. Finder simply opens the new folder.gmapi when I double click, Basecamp browser launched from 'Import into My Collections' also simply opens the folder and leaves the 'import' button greyed out. Should I be using a different command from within Basecamp? Do I need anythign else installed on the MAC to make a double click in Finder work? My maps were created by garmin.opensetreemap.nl, and I am using the OSX.zip

I finally found a solution. Actually still cannot import directly in basecamp as i used to but......!!!!!! After about a year of no more new OSM maps on my basecamp (mac osx el capitan), I just installed a new map for the first time again. :-)the solution for me is: don't import into basecamp (I stopped trying, none of the above helped me and couldn't find a solution). Instead: paste the map directly into the gps, then connect the gps to the computer and basecamp imports the map from the gps.

I am a brand new user of this forum and a fairly new user of a Garmin GPS, so please be patient with me.

In the past, I managed to download maps of European countries from the Open Street Map web site ( ) and lately from the Freizeitkarte web sites (for instance Germany from -osm.de/garmin/de/deutschland.html)).

I like the latter better because they come standard with elevation profiles.

I install these downloaded maps in BaseCamp (where I prepare hikes) and from there I export the tracks and maps to my Garmin Oregon 700.

So far so good.

We are planning a trip to Patagonia and I would like to prepare dayhikes the way I do it for European trips.

I could download a combined map of Chile and Argentina from

This map does however not only not have elevations it does not have any small tracks and trails either.

I could also download a map of Argentina from

This map has some (most) of the trails in Argentina but no elevations.

This map shows also some roads in Chile but no trails at all and no elevations either.

On the website of Open Street Map I can find a map for Chile ( ) and from Argentina ( ) or even for Patagonia ( ).

All these maps are great. They show a nice level of detail, have elevations and show all trails.

My question is however: how can I donload these maps to install in Basecamp and from there on my GPS.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction for a simple method (I am not a computer geek)

Patrick

The level of detail you are seeing is a combination of the renderer you are using, and the fact that Chile is not a rich Western country. Doing the same for England, would result in a lot more detail, because there are lot of people in England putting personal time into contributing to the map.

The Garmin tools start from the actual map data, not from a rendered image, and filter it in their own way. An example of the detail in a well mapped part of Chile is =16/-45.5853/-72.0589&layers=D However, even there, there you are likely to find that most of the things in the map are actually being rendered, whereas, in England you are likely to find lots of features that are not considered worthy of rendering in the standard rendering. As a simple example, select the transport map on the above town, and there is no additional data, but do it England, and you will normally see many bus routes appearing.

Also, there is a specific forum for Garmin mapping, and you are more likely to find people who are expert in the Garmin map preparation tools there, than on this forum, which concentrates more on the collection of the map data and its use in general, rather the the specific case of using it on Garmin devices.

My question is however: how can I donload these maps to install in Basecamp and from there on my GPS.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction for a simple method (I am not a computer geek)

Patrick

To unzip the file you just downloaded, right-click on it and choose Extract Here. Things may look a bit different if you have WinZip installed. If you see no way to unzip your file, please download and install WinRAR first.

If you do not like the appearance of your Garmin or the Freitzeitkarten-OSM maps than you can modify/change the TYP-file associated with the map. For this you should have a look at two important tools: JaVaWa GMTK which allows you to associate a different TYP-File with a map and TYPWiz 6 which allows you to edit an existing TYP-File. At least for me this has opened and whole new world in customizing BaseCamp and make it more useful for my needs.

This is also explained here: -osm.de/garmin/en/design.html There you can find some alternate designs.

In my humble opinion the Freitzeitkarten-OSM look very nice in BaseCamp when I use the Topo France V4 TYP-file which I have found here . But each has its own preferences how a map should look like. In the end you can take your time and fully customize the TYP-File to your very own needs until you are happy with the result.

First, I will apologize for not being able to find a similar topic to help me through this. I've spent the last hour trying to figure out how to get the "ORTOPO11" map I downloaded from gpsfiledepot.com onto my 62s. I've seen all the outdated tutorials on that website, and then was led to MapsetToolkit that doesn't seem to interact with Basecamp, only Mapsource (which I read has been replaced by Basecamp). I feel like I am missing a big piece of the puzzle here. Maybe it's not as hard as it seems and I am just expecting it to be.

IMG files are the final format that your GPS reads. Just put it directly into the Garmin directory on your GPS or SD card. Files with the extension .gmap or .gmapi are installed to basecamp / map manager. Map Install will then create the IMG file when you install to your GPS.

Thank you geodarts and mineral2. This is the file/map I am talking about: It has 154 .img files. I can't imagine the uploader envisioned people having to choose between 154 maps on their GPS......right? So now I am back to thinking I have to merge/consolidate/fiddle-with this file to make it work.

MapInstall, which is a part of BaseCamp, creates the merged file, up to 4000 .img files. It names the file gmapsupp.img. You can then rename those gmapsupp.img files to AnyName.img and have a dozen or more on the SD card.

I've got the "ortopo11" folder in the ....Garmin/Mapinstall/Maps folder, and also tried it in the Garmin/Basecamp/Maps directory....but neither one had Basecamp recognizing it in the "library" on the left of the Basecamp screen.

Yes, I read EVERYTHING. What I didn't do was pretend it was 2011 and Windows 8 didn't yet exist. I made the mistake of taking the dated instructions literally, AND not recognizing the real issue was "64bit", not the OS version. Thank you for bringing me back to this.

Honestly? Because I didn't want to make yet another login at another website. Plus, It seemed I'd be more likely to find people that have been through this newb stuff here, rather over there, where I get the feeling things are more technical.

Sometimes, I think you get better information on this forum than on Garmin's. But you log into the garmin forums using your Garmin account, and unless you haven't registered your device(s), you have a garmin account.

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