Northern Thailand and Laos on a CRF 250L

[Flip]

Hi Wayne, just found this and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy reading it. Can I ask you, the free mapping you got for your Garmin - can it be dowloaded onto any Garmin device? I have a spare Nuvi 205w - its a UK version and I called Garmin a while ago to ask them if I could install Thai maps on to it. Yes, I could they told me - £99, no thanks!

[Wayne & Ohm]

Eh up mate, if the Nuvi will take an SD card (as that is where the downloaded map goes) and read the mapping from it then there is no reason why it should not work, it all. works fine on my Montanna 600.
I have this guys mapping, it looks good

https://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/threads/free-garmin-openstreetmap-gmapsupp-img-and-ms-bc-installer.3332/

This is his site http://www.nightrider.info

[Flip]

Cheers Wayne, I'll give it a try when I get chance.

I'd use Google Maps on my phone like most seem to but I always seem to get a phone call at a crucial moment, when I'm trying to work out which, of 9 lanes, I'm supposed to be in .

I may be a dinosaur but I think Sat Nav's and phones should be separate.

[Flip]

If you get a chance Wayne - give this none techie a hand here.

I went to the Open Street Map page (from your first post), selected 'Generic Routable', didn't select a TYP file as I have no idea what that is, chose Thailand from the Asia drop down, didn't select any additional tiles, then clicked download.

I was then presented with 'Metadata' and 4 map formats. I chose OSM Generic for an SD card but I didn't select Metadata as once again, I don't know what that is.

The note on that format said 'unzip first' - didn't really know how to do this but googled 'How to unzip a file in Windows 10' - lots of help there but none worked because the dialogue box that was given as an example didn't open on my W10 - never does whenever I try to follow any instructions for anything.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that I have unzipped it - can't remember how but the file size is now 242mb against the listed size of 181mb so I guess I have unzipped it.

I've saved a copy on my PC and also saved a copy onto the SD card but I haven't tried it in my Nuvi yet.

So I have 2 questions, I don't really expect this file to open on my PC but if I right click on the file, a dialogue box opens with lots of options - the first one is 'Mount'. If I click on 'Mount' I get a message saying 'Couldn't mount file', 'The disc image file is corrupted'.

So I have 2 questions:

1. Do I need to download the Metadata file as well?

2. OK, I probably don't need to 'Mount' the file, god knows what that means but the 'corrupted' message is a little worrying.

I guess the 'proof will be in the pudding' but did you have any problems? What did you do to download this?

Whilst one cannot complain about a free map source - this site is clearly run by people who think we all know what we're doing. I don't, I just want to 'Wash & Go'.

Just noticed - it looks easier to do this from the Ride Asia page???

[marshall]

Try this Flip:
From this page choose download: OSM Generic Windows. exe

http://osm.pleiades.uni-wuppertal.de/garmin/generic/01-03-2019/9e4a1f0dd7c1ab98c2c87025be54eea3/

Double click, 'Yes'
English

Should take you to the setup wizard.

[marshall]

Just realised you wanted the download for an SD Card, I tried but after extracting and opening get a dialogue box with 'Disc Image Burner' ? Sorry tried to help.

[marshall]

After downloading gmapsupp zip (bottom option - right click on folder choose 'Extract' which should give you the Gmapsupp.img file (which Windows only see's as a 'Disc image' the Garmin device see's correctly) Insert SD card into Garmin then try:

1. Connect your Garmin to your computer via a USB cable.
2. Put your Garmin in USB Mass Storage mode. (On an eTrex, this is typically done by going to the menu screen, then Setup -> Interface -> USB Mass Storage.)
3. The Garmin should show up as a removable disc (like a USB stick)
4. If there isn't a folder on the Garmin called 'Garmin', create one.
5. Into this folder, copy the .img file that you downloaded.
6. Rename it to gmapsupp.img if it's not already called that.
7. Eject the Garmin as you would a USB stick.

[Flip]

Thanks for that Marshall - just got to locate my Garmin USB cable - I never expected to need it. I can't just insert the SD card then?

I thought I transfrerred the file to SD then put the card into the Sat Nav.

As a sort of aside, I'd like to know if others have this problem........

Whenever I want to do something other than 'normal things' on my laptop - I do a google search on how to do it. There's usually some information, sometimes from Microsoft themselves. Often this information includes screenshots of dialogue boxes that will pop uo when you perform a particular action. The dialogue boxes shown are NEVER the same as what I get. My computer is updated regularly - why does this happen?

I thought all this crap had stopped when W10 was introduced and that most things were done by simply clicking one button. My knowledge is in my particular areas of interest - I don't want to have to take a degree in computer science. These 'techies' talk in a different language and seem to think we all understand what they are on about.

Quite often, when searching for information on how to do something that information throws up more questions than answers - it will say things like (as with this process) 'Do you want to include a TYP file?'........... how the hell do I know what a TYP file is - just an example, there are many more.

I just tried to open a .prn file in Apache Open Office for example. According to info on a google search, this is possible but I didn't get past the first step - as usual, the dialogue box shown on the info was completely different to that which appeared on my screen!

[Wayne & Ohm]

As Marshall says mate, hope it works for you, on your other post... I don't use google maps, never have for Navigation, Maps.me is my choice, and you can download the maps and use them without Internet

[Flip]

As Marshall says mate, hope it works for you, on your other post... I don't use google maps, never have for Navigation, Maps.me is my choice, and you can download the maps and use them without Internet

I actually quite like Google Maps Wayne - the ability to search for a particular business or attraction and then locate it is good. However, as I said, a phone call coming in at a critical moment can really screw you up. Also, when using it in Thailand, I get voice instructions in English but street names and road signs in Thai!! Plus, when in Bangkok, Google maps doesn't seem to make any distinction between the main road (ground level) or upper deck (tollway) where the 2 follow each other. "In 500m turn left"......Oh yes? Over the edge then?

Any Sat Nav/GPS is going to have its limitations in Thailand due to the Thai postcode system. You may be able to search for businesses with some accuracy but postcodes are pretty useless as they cover such a wide area - as opposed to the UK where they may only cover 2 or 3 houses. I tried a built in Sat Nav in a Fortuner and although I set the system to English, it didn't recognise any addresses I put in to it. I've had much more success with Google Maps.

However, as a route planner for a road trip, I'm hoping the free maps thing works as its often easy to go wrong when road signs run out, are only in Thai or completely missing. I did that coming back from Petchabun - when I looked at the map later and realised where I'd gone wrong, it had cost me nearly 50km.

[marshall]

just got to locate my Garmin USB cable - I never expected to need it. I can't just insert the SD card then?

You could try putting the file onto your sd card first, I've not tried it that way, if you do I think you need to create a 'Garmin' folder first, if there isn't already one on your card, and copy it into that. Only once in the device will Garmin recognise the file as a map - as opposed to Windows which sees it as an image.