Mac MapInstall 4.0.0; not ready for use

[HardWorkingDog]

Garmin released a new version of MapInstall a few days ago. Strangely though, I can't find ANY reference to it on their website, the only thing that comes up is the OLD version 2.1.6. (Remember, talking about Mac OS X here.)

I opened up MapInstall v.2.1.6 yesterday right before I was leaving on a trip, to double check that the topo maps on my 60CSx covered the area I was headed for. Something I do routinely before any trip.

Clicked on "install the update" to 4.0.0 and MapInstall opened up with NO indication of what maps are installed on the GPS. Crap. A blank slate.

Tried a couple WAG moves of quit-relaunch of MapInstall/on-off of the gps and nothing changed. (Also, a minor irritation that MapInstall now launches with the default view of the first map collection (alphabetically), rather than the previous version's last collection viewed.) The storage available bar graph at the bottom of the screen showed completely empty--4 G's available, despite the roughly 1 G of maps I'd previously installed on the gps's card. Double crap.

Thankfully I had a backup copy of v2.1.6. Deleted 4.0.0, copied 2.1.6 back in, and everything is back to normal.

My advice is to NOT install 4.0.0 until someone at Garmin can figure out how to correctly read the maps already installed via 2.1.6. As usual, stay away from any X.0.0 release.

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

Garmin released a new version of MapInstall a few days ago. Strangely though, I can't find ANY reference to it on their website, the only thing that comes up is the OLD version 2.1.6. (Remember, talking about Mac OS X here.)

I opened up MapInstall v.2.1.6 yesterday right before I was leaving on a trip, to double check that the topo maps on my 60CSx covered the area I was headed for. Something I do routinely before any trip.

Clicked on "install the update" to 4.0.0 and MapInstall opened up with NO indication of what maps are installed on the GPS. Crap. A blank slate.

Tried a couple WAG moves of quit-relaunch of MapInstall/on-off of the gps and nothing changed. (Also, a minor irritation that MapInstall now launches with the default view of the first map collection (alphabetically), rather that the previous version's last collection viewed.) The storage available bar graph at the bottom of the screen showed completely empty--4 G's available, despite the roughly 1 G of maps I'd previously installed on the gps's card. Double crap.

Thankfully I had a backup copy of v2.1.6. Deleted 4.0.0, copied 2.1.6 back in, and everything is back to normal.

My advice is to NOT install 4.0.0 until someone at Garmin can figure out how to correctly read the maps already installed via 2.1.6. As usual, stay away from any X.0.0 release.

I think this new version is optimized for new gps units like the Montana/Oregon/62/78 series. Why would you not just use Basecamp to see what maps you have installed already? Does Mapinstall tell you which maps already reside on a 60?

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

I think this new version is optimized for new gps units like the Montana/Oregon/62/78 series.

Most likely..

Why would you not just use Basecamp to see what maps you have installed already? Does Mapinstall tell you which maps already reside on a 60?

I think we're talking about 2 different things here. I struggled a bit when writing the opening post about how to refer to a Map Collection—e.g. Garmin's Topo 24K West, DVD version—and a particular map tile (quadrant?) that has been copied from the collection to a gps SD card.

So yes, Basecamp tells me which Map Collections I have on my computer's HD and are unlocked and accessible. I've not seen an indication in Basecamp as to which particular tiles are residing on the gps.

Somewhere, somehow, MapInstall 2.6.1 keeps track of which tiles are residing on the gps and I can easily see what I've got loaded.

Here's a screen shot from MapInstall 2.6.1:



MapInstall 4.0.0 shows a similar view, except no indication of ANY tiles installed...there may be a simple explanation somewhere, but I didn't have time to dig around. This shouldn't be the default behavior, at any rate.

[DennyIndy]

2.6.1 shows the maps that were last selected.

IF:

you had a set of maps selected and sent them to a SD card....

Then:

You disconnect that SD card...

Then:

insert another SD card...

Then:

deselect all maps, select a different set of maps and send those to the second card.

Then:

reinsert the first card and launch MapInstall, Mapinstall will be showing the maps that were selected and sent to the second card, not the maps that are resident on the card.

v4 must ignore that lastSelected.gdb file that resides in
~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/MapInstall/

[DRTBYK]

Maybe you found it by now, but this new v4 MapInstall is updated to address all of Garmins GPS's and how they support Supplemental Maps. If you want to be able to select multiple segments only form a map/s, just use the new features under the "Advanced" button. . .see below.



Cheers,

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Maybe you found it by now, but this new v4 MapInstall is updated to address all of Garmins GPS's and how they support Supplemental Maps. If you want to be able to select multiple segments only form a map/s, just use the new features under the "Advanced" button...

OK, just to check I reinstalled 4.0.0. Here's a screen shot of MapInstall 4.0.0 with my 60CSx attached, which has a 4G SD card with about 1G of map tiles. Where is this "Advanced button?"





edit: Again, I'm kinda amazed that I found ZERO reference to 4.0.0 on Garmin's website, and the only thing that comes up from a google search is the discussion by youse guys in the Montana thread...

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

OK, just to check I reinstalled 4.0.0. Here's a screen shot of MapInstall 4.0.0 with my 60CSx attached, which has a 4G SD card with about 1G of map tiles. Where is this "Advanced button?"



edit: Again, I'm kinda amazed that I found ZERO reference to 4.0.0 on Garmin's website, and the only thing that comes up from a google search is the discussion by youse guys in the Montana thread...

Don't be to amazed, Garmin and Apple are still trying to get coordinated on application updates. I think Garmin's objective is to release this and other Mac software through the Mac App Store. I expect it will get there and on Garmin's Mac Software site.

Here is the first screen I see when my Montana is connected. MapInstall actually interrogates the GPS to determine what type of Supplemental Maps it supports and adjust the screens accordingly.



The next screen is the one I posted above. . .and if I press the Advanced button, I see the screen you posted.

Cheers,

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Here is the first screen I see when my Montana is connected. MapInstall actually interrogates the GPS to determine what type of Supplemental Maps it supports and adjust the screens accordingly...

Well, the first screen I see has none of the white backgrounded information as yours shows, only a fully gray window with a dropdown box containing a description of my gps id number, and a CONTINUE button in the lower right corner. Once i click CONTINUE I see the screen I posted above , with no ADVANCED button. (I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Garmin's "solution" will be to reinstall all the maps using 4.0.0; if so, I'm sticking with 2.1.6.)

It seems more and more clear that 4.0.0 has been designed to leave the 60/76 series in the dust...which is purely up to Garmin. Can't say I like it very much, but it's their choice. I can't imagine it would be that difficult to read the database and correctly show what's on the card already, but what do I know.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

snip. . .
It seems more and more clear that 4.0.0 has been designed to leave the 60/76 series in the dust...which is purely up to Garmin. Can't say I like it very much, but it's their choice. I can't imagine it would be that difficult to read the database and correctly show what's on the card already, but what do I know.

But isn't v4 working just like v2.1.6 did for you?

I can't think of any reason why they couldn't show what maps you have install. It would certainly take a bit of time to actually parse the IMG file on your GPS and show the map segments you have included in a map IMG file.

Here is what v4 shows if just an SD card in seen:



Cheers,

[DR. Rock]

4.0 throws up different screens for different circumstances. External hard disk like an ipod -- no advanced options, erases everything you had on there, and then crashes before it writes a new gmapsupp.img file. When it does write the file, the maps are all jumbled into one file and you can't select individual maps. MicroSD card inserted into a card reader: Gives you the advanced options, still erases and rewrites your maps, takes forever, some maps work, some crash the unit. Couldn't for the life of me get a GPSfileDepot free Utah topo to load. Never had a problem with it using prior versions of MapInstall.

Clearly, Garmin wants you to load maps onto your unit directly. This is the only way all the "advanced" options kick in and seem to, maybe, work. OK, so I copied everything I had off of my 32GB sd card, erased it, made a "Garmin" folder, and put it into the Montana, connected it to the Mac, and fired up MapInstall 4.0. I decided to let Garmin be in control. I let it install every single map I own. 36 maps. 29Gb. The outcome... I have no idea. My i5 quad iMac has been chugging away (inefficiently using 120% of a single processor, I might add) for the past 11 hours, and it's currently building map 24 of 36.

I figured I'd give Garmin a chance. Let them load all my maps on the Montana as they like. Do it once, and never think about it again. Sounds good on paper, (at least until the next CNNA update). How will they appear on the disk and hard drive? No clue. MapInstall didn't give me an option to install on the internal memory vs. the SD card, but hitting install, it told me that I would have 3000+MB free on the internal memory, so I presume it doesn't merge the memory, and installs on the SD card preferentially. It might be nice to know that in advance. If I was a betting man, I would wager that at the end of this exercise I will have a completely useless 29gb MegaMess.

No worries, 20 minutes and I can recopy everything I had on there and I'm back in business.

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

But isn't v4 working just like v2.1.6 did for you?...

In a word: No

[DRTBYK]

Sorry to hear you guys are having so many problems with v4. I've made five different map installs in testing and each one did what seemed like the logical thing.

My maps are installed on the SDcard and I have given them my own file names. Using the Advanced option I installed additional maps one at a time and each time MI just installed the new map with the name I had given it in BaseCamp on the SDcard. I presume that's because I didn't have any maps on internal storage. MI did not erase and rewrite my existing maps on the card. Since I wasn't doing anything to the existing maps MI preserved them on the SDcard.

The one thing that does have me puzzled is how MI can change the properties of the GPS. I was under the impression that a Garmin GPS could only index a certain number of map segments - on my Montana that number is 4000 segments - so why would MI allow us to load more than that number?

Well hopefully v4.0.1 will come along soon.

Cheers,

[DR. Rock]

After >12h of chugging away, only 7 of 36 maps made it onto the sd card in a way that rendered them visible. The maps that exceeded either the segment number limit, or the MB limit were split into separate parts, god knows how -- totally useless.

Conclusion: DIY. Roll your own compiled maps, load them onto an SD card inserted into your computer, or an attached ipod, then rename them, and copy them onto the microSD that you will insert into your handheld. This is for the "modern" units. For the legacy 60/76's, compile your maps into a single gmapsupp.img file, and copy it using the finder onto your microsd. Do NOT let MapInstall 4.0 interface with your GPS internal memory or directly with a SD card inserted in your unit until the software has sufficiently matured.

I'm sorry, this is not the bullet-proof, error-free, redundant software that I will depend on with my life when traveling the outback. It is a flakey, buggy, immature, not-yet-ready for prime time A-for-effort package that I am reluctant to use in any kind of mission-critical setting.

[DRTBYK]

Given your experience so far with v4, I would agree. Easy enough to keep using v2.1.6 until v4.0.1 comes along. I don't know if the MapInstall Developer reads this forum. If you want to hurry an update along you might post on the Garmin Forum for Mac MapInstall your observations.

Cheers,

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Given your experience so far with v4, I would agree. Easy enough to keep using v2.1.6 until v4.0.1 comes along. I don't know if the MapInstall Developer reads this forum. If you want to hurry an update along you might post on the Garmin Forum for Mac MapInstall your observations.

Cheers,

Yeah... v4 works OK if used in a similar fashion to what I was doing with v2.1.6 (still available for download, btw). It just doesn't work as intended.

I'd bought a 32gb card on sale and I thought I might be able to keep all the map files on it and not have to recompile / reload for each trip. I've since reconsidered as the redraw / refresh rate takes a hit when the gps has to image an area significantly larger than what I'm traveling, especially for the topos. CNNA and basemap don't seem to have this slow redraw problem as much as the topo's (both 2008 & 24K's).

As a consequence, my new strategy is to keep the complete CNNA loaded on the sd card, and then compile and load the 24K and 2008 topos (and any other free topos, and custom maps) as needed for each trip. While travelling, I'll have as little enabled as necessary.

BTW, I've found a similar strategy works well with basecamp. I don't store anything in the basecamp lists and folders.... at the end of each session, I export a .gpx file of each trip / project, and completely clear out "My Collection". This avoids duplicate waypoints, etc. I re-import the .gpx file back in when I want to do more planning. Keeping that "My Collection" list lean makes BaseCamp really fly, and it adds a layer of protection, since the original files are saved outside of any loss due to a basecamp crash.