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Maps for Garmin Etrex Venture HC

  • 27-03-2009 5:49am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 259 ✭✭


    I'm planning on doin some hiking around mountains in ireland this summer and wanted to record logs for all the paths taken.

    Is there a way to download free detailed (contour) maps for mountain ranges in ireland?


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭burly


    Hi,

    Unfortunately, the Garmin haven't teamed up with OSI to produce contour maps that you can buy from Garmin
    ......but......
    Our good friends in the Scottish Mountaineering Club have produced contour maps for Ireland using NASA data. You can download these maps here.

    http://www.smc.org.uk/ContourMaps.htm

    and there's info on how to install them to MapSource here,

    http://www.paulmac.force9.co.uk/geo/index.html

    and also here

    http://www.mountainviews.ie/features/gps/CreateMap/Introduction.html


    I recently installed these maps onto a Garmin eTrex Vista Hcx, but i found another option from enmerald isle.eu, which was far quicker and easier tham using the paulmac method. They use the SMC maps, but have a handy little programme that does everything for you.

    Here it is,

    http://emerald-island.eu/wikka/GpsMap

    and use this programme to upload them onto your device.

    http://www.img2gps.co.cc/

    I hope you can spend a bit of time getting familar with both these options. It took me about a week to finallay find these maps, and sucessfully load them to GPS. Mapsource let me down a few times too, but just peservere, it can be done!!
    Reply to this thread if you need further assistance.


  • Registered Users Posts: 232 ✭✭slayer91


    Hello, this is great news..........

    I have downloaded the files from Emearld-isle and the img2gps. Have the detailed contours maps available now on my trusty etrx legend. There is no way to describe the improvement these maps are over the standard Garmin maps. Roll on Carrauntoohil on April 18th.........

    Regs

    Liam


  • Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭burly


    Hi Slayer,

    Glad to see this worked out for you, it is great all right. Credit is due to the guys in SMC who voluntarily took this NASA data and compiled these maps, and made them free to us.
    If we were relying on the state body OSi to finally cop on and make these maps available, (like they do in the UK), then we'd never be able to use GPS contour maps for hiking.

    Anyway, rant over, enjoy!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    The only caveat to those maps is the quality of the embedded summit point information, some of which is a bit "iffy" in my experience. That's why I stuck with the SMC maps where you can choose whether or not to include that information or not. I prefer to stick with my own well proven set of waypoints for the Wicklow Mountains, where at least I know that the summit I have marked is the same as the one on the map and not where some arbitrary person has plonked a pile of stones :) Plus all the relief shading and background stuff is just eye-candy IMO and just makes the maps harder to read on the tiny etrex screen.


  • Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    Alun wrote: »
    The only caveat to those maps is the quality of the embedded summit point information, some of which is a bit "iffy" in my experience. That's why I stuck with the SMC maps where you can choose whether or not to include that information or not. I prefer to stick with my own well proven set of waypoints for the Wicklow Mountains, where at least I know that the summit I have marked is the same as the one on the map and not where some arbitrary person has plonked a pile of stones :) Plus all the relief shading and background stuff is just eye-candy IMO and just makes the maps harder to read on the tiny etrex screen.

    These summits are taken from data provided by mountainviews.ie.
    mountainviews.ie actively encourages users to submit corrected readings for summit positions. In you have more correct readings, please update them in mountainviews.

    You can either
    a) bulk upload gpx http://mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?ids=gpsview and select "Input GPS data" Howto here
    or
    b) On each summit page click 'Amend' beside the grid reference displayed there.

    These corrected summit positions will end up in next release of the emerald-island map and openstreetmap.org (OSM). ( I also have permission from mountainviews.ie (MV) to use this data to import into OSM)

    (I also plan to audit summit positions in MV against the OSM summit data so we can update both with the most correct positions)

    If you don't want the contour eye-candy and just want the summits, MV also allows you to d/l the summits as gpx waypoints.


    D


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  • Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    weiss wrote: »
    I'm planning on doin some hiking around mountains in ireland this summer and wanted to record logs for all the paths taken.

    Hi weiss, if you've planning to record the tracklogs, would you consider submitting these to openstreetmap.org (OSM). These traces can be used by yourself (or other OSM mappers) to add these trails to the map.


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    IrlJidel wrote: »
    These summits are taken from data provided by mountainviews.ie. mountainviews.ie actively encourages users to submit corrected readings for summit positions. In you have more correct readings, please update them in mountainviews.
    I'm aware of that. I was a member of the mountainviews site once upon a time back when it first appeared, but I found it a bit of a PITA to navigate and use, so gave up on it and haven't really been back since except for the odd visit, and it doesn't seem to have changed much.

    Anyway, it's not so much a matter of the readings being more or less correct, it's more often to do with where you consider the summit to actually be. Often, in the Wicklow Mountains at least, the point on the OSi map that has the spot height marked, and from where you'd take a bearing if using the map as a reference with a compass, doesn't actually correspond to the de-facto summit as marked by a cairn, pole, stick in the ground or whatever. There seemed to be no consistency in that regard on the site, with the obvious exception of those where there was a trig point. There are also loads of "pseudo" summits that aren't marked on the OSi sheet 56, but which are on the Harveys map as well, for example.

    I have my own collection of waypoints (not just summits but all kinds of other useful landmarks like forest entrances, stiles, gates, rocks etc.), honed and refined for my own personal use over the years with a naming convention that makes sense to me and probably not anyone else. I'll give them to anyone who's interested, but I'm not going to go out on a limb, say "hey these are better than yours", and put them up anywhere for public consumption, sorry.
    If you don't want the contour eye-candy and just want the summits, MV also allows you to d/l the summits as gpx waypoints.
    The eye-candy I was referring to was the shading and background colouring, not the contours themselves which I find quite useful. The thing is with the SMC maps that you can strip out any features you don't want easily enough whereas with the EmeraldIsle stuff, you get the contours and place names/summits all in one file, so for my purposes, the SMC stuff suits me better.


  • Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭burly


    Alun wrote: »

    I have my own collection of waypoints (not just summits but all kinds of other useful landmarks like forest entrances, stiles, gates, rocks etc.), honed and refined for my own personal use over the years with a naming convention that makes sense to me and probably not anyone else. I'll give them to anyone who's interested,
    .

    Alun, Ive been working on a similar library of way-points and features myself since i got the eTrex on every walk i do, there are definitely some discrepancies in the accuracy of maps, compared to GPS data.

    Id love to see a website set up where people could share routes and tracks in gpx format with each other, obviously with a condition that the uploader accepts no responsibilty for the safety or welfare of the user!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,311 ✭✭✭fergiesfolly


    Hi. Sorry to bump this, but is there a version of this for mobile phones. specifically a nokia N78. Thanks


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,252 ✭✭✭✭Madame Razz


    Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question.

    Is there anyway of downloading updated maps for a Garmin Nuvi for free?

    I have my unit a few months but only registered it recently.

    It didn't come with any Nuvilifetime add on and when I looked on the site it was quoting me £99 for lifetime map upgrades.

    It seemed a bit nuts really given that the unit itself wasn't cheap.

    Or maybe it isn't at all and I'm just horribly ignorant of these things:o

    Could somebody enlighten me??

    Its a Garmin Nuvi 265W;)


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,027 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    The free maps that are mentioned so far in this thread are to do with hiking and mountains and would be no good to you on your nuvi unit, well they could be used but I doubt that is what you are looking for. If you've only just got the unit though then the current maps willhardly need updating already anyway.

    If you really need free maps and know what your doing then you can get some from here. They are unlikely to be anywhere near the coverage of the Garmin maps that you already have though, but they are getting there ... gradually.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 ahaskmearse


    Someone might be able to advise.

    I got the city nav maps for my Etrex vista hcx. Worked perfect.
    Dowloaded the SMC maps and uploaded to the etrex.

    It looks like I may have gotten rid of the city nav maps I paid 40 quid for while uploading the SMC maps onto the etrex.

    Anyone got any ideas as I have checked on the etrex and there are no sign of the maps except for the SMC maps....

    Goin nuts...


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Someone might be able to advise.

    I got the city nav maps for my Etrex vista hcx. Worked perfect.
    Dowloaded the SMC maps and uploaded to the etrex.

    It looks like I may have gotten rid of the city nav maps I paid 40 quid for while uploading the SMC maps onto the etrex.

    Anyone got any ideas as I have checked on the etrex and there are no sign of the maps except for the SMC maps....
    When you download maps to the etrex from MapSource, they're not cumulative, as you might expect, but what you download replaces any existing maps on the unit. So in Mapsource you have to select (using the Map Tool on the toolbar) both the required tiles of the SMC maps and those for the CN maps (whatever you can fit on your memory card) and then download to the unit. Hope that helps.


  • Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭dabl


    I would also like to put these maps on my nokia. The best thing I could come up with is Pathaway which runs on windows mobile and s60. Its supposed to import all kinds of maps but in reality wont take garmin .img files. I've read you can convert img to ozi or something and then to Pathaway in Mapedit but i'm way out of my depth here. Please help


  • Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭Theinsideman


    Hey all, I've created a website that may be of use to some people on this thread. http://www.WalkingRoutes.ie allows people to upload and share GPX files as well as comment, rate, share photos of trails.


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    Hey all, I've created a website that may be of use to some people on this thread. http://www.WalkingRoutes.ie allows people to upload and share GPX files as well as comment, rate, share photos of trails.

    can we download from your site and upload on the garmin vista?
    thank you


  • Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭Theinsideman


    ldr wrote: »
    can we download from your site and upload on the garmin vista?
    thank you

    yes you can download as well as upload garmin gpx files


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    hi, i just got the garmin vista hcx, and i downloaded a couple tracks from walking trail in to the sd card, but how do i open this trails on the garmin its not on routes or tracks, do i need to put them in some folder in the sdcard. please help


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    The technique of simply copying GPX files to the device (in the \Garmin\GPX folder) only works with the newer types of Garmins ... Colorado, Dakota, Oregon, Montana, GPSMAP 62/72 and the "all new" etrex 10, 20 and 30.

    For the old school etrex's such as yours you'll have to use some kind of software, such as Garmin's Basecamp (free), to first load the GPX files, and then send them to the GPS.


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    i downloaded the basecamp, and have been playing with and trying to send trails to the garmin, i had a gpx file that was created with android speedview and opens fine on basecamp, however when i send the file converted to gdb to the garmin, from the 41km i had done only 1km shows on the garmin.

    all the files i have been downloading from walking routes.ie wont open in basecamp or mapsource.

    all i want is to had trails and routes to the garmin so that later i can follow them, would be nice if i could see the terrain on it as well

    please help


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  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    You don't need to convert anything, just load (File, Import...) the GPX file into Basecamp, and then either drag it from Library / My Collection where it gets put when you import it to the device just below it, or right-click the item and select Send to...

    I've downloaded a couple of trails from walkingroutes.ie, and there appears to be a problem with the format of the date/time field. Instead of "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" there should be a T where the space is to conform to ISO 8601 time format. Hopefully the author will see this and change it accordingly, otherwise you might let him know.

    Also note that the "trails" on walkingroutes.ie are actually are tracks not routes, and the older Garmin GPS's can only select and follow routes, not tracks, so you'll have to convert them to a route first, right-click and select Create Route from Selected Track.


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    Alun wrote: »
    You don't need to convert anything, just load (File, Import...) the GPX file into Basecamp, and then either drag it from Library / My Collection where it gets put when you import it to the device just below it, or right-click the item and select Send to...

    I've downloaded a couple of trails from walkingroutes.ie, and there appears to be a problem with the format of the date/time field. Instead of "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" there should be a T where the space is to conform to ISO 8601 time format. Hopefully the author will see this and change it accordingly, otherwise you might let him know.

    Also note that the "trails" on walkingroutes.ie are actually are tracks not routes, and the older Garmin GPS's can only select and follow routes, not tracks, so you'll have to convert them to a route first, right-click and select Create Route from Selected Track.

    Thanks for that


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    Alun wrote: »
    You don't need to convert anything, just load (File, Import...) the GPX file into Basecamp, and then either drag it from Library / My Collection where it gets put when you import it to the device just below it, or right-click the item and select Send to...

    I've downloaded a couple of trails from walkingroutes.ie, and there appears to be a problem with the format of the date/time field. Instead of "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" there should be a T where the space is to conform to ISO 8601 time format. Hopefully the author will see this and change it accordingly, otherwise you might let him know.

    Also note that the "trails" on walkingroutes.ie are actually are tracks not routes, and the older Garmin GPS's can only select and follow routes, not tracks, so you'll have to convert them to a route first, right-click and select Create Route from Selected Track.

    how would i change that T to conform to ISO?


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,392 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    ldr wrote: »
    how would i had that T to conform to ISO?
    Use Notepad to edit the file.

    The GPX files downloaded from that site seem to have the same date/time for all track points, so just look for the date/time string and do a search and replace on the part that has the space in it, so if, for example the date was "2011-11-05 21:18:48" do a search/replace for "05 21" and change it to "05T21" and save it.

    You should really contact the author of the site and make him aware of the problem though as a long-term solution.


  • Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭Theinsideman


    Thanks for letting me know about this bug. I've fixed and tested in Basecamp all seems to be working fine now.

    Sorry for the slow response.


  • Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭ldr


    thanks for that, it really works now.

    well done


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