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Updated maps for your obsolete Garmin

87warrior

Hidey Ho
Joined
Feb 8, 2022
Member Number
317
Posts
102
Location
Kansas
There are some questions floating around about updating the maps on old Garmin GPS devices. Garmin builds a solid GPS with great hardware, but their map updates for older units is silly and expensive. The good news is you can download free, updated topo maps that are rotatable (turn-by-turn directions) and have way more detail than your old Garmin maps did. For some light reading about the Open Street Map (OSM), see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

GMapTool is my "go-to" OSM Topo map source for USA at the moment. Hopefully other users will contribute their favorite OSM map source.
http://www.gmaptool.eu/en/content/usa-osm-topo-routable

The process is somewhat cumbersome, but worth it once you get it figured out. These are the general steps for a Windows PC:
  • Download Garmin Basecamp
  • Download the OSM Topo map(s) you want
  • Go to the folder you downloaded the OSM topo maps to and extract them
  • [UWSL]Run the batch file, this automatically links the OSM maps to the Garmin directory in Basecamp[/UWSL]
Screenshot 2022-03-01 10.33.45 PM.png
  • [UWSL]To view the OSM maps within Basecamp, go to Maps > Check the map you want to view[/UWSL]
Screenshot 2022-03-01 10.29.55 PM.png
  • Plug your Garmin GPS into the computer
  • Go to Basecamp and right click your GPS unit in the left side margin
  • [UWSL]Install the maps you want on the GPS[/UWSL]
Screenshot 2022-03-01 10.44.13 PM.png

I have updated an old 60CSx, Montana 650 and even a cheap Nuvi. The Nuvi was really limited in the map size (only fit the state of Kansas on it) due to its small internal storage and no SD card.
1645752090656.png

1645752038538.png


Please share your experience and sources for OSM maps on an old Garmin!
 
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Check this guy's website out - https://www.openmapchest.org/
Are these topo maps? Regardless, that is a great resource. It's nice the developer has converted the files into a Garmin ready format, cutting out the need for Basecamp if your GPS has a SD card.

Have you tried to use a mobile phone to update your old Garmin? If I understand the link correctly, it you should be able to download the torrent with a torrent app on your phone. Connect the GPS to your phone with an OTG cable/adapter and move the map file to the GPS's SD card.
 
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I've been using openmapchest maps. I actually forgot about it since I installed it so long ago and just downloaded the latest version so I could have the most recent maps on my 64st. Not Topo, but I use California Trail Maps topo layer a lot and that works for me.
 
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