1.Get from Garmin, using https://my.garmin.com/ and http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/ as starting points: map, map updating software (Lifetime Map Updater or WebUpdater), MapInstall and MapManager.
In my case, I have a nuMaps lifetime subscription and was directed by the Garmin site to try Lifetime Map Updater (LMU) for the first time. The Garmin LMU directions are actually pretty bad, but LMU doesn't have that many controls (see image at right), so I didn't have that much difficulty downloading maps for two devices and my computer. I liked the LMU interface better than the WebUpdater interface I'd used previously, b/c it's easier to tell how the download is going, but LMU has been panned by many folks at GpsPasSion, so YMMV. As with prior Garmin map downloads, I had to quit and restart LMU multiple times to complete the download, which stalled repeatedly. If you don't want to use LMU to d/l the updates, you'll need WebUpdater. | Lifetime Map Updater controls
(Click on any image in this tutorial to enlarge it in a new window)
(Every step has an image;
if you don't see an image, refresh the page)
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2.Get maps with LMU (or WebUpdater)
Set the LMU preferences to install the maps both to 'my device' and 'my Mac' and follow LMU directions to download the maps.
Selecting the computer as a destination is essential if you are installing the map to multiple devices or if you need to put a partial map on the device ROM and a complete map on the card, or are planning to use Base Camp, POI Loader or MapInstall. |
3. I followed the LMU on-screen prompts to update my first device, a Nuvi 360. The download stalled several times, but once the update downloaded, updating the 360 went off without a hitch, although it took an extra hour after the download completed.
Next step was to update my second device, a Nuvi 650 whose physical capacity is smaller than the complete 2012 map. I decided to install the complete map to the card first.
The red box on the right shows the location of critical files after running LMU.
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4.Next run MapManager, which 'installs the map on your computer.'
Actually, what MapManager does is copy critical files from your /user/library/caches folder to your /user/library/Application Support/Garmin folder (black box in step 3's image). The files must be located in the latter folder for other Garmin apps, such as MapInstall, Base Camp and POI Loader to access them.
As long as you know the location of the .gmap file in the /user/library/caches folder, running MapManager is fairly self-explanatory. Choose File>Install Map, navigate to the .gmap file and open it. Dismiss a couple more dialog boxes and the 'installing' proceeds.
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5. Prepare the SD card.
The update was about 1.6 GB. I put a 2 GB card in the Nuvi, connected the Nuvi and the card showed up as a separate volume. I read on the Garmin site that the card has to be named something other than 'Untitled' or 'No Name.' |
6.Next run MapInstall, which prepares and installs the maps (now located in the user/library/Application Support/Garmin folder) to your card or device.
MapInstall found the source files for the new map and prepared it for use on my computer and transfer for my devices, but I immediately ran into trouble unlocking the map.
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7.Unlocking the map.
The image on the right shows what worked for me after choosing from MapInstall's menu Unlock>Unlock maps online
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7a. Choosing 'Edit unlock code' and trying to enter the unlock code manually in MapInstall did not work for me, but I found these directions showing how it's supposed to work.
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8. Use MapInstall to install the unlocked map to the card.
To install the map to the card, choose the card from Mapinstall's drop-down menu.
You can use MapInstall to install extra maps whose versions are not already on your device (if you have the room) or to install maps to an SD card. Garmin does not make it that clear that you're supposed to use LMU, not MapInstall, to overwrite prior map versions on your device.
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9. In MapInstall, select the map segments that you want installed to your card (or device).
In this case, I want to install the entire North America map, which is actually 162 smaller maps.
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9a.I clicked and dragged to select the entire map.
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10.Click 'Send Maps' to install the map segments you chose. Installation of the whole North America map should take over an hour.
To confirm that the map is active on the Nuvi card, on the Nuvi go to Settings>Map Info. If you zoom way out and navigate to an area not covered by the map in ROM, the Nuvi should switch to to the map on the card.
MapInstall is not designed to overwrite prior large map installations that fill most of your device's ROM. The bar at the bottom showing free space will be full and red and you will be told there's not enough room for your new major update. You need to switch back to LMU to update the ROM.
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11.Installing a major update to a second device with LMU.
Garmin's LMU directions for its first use are fair at best, but they do a horrible job explaining second use (e.g., to install an update to a second device).
Particularly confusing: if you downloaded recent maps, LMU will tell you your maps are up to date even if you haven't actually updated your device. In my case, I had successfully used LMU to download the major update to my computer and my Nuvi 360, but LMU tried to tell me that my 650 was up to date and no more updates were available.
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12.Pick 'Reinstall Maps' to start installation on the second device.
Since I was updating only my second Nuvi, I changed the preferences to install on 'device only'
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13.A message indicating that 'new maps are ready' quickly appeared.
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14.Very quickly I found out that the 2012 map exceeds the physical capacity of the Nuvi 650's hard drive and was prompted to install a subregion of the map.
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15.The drop-down menu explains what's covered by the subregional maps and which ones will fit on your device.
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16.LMU will download any map parts it needs for a second installation that differs from the first, let you know when it's ready to update your device and give you a series of prompts to complete the update.
In my case LMU d/l'd only about 1.5 GB for the second device (instead of the original 2.4 GB for the first). It created another (1.5 GB) folder inside /users/library/caches/.com.garmin.LifetimeMapUpdater.
If an LMU download stalls, quit LMU and restart. I use a bandwidth monitor, which tells me how much incoming and outgoing network traffic my computer is seeing and if incoming traffic drops to zero, I know the download has stalled.
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