Multiple Maps

[+geojibby]

Hi friends - just nabbed the Dakota 20 on a Black Friday deal. (

). Have been playing with it a couple days. Quick questions to poll the experienced multiple map people:

 

1) With multiple maps installed (base map, and a couple topos [ND state and all of Western Canada]) is there any performance (processing speed) advantage to only having one map enabled at a time or does it seem to matter?

 

2) When installing maps with Map Install (Mac) do you have to install the maps as one big image file or can you install separate maps on the same micro SD card with overwriting previously installed ones? Example: I want to install a topo map of Montana in addition to the current North Daktota & Canada topo I already have installed. Do I need to delete the current map image and install the desired maps as one deal OR can I simply add another map? Any help appreciated. Thanks!

[+PDOP's]

There's good info on using multiple maps at http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Maps

 

I know the link is for the Oregon wiki but the Dakota wiki notes that:

"Most information found on the Garmin Oregon Wiki applies to the Garmin Dakota as well, if you aren't finding an answer on this wiki please check the Oregon wiki."

[Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hide]

Hi friends - just nabbed the Dakota 20 on a Black Friday deal. (

). Have been playing with it a couple days. Quick questions to poll the experienced multiple map people:

 

1) With multiple maps installed (base map, and a couple topos [ND state and all of Western Canada]) is there any performance (processing speed) advantage to only having one map enabled at a time or does it seem to matter?

 

2) When installing maps with Map Install (Mac) do you have to install the maps as one big image file or can you install separate maps on the same micro SD card with overwriting previously installed ones? Example: I want to install a topo map of Montana in addition to the current North Daktota & Canada topo I already have installed. Do I need to delete the current map image and install the desired maps as one deal OR can I simply add another map? Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

1 - there doesn't seem to be a performance hit but maps cover maps so you'll only see the top one anyway.

 

Edit - just remembered, at least with my Garmin 60 if I had multiple maps which auto-routed enabled simultaneously, and I set the gps to navigate a route, it seemed to take forever to decide the turns, often telling me only after I should have made a turn, to do so.

 

So it's probably best to try to figure out which map has the kind of detail you need and enable only that one when you need it.

 

2 - as long as you rename any existing maps, and others you upload, to something other than gmapsupp.img, you can have many maps, and choose them by name in the map selection screen of the gps. It's best to name them in a way you'll recognize like topov4.img or CityNav.img. You get the idea, I'm sure.

 

To give you an idea of the map capabilities of the Dakota, Oregon and Colorado, here's the finder window of my 8 gigabyte memory card in my 62S. The green highlighted parts are the different maps I have on it.

 

Edited December 3, 2010 by Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hide

[+kwcahart]

Remember, if you don't rename your existing maps and load another map onto your uSD card, you will end up with only the last one you loaded. It WILL overwrite the others if you don't rename them.

[+geojibby]

Thanks friends, that is exactly the info I was looking for. In this case, I think it makes sense for performance/speed to cut up my ibycus topo into provinces via map install, save the generated image file for each one, load them all on the card, but only enable the one I need at any given time. Cool!! Thanks for you help!

[+geojibby]

Thanks friends, that is exactly the info I was looking for. In this case, I think it makes sense for performance/speed to cut up my ibycus topo into provinces via map install, save the generated image file for each one, load them all on the card, but only enable the one I need at any given time. Cool!! Thanks for you help!