Questions about Garmin BirdsEye

[Bio True]

I just used up the demo of BirdsEye in Basecamp and I'm very impressed with the quality of the image in my area. So I am strongly considering purchasing a subscription. Before I do, I had a few questions that hopefully some of you will be able to help me with.

 

I noticed that the images take a long time to download and the resulting file size is pretty huge. This has me wondering if it is possible to download a image, transfer it to my massive external hard drive and then just load the image when I need it on the device. I want to avoid re downloading the same images over and over. If possible, I plan on downloading the images for all of the areas I frequent and then leaving them saved to my hard drive for use as needed. The download process takes too long to have to download images every time I need them. So my questions:

 

Can I take a previously downloaded sections of images and save them on to my hard drive for later use?

 

I imagine the downloaded images will be locked to the device that the subscription is for, and that is fine, but will the images work if they are saved to the SD card instead of the unit's internal storage?

 

If so, can the saved images be transferred to the MicroSD card directly from my hard drive, or will all transfers have to be done via Basecamp?

 

What happens if you let the subscription run out? Will my downloaded images still work?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Bio True

[MtnHermit]

While the images are indeed impressive in BaseCamp, the proof is how they look inside your GPS. For my OR 450, unremarkable.

[+JohnCNA]

Yes, you can have the Birdseye maps saved in Basecamp and from there just copy the ones you want to the handheld. You can delete them from the handheld but retain them in Basecamp for future use.

[yogazoo]

You can store the images in BaseCamp and upload to the GPS when needed. BUT once your subscription runs out you can no longer transfer the files from BaseCamp to the GPS unit. What I do is name each image tile something that gives me an idea where is located (e.g. "Yellowstone NE" or "West Yellowstone"). Then transfer the raw .JNX files in the BirdsEye folder of your Garmin to your computer for storage and eventual re-loading to your GPS manually. If you want to transfer the image tiles after your subscription runs out you will need to do it outside of BaseCamp.

[Bio True]

You can store the images in BaseCamp and upload to the GPS when needed. BUT once your subscription runs out you can no longer transfer the files from BaseCamp to the GPS unit. What I do is name each image tile something that gives me an idea where is located (e.g. "Yellowstone NE" or "West Yellowstone"). Then transfer the raw .JNX files in the BirdsEye folder of your Garmin to your computer for storage and eventual re-loading to your GPS manually. If you want to transfer the image tiles after your subscription runs out you will need to do it outside of BaseCamp.

 

Thanks!

 

Jus so we are clear, using the method you described, I can take the images off the GPS unit, store them on a hardrive and then transfer them back to the unit as needed all without using base camp?

 

Will the files work if I put them on the SD card?

[insig]

Yes. You will need to put them in a BirdsEye folder on the sd card for the device to know where to look for them.

[Forkeye]

Do the Birdseye files always remain locked to the gps that they were subscribed too, even if you transfer them to the micro sd card?

I don't find the birds eye imagery very good in my area, I decided to get it for hiking, but the images were taken when there was still a lot of snow in the mountains and so there are vast areas of white, making it hard to make out any details on the ground, so I rarely use it. In bright sunlight the gps screen looks totally washed out. Just something to consider if you are getting it for this purpose. Even at lower elevations it is not as clear as google earth. I think there are other posts about poor quality in some areas on here too, so it really depends on where you are.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Forkeye

[Fangamon]

I make my own from GoogleEarth, just make sure you match 'em with the right Datum.

 

[Bio True]

Thanks for the info everyone! Looks like I'll be paying for a subscription.

[the3gmen]

I make my own from GoogleEarth, just make sure you match 'em with the right Datum.

 

 

Is there a tutorial on how to do this somewhere ?

[Forkeye]

Maybe this is it, but I have yet to try it. I will be trying it out soon though. http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/custommaps_instruct.pdf