# Garmin Fenix - how to upload maps to the unit



## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

Received by email:


> Hi Admin,
> 
> I am an avid Garmin user and off-roader for the last 25 years.
> 
> ...


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

Yep. That's pretty much the method devised in the other thread discussing this. One extra point to add, though.

You don't need to replace the basemap (gmapbmap.img) you can add your extra map as a supplementary map (gmapsupp.img) and at zoom levels closer than 50km you will see the supplementary map, and at above 50km you'll see the basemap.


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## aslogar (Oct 28, 2007)

Sorry for the bother.
I tried pulling a map of Ohio from OpenStreet, and it downloaded a map that was 161MB. Which is way to big to fit on the fenix. How do I shrink this thing?

thanks for you help.
Alex


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## tomhster (Nov 3, 2012)

Use Mapsource to select a part of the original map and to download it to your Fenix.


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

tomhster said:


> Use Mapsource to select a part of the original map and to download it to your Fenix.


On openstreet map, there are a lot of Point of interrest, is it possible to copy the map to the Fenix without these POI in order to have a smaller map in terme of MB ?

Thanks


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## maxgraves (Mar 3, 2009)

with GPSMapEdit (http://www.geopainting.com)

you can edit the map
crop the area you only need,
remove POIs, routes, whatever

so to make it smaller and lighter...

you will also need cGPSmapper (http://www.cgpsmapper.com)
to compile the map to IMG

good luck 

edit:
forgot to mention that you can edit the zoom levels as well


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

Ok thanks !

Cgpsmapper seems complicated to use, no gui, just inline command. No other way to convert to img ?


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## maxgraves (Mar 3, 2009)

Falconeye75 said:


> Ok thanks !
> 
> Cgpsmapper seems complicated to use, no gui, just inline command. No other way to convert to img ?


gpsmapedit do it for you
you go to File -> Export -> Garmin IMG
its just looking for cgpsmapper, so you need to have it already installed..


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

maxgraves said:


> gpsmapedit do it for you
> you go to File -> Export -> Garmin IMG
> its just looking for cgpsmapper, so you need to have it already installed..


Thanks Maxgraves !!! It seems to work like a charm !!! I didn't try yet to put the map I build with GPSmapedit but the use was very simple. Just by deleting POI and polygons, I went from 4 MB to 600 KB. Thank you very much !!!

However, it sems GPSmapedit is not free since it is written that my version is not recorded. It didn't ask me for a serial, may be it will require it after a 30 days... On GPSMAPEDIT web site, I clicked on "free version" but it seems there is only the shareware version V 1.1.75.2.

Thanks again, with all the information grabbed on this web site :

Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap for maps
GPSMapEdit [Main] for editing the map
cGPSmapper - Your Tool For Creating Maps for building IMG maps

We have all we need to build our favorite maps. Hope the FEnix CPU will be strong enough to handle these maps and it will not take too much time to scroll and zoom the map.

What are your max map size recommendation for the Fenix ?


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## sergiofi (Nov 8, 2012)

I live in Brazil and I'm planning to buy the fenix, but I would like to know if it is possible to upload brazilian map to it?


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## popej (Dec 10, 2012)

Hi,

I have created some maps for Garmin fenix, using OSM data. You can download them from my site: Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


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## or_watching (Nov 13, 2008)

popej said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have created some maps for Garmin fenix, using OSM data. You can download them from my site: Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


Excellent! Thanks. Just what the doctor ordered. My first look showed all the streets around me and some local trails correctly.

(The Installer batch file didn't run on my PC, but your back-up method of dropping the gmap into a directory worked - so I'm good.)


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

popej said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have created some maps for Garmin fenix, using OSM data. You can download them from my site: Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


Hi !

Thanks a lot for your work !! However, can you explain how to choose an area ? For example, I downloaded FRance Map (zip file) how can I install just Paris area into the FEnix ?

Another general question, sometimes it becomes unreadable to see the path with map (bradcrumbs), do you know if there is a way to switch off the map without uninstalling it ?

Thanks.


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## popej (Dec 10, 2012)

Map is designed to be used with BaseCamp or Mapsource. These are free Garmin programs for managing maps. You can download BaseCamp here:
BaseCamp™ | Garmin | United States

Mapsource is an old program for Windows, which is retired now, but still has some valuable features. It could be easier to manage map for fenix with Mapsource. If you have installed BaseCamp, then you can install Mapsource, which is offered as an update:
Garmin: MapSource Updates & Downloads

There are many info in Internet about using Mapsource and BaseCamp. For loading maps to fenix you can use this procedure:
https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={6876ac90-a6cc-11dd-f60b-000000000000}

Loading maps with Basecamp is similar, but in this case BaseCamp invokes another program - MapInstall. Here is some info about using MapInstall:
http://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={5af8a260-fd05-11dc-ec92-000000000000}

As far a I know there are no settings for map in fenix. To disable additional map in device you have to remove file \Garmin\gmapsupp.img from it.


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

popej said:


> Map is designed to be used with BaseCamp or Mapsource. These are free Garmin programs for managing maps. You can download BaseCamp here:
> BaseCamp™ | Garmin | United States
> 
> Mapsource is an old program for Windows, which is retired now, but still has some valuable features. It could be easier to manage map for fenix with Mapsource. If you have installed BaseCamp, then you can install Mapsource, which is offered as an update:
> ...


Thanks for this information Popej and thanks again for your wonderful job for Garmin community !!!! You are great !!


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## popej (Dec 10, 2012)

I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

popej said:


> I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
> Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


Thanks a lot !!!!! Amazing job !!!

It will be easier for all Garmin user to upload maps to their Fenix now !!

Thanks again !!


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

popej said:


> I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
> Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


Have you stripped out all the turn-by-turn data? The fēnix can't use it, and it saves a lot of space.


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## popej (Dec 10, 2012)

These maps are very simple, they contain limited set of geographical features and have no superfluous functionality. There is no routing, address search, even no road names. You can perform search for a city, probably this is the most advanced map feature supported by fenix.


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

popej said:


> These maps are very simple, they contain limited set of geographical features and have no superfluous functionality. There is no routing, address search, even no road names. You can perform search for a city, probably this is the most advanced map feature supported by fenix.


Fantastic!

I had a one-off custom map i'd made for myself for SE Australia - but I'm going to swap it for yours


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## DRTBYK (Dec 15, 2012)

popej said:


> These maps are very simple, they contain limited set of geographical features and have no superfluous functionality. There is no routing, address search, even no road names. You can perform search for a city, probably this is the most advanced map feature supported by fenix.


Nice job popej. I'll be checking the Central & South America maps out over the next three months. Glad I found this thread as I was just about to do the same OSM compile.

Cheers,


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## Naj (Feb 23, 2009)

popej said:


> I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
> Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


I spent few hours trying to load your maps without success. I installed it according to your manual, selected titles in basecamp, uploaded to fenix (new .iso file appears in fenix memory), everything seems to be fine. But fenix don't showing any map, only basemap(big cities) in any zoom, any positions. Anyone know where may be problem? Thanks


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

Naj said:


> I spent few hours trying to load your maps without success. I installed it according to your manual, selected titles in basecamp, uploaded to fenix (new .iso file appears in fenix memory), everything seems to be fine. But fenix don't showing any map, only basemap(big cities) in any zoom, any positions. Anyone know where may be problem? Thanks


Mine didn't accept them at first either. Try renaming the new IMG file to gmapsupp.img.


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## Naj (Feb 23, 2009)

It helped! Thank you very much!


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

Naj said:


> It helped! Thank you very much!


No worries! :-!


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## LHRORD (Dec 23, 2012)

popej said:


> I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
> Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool


Thanks popej for your time and effort in making this amazing contribution to all Fenix users.

My humble tip for those who have not already installed the older Garmin MapSource software: It's worth it, if you want seamless installation of several maps CONSOLIDATED into a SINGLE gmapsupp.img map file.

For example, when using BaseCamp's MapInstall tool; if I want to install 3 separate maps: London, NYC and Miami, it will produce 3 separate IMG files on the Fenix labelled: OSM fenix Europe.img, OSM fenix US North-East.img, and OSM fenix US South.img; then I have to manually rename the city I'm at to gmapsupp.img and it's kind of a hassle, as I need a laptop to make those simple changes.

Using the older Garmin MapSource software solves all the modification problems, as instead of creating 3 separate IMG map files, it will automatically consolidate all 3 separate maps into 1 single gmapsupp.img map file!!! So, no need to have a laptop with me just to switch maps when travelling.

Additionally, MapSource is much easier on selecting different maps on a nice full screen, plus handling large amounts of waypoints is much easier as you can sort them by location too. This function alone has helped me create GPI files (POIs) with all of London's underground stations, so no matter where I'm at, I know where the nearest tube station is, even if my smartphone is out of battery! Loving my Fenix! It's so amazing to have so much functionality on your wrist!!!

You can even benefit from combining different maps for the same area, for example, you can combine popeJ OSM city maps with topo maps for any location and that way you have both the city maps and trail maps combined into a single IMG map file. Hope this tip is helpful to others.


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## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

Follow up by Ian (although already posted in a previous reply to this thread:


> Happy New Year!
> 
> Further to our recent correspondence, I have been trying to figure out a way to download maps to the Fenix in a way that saves space and shows relevant data only (mainly roads!)&#8230;well&#8230;I have found a web site that has ALREADY done exactly that, and wanted to share it with yourself and your forum. NOTE: I have NOT checked your forum to see if this info is already on your site.
> 
> ...


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## or_watching (Nov 13, 2008)

I'm a huge fan of popej's GMapTool OSM maps in the fenix. 

I just spent 10 days XC skiing (first time really) in unfamiliar places with criss-crossing forest roads and trails. A number of which weren't on the paper map but are in OSM. And some of our Plan A trails were impassable so we stayed instead on the untracked roads. And not another soul around all day. 

What a nice hands-free convenience to have the quick glance and check my position and path! No real need to stop and fiddle. Especially handy at night, with the kids, when even though I know where I am, I'm still 5% nervous. 

Family XC under starry winter sky: Priceless. 

Nothing that can't be also be done with a map or handheld - it's just more convenient, especially on the go with poles in hand. 

And with Switchback.com's trails (available for my states) as the gmapsupp.img, it's really hard to not know where you are, with just a tilt of the wrist.


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## KiwiWomble (Sep 13, 2012)

popej said:


> These maps are very simple, they contain limited set of geographical features and have no superfluous functionality. There is no routing, address search, even no road names. You can perform search for a city, probably this is the most advanced map feature supported by fenix.


Edit: worked out


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

popej said:


> Map is designed to be used with BaseCamp or Mapsource. These are free Garmin programs for managing maps. You can download BaseCamp here:
> BaseCamp™ | Garmin | United States
> 
> Mapsource is an old program for Windows, which is retired now, but still has some valuable features. It could be easier to manage map for fenix with Mapsource. If you have installed BaseCamp, then you can install Mapsource, which is offered as an update:
> ...


Hi, it seems it is not working when using mapinstall instead of Mapsource (even when renaming the file).

Another thing : Sometimes, I have an area that is on 4 tiles (for example, Paris in France) is it possible to select not only tiles but just an area with the mouse and sending it to the Fenix ?

Thanks.


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## mvyrmnd (Oct 21, 2011)

You can use various, extremely complicated programs to create your own "tile" but if you're working with the supplied tiles, then no.


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## KiwiWomble (Sep 13, 2012)

does anyone know if there is a way to take a basemap you have uploaded onto the watch and dowlaod it into basecamp....just so you looking at the same data?


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## or_watching (Nov 13, 2008)

KiwiWomble said:


> does anyone know if there is a way to take a basemap you have uploaded onto the watch and dowlaod it into basecamp....just so you looking at the same data?


Hi. 
I've never done it (from watch to basecamp). But i've seen instructions here:

How To Open Maps In Garmin BaseCamp - GPSFileDepot
How To Load .img Files Into MapSource or BaseCamp With MapSetToolkit - GPSFileDepot


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## guzzio (Mar 4, 2008)

Hey guys. I want the map of Belgium on my Fenix and i treid it with:
_I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool

_But that doesn't work ... the Fenix can take about 20 mb and the BeNeLux map is about 56 mb???

Getting a bit confused here ... can anyone write a simple 'step by step' how to?

Thanks ...


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

The problem with implementing maps on the FEnix is that your tracks become invisible, it is impossbile to see clearly the track on your FEnix if you have implemented a map. Unless Garmin will implement an on/off map function on the Fenix, using a map will be unfortunately useless.


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## KiwiWomble (Sep 13, 2012)

guzzio said:


> Hey guys. I want the map of Belgium on my Fenix and i treid it with:
> _I have extended cover of fenix maps to full world. Size of all mapping data is about 3.3GB, divided into over 2800 tiles.
> Maps for Garmin fenix | GMapTool
> 
> ...


Hey, just done this myself (for NZ). I downloaded the Oceanania file. Then i downloaded a program that was able to unzip the "7-zip" or ".7z" file, once unzipped i was able to open up Mapinstaller under "garmin" in your start menu and select the tiles you would like to create a .img file of, once this .img is stalled i changed the name to "gmapsupp.img" and it was done

hope that helps



Falconeye75 said:


> The problem with implementing maps on the FEnix is that your tracks become invisible, it is impossbile to see clearly the track on your FEnix if you have implemented a map. Unless Garmin will implement an on/off map function on the Fenix, using a map will be unfortunately useless.


I can see my track over the top of the base map without any trouble at all....


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

Do you know if a big map is consumming more battery than a small one or even without any map ?

I don't know if it is coming from my customized map (8 MB) or from FW 3.10 but Fenix is consumming more battery even without any sensors on or GPS activities.


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## LHRORD (Dec 23, 2012)

Falconeye75 said:


> The problem with implementing maps on the FEnix is that your tracks become invisible, it is impossbile to see clearly the track on your FEnix if you have implemented a map. Unless Garmin will implement an on/off map function on the Fenix, using a map will be unfortunately useless.


It is NOT impossible to see the tracks clearly, on the contrary, it is quite easy to see them standout against detailed maps by simply choosing the track and then selecting "GO," thereafter you simply PAN or ZOOM to it and you can see the entire track highlighted in thick lines in excellent contrast to the detailed map.

A good tip to review tracks from the watch, is to also create a waypoint for the track (I generally create one to know where my camping tent is at), that way when you are not physically near the track that you want to view, all you do is put the watch in "DEMO" mode, then "Start GPS," then select the waypoint nearest to the track, and select "Go," then when it asks "Simulate Driving?" simply scroll down and select "Move to Location" and after that select your track, then "Go" and you'll be able to view your highlighted track against a detailed map, even if it was created in another country far from where you are at. BTW, if you only saved your tracks in FIT format, then it will require an extra step, which is "Save as Track."



Falconeye75 said:


> Do you know if a big map is consumming more battery than a small one or even without any map ?
> 
> I don't know if it is coming from my customized map (8 MB) or from FW 3.10 but Fenix is consumming more battery even without any sensors on or GPS activities.


It has been the opposite for me, the battery lasts a lot longer than what the Fenix specs dictate, even though I use it with the Garmin premium Heart Rate Monitor, Footpod, and have detailed maps from different countries that are all on the same "gmapsupp.img," in addition to the original basemap: "gmapbmap.img" that came with my Fenix.

Perhaps, you either have a defective watch or you have not been taking advantage of the highly customization options of the watch. What I mean is I take advantage of the different Fenix profiles, as I do hiking, long trail runs, indoor gym, and even use it to record some drives. So, I customized my profiles, as follows:

HIKING: GPS Mode "UltraTrac," Sensors "Always On," Heart Rate Monitor "OFF," Footpod "OFF," Output: "GPX/FIT"

RUNNING: "1 sec" Recording, GPS Mode "Normal," WAAS "ON," Sensors "On Demand," Heart Rate Monitor "ON," Footpod "ON," Output: "FIT"

INDOOR: GPS Mode "Indoor," Sensors "On Demand," Heart Rate Monitor "ON," Footpod "ON," Output: "FIT"

WATCH: Tracks-Method "Auto," Interval "Normal," GPS Mode "Normal," WAAS "OFF," Sensors "On Demand," Heart Rate Monitor "OFF," Footpod "OFF," Output: "FIT"

I created the last two profiles to make it easy to switch among my most frequent activities, so most of the time, my Fenix profile is set to "WATCH." As an example on a typical hiking weekend: when I'm driving to a forest, I record my drive whilst in the "WATCH" profile, then I change it to HIKING, when I start my hike, and then make a waypoint where I'm camping; thereafter, when I go for a trail run, I switch it to "RUNNING" and when I get back to my tent, I switch it back to "WATCH" and by simply switching between profiles, I get amazing battery life, it has even lasted me over a week of camping in the woods without recharging. Even though, I take other backup GPS units, I have never needed to use them! This is an incredible watch that is even more accurate and precise than my old handheld GPS.

Another good tip is to also create a different "Time Layout" page for each of the profiles so that you always know which profile the Fenix is set to, so that every time you just look at the time you'll know whether it's on the correct profile: WATCH, INDOOR, etc.

If you still keep having battery problems, you should simply exchange it for a new unit. Hope this helps you.


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi Lhrord,

you are masterizing the Fenix !!! Thanks for all you advices. I d'ont have a lot of profile just one taht I customized and to switch to indoor mode, I am just changing GPS mode to select indoor and I have HEart = on and footpod =on. Yesteday with just Heart rate monitor, It tooks 6% battery draining for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It seems it is not consistent and the battery draining seems more important below 80%. Maybe my watch has a problem... Maybe it is better to creat an indoor profile instead of changing GPS mode all the time. I will try this. I have always output selcted as GPX and never Fit (GPX is more standard)

How much is your MAP inside your FEnix ? I have a 8 MB in my Fenix, maybe, it is too heavy ?

Thanks again for all your help and your tips !!


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## LHRORD (Dec 23, 2012)

Falconeye75 said:


> ... I have always output selcted as GPX and never Fit (GPX is more standard)
> 
> How much is your MAP inside your FEnix ? I have a 8 MB in my Fenix, maybe, it is too heavy ?
> 
> Thanks again for all your help and your tips !!


I only use GPX when Hiking, and FIT for everything else. FIT is newer and much more efficient than GPX as it takes minimal space (e.g., a 1630 KB GPX file only takes 160 KB in FIT format) and can be easily uploaded to other sport apps, such as Strava, Endomondo, Runkeeper, etc. Additionally, it saves your "Activities" way faster than GPX and can easily be converted to GPX, TCX, etc. In fact, since the Fenix itself is able to convert FIT to GPX on the fly, you could still use FIT for Hiking and then convert to GPX if you need to do a "Tracback."

Your detailed map is fine at 8 MB; mine is 9.7 MB which includes 4 different countries, plus, I have several POIs with all London Tube stations, several subways of other major cities and still no battery problems.

I suspect your battery problems may either stem from the fact that you are not taking advantage of the "Profiles" functionality, which is central to the overall operational efficiency of the Fenix, or you simply received a damaged/under-performing unit, as you frequently mention that you have accuracy problems. When I'm trail running in open spaces without tree cover, my Fenix "Accuracy" reading has displayed 18-20 ft (5.5-6 m) and even when it displays more than 65 ft (20m), it still shows my location very accurately, even on the correct side of the street; so, to me what is most important is having accurate tracks displayed, rather than the displayed "accuracy" readings. Hope this helps.


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## Falconeye75 (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi Lhord,

I follow your advices and I am using FIT files for running and I am having 5% draining per hour with the footpod and HR. In my daily profile, I removed the "seconds" arround the watch (I don't know its name in english) and I am winning some %, My watch is just loosing 2% per 12 hours just in time mode with sensors on demand and nothing else than the time.

If I had a 20m accuracy but a good record of track it would be great but unfortunately for me, when I have a 20m accuracy, my track is zigzaging  For recording, is is not very important but I often want to use my Fenix to follow tracks and unless I am in a wide and non covered area, it becomes very hard to follow precisely the track. i am living in Paris and i ma surrounded by buildings, may be it's the consequence...

I am interresting to know how you find POI with all metro stations ? I a m looking for a GPX file that will contain all Paris metro station. I found one but some stations (and mine in particulary) that are missing. Did you use a soft to compile all theses stations in one GPX single file ?

Thanks.


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## glitchexe (May 29, 2013)

Hi LHRORD,

I just got my Garmin Fenix on Monday and all I'm noticing are battery issues. Things just don't make sense. I had to charge my device 3 times alone yesterday, and that was with the device in Indoor mode. I looked at the profiles you outlined and they sound like they would be pretty handy. Is there anyway you can pull them from your device and share them here?

Thanks.


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## TasEnt (May 31, 2013)

Hi

I have been using the Fenix since it first came out and having an early production run experienced more than a few issues with the watch finally going back after it fogged up inside due to a known fault with the seals. Add to this sticking buttons and general issues of locking uo. Anyway new one turned up so hopefully the issues are now sorted out. 

I am a mad keen OSM mapper and found the simplest way is to use pre-made img files and copy them straight across. Currently for my state the entire set is around three megabytes. I found that if you have patience (lot of) you can search for POI and the watch will then take a straight line to that point. Sort of useful when bushwalking but what I am curious is can you route to a destination? OSM as mentioned will generate routable files that work well on the bigger Garmins (62S, Rino). Though this is a big ask for watch it would be handy if it could do this. I mainly use the watch for following OSM tracks in winter covered by snow that are created in summer and this works a treat but be nice if the watch would allow me to route.

Cheers

PS great thread and website.


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## oilburner (Sep 22, 2013)

Hi LHRORD,

Thanks for the useful profile info. I had a question about specifically where you did this. I ride and run a lot and it seems I have to change both the profile (I have one for cycling and one for running) as well as in setup for FIT Activity. Is there a way to only be changing this via the profile? Seems weird that I'd have to change both the FIT Activity and the Profile each time I changed sports. Thoughts?


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