By Snay, based on valuable input and ideas from gps_mapper, Jac<J.M>, Snake, and others.

1. Introduction

2. Requirements

3. Setup

4. The simplest map

5. Maps with multiple objects of various types

This Getting Started will enable you to make your own maps (or just simple sketches of any area) and upload them to your Garmin’s GPS receiver.

From the technical point of view, this has been possible for some time already thanks to the GPSmapper project (http://gps.chrisb.org/gps_mapper.htm). Unfortunately, the method has not been easily comprehensible due to the lack of simple and clear documentation. Some published descriptions and HOW-TOs only added to confusion by suggesting that it would be necessary to poke in the Windows Registry, install the Perl and Java environment, etc.

However, big progress has been made recently thanks to a group of enthusiasts from Poland who started an initiative under the name of UMP, the purpose of which is to enable everybody to create maps in the GPS-uploadable format and share them with others, free of charge. It is an open project supporting everybody who wants to make a map or just a quick sketch of any area, for private purposes.

In order to facilitate this, significant improvements have been made to the GPSmapper project in terms of accessibility and understandability of the documentation. Also, new program features are expected in the future.

Although I’m not involved in the GPSmapper or UMP project development, I decided to write this Getting Started which explains, in easy terms, how to make maps and upload them to a GPS receiver using only general-purpose software (such as a text editor) and the GPSmapper freeware.

You will need:

• a Windows computer and elementary operating skills (such as creating directories and shortcuts, unzipping, editing text files);
• the GPSmapper freeware package;
• a Garmin receiver with map memory (only Garmin receivers are supported); for units with POI memory only, such as eTrex Venture, you will be able to upload only your own Points of Interest, not maps.

This is the most difficult part, but it has to be done only once, so just go ahead and follow these steps:

1. Create the new directory C:\Program Files\GPSmapper

This directory will be referred to as the program directory.

2. In it, create the new directory C:\Program Files\GPSmapper\MyData

This directory will be referred to as the data directory.

(If you decide to use other names for the program and data directories, you will have to change accordingly the paths in two shortcuts installed in points 6 and 7).

3. Download the free software package:

4. Create the new folder GPSmapper on your Desktop (or wherever you want). This folder will be referred to as your working folder.

5. In the working folder, create a shortcut to the GPSmapper.exe program installed in the program directory.

6. Also in the working folder, create a shortcut to the cGPSmapper.exe program installed in the program directory. In the shortcut properties dialog:

7. Again in the working folder, create a shortcut to the Sendmap.exe program installed in the program directory. In the shortcut properties dialog:

Ouffff, that's it. We've done the most difficult part. Now the fun begins.

Now you will make your first, very simple map consisting of one road and one point object (a campground) near it.

1. Create a new file (say, My1stMap.txt) in your data directory (you remember, by default this is C:\Program Files\GPSmapper\MyData) and copy to it the following lines:

8. To preview your map, double-click the GPSmapper program shortcut and open the map00001.img file (File menu> Import file > From IMG). You should see your map on the screen. Also, you will see a rectangular border around the objects which defines the map region. To have the labels visible, click on the LBL button. Use the Zoom tool ("5 km" etc.) as necessary. (BTW, the program you are using now is essentially a map editor, but for this simplified project we use it only to preview the maps.)

9. If you are satisfied with your map, upload it to your Garmin unit. Connect the receiver to the computer, switch it on, then drag and drop the resulting .IMG file icon onto the Sendmap program shortcut.

10. In the receiver, pan the map screen to the place where your objects are. If you zoom in closely enough, at certain moment the existing (base) map will be suddenly replaced with your new map! Later you will learn how to control the zoom level at which your objects are visible. You may switch your map on and off from the receiver's map menu.

After you have made your first, very simple map, you've got everything necessary to make a more sophisticated and usable map. This second map will contain POIs (points of interest), more various point and linear objects, as well as area objects.

1. In the program directory find the RGNtype.txt file and create a shortcut to it in your working folder (where you have your other shortcuts). This file contains a table of available object types and their codes which determine their appearance on your map.

2. Create a new file (say, My2ndMap.txt) in your data directory and copy to it the following lines:

For the list of available object types, see the RGNtype.txt file mentioned above. Observe the value in the last column (0x10, 0x20, 0x40, or 0x80). It is called RgnType. The RgnType value must correspond to the header (RGN10, RGN20, RGN240, or RGN80) of the given object section, e.g. for an RGN20 object (point), only types listed with RgnType=0x20 are allowed.

For example, in the RGNtype.txt file, the row:

Marina 0x43 67 0x20

9. Also in each of the resulting sections:

10. Compile, preview, and upload your map00002.img file as you did with your first map.

Rev. 021005 -- the newsgroup articles put together into one document.

Rev. 021006 -- proofreading corrections.

Rev. 021013 -- modified to reflect GPSmapper v. 00452