Maps on SD

[UNICENTER]

I am a bit confused with Garmin software.

I know that all the maps on the DVDs can be displayed on PC. Is it possible to display the map from SD memory card on PC too?

Displaying the maps on computer helps a lot when you plan your trip.

Edited January 15, 2008 by Moris

[+Team_LPD]

Nope.....which is why one should never get the cards.

[MossJenks722]

Really? I've never bought maps on a card, but shouldn't you just be able to put the card in a USB reader and pull the files off?

[+Miragee]

Apparently the cards just don't work that way. If you get the DVD, you can put the maps on as many computers as you use . . . you are just limited to using them on only one GPS unit, unless you purchase an additional "Unlock Code."

[+3 Hawks]

Apparently the cards just don't work that way. If you get the DVD, you can put the maps on as many computers as you use . . . you are just limited to using them on only one GPS unit, unless you purchase an additional "Unlock Code."

 

I thought the same thing, but when I spoke with a Garmin techie last Friday, he told me the "Unlock Code" is not specific to one GPSr even though you are asked to input a bunch of information about your GPSr when activating the card. I was told you could switch the card between units without purchasing an additional code. Now that would be nice, if it is in fact true but the DVD is still the best option in my situation.

 

Does this infrmation I received from the Garmin techie conflict with the experiences of others who use the pre-loaded cards??

[+Miragee]

That is my understanding as well. The cards can be switched from GPS unit to GPS unit, but you cannot pre-plan your trip on your computer with those same maps.

 

I can see purchasing the card if you were going to travel somewhere you were unlikely to ever return to. After the trip is over, you could resell the card . . .

[+anniebananie]

The 400t comes preloaded with Topo 2008. There seems to be no way to transfer the Topo from the GPSr to your PC. Does this mean that in order to to have Topo on your PC you will have to purchase the DVD even though you have the license by having purchased the 400t.

 

Anniebananie

[gratefulHIKE]

that is the only PLUS to those cards..........other than that feature they suck

[+sbell111]

The 400t comes preloaded with Topo 2008. There seems to be no way to transfer the Topo from the GPSr to your PC. Does this mean that in order to to have Topo on your PC you will have to purchase the DVD even though you have the license by having purchased the 400t.

 

Anniebananie

A while back, I bought a Quest 2 for my wife to use. It has City Navigator preloaded but it also came with the DVD. It's too bad that they don't do the same with the Colorado.

[UNICENTER]

Thank you for all comments.

I menage to use the microSD with my 60CSx without any unlock codes. And it seems true that you can switch the card between units.

Unfortunately I was not able to upload the maps to my computer, pity.

[+jotne]

This may work:

http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~moth/indexgpsenglish.html

 

But not sure. Maybe the img file for preloaded maps are encrypted.

 

The IMG files on a SD card is tied to the SD Card ID rather than to GPS ID, like downloaded maps from MapSource. So you can not take backup copy of preloaded maps.

Edited January 16, 2008 by jotne

[+Dryphter]

I wonder if there is a way to 'edit' the SD card ID. Meaning copy the preloaded card completely to another card, then edit the ID of the second card so that everything works. I guess it would depend on what the 'card ID' really is.....

[+JSWilson64]

I wonder if there is a way to 'edit' the SD card ID. Meaning copy the preloaded card completely to another card, then edit the ID of the second card so that everything works. I guess it would depend on what the 'card ID' really is.....

I'm almost positive there is a way to hack it -- you can't truly believe that every single copy of a Mapsource SD card product has different code in it.

 

You'd probably need several SD cards with the same product on them to figure out how it works. And who wants to shell out that cash? Doing so would violate the DMCA for sure. But it's probably do-able.

[rwsmith123]

I doubt that you can change the id of an SD card.

 

When you buy a card with preloaded maps that are locked, there are two files on the card. One file is gmapsupp.img which contains all the maps, and gmapsupp.unl which contains the unlock code which is based on the pid & fid of the map and the id of the card. If you have a gps with preloaded maps such as a nuvi, the same applies except the files are gmapprom.img and gmapprom.unl.

 

You can use a program called gmaptool to extract the individual .img files from the gmapsupp.img or gmapprom.img file so that you can use MapSource with the map. The maps are still locked so you can't load them to another gps without entering a proper unlock key into mapsource. So you can use MapSource to plan a route.

 

If you have a gps with preloaded maps you can contact Garmin and get the maps on DVD to use on the computer. However this can depend on the rep you talk to, most will send you the DVD for free, some may want to charge a small fee (around $15), and some may even say you can't get the DVD at all. So depending on the answer you get you may want to just call back. Getting the DVD is preferred over dissecting the gmapprom.img file since it is easier and by dissecting the gmapprom.img file you can't reconstruct the _mdr.img file which means that you'll lose the ability to search for addresses.

Edited January 16, 2008 by rwsmith123

[Newb888]

How would you find the card ID on the Garmin handhelds? Is it in the diagnostic mode?