Maps

M1.) Are the topographic maps on the Colorado 400t the same as Topo2008?
M2.) How do the basemaps compare on the different Colorado models?
M3.) Are the preinstalled maps on the 400i the same as US Inland Lakes g2 Vision charts?
M4.) Are the preinstalled maps on the 400c the same as BlueChart g2 Vision Coastal charts?
M5.) Does the Colorado support the g2 Vision charts?
M6.) Can I load Bluecharts or US Inland Lakes maps from DVD/CD-ROM onto my Colorado?
M7.) What DEM data is included on the Colorado 300, what about the 400t? What is the resolution of the DEM data provided?
M8.) Can other maps take advantage of the 400t's DEM data to provide relief shading on the map page and the 3D View?
M9.) How do custom transparent maps look on top of Topo 2008?
M10.) Can I use the preloaded maps on my Colorado 400t in Mapsource?
M11.) Where are the preloaded map files on my 400i,c,t?
M12.) Can I make my 400i,c,t load with no maps like a 300?
M13.) How do I use Mapsource to load additional maps onto my Colorado?
M14.) What map filenames are supported by the Colorado?
M15.) Can I use the additional filenames to help me better manage maps on my Colorado?
M16.) If I'm using an SD card how can better manage maps on my Colorado?
M17.) What is the maximum number of map segments supported by the Colorado?
M18.) What is the maximum map file size supported by the Colorado?
M19.) Can I load georeferenced raster map data onto the Colorado?

Visit the Maps 4 Garmin GPSr page to see a list of popular Garmin map sources.
Visit the Garmin Custom Maps Tutorial page for information about Garmin Custom Maps.
Tip: Read An Introduction to using Garmin GPSr with paper maps for land navigation to learn more.
 


M1.) Are the topographic maps on the Colorado 400t the same as Topo2008?


They are very similar but not exactly the same. Topo 2008 is packaged differently on the CO to get around the space and performance issues of loading several thousand map segments. The maps on the Colorado 400t have 429 segments (vs. 6633 for standard Topo 2008). It also appears that the version of Topo 2008 on the 400t is slightly different, it is called v2. There are a number of POI's related to marinas, boat launch ramps and campsites in the DVD version which aren't part of the preloaded v2.

M2.) How do the basemaps compare on the different Colorado models?

contributed by rwsmith123

The basemap for the 400t contains the following:

The basemap for the 400i contains the following:

The basemap for the 300 contains the following:

Need 400c data, but probably similar/same as the 400i.

M3.) Are the preinstalled maps on the 400i the same as US Inland Lakes g2 Vision charts?


The maps on the 400i are based on the g2 Vision charts however the Colorado does not support the advanced features of these charts such as fish eye view, mariner's eye view, fishing charts, and auto guidance which makes them roughly equivalent to the maps on the US Inland Lakes DVD when used on the Colorado. The aerial images and DEM for the 300 lakes that have this information are supported on the Colorado.

M4.) Are the preinstalled maps on the 400c the same as BlueChart g2 Vision Coastal charts?


The maps on the 400c are based on the BlueChart g2 Vision charts with coverage for US East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes. However the Colorado does not support the advanced features of the Vision charts such as fish eye view, mariner's eye view, fishing charts, and auto guidance which makes them roughly equivalent to the g2 charts when displayed on the Colorado.

M5.) Does the Colorado support the g2 Vision charts?


The Colorado can be used with g2 Vision cards but does not support the fish eye view, mariner's eye view, fishing charts or auto guidance features. The basic chart data will display but none of the enhanced features will display.

M6.) Can I load Bluecharts or US Inland Lakes maps from DVD/CD-ROM onto my Colorado?


The 300 and 400t support the Bluechart and Inland Lakes maps on DVD/CD-ROM, but because the 400i and 400c come preloaded with g2 Vision maps you cannot use the Bluechart and US Inland Lakes maps from DVD/CD-ROM on these units.

M7.) What DEM data is included on the Colorado 300, what about the 400t? What is the resolution of the DEM data provided?

contributed by rwsmith123

The 300 and 400t basemaps contain coarse DEM data.

The 400t contains US Topo 2008 which contains detailed DEM data.

The Colorado will use the most detailed info it can when there is multiple data for the same area (when zoomed in all the way).

I don't know what the resolution of the DEM data is but this will give some insight:

Need DEM resolutions (at least for Topo2008)

M8.) Can other maps take advantage of the 400t's DEM data to provide relief shading on the map page and the 3D View?


Yes. Custom maps and Garmin maps like City Navigator will take advantage of the DEM data to provide relief shading. The raster imagery used in the 400i and 400c maps does not make use of the DEM data.

M9.) How do custom transparent maps look on top of Topo 2008?


Like other maps you can see the DEM relief shading. However, since the maps are transparent you can also see the vector data (roads, contour lines, etc) from Topo 2008 as well. This causes certain maps, particularly custom transparent topographic maps, to look very "busy" because you can see contour lines from both maps.

If you have City Navigator, one nice trick is to enable both Topo 2008 and City Navigator. If you enable transparent maps in this situation you can see the relief shading but since City Navigator is not transparent and is layered over Topo 2008 the vector data from the Topo 2008 maps is hidden. As a result you get a very clean view of the transparent maps over City Navigator with DEM shading provided by Topo2008.

M10.) Can I use the preloaded maps on my Colorado 400t in Mapsource?


Garmin does not officially support this but there is an easy way to accomplish this if you have about 3GB of disk space on your computer. Trips & Waypoints Manager v4 comes with many Garmin units including the Colorado, you'll need to have this software installed. If you've lost your copy, Trip and Waypoint Manager can be purchased for about $25-$30 which is cheaper than buying a copy of the US Topo DVD.

This procedure has been verified with Mapsource versions 6.13.7 and 6.14.1. Simply stated what you are doing is replacing the T&W default map (an nearly useless basemap) with the Topo map from your Colorado. Here are the steps assuming T&W is installed in C:\Garmin\TRIPWPT4. If you have installed T&W to a different directory replace the directory names below with those that apply to your installation:
  1. If you haven't already, install T&W. Once you have completed the installation verify that the directory C:\Garmin\TRIPWPT4 exists and contains a file called TRIPWPT4.img.
  2. Rename TRIPWPT4.img to TRIPWPT4.old since you won't be using this map file any longer. You can always rename the file to restore the original T&W maps.
  3. Connect your Colorado to your computer and copy the Topo map file from [OR drive]:\Garmin\gmapprom.img to the C:\Garmin\TRIPWPT4\ directory. This file is very large and will take an hour or two to copy to your computer for the first time.
  4. Rename C:\Garmin\TRIPWPT4\gmapprom.img to C:\Garmin\TRIPWPT4\TRIPWPT4.img (if the name of your .img file in step 1 was different then use that name)
  5. Start Mapsource and in the drop down menu in the upper left corner select "Trips and Waypoints v4"
  6. You should be viewing your Topo maps in Mapsource.

You may notice that Mapsource is a little slow when you select the Trips and Waypoints map in part 6, probably because Mapsource is loading the entire Topo map file. I've also seen some strange behavior at some map layers where some map segments don't always display. Zooming in or out a layer seems to resolve the issue.

This procedure does not seem to work with the 400i internal maps.

Many thanks to samckernan for suggesting this simple procedure.

M11.) Where are the preloaded map files on my 400i,c,t?


There is a file called [drive]:\Garmin\gmapprom.img which contains all of the preloaded map data.

M12.) Can I make my 400i,c,t load with no maps like a 300?


Yes. Simply rename (I would strongly suggest backing the file up to your computer first) the file called [drive]:\Garmin\gmapprom.img to gmapprom.xxx and the Colorado will start with no maps. This saves some startup time, but no maps will be loaded including the basemap unless you have other map files loaded.

M13.) How do I use Mapsource to load additional maps onto my Colorado?


The best place to start is the Mapsource manual in the section called Loading Maps to Your Garmin GPS Unit. The basic operations required to send maps to the Colorado are:
  1. Connect the Colorado to your computer
  2. Select a number of map regions in Mapsource called a map set that you want on your Colorado
  3. Use Mapsource to build the map set and transfer it to your Colorado or the Colorado's SD card

*Inserting the SD card directly into a port on your computer will decrease the map transfer time dramatically.

Mapsource transfers the map set to the Colorado as single file called gmapsupp.img which is stored in [drive]:\Garmin or [SD drive]:\Garmin . Every time you repeat the process above you delete the previous map set and replace it with a new map set. Maps cannot be added or removed incrementally using Mapsource.

This implies that if you are trying to load maps from multiple Mapsource products (i.e. Topo2008 and City Navigator) that you will need to include map regions from both products in the same map set. Mapsource supports this by allowing you to select the first Mapsource product via a drop down menu in the upper left corner, pick map regions from this product using the Map tool, select a second product and pick map regions from this product before compiling the map set and transferring to the Colorado.

M14.) What map filenames are supported by the Colorado?


The Colorado recognizes any file name with extension .img on either the internal memory or SD card. A file called gmapprom.img will be added as selected file every time with switch on.

Note, older versions of firmware only supported three predefined names, gmapprom.img, gmapbase.img and gmapsupp.img. If you are still seeing this upgrade your firmware to the newest release.

M15.) Can I use the additional filenames to help me better manage maps on my Colorado?


Yes, but please note that this works best on a 300, this will work on a 400i,c,t but it will delete your preloaded maps.

Even though Mapsource always transfers map sets to [drive]:\Garmin\gmapsupp.img this file can be renamed once it is on the Colorado to one of the names referenced in M14. This is very helpful if you want to manage two maps sets, say one for your home area that would change infrequently and one for a travel destination that you might change frequently. The steps for doing this are:
  1. Follow the procedure in M13 to create and download your home map set
  2. Using a file explorer on your computer locate [drive]:\Garmin\gmapsupp.img and rename the file to [drive]:\Garmin\gmapprom.img
  3. Follow the procedure in M13 to create and download your travel map set

When you are done with your travel map set this file can be deleted and replaced with a new map set for your next destination without having to rebuild and transfer your home map set.

*As indicated in M14 above, the file names are not limited any more.

M16.) If I'm using an SD card how can better manage maps on my Colorado?


You can use the same technique described in M15 however there is no need to rename the first map set. Instead transfer the home map set to your Colorado, this will cause it to be loaded into internal memory in [drive]:\Garmin\gmapsupp.img. The travel map set can be transfered to the SD card in Mapsource where it will be saved as [SD drive]:\Garmin\gmapsupp.img. Replacing the SD map set when you travel will achieve the same results as described in M15.

M17.) What is the maximum number of map segments supported by the Colorado?


The Colorado can handle somewhere between 4000 and 5000 map segments based on initial tests. This limit applies to the sum total of segments contained in all img files loaded on the Colorado, it is not a per file limit. The 60csx supports a maximum of 2025 map segments as a comparison.

Need a final answer for max segments

M18.) What is the maximum map file size supported by the Colorado?


Mapsource and the FAT32 file system both impose a 4GB limit on img file sizes. The Colorado has been tested to work with a 3.77GB img files, so it appears that the upper limit is 4GB.

M19.) Can I load georeferenced raster map data onto the Colorado?


No. Although the 400i and 400c use satellite imagery as part of their basemap there is currently no way to take raster map data, georeference it and load it into the Colorado.

There are several third party tools which may allow you to load raster map data onto the Colorado. Moagu supports the 60/76csx handhelds but does not currently work on the Colorado. Mapwel also seems to support the Colorado.

See this Garmin Custom Maps Tutorial.