How does Garmin behave without maps?

Cotterend
Cotterend Posts: 73
edited November 2017 in Road general
I'm about to travel and I'm taking my bike with me. I'm planning routes at each stop, but I don't have maps on my Garmin 800 to cover the areas. How will it behave without a map?

Louise

Comments

  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,236
    Why no maps? Download free open source maps for Garmin from e.g. openfietsmap. The opensfietsmap lite option gives you worldwide coverage, just choose the areas you need. Download the garmin file onto your sd card / device, depending what 800 has.

    HVe used these successfully in parts of Europe and in South Africa.
  • trivial_poursuivant
    trivial_poursuivant Posts: 1,136
    You can get maps for free for anywhere.

    Go to http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and create the maps you need. Instructions of how to do it are at https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/dow ... 0.html/amp
  • Cotterend
    Cotterend Posts: 73
    Thank you, guys, that seems to answer the question very well :)

    Louise
  • Cotterend
    Cotterend Posts: 73
    Ah, not so simple.

    First, is there any way of checking to see what the maps I have already actually are? I think I went through this process years ago but have forgotten what I selected: local area, France or Europe.

    Second, the 'Garmin' on File Explorer is showing as 50Mb used, 50Mb available. But it has a 2Gb card in it, which does not seem to show, and if taken out, doesn't chnage how the Garmin looks. So, does the card need introducing to the Garmin? Or is it u.s.?
  • trivial_poursuivant
    trivial_poursuivant Posts: 1,136
    Cotterend wrote:
    Ah, not so simple.

    First, is there any way of checking to see what the maps I have already actually are? I think I went through this process years ago but have forgotten what I selected: local area, France or Europe.

    Second, the 'Garmin' on File Explorer is showing as 50Mb used, 50Mb available. But it has a 2Gb card in it, which does not seem to show, and if taken out, doesn't chnage how the Garmin looks. So, does the card need introducing to the Garmin? Or is it u.s.?

    Try connecting your Garmin to a pc and see if you can see the card in my computer. If it isn’t visible it may need formatting. In which case you will need to put it directly into the computer using a sd card caddy.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,236
    As an aside but as per original question, not sure how your Garmin would behave without any map, but mine with the wrong map installed, e.g. if I have loaded a Belgian map then not replaced it with the UK one when I get home, is not happy at all. Doesn't seem to know where it is, won't record distances, etc.
  • boblo
    boblo Posts: 360
    IIRC the 800 came installed with Garmin's base map which is next to useless for any real nav. It has a very high level selection of main roads and no detail for the sorts of roads a cyclist would be interested in. Unless you've deleted it, it should be there.

    As above, use OpenStreetMap free mapping based on Google. I've used them for all over the world and they're pretty good.

    DC Rainmaker has an article on sorting them out if it's all a bit foreign to the OP.
  • Cotterend
    Cotterend Posts: 73
    It was indeed all a bit foreign, boblo, the process is a bit less than user-friendly! But I think it is all sorted now, I'm reading the SD card, I've loaded maps and loaded routes.

    Fingers crossed now. I have a back injury (2 prolapsed discs) and careful cycling seems to be the only thing that does it any good. I have to travel (father's funeral) so I've planned to tumble out of the car at the end of each day's drive and get out on the bike to ease out the back. There are 8 travel days. I need the Garmin to work!! At home I only use it to monitor speed, distance and climb, maybe this will enable use to use it properly when I get back :)
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    orraloon wrote:
    As an aside but as per original question, not sure how your Garmin would behave without any map, but mine with the wrong map installed, e.g. if I have loaded a Belgian map then not replaced it with the UK one when I get home, is not happy at all. Doesn't seem to know where it is, won't record distances, etc.

    Mine a Touring was fine it just displayed base maps, but worked fine, I could follow routes etc.
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    orraloon wrote:
    As an aside but as per original question, not sure how your Garmin would behave without any map, but mine with the wrong map installed, e.g. if I have loaded a Belgian map then not replaced it with the UK one when I get home, is not happy at all. Doesn't seem to know where it is, won't record distances, etc.
    If the maps are wrong for your region or missing the only thing that won't work are functions that depend on the map, namely using the turn guidance or navigating to a location. All the other stuff like the device knowing where you are and data recording/displaying will work as normal.
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 680
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    You can get maps for free for anywhere.

    Go to http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and create the maps you need. Instructions of how to do it are at https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/dow ... 0.html/amp

    this madness is why i got a wahoo.

    it's 2017. going on some dutch chap's free site and waiting 24h for him to email you a map file before connecting a cable to drag it into a folder on the device is a bit 1998
  • trivial_poursuivant
    trivial_poursuivant Posts: 1,136
    cgfw201 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    You can get maps for free for anywhere.

    Go to http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and create the maps you need. Instructions of how to do it are at https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/dow ... 0.html/amp

    this madness is why i got a wahoo.

    it's 2017. going on some dutch chap's free site and waiting 24h for him to email you a map file before connecting a cable to drag it into a folder on the device is a bit 1998

    It’s still free. If you already own a Garmin then it’s best thing to do. TBH I’ve not been that impressed with wahoo. For what I paid for my Garmin it does it’s job very well and a bit of retro map hunting is hardly a chore
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 680
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    cgfw201 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    You can get maps for free for anywhere.

    Go to http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and create the maps you need. Instructions of how to do it are at https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/dow ... 0.html/amp

    this madness is why i got a wahoo.

    it's 2017. going on some dutch chap's free site and waiting 24h for him to email you a map file before connecting a cable to drag it into a folder on the device is a bit 1998

    It’s still free. If you already own a Garmin then it’s best thing to do. TBH I’ve not been that impressed with wahoo. For what I paid for my Garmin it does it’s job very well and a bit of retro map hunting is hardly a chore

    i sold my Garmin 520 for more than I bought a new Wahoo Bolt for. Final straw was trying to get maps for a trip to Mallorca taking so long to be sent from that site that I didn’t receive them before I left for the holiday. Totally useless solution.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    It was the inclusion of detailed maps for the whole of Europe, and the fact that they are frequently updated that made the Garmin Touring an attractive option for me.

    The downside being that it has to be attached by a USB cable to a pc to sync / update, and the updates take an eternity because it's apparently at USB 1 speed!
  • flasher
    flasher Posts: 1,734
    cgfw201 wrote:
    this madness is why i got a wahoo.

    it's 2017. going on some dutch chap's free site and waiting 24h for him to email you a map file before connecting a cable to drag it into a folder on the device is a bit 1998

    And in 2017 you get mapping included with your Garmin, the 800 (from 2011) you did need to buy the map for the region you lived in, 40 quid from memory, but as people like to save money they go the free route, so that adds the complication. Out of interest did Wahoo GPS exist in 2011?
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,851
    cgfw201 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    You can get maps for free for anywhere.

    Go to http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and create the maps you need. Instructions of how to do it are at https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/dow ... 0.html/amp

    this madness is why i got a wahoo.

    it's 2017. going on some dutch chap's free site and waiting 24h for him to email you a map file before connecting a cable to drag it into a folder on the device is a bit 1998

    Last time I did it the response was much quicker than 24hr. The process is dead easy once you have done it. Given the quality of the 800 screen there is no merit in paying for maps. I may be more inclined to pay for maps if the screen on my GPS was much better.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,236
    I downloaded yesterday a map for Madeira from openstreetmap and wait time between the req received email and the it's ready email was 1 (one) minute, so guess it all depends on when and how busy.

    Being a tightwad and still using my 2008 vintage 605, the 705 without the biometrics, well it does the job dunnit, it does have a problem with having the wrong gmapsupp file installed, as in it will run the timer but not record distance travelled. Couple of times I've had to loop back home and swop microSD cards.

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