Thread: Install .img (NT) on Basecamp with search functionality?

Solution: Use original PC install to install maps In Basecamp/Mapsource, select tiles you like to have in your 60, send .img to HD or virtual sd (you need patched BC or MS), repeat for the maps you will want to join later. This way all your .IMGs with have search enabled, join them by Gmaptool.
Gmaptool splitted pc install don't have search, but if you use IMGs made with BC/MS from original pc install, even joined, will have search enabled.
You can rename files in sd in an Android phone using a file manager like XPlore.

No unfortunately, if you reverse engineer an image to make a home-brew install version preview map you won't have search function as said above. See the note in red here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. That applies whatever known software you use to make the install version.

You can see and use the .img file directly in BC however provided it's Ms Flag is set to '0' not '1', but not to make a fully functioning 'short-cut' map image file with MapInstall or MapSource. In the absence of original PC Install mapping data, the only sensible workaround is to have multiple maps as separate img files on separate SD cards as you suggested yourself in the initial post. Garmin always makes their images under 4 gibibytes [i.e. under ~4.294967 gigabytes] in respect of the FAT32 files size limit of 4,294,967,295 bytes [4GiB minus 1 byte]. All common 4GB SD cards have less space than that so rarely a very large Topo may need an 8GB card.

Dougo, there is another solution if you are willing to take a serious look at OSM-based topo maps. The best in this field is the German Freizeitkarte and their map of the Alps (2.17GB) is covering the area you are talking about. You can download the img for your GPS and the gmap version for use with Basecamp and yes, these maps are searchable and have autorouting as well.

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All latest maps (created every 1-2 months):

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Just try it and discover how good these maps are nowadays compared with Garmin's own maps.

Originally Posted by Dougo

I knew you couldn't do it with gmaptool alone. I brewed up a map by using gpsdaemon to extract some small .img files, and the MD2, IDX, and TYP from a gmapsupp.img, joined them with gmaptool, and threw it in the GPSr, but no joy: no search for addresses. ......

I think you probably misunderstood what i meant, i wasn't referring only to gmaptool when i wrote 'That applies whatever known software you use to make the install version'. I mean any known reverse-engineering method and no known software program can help you because of their common inability to decode the data in the image file's MDR subfile. That's needed for search function and none can make an install version with MDR, so: No MDR = No search.

Mapparoni has given you an excellent alternate solution to using the full Garmin img Topos imo. Worldwide, OSM based mapping is getting better all the time.

Originally Posted by Neil

I think you probably misunderstood what i meant....

No, I understood what you wrote. I was just giving you a humorous example, to confirm and illustrate your statement, of how I had previously tried "brewing up" a map that didn't work. As I said, I like having an OSM along with a Garmin map because they'll have detail that the Garmin maps don't, and I appreciate the link to freizeitkarte-osm.de It's a nice high speed zip download, and has a Basecamp installer, and I can select just the region I need, so it'll keep that map to about 15 Mb. Thanks for the information about the size limit on sd cards in post #4, very interesting and good to know.