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Downloading CityNav and Topo maps


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I have recently purchased a Garmin 60CSx and I’m having trouble figuring out how to download maps. I would like to load the western half of the US from CityNav 2008 and assorted maps from Topo 2008.

 

I have saved the selections in Mapsource that I want as files, but I can’t figure out how to get them all loaded onto the GPS from my PC. Is there a way to load them directly onto the 2 GB micro card that I’ve already placed in the GPS or do I have to use a card reader and copy them via the reader to the card first? Sounds like a PIA -- especially if I want to add/remove assorted topo maps for the areas I'm headed to.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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Hmmm, saved as files, plural. I think what has happened is exactly as you say, they are saved as files where you need to transfer to either a connected GPS or to the flash memory card via a card reader.

 

Here's the procedure I use. With the map tool selected, looks like a 5 sided polygon or select through the tools menu >> map. Select the map sections you want on the GPS by right cicking on each section you want on each map you want, ie topo, city navigator, etc.

 

Next step is to transfer this data to the GPS/Memory card, from the Transfer menu, select "Send to device..".

 

Now your computer will combine all the data into one file AND then transfer it to the selected device picked in the transfer dialog box that opens when you initiate the transfer operation.

 

Note, this may take a while and can even fail if you do not have enough free space on your hardrive to assemble the data, it can be in excess of 1 Gig if you want to load every map segment from a couple of maps.

Edited by stickman756
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Stickman...thanks for your quick response.

 

I understand what you are saying about selecting the sections with the map tool. Once I have selected a section of either the Topo or CityNav maps, I saved that particular section as a file in Mapsource (which also enables me to quickly pull up the areas I am attempting to load when I try again). What's happening is when I open the transfer dialog box and initiate the transfer, I'm only downloading the map that is open on my screen -- which then overwrites whatever map selection I previously downloaded onto the GPS.

 

For example, I first downloaded the western states from CityNav onto the GPS and when I tried to download the Topo selection of southern California as an additional map, it wrote over the CityNav map that I already had on the GPS. I do know that once I get both maps downloaded I will not be able to view both at the same time and have to kind of toggle between them via Menu-->Setup Map, but I can't seem to get more than one type of map downloaded at any given time. I'm sure I'm missing some simple step, but it's eluding me!

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Forgot to mention that, when you upload maps, it is one big file containing all the data from the various segments from all the various maps you selected them from. When it uploads this file, it deletes or overwrites the perviously loaded map data. That's why you need to make selections on all the maps you want on your unit before uploading.

Edited by stickman756
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You need to open Mapsource, select the Topo maps and then use the drop down to select the Mapsource maps you want.

 

Then when you upload to the gps you will have both sets of maps on the GPS although you can only display one at a time.

 

Arrrghhhh! Sorry, I'm still confused but we're getting somewhere. In your first sentence, Webscouter, did you mean to say "...select the Topo maps and then use the drop down to select the CityNav maps you want."? Another thing that's been throwing me is the word "drop down" -- isn't it the "User Data Tabs" window menu to the left that I should be referencing? The "Maps" tab lists the Topo segments I've chosen OR the CityNav segments I've chosen.

 

I highlighted the entire list of segments by going to Edit--Select All while in CityNav and then Send to Device, then did the same for Topo. After doing that, I only have Topo on my GPS. Good Gawd...why don't the manuals supply this information?

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The "drop down" is either on your MapSource toolbar likely next to the zoom controls or on the View menu select "Switch to Product" and select the other map product.

 

As has been stated, you have to select the segments from BOTH map products and send them at the same time.

 

Each time you send maps it overwrites whatever maps are on the unit from the previous installation.

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You need to open Mapsource, select the Topo maps and then use the drop down to select the Mapsource maps you want.

 

Then when you upload to the gps you will have both sets of maps on the GPS although you can only display one at a time.

 

Arrrghhhh! Sorry, I'm still confused but we're getting somewhere. In your first sentence, Webscouter, did you mean to say "...select the Topo maps and then use the drop down to select the CityNav maps you want."? Another thing that's been throwing me is the word "drop down" -- isn't it the "User Data Tabs" window menu to the left that I should be referencing? The "Maps" tab lists the Topo segments I've chosen OR the CityNav segments I've chosen.

 

I highlighted the entire list of segments by going to Edit--Select All while in CityNav and then Send to Device, then did the same for Topo. After doing that, I only have Topo on my GPS. Good Gawd...why don't the manuals supply this information?

Select the City Nav maps you want. Then select the Topo maps you want. Now that you have everything selected from both programs, send to device. That's it.

 

The drop down box is the selection on the View toolbar. It is the same function as View>Switch to Product in the menus.

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Okay, I give... it was a brain fart on my part! When I first got Mapsource and started looking around the program, I created map segments and saved them as .gdb files within Mapsource thinking it would be easy to just call those sections up and load them to the GPS when I was ready. So that's what I've been trying to do and that just won't work. I see now that I have to select map areas in both Topo and CityNav and as I select the maps, they are combined in a list in the left side window. That's what I was doing wrong...using those saved files.

 

So thank you everybody for your patience and guidance. I'm on my way now!

 

PS: My former GPS was a Magellan and I was used to loading maps from files.

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I have a related problem. In Mapsource I selected all the US maps I wanted, then I did the same for some Canadian ones, European ones, and finally I selected some World maps I might need in areas where I don't have anything better for.

 

Halfway my upload, the program asked me to insert the World map disk into drive F. The problem is: Drive F is a card reader, and my CD drive is D. I found no way to tell Mapsource where to find the data.

 

So I deleted all the World maps from my selection, and then I was prompted for the Canadian maps, the same way. Bah. I deleted them from the selection too, as well as the European ones, just to see whether at least the US would load. That worked fine: They all loaded, and I was never prompted for the CD.

 

Is there any way I can tell Mapsource that my map CDs are in drive D?

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I have a related problem. In Mapsource I selected all the US maps I wanted, then I did the same for some Canadian ones, European ones, and finally I selected some World maps I might need in areas where I don't have anything better for.

 

Halfway my upload, the program asked me to insert the World map disk into drive F. The problem is: Drive F is a card reader, and my CD drive is D. I found no way to tell Mapsource where to find the data.

 

So I deleted all the World maps from my selection, and then I was prompted for the Canadian maps, the same way. Bah. I deleted them from the selection too, as well as the European ones, just to see whether at least the US would load. That worked fine: They all loaded, and I was never prompted for the CD.

 

Is there any way I can tell Mapsource that my map CDs are in drive D?

 

For any windows program you can change the source drive in the registry. But it you want to eliminate disk swapping completely, read on.

 

I am not sure how your particular maps/versions are published. But you can try reinstalling them and choosing "complete install" in order to get all data on your c: drive. If your maps don't do that then copy the CDs to the c: drive and run installation from there.

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