Etrex 20 GPS Mapping

I @Raza88. I've never tried to download and install the raster maps from http://www.topomap.co.nz/ . If you're just looking for a free set of topo maps which can be installed on a mapping Garmin GPS, though, check out this one: http://gwprojects.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1561&start=510#p30731 The guy periodically compiles raw LINZ data to a Garmin format and makes it downloadable. The latest seems to be from late 2012, but terrain doesn't change very rapidly. After the big download and following of the instructions to install it on your computer, you'll need either MapSource or BaseCamp (should be easy to get off Garmin's website if you don't already have it as part of your Garmin software) to select the part of the map you want, and transfer it to your device. I just leave all of NZ installed on my GPS. The entire thing is less than a gigabyte, I think.

I have an Etrex 30 and have the Garmin map for NZ and Oz , also the Topo 4GPS around $200 for DVD of entire NZ maps and it comes with a micro card to put in your etrex. Both of these maps when running in your etrex do not look like an exact copy of a topo map. You can down load routes you have walked onto the programmes on your PC. You could try opening up the files/folders in the Etrex look for the GPX folder and drop the down load map into this folder, this where all the waypoints, routes you have map are stalled, I will have a look in my folders on my etrex later and get back to you

"also the Topo 4GPS around $200 for DVD of entire NZ maps and it comes with a micro card to put in your etrex" A few years ago I bought Garmin's NZ/Aus topo maps, specifically on a micro SD card, to go with my eTrex 30. They were alright as maps, but at some point the tiny micro SD card must have gone flying when I changed the batteries in the field. I don't always consult maps direct on the device and I didn't notice for a few months that my eTrex no longer actually had the maps installed. It was only frustrated hindsight which caused me to notice how easily it could slide out, given the eTrex's design. Bye-bye several hundred dollars, or whatever it cost! I realise that Garmin sees its maps as valuable IP and that it doesn't want people just copying and giving them away, but I despise the way Garmin often likes to lock this data to the specific micro SD card which it comes on, down to an embedded serial number on the card. It makes it impossible (or at least very difficult) to make a useful backup. For me personally it's not worth it to pay for topo maps in NZ. The data's already free (or at least courtesy of our tax money) and I can get a rendition I like thanks to some helpful voluntary effort. I know the free stuff doesn't work for everyone, but if you happen to buy a map product, do your best to steer towards something which you can either make a backup of, or keep the master copy nice and safe at home (like installed on your PC), if possible. If the data's locked to a tiny memory card which you have to take with you, be very careful with it every time it's out in the open.

I had look at my etrex 30 on my laptop, I couldn't find any folders which store the map I have in it (currently the micro topo4 gps) so unsure how to help you Raza88. Izogi I have copied the GPX folder contents from my GPS (when opened up on the laptop)-waypoints, tracks etc in to my portable harddrive for backup, this is a way of backing up data you have created.

Raza88, look up member 'mrpurple' on TradeMe - he's designed a full topo50 NZ map set and sells it for $65 (including an 8gig micro SDHC card). You can also download it free, but for me spending the $65 was a much simpler 'plug'n play' option. I use his maps on my Etrex 20 and I'm really impressed - clear, accurate and nicely drawn.

Hi @bick1. Yes, the GPX data is easy enough to get out. It's the Garmin-provided topo map data which I had a problem with. I'd bought one of these: https://buy.garmin.com/en-NZ/AU/maps/topo-australia-new-zealand/prod83071.html I probably wouldn't have bothered except I also wanted some Australian maps and couldn't find any free ones to my liking. The smart thing would have been to buy it on the DVD media, or download, then used one of Garmin's software apps like MapSource or BaseCamp to push it to the GPS. This way, you're not taking the original with you on a tiny, fragile and easy-to-lose piece of plastic, everywhere you go. I didn't have easy access to a Windows PC (or Mac) at the time, so I bought the maps directly on the microSD card. These are marketed as "convenient" because you can just stuff it into your device and the maps work, but that's about the only convenient thing about them, IMHO. They still charge the same amount, however. I did actually make a complete copy of everything on the card as soon as I opened the packaging, but even if you do this it'll fail to work if you copy it to any memory card other than the one you bought it on. They've done something to tie the data to a hardware ID value in the SD card itself. I'm not sure if it's full-on encrypted, but Garmin's GPS's, at least, will refuse to load and use the data unless it's on the original piece of plastic. Then I lost the original (probably when changing the batteries). This seemed to be the case with the one I bought, at least.