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SA Oregon owners

Gr8Scot

By Gr8Scot
in South Africa

Followers 7

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edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

Hi Andy

Amen to the Beta advice. Its the beta software that Gr8Scot is linked to that I installed so I am watching that forum. The software was wonderfully stable for about 2 months before it died so I'm flummoxed. anyway 'nuff said.

 

I also enquired about the street maps software but that software also wasn't registered on the website so I'm really baffled. again I repeat that I bought it 2nd hand so I don't have any history behind it. I did do a check to see if it was stolen and nothing came from my checks so I thought I was good to go. however..... :(

edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

Ok. so now I have my new Garmin straght out the box. Works great except for one problem.

The street maps that was on the old unit won't work on this unit. Message "can't unlock maps" appears and I just get the base map.

 

When I phone Garmin they tell me that because they don't have any records of the maps being registered on their website and therefore, they can't transfer the licence. In other words they suspect that the maps were hacked and therefore illegal. It could be. I don't know as I bought the unit 2nd hand. Anyway, now I don't have street maps and to buy new ones is another R1000. Drat :mad: . I want to explore the free alternative like Open source mapping (OSM). does anybody have any experience with this or can anybody suggest another alternative?

tomtwogates

+tomtwogates

Posted
Posted

I want to explore the free alternative like Open source mapping (OSM). does anybody have any experience with this or can anybody suggest another alternative?

 

Gr8scott knows all about OSM - I have used it overseas with great success and have looked at the SA map as well - free is a lot cheaper than what Garmin wants and then their topo maps are pretty useless as well.

 

Good luck with the new machine

AndyT1

+AndyT1

Posted
Posted

I use the OSM stuff on my 450 and it seems to work Ok.

I do not know how often the street level detail is updated and by whom though.

I know that Gr8scott does an awesome job of updating the hiking trails etc.

 

That reminds me, I must send in my Cape Point hiking data .......

 

Link to the OSM stuff if you don't have it already http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

AAAAH!!! now we're talking. Thanks andy. Your link took me right where I want to go. am busy downloading the entire country right now. thanks for your help guys. wouldn't have got this far without your advice, and, I've learnt a lot at the same time. :lol:

Gr8Scot

+Gr8Scot

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here's the direct link to the latest routeable OSM map for SA and Lesotho.

 

http://planetosm.oxilion.nl/~lambertus/garmin/routable/30-04-2011/70a8cbc9138db1baae0d2d7c7f44cb15/

 

You just need to download the gamapsupp.zip file, extract it, RENAME IT TO OSM.img (or something similar) and copy it directly to the \Garmin\ directory on the Oregon. Then on the Oregon just go Setup>Map>Map Information> and enable the OSM map that should appear on the list. Disable all the other maps (except the basemap if there is one) as any Garmin maps will appear "on top" of the OSM map so it won't be visible.

 

Download the Mapsource installer file as well if you want to install the map on your PC, but you don't have to.

 

I can't speak for the detail of OSM maps outside of the Western Cape, as I've only experience of using it here. In Cape Town I don't use anything else, as it's much more up to date than the 2009 Garmap I have loaded. The only problem is that the address search doesn't work very well. If you'd like to take a look at the detail for SA, the following link takes you to the OSM slippy map on the web where you can zoom and pan around to take a look. http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=-29.4&lon=25.3&zoom=5&layers=M

 

You've nothing to lose by trying it, as the price can't be beaten!

Gr8Scot

+Gr8Scot

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I use the OSM stuff on my 450 and it seems to work Ok.

I do not know how often the street level detail is updated and by whom though.

 

That's easy - as it's like a Wiki, ANYONE can update the map. The whole idea is that local people know their areas best and can add to or change the map if they find something wrong or missing. Here's a link to the Beginner's Guide. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Beginners%27_Guide

 

A warning though, it can get strangely addictive. I'm working on adding mountain bike trails at the moment and find myself having to ride increasingly further just to record new traces with the GPS. A happy by-product has been losing 13kg and getting much fitter though :D

Carbon Hunter

+Carbon Hunter

Posted
Posted

Ok. so now I have my new Garmin straght out the box. Works great except for one problem.

The street maps that was on the old unit won't work on this unit. Message "can't unlock maps" appears and I just get the base map.

 

When I phone Garmin they tell me that because they don't have any records of the maps being registered on their website and therefore, they can't transfer the licence.

I had the same problem when I got my new unit too. And yet the unit was sold with the map from the same shop!

edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

Some feedback about OSM.

 

I used it on my trip to Montagu this weekend and it worked very well for a free mapping service.

Some points that I noted

1) The reason why it can't do street address searches is that the Oregon asks you for the province that you want to go to. If you enter any of the provinces it can't find it and gives you an error message and goes back to the Province search option,therefore you can never get to the street address menu. I find this a little annoying because it means I can never look for an address on the fly. I have to either use the map to find the place and then create a waypoint to navigate to which is tedious and assumes I know where the address I'm looking for is already, or I have to use Mapsource to find the place, create a waypoint and then download the waypoint to the GPS.

 

2) The background colour is a kind of muddy brown which isn't really great

 

3) The map doesn't seem to have any basic topology information which I remember the old Garmin maps did.

 

On the other hand, the maps are FREE and that's a great saving. I'm not sure I can justify paying a R1000 just for the small points above.

 

Carbon Hunter. I'm glad you made your comment. I feel better now as about those maps. I'm pretty sure my maps weren't hacked. I'm sure that they came with the GPS. These Garmin laddies are shysters.

Gr8Scot

+Gr8Scot

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Some feedback about OSM.

 

I used it on my trip to Montagu this weekend and it worked very well for a free mapping service.

Some points that I noted

 

1. The reason that the address search doesn't work properly is that Garmin won't share the information on how their address indexing works with the OSM community. So when Mkgmap compiles the OSM data into a map that can be used on a Garmin, it doesn't know how to create the address index. The address data is there in the OSM database, it just that due to propriety secrecy, it can't be compiled. I know that the Mkgmap developers are continually trying to improve the situation, so maybe it'll improve in time. There are some solutions suggested here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mkgmap/known_issues the best one being "For newer Garmin devices, address search works only if the gmapsupp.img is created by MapSource. The map must first be installed in MapSource and then uploaded to the GPS device with MapSource."

 

2. There is a way to change the background colour. I'll see if I can find it and pass it on, but I've just got used to it.

 

3. You must have used the Garmap Topo & Rec map before. There are OSM derived topo maps around. OpenCyclingMap and OpenTrailsMap spring to mind, but they are more focused on cycling & hiking respectively.

 

If you're really interested, there are processes whereby you can set up your own styles and compile your own Garmin compatible map from raw OSM data, but it takes some serious effort!

AndyT1

+AndyT1

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hmm. not so sure they will react kindly to us using OSM maps on their machines. I'll try it and see

 

Sorry I should have clarified - the problem with your SASM.

In order for them to have been unlocked they must have been registered to the unit that you returned - they should have a way of searching, perhaps someone there is not putting too much effort into this.....

 

You are correct though, the forum will not take interest in your OSM issues - they are only interested in Garmap products.

 

EDIT:Ignore me- I have just seen your post on the Garmap forum - well put.

Edited by AndyT1
edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

Hee Hee. I just had a PM from Nomad, pointing out that they aren't going to address OSM problems and I must please remove the OSM post.

trevorh7000

+trevorh7000

Posted
Posted

Hee Hee. I just had a PM from Nomad, pointing out that they aren't going to address OSM problems and I must please remove the OSM post.

 

Yes well that is unfortunate - a pretty closed group as some of the best stuff for garmins isnot allowed to be mentioned.

 

Moving on you know that "unlocking" garmin maps is trivial? Jetmouse is your friend.

 

Trev

edkin

+edkin

Posted
Posted

Final feedback before I put this subject to bed and move on. Have been grappling with the problem for about a week now and in my opinion, while Garmin maps is probably a superior product, OSM is a great FREE alternative. I remarked about the background colours in an earlier post but this problem is easily solved if one installs OSM into Mapsource and then loads it onto one's GPS.

 

The address search remains an issue so if you are planning a trip make sure that you create all the waypoints you need within Mapsource and pre load them as waypoints before you go. If you get stuck out there and need to find an address, ask someone to send you their co-ordinates rather than their street address because the search function for street addresses doesn't work. An interesting alternative is to ask them if they are near a post office or hospital or something and then do a POI search which works quite well.

 

Thanks for all your help and advice guys. Much appreciated

AndyT1

+AndyT1

Posted
Posted

Garmin Oregon x50 Software update - Non Beta

 

Should work if you plug in your device and run WebUpdater. Note this is an actual release and not Beta software.

 

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4523

 

Changes made from version 4.20 to 4.50:

 

Updated magnetic Earth field data

Improved GPS performance

Improved support for BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery (each provider's imagery can be configured independently)

Increased the maximum number of supported JNX files to 250 from 200

Fixed issues with WAAS/EGNOS

Fixed issue with track navigation sometimes not adding waypoints to the Active Route list

Fixed issue with MPC map labels disappearing

Fixed shutdown on the map page when you have a geocache dashboard active and return after pressing the geocache name

Fixed issue with moon not showing on sun and moon page

Fixed issue with photo viewer not displaying correctly

Fixed issue with progress bar displaying properly on power up

Fixed issue with waypoint distances showing significantly off in the waypoint manager

Fixed issue with 3D view

Fixed issue with track navigation not adding waypoints to the Active Route list when they are exactly equal to a track point

Fixed shutdown when more than the maximum number of JNX files were present

Fixed 'Search Near' functionality on Hunt & Fish and Sun & Moon pages

Fixed shutdown related to topographical maps and land cover text size

Fixed shutdown associated with certain custom POI files

Fixed Glide Ratio to Destination field

Fixed problem with profiles and the fields on the map page

Fixed an issue with magnetic north reference and waypoint headings

Fixed shutdown on the map screen when a waypoint was being moved to the same location as a geocache or other POIs

Fixed an issue with archived tracks not displaying properly

Fixed an issue with having too many custom symbols on the device

Fixed an issue with renaming a waypoint immediately after creating it

Modified the 'Arriving at Destination' message banner so that it no longer appears when navigating to a geocache

Gr8Scot

+Gr8Scot

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here's the one for the pioneers - Oregon x00 owners

 

http://www8.garmin.com/software/Oregon_WebUpdater__420.gcd

 

Changes made from version 4.10 to 4.20:

 

Updated magnetic Earth data

Improved GPS performance

Improved support for BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery (each provider's imagery can be configured independently)

Increased the maximum number of supported JNX files to 250 from 200

Fixed issues with WAAS/EGNOS

Fixed issue with track navigation sometimes not adding waypoints to the Active Route list

Fixed issue with MPC map labels disappearing

Fixed shutdown on the map page when you have a geocache dashboard active and return after pressing the geocache name

Fixed issue with photo viewer not displaying correctly

Fixed issue with 3D view

Fixed issue with track navigation not adding waypoints to the Active Route list when they are exactly equal to a track point

Fixed shutdown when the device had more than the maximum number of JNX files on it

Fixed shutdown related to topographical maps and land cover text size

Fixed shutdown associated with certain custom POI files

Fixed Glide Ratio to Destination field

Fixed an issue related to adding a geocache as a point in a route

Fixed an issue with magnetic north reference and waypoint headings

Modified the 'Arriving at Destination' message banner so that it no longer appears when navigating to a geocache

TechnoNut

+TechnoNut

Posted
Posted

I will soon be upgrading to the 550T.

Would anyone like to make me an offer on my Oregon 300?

Send me a PM

 

Dudley

 

Send a PM to CacheQuest[ZA] - He may be interested.

 

(I already have a 550 and love it.)

 

PT

Whostops

+Whostops

Posted
Posted

I will soon be upgrading to the 550T.

Would anyone like to make me an offer on my Oregon 300?

Send me a PM

 

Dudley

 

Send a PM to CacheQuest[ZA] - He may be interested.

 

(I already have a 550 and love it.)

 

PT

 

Many thanks. Trying to "Find" him, so I can send a PM

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