Garmin Nuvi Maps
Maybell Hughs
I recently had to update a Nuvi 205W that has been kept in the family for many years for sentimental reasons. It has Lifetime City Navigator Europe Maps and has been used with most, if not all UK regions.
Using the current version of Express, v7.17.3.0, I can only install a map region that will fit in the spare space on the device. It insists on installing Germany or Turkey, rather than updating the UK regions that were loaded previously. With Germany installed, choosing Change Map in Express only offers Turkey. I am in the UK so would really like the UK maps to be updated.
This may help with your understanding of what is going on. You should be able to install all of the areas you want to a sd card. There is no need to delete Germany. There is a link in that post explaining what to do.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did try fitting an 8GB MicroSD card in a full-size SD adapter. I think the computer recognised it but I didn't know how to use it so I took it out again. I'll have another go later.
Leave the card/adapter in the nuvi and perform the map update in the normal manner using Garmin Express. If the maps you are downloading are large enough to exceed the internal memory capacity of the 205W, Express should handle the task automatically.
I originally tried a Kingston 8GB Class 4 microSD card in the Kingston SD adapter that came with it. This was not recognised by either the 205W or Windows 10 with a Kingston USB3 Card Reader. I also have a pair of SanDisk 32GB Class 10 microSD cards with a SanDisk adapter. I tried formatting one of these in the Card Reader. That did not complete successfully, either in the microSD slot or with the adapter in the SD slot.
Following the instructions in the post linked above was a bit better. With the Nuvi plugged into a front-panel USB socket, I was able to insert the SanDisk 32GB microSD in the adapter into the 205W's SD slot. Windows recognised that there was a new drive. I was able to format it, but I had to change one of the settings, namely the Allocation unit size. I had this set to 4096 but changed it to Default allocation size, as per the troubleshooting instructions. Formatting completed, Windows recognised a 29.7GB capacity mostly empty drive. It contains a hidden System Volume Information folder and a file called id.txt. I can read that file. It contains a GUID: ad166e4b-af44-450f-8931-01ccfc7f13b5. That is not included in the GMA files list in the main device Garmin folder.
Restarting Express (without rebooting the PC because I am typing this), I can select the device. Map Details shows Germany 2024.10. Map Options, Change Map brings up the Select a Region page, saying the map update is too large and showing Germany and Turkey as the only regions that will fit.
MapInstall can see the device but shows that there is 154.3 MB free, (6 KB used). It will only allow me to select a few regions around the Midlands before running out of space. That is as before. I also tried MapSource with the same result.
There's no indication from either of them that an SD card is present or usable. So, if it is the SD card that is not being accepted by Express or MapInstall, what make and type should I use? The link that suggests buying one from Garmin doesn't work.
P.S. After trying MapSource, I thought why not try BaseCamp? I've not use it with this navigator. It started up, identified the 205W with the SD card and started reading gmapprom. However, it exited with Exception code: 0xc0000374 in ntdll.dll. That means heap corruption, so I will have to reboot now.
MapSource cannot read maps from a device as it's a much older program than BaseCamp. Can you confirm you've used Express to install the full map to your PC? Does that map appear in BaseCamp? If so, and if Windows recognises the card as you state, it should show in the lower left hand pane of BaseCamp under the device, which should also show in the left hand pane. You should be able to right click the sd card and select Install map ... select the area you want and install that to your sd card.
I reconnected the 205W to the PC after rebooting. Express was behaving the same way, so I started Basecamp. That exited with the same exception in NTDLL.DLL, but I'm not that easy to deter, so started it up again and it was able to read the memory on the Nuvi, including the SD card, which was nested under the 205W (top left for me, not bottom left).
I was then able to follow your instructions, right-click on the card and Install map. it fired up MapInstall and I was able to throw a marquee around the UK maps, trim around the edges and then Continue. It took a while but went perfectly. I now have some 350MB of map on the SD card and an enormous amount of spare space!
Express is behaving the same as before, even when Run as Administrator, so it's a waste of space on this device apart from software updartes. Basecamp on the other hand and MapInstall running from it seemed to do the trick.
I've created a folder called "Garmin" on the SD card and copied the .img file into it, but the map won't work. There already is a folder called "Map" on the SD card, too, and there already is a map file in it that works. I've also tried to copy the file into this folder, but the map won't work anyways.
Where did you dowload the map from exactley maybe someone can confirm that it is good. When you say the map won't work do you mean the old, the new or both? I don't have that model of garmin car sat nav, But on the 1310t I have to do:tools: settings: map: info: then i see the map list to select from. If the existing map is in a folder called map i think you should also use that folder, BUT be carfull not to name another map the same or you will overwrite it. safer to use a micro SD if the Device as a slot. let us know what works please?
Hi Nico,Search the archives for an answer with these combinations "Garmin nuvi 144ot" by adding it in the upper blank window or ask it at the Garmin help site. This forum has been created for specific questions regarding OSM and not specific for Garmin devices.
Great instructions as always Ray
Is it possible to download entire continents such as North America etc or even just the USA in its entirety rather than having to select all the squares manually?
You can actually toggle the DEM map separately. So you could just add the OSM maps in there as you want (should have plenty of room for both), and then just got into the menus and toggle which layers you want, including (or not including) the DEM map.
The gmaptool.eu maps definitely do include DEM data. There are routable topo maps available for everywhere except Europe. I have used the Southern Africa, Southeast Africa, East Africa and Southwest USA maps both on fēnix 5X and in Basecamp. They are very high quality.
Hello and thanks,
Silly question maybe, what is the use of dowloading a free map on my Edge 820 which already has got one?
Are the ones you mention more precise? It looks you are saying no (in terms of rendering) so really I was wondering.
Thanks!
KRgds,
Ray,
Any idea if Garmin is planning on updating their integration with OSM in the web version of Connect? The current implementation is horrible. No contour lines, missing road names for secondary and fire roads, blocky trails. Just terrible. Looking at connect.garmin.com and openstreetmap.org side by side in a browser is night and day. The maps on the edge device actually look better than the maps in Connect!
The google maps layer may be fine for road rides, but it sucks ass for mtb trails and we have to rely on the OSM option. Unfortunately the connect integration is terrible and absolutely needs to be addressed.
I prefer this maps over the Garmin maps even where the detailed Garmin map is installed. I very seldom use routing, but quite often I use the map during bike rides to make spontaneous decisions where to go next. In this maps here
1) you can see if a road is paved or unpaved and get proper information of which quality the unpaved road is.
2) official bike routes are marked, so I can spontanously decide to follow a bike route with no need to download it.
Meredith,
Thank you for your reply. Which one specifically from the list below and have you tried it?
Generic Routable
Generic Routable (new style)
Routable Bicycle (Openfietsmap Lite)
Generic Nautical (non-routable)
Transparent overlay with elevation contours
If this is explained in the post, and I missed this idea or if one of the comments already covered this issue, sorry. Does the downloaded map data provide elevation details that the Garmin head unit would need to populate the elevation data screen while following a course on a downloaded map?
Ray, I bike tour (unsupported) all over the world. I buy the Garmin SD map cards for the regions/countries of the world I travel (I never bike tour in the US anymore, since 2009 for safety reasons). I have had the Garmin 705, 800, 1000 and now the 1030 (for 3 years). I find using the Garmin SD map for say SE Asia to be great, have never had a problem using the Garmin bought SD map cards. I was on tour in Morocco with a friend from Australia, who also had an Edge 1030 and he had downloaded OSM maps onto his Garmin. He had nothing but problems with turn by turn navigation as well as vast differences between what my Garmin was telling me for distance to go to a city, etc. The navigation errors he had using OSM maps were quite bad, such that he shut his Garmin off and we used mine. I have talked with others who had similar problems with OSM maps downloaded. I love the Garmin SD map cards, expensive but for me, worth every penny.
Installed the map of Morocco from the link and yes it is better than the no good world map pre-installed in Garmin Edge. But not that much.
89.5Mb
are all the data that come with that map.
Go to: link to openmtbmap.org and download the map there and you will get
255Mb
making that not just a little better but a map that can be used and where roads and towns and villages are mapped reasonably correct or at least so good that you will not get lost. You can even get it in local (arabic) language or in English .