Thread: How to update maps on a street pilot 2720

Originally Posted by Butters

Your best course would be to obtain the latest 2019.30 version for US/MX as a PC Install version (also commonly referred to as "MapSource Version") and install that on your computer. This forum doesn't supply unlocked Garmin map files however you may be able to find them somewhere else. Best advice is for you to just buy the mapping from Garmin. As you need both US and MX it'd be cheaper to buy all of NA than US & MX separately. Be sure to get the PC install data not an already compiled *.img file.

Great feedback Butters, really clear and easy to follow. Thank you.

In regards to City Navigator 2019, I went to the Garmin store and they only seem to have one offer, either in direct download or SD card format. No mention of "PC install data".

Also, they state in red: Note: This map is not compatible with StreetPilot® devices.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

What would you do i this scenario? I have read in this thread that some got their 2720 to work with 2011 NT..

Thanks in advance!

After further investigating and more reading about this, I came across this site which claims to have free and up to date Maps available for Garmin GPS units. They also have Mexico maps:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Anyone with experience using this "Open Street Map" with 2720? Would the process be the same or similar to the steps listed under this thread?

If at compatible and relatively decent map quality, I would be inclined to try it out.

Thanks in advance!

BB

@BBeast
That link to the Garmin map store is for purchasing 'out of area maps', like if you have a US localized device but want to additionally purchase EU mapping. To update your OEM map you'd normally use GarminExpress, when you purchase the map you get the option to add it directly to your device and/or load it you your PC so you can select tiles like in the image shown in Post #92. Unfortinately GarminExpress connects with devices only in Mass Storage Mode and your SP cannot do that so you need to use MapUpdater which is old and may not even work properly now:

Code:

Please Login or Register to see the links

Garmin regards all streetpilots as obsolete/end-of-life so you'll get no help from them. The warning on the map store is 'generic' for SPs, however only some SPs cannot use NT mapping, SP26x0 for instance. Certainly SP2720 can use them. I have a US 2720 with Lifetime Maps subscription, I can still update it easily from the PC Data on my computer.

OSM mapping is quite good and I use it in a SP2620 which isn't NT capable. Certainly SP2720 can use OSM data without problems. I'd not say that OSM is superior to Garmin's NT City Navigators however but it does depend on the area you're operating in and in some cases OSM is at least equal for everyday use.

Originally Posted by Butters

@BBeast
I'd not say that OSM is superior to Garmin's NT City Navigators however but it does depend on the area you're operating in and in some cases OSM is at least equal for everyday use.

Butters, again great feedback. Thank you.

I am inclined to use OSM to update USA Eastern states in my route and add full Mexico (the img file seems to be only 250 mb, from the OSM website).

Would you be able to just list the steps necessary, including which software, needed for me to update OSM Eastern States + Mexico on my 2720? I am open to delete any current maps installed on it, if required. I just need some clear steps so I can create the courage to tackle this.

Thanks in advance,
BB

@BBeast
It's relatively straight-forward. You can just select only the tiles you want from the site in advance as you said, or take the entire data for NA if you wish because you're going to be downloading data to your PC initially and then using MapInstaller to transfer what you want to the device anyway. So after selecting what you want on the OSM website, request it and when the download page is made available to you select the Windows installer file, named "osm_generic_windows.exe" or similar followed by "Map installer for BaseCamp / MapSource on the Windows platform". Once downloaded, run the EXE as administrator and if Windows smartscreen blocks it, click "more info" then "run anyway". It'll default to install in C:/Garmin/Maps so accept that path which is known to be recognized by MapInstaller. Connect your 2720 by a REAR USB2 port (don't use a USB3 port). Open MapInstaller and select the map in the drop-down at the lower part of MI's GUI (it'll be something like "OSM generic routable(NA)" or similar naming. Then after selecting the tiles you want to send to the SP, click 'Continue', as shown in the pic in Post #92. I'll take a while because SP only has USB1 transfer speed. You could likely also use MapSource to send the tiles to your device without problems however it's no longer supported and causes problems with modern Garmin NT mapping data. OSM is "non-NT" format so it should be ok to use MS too which many ppl find easier to use because it's GUI is bigger than MI's.
Download links for MI and MS:

Code:

Please Login or Register to see the links

@Butters,

Okay, this is not as straight-forward as it sounds. This is what I have done so far:

- installed Mapsource 6.16.3
- Installed MapInstall
- Downloaded unlocked City Navigator NT 2017.10 [gmapsupp.img] - I was able to come across this img file while reading more about the procedure.


I don't know how to install the NT 2017 on the laptop so I can proceed with the next steps in this guide. All the posts in this thread seem to assume NT is already installed on the computer and then they explain how to override the maps inside the 2720.

I feel bad to say, but I don't know how to open/load this gmapsupp.img into either MapSource or MapInstall. I tried different menus under MapSource and nothing resembling "Load Map" or "Open Map". And MapInstall doesn't show any menu until I connect the 2720 unit, which I left at home...

After reading this entire thread again, it seems like there is a need for an external program to be able to read the gmapsupp.img map under MapSouce, namely Navnet.exe?

The link in this thread is broken. If indeed I need this file to install the NT 2017 on my computer, could someone link me to a safe version?

Thanks in advance!

Ok, you've decided to go with the Garmin NT CN over the OSM but you've not taken in what i wrote in Post #92: "Be sure to get the PC install data not an already compiled *.img file". You've got an IMG file when you need a .GMAP folder which essentially is a PC Install or MapSource version. It's not possible to install an image file to the PC without firstly reverse-engineering it which loses search function and makes it virtually useless for practical purposes if it's then sent as a reduced area map to your device via MapInstall or MapSource.

So either go with the OSM as earlier discussed, or search for an unlocked .gmap / PC Install / MapSource Version of Garmin City Navigator US & MX or North America. Then once installed you can send to your SP the specific tiles you need for your route.

There's a couple of methods to transfer an already compiled IMG file directly to an older device like your SP2720, one of which is discussed exhaustively in this thread, but there's no way the complete .img file you have will fit on your device because it's available space is limited and far less than what's required even by modern map data for US Lower 48 alone.

Re-read every thing written in my answers to your posts before and ask again for clarification if you don't understand fully. I'm happy to help you with this which is totally do-able, but i cannot supply you with the actual map data due to forum rules and Garmin's EULAs.

Originally Posted by Butters

Ok, you've decided to go with the Garmin NT CN over the OSM but you've not taken in what i wrote in Post #92: "Be sure to get the PC install data not an already compiled *.img file". You've got an IMG file when you need a .GMAP folder which essentially is a PC Install or MapSource version. It's not possible to install an image file to the PC without firstly reverse-engineering it which loses search function and makes it virtually useless for practical purposes if it's then sent as a reduced area map to your device via MapInstall or MapSource.

Ohhh geez... You have no idea what I had to go thru to get these .img files and how I had to almost delete half of my laptop to save these things because my hard drive wouldn't fit them... each img was one more than 2,000 MB!!!




Totally my fault... I was under the impression OSM was not good enough from your last post so I insisted on city Navigator. I thought I did so well because I was able to get both NT 2015 and NT 2017 and now you are telling me these files are useless...


Also, it seemed like your instructions were to merely ADD Mexico (about 250 MB) to the unit, which would leave the USA maps outdated to 2008. Not the the worst thing ever, considering how much time I have invested already trying to make this work.

Originally Posted by BBeast

........
Also, it seemed like your instructions were to merely ADD Mexico (about 250 MB) to the unit, which would leave the USA maps outdated to 2008. Not the the worst thing ever, considering how much time I have invested already trying to make this work.

I can sense you're very frustrated and annoyed at your wasted time and effort. It's hard when we put so much into something only to find that it's all for nothing. I have to point out however that not at all did i even vaguely suggest the above about merely adding MX to your current Garmin 2008. In fact, I think you're maybe confusing something I may have written with your own stated inclination to use East US & all MX, also from OSM not Garmin:

Originally Posted by BBeast

......... I am inclined to use OSM to update USA Eastern states in my route and add full Mexico (the img file seems to be only 250 mb, from the OSM website).

Would you be able to just list the steps necessary, including which software, needed for me to update OSM Eastern States + Mexico on my 2720? ............

As you requested I then gave you a "blow-by-blow" to obtain US & MX from OSM to install on PC either fully or partially and then transfer needed tiles to your 2720 via MapInstall.

So here's the bottom line: Unless you can obtain an unlocked and recent Garmin .gmap folder to install to PC you should use OSM. There's little difference in everyday use between OSM and Garmin mapping as i said previously. In fact the latest OSM will be far more up-to-date than the (useless for your SP anyway) Garmin CN 2017.10 gmapsupp.img you've now got which is actually from Q1 2016. The current CN is named 2019.3 for this Q3 2018 because of Garmin's rather quaint and maybe deceptive naming system.

As said by the other member, it's all spelled out how to do this. Both Garmin and OSM PC installs are covered in previous posts, #92 and #97 respectively with additional info in #100. If you need more help on any technicality we can assist for sure, the only thing we cannot help you with is the sourcing and/or unlocking of Garmin map data.