Topos for Garmin Zumo 550

**Phreaky Phil** · 11th May 2010, 19:54

This may have already been asked but, Has anyone got , or can you get topographical map software for the Garmin Zumo.

**Cloggy** · 11th May 2010, 20:20

http://nzopengps.org/index.php?optio...:gps-use-and-a

**cooneyr** · 11th May 2010, 21:48

All the commercial maps in the link above use the same data (LINZ electronic data used for1:50,000 maps) but the cartography (how it looks) is different. Price difference is usually due to other features such as inclusion of other data or software tools.

Cheers R

**Eddieb** · 11th May 2010, 22:14

The NZ Open GPS project has put out some free ones recently bundled with their street maps I believe. I haven't tried them sop don't know if they are any good.

http://gwprojects.org/forum/viewforu...d015a70e1674b9

**Phreaky Phil** · 12th May 2010, 07:47

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at these. Ideally i'd like it to be as simple as possible. An SD card that plugs in and "voila". I Know how to work and use the Zumo but havent mastered uploadind and downloading maps to my complicator. Had a couple of goes, got pissed off and havent looked again. Mite be a good winter project

**NordieBoy** · 12th May 2010, 09:24

Should be able to unzip this one...
http://www.nzopengps.org/public/DOC_NZOGPS/gmapsupp.zip
To a "garmin" folder on an sd-card.

Looks a bit small though - 28mb

**That looks like fun** · 12th May 2010, 09:41

Whatever you do don't get Freshmaps

Purchased them locally and shelled out $220 of my hard earned. Slipped the ssd card in and presto, a map that wont Auto route and you cant work in mapsource for pre planning trips. Emailed Freshmaps who suggested I could purchase a program worth $285 that would solve all the worries of the world including the fuel crisis.

Oh yes I was excited indeed

Downloaded the NZOPENGPS maps and the doc ones (thanks Nordie) and had been using them on another card. Decided to try planning my routes on Mapsource and then transfer them to the Garmin (running Freshmaps again) and bugger

somehow I overwrote the Freshmaps (card isn't write protected).
Nice email to Freshmap, could you possibly rewrite my card for me? No sweat they say, send the card and a cheque for $35 bucks and its done mate

Talk about a Tui Add.
So from my experience I would say unless you have recently won Lotto and want a product that wont really do what you want, DONT BUY FRESHMAPS!!!!
NZ open GPS all the way

**cooneyr** · 12th May 2010, 11:27

Re the post above this is where GTMaps work well. You get a CD that has an installer on it, run the installer and it will load the maps onto your PC for viewing via Mapsource. Then use Mapsource to select and upload to your GPS the bits you want. Takes a while to upload to the GPS (lots of data) but works fine. Get topo maps on both the PC and the GPS. Only thing is they are not auto routing but if you get the brilliant FREE NZ Open Source maps (without the topo data) you can auto route. In many situations it is better to have the seperate auto routing and topo maps on the GPS. When on road turn the auto routing on, when off road turn the topo on. Can have both visible on the GPS at once but the road centre lines dont always agree so can be a bit visually confusing. Most of my route planning is done on the computer but I can create routes on the GPS when away from home in either autorouting or not forms.

Whole system works well for me but you obviously need to know how to upload to GPS and turn maps on and off on the GPS.

Cheers R

**That looks like fun** · 12th May 2010, 11:45

Originally Posted by cooneyr

Re the post above this is where GTMaps work well. You get a CD that has an installer on it, run the installer and it will load the maps onto your PC for viewing via Mapsource. Then use Mapsource to select and upload to your GPS the bits you want. Takes a while to upload to the GPS (lots of data) but works fine. Get topo maps on both the PC and the GPS. Only thing is they are not auto routing but if you get the brilliant FREE NZ Open Source maps (without the topo data) you can auto route. In many situations it is better to have the seperate auto routing and topo maps on the GPS. When on road turn the auto routing on, when off road turn the topo on. Can have both visible on the GPS at once but the road centre lines dont always agree so can be a bit visually confusing. Most of my route planning is done on the computer but I can create routes on the GPS when away from home in either autorouting or not forms.
Whole system works well for me but you obviously need to know how to upload to GPS and turn maps on and off on the GPS.

Cheers R

So where were you when I went shopping for a map system

(or in plain mans language, why didnt I ask more questions first instead of listening to a slick salesman

) What you have described is excactly what I wanted and what I thought I was buying, turns out I brought a lemon

So where do you get GT Maps?

**Transalper** · 12th May 2010, 12:09

Short note about displaying the GT Topos and Open source maps together... unless something has been done to reactivate transparency in the Open Maps on the latest updates you can not display them together. They stopped making the open maps transparent late last year.
You can still have them all loaded on the GPS but can not see anything other than the Open maps when the open maps are turned on. Turn them off and your other maps can be used.
I like the Open Maps which include the topo set, you can auto route the included tracks etc but they don't have as much detail as the GT Maps in some places.

**Phreaky Phil** · 12th May 2010, 12:37

Ya hear that sound. ? What sound you say. The sound of most of that going right over my head !!!!!!!!!!!! I think I need to go to GPS school !!

**Eddieb** · 12th May 2010, 12:58

Originally Posted by Transalper

Short note about displaying the GT Topos and Open source maps together... unless something has been done to reactivate transparency in the Open Maps on the latest updates you can not display them together. They stopped making the open maps transparent late last year.
You can still have them all loaded on the GPS but can not see anything other than the Open maps when the open maps are turned on. Turn them off and your other maps can be used.

From what I gather they didn't change that intentionally but changed compiler's and the new compiler doesn't support that or somesuch.

**mazz1972** · 12th May 2010, 14:15

Originally Posted by Phreaky Phil

Ya hear that sound. ? What sound you say. The sound of most of that going right over my head !!!!!!!!!!!! I think I need to go to GPS school !!

You aren't the only one!! Three GPS's sitting at home (belong to our club) and no friggin idea how to use them other than marking waypoints.

**Transalper** · 12th May 2010, 14:33

Originally Posted by Eddieb

From what I gather they didn't change that intentionally but changed compiler's and the new compiler doesn't support that or somesuch.

I understood they stopped making the Open source maps transparent because they were having issues with the Colorado units crashing or some such GPS related thing, when they stopped making the maps transparent it fixed the issue.

Originally Posted by mazz1972

You aren't the only one!! Three GPS's sitting at home (belong to our club) and no friggin idea how to use them other than marking waypoints.

Seriously the best way to learn is to sit down with someone in the know for a little one on one time being shown the way.
Trying to explain stuff over the web isn't much better than telling you to go back and re read the manual which obviously didn't work well the first time.

**NordieBoy** · 12th May 2010, 15:06

Originally Posted by Transalper

I understood they stopped making the Open source maps transparent because they were having issues with the Colorado units crashing or some such GPS related thing, when they stopped making the maps transparent it fixed the issue.

The mapcenter ones still have transparency as they use an older compiler.
Only problem is mapcenter has been missing for some months now.