can trusty old iQue3600 use OpenStreetMaps ?

[garymj]

I'm trying to use : garmin.openstreetmap.nl
to generate a USA map and try it on my Betty (renamed Amelia). I still love her but the maps are 8 years old and I can't justify the $$ to update to the last Palm maps...they are 2009 anyway.
I'm on a mac , so maybe Firefox is giving me trouble, but I can't select United States. I tried selecting tons of tiles manually but that gave a server error saying requested URL too long. If I can get the gmapsupp.img file I should be able to put it on the SD card in the Garmin directory...has anyone tried this ? Open source maps sound like a great idea since the user community can update POIs and suggest new data. Is there a down side ?

[Ken in Regina]

Yes, if you can get a gmapsupp.img file it should work fine on the iQue3600.

Downside? Questionable data is about the only thing. OpenStreetMaps is open sourced data that isn't necessarily verified in detail except by other users. I have not heard any huge issues.

If you are planning a trip, I would check other sources just to verify that any routes you set up are going to work out as expected. That would include looking at the proposed routes on sites like Google Maps, MapQuest or even Garmin's online map viewer.

The upside is, as you've figured out, more up to date data than your old Garmin maps. Also you may find a lot more detail in some areas, especially rural-ish areas.

You certainly have nothing to lose except a little time.

...ken...

[garymj]

I finally got the open source maps to work on the Data Mine 133xSD 4GB chip (NOT SDHC !), but not on 1 large map; I had to download them as 2 files by judicious selection of tiles, then using Filez to rename back and forth either E or Wgmapsupp.img so I can get half the USA at a time at least. And the find works a little quirky (as noted on the open map site), you have to leave the city name out, just give it number and street. Just got back from wandering 10 days on New England backroads and she did fine.

[Sho-Bud]

I'm trying to use : garmin.openstreetmap.nl
to generate a USA map and try it on my Betty (renamed Amelia). I still love her but the maps are 8 years old and I can't justify the $$ to update to the last Palm maps...they are 2009 anyway.
I'm on a mac , so maybe Firefox is giving me trouble, but I can't select United States. I tried selecting tons of tiles manually but that gave a server error saying requested URL too long. If I can get the gmapsupp.img file I should be able to put it on the SD card in the Garmin directory...has anyone tried this ? Open source maps sound like a great idea since the user community can update POIs and suggest new data. Is there a down side ?

Yes, I haven't had a problem. I chose to download the Mapsource installer. Than the maps install in Mapsource and you can send them from there to the Ique.

[Ken in Regina]

I just tried out the OSM maps for Canada and I'm quite impressed. I downloaded the precompiled GMAPSUPP.IMG file for CANADA from this site:

OSM Maps - Maps for Garmin GPS devices

It was just a matter of unzipping it and copying it to the GARMIN folder on an SD card and plugging it into my 3600a. Doesn't get much easier than that!! I checked the newer subdivisions in a couple of areas in a couple of cities I'm familiar with and it is much more up to date than City Navigator North America 2013.1.

It is nearly 1GB so you pretty much need a 2GB card. I couldn't get it to fit on a 1GB card with even the smallest basemap. I'm not sure what size the United States map is.

I have to loan my Nuvi to my wife for the next few days since we are both travelling but in different directions for a bit. I could use my Android phone with ALK CoPilot on it. The maps are pretty good and the phone has a 4" screen. But I hate the interface and I can't be bothered to figure out how to mount it in the car to use as a GPS. So it's really nice to be able to put the 3600a back into service with up to date maps!!

...ken...

[Ken in Regina]

This is a follow-up on my previous post. I've now made two trips of roughly 1800 km each using the 3600a. Here's what I discovered.

The OSM maps are quite up to date in some areas. But there are also areas where they are missing a lot of data or it's just wrong.

The basic road networks in City Navigator North America 2009 are pretty solid so I ended up using it as the default mapset for general navigation. I only switched to the OSM mapset when it contained in-city detail that I needed. And I only did that for a portion of the first trip.

After discovering the hit-and-miss nature of the maps and the lack of a lot of POIs, I started using the Google Maps and CoPilot Live apps on my Android phone for specific stuff in-city and used City Navigator North America 2009 on the 3600a for the rest.

I was pleased to discover that the iQue 3600a and CNNA 2009 maps still got the job done for over 90% of what I needed.

I also discovered that I missed the big buttons and simple interface on my Nuvi. After using the Nuvi for a couple of years now it was really difficult going back to trying to use the iQue's navigation interface in a vehicle. You have to be so precise or it's a mess. And my eyesight (even with proper correction) has deteriorated to where I am poking spots on the screen from memory. And hoping the memory hasn't deteriorated as badly as my eyesight!!

Next stop: Montana. A Garmin Montana, that is. I want something I can use in the car, on the motorcycle, on the mountain bike and hiking/walking. And something I can keep up to date. My wife finds the Nuvi handy enough that I likely won't get it back from her.

...ken...