Is it possible to use MapSource Topo Maps in BaseCamp?

.img files can be accessed by BaseCamp if they are on a SD card or USB stick. They need to be in a folder named Garmin. Or create a virtual drive and place the folder/files there:

http://www.javawa.nl/virtualdevice.html

Once Upon A Time Garmin offered a utility to convert. Believe it was an .exe and might have required original CD's. I have Topo from 1995 and performed the conversion many years ago. Back when copying between the two platforms was a challenge.

Correct. Early Garmin maps couldn't be installed on Macs without Garmin conversion utilities but I believe it was (and still is) possible. That said I've never done it so can't help.

That said the first step is to install US TOPO v3.02 onto a PC. It may (I don't know) also be possible to copy the IMG folders ("Alaska", "East", "Hawaii" and "West") from the 3 CD's to a PC HD and convert from there.

US TOPO v3.02 does NOT install the IMG's to the HD (maps were read from the inserted CD's) but it is possible to get around that. Garmin has (or had) a FAQ for it (which I've posted in the past).

How do I know all this? I own US TOPO v3.02 and recently re-installed the maps on a PC for reasons I won't bore you with.

Install US TOPO version 3.00, 3.01, or 3.02 to the hard drive on a Windows computer
Description

By design, US TOPO version 3.00, 3.01, and 3.02 require the original CDs to be in the disc drive to function. This is because the map image files are not copied to the hard drive during installation. If necessary, the maps may be installed to the hard drive using an unsupported alternative method. This alternate method is provided as a possible workaround and is not supported by Garmin.

Note: BaseCamp will not display these TOPO maps unless the alternate install has been performed.
Resolution

Before performing this installation, uninstall the appropiate version of US TOPO from the computer.

Press Windows key + R
In the text box, type appwiz.cpl
Click OK
Right-click on the version of US TOPO to be uninstalled
Click Uninstall


Once the data is uninstalled, create a folder to save the map data from the discs:

Press Windows key + E
Open the C: drive
Open the Garmin folder1
Press CTRL + SHIFT + N on the keyboard to create a new folder
Change the name of the New Folder to US TOPO

1 Create a Garmin folder if it does not exist in this location.


After creating the US TOPO folder, transfer the data from the discs to the new folder:

Insert Disc 1 in the drive
If an autorun window appears, close the window
Press Windows key + E
Right-click on the disc drive
Click Open
Press Ctrl + A on the keyboard to select all the files and folders
Press Ctrl + C on the keyboard to copy all the files and folders
Open the newly created US TOPO folder
Press Ctrl + V to paste the files
Repeat these steps for Discs 2 and 3


After the data from all three discs have been completely copied to the US TOPO folder, run the installer:

Remove any US TOPO discs from the disc drive
Open the US TOPO folder
Run Setup.exe
Follow the prompts to complete the installation


When the installation begins, the installer may display a prompt about connecting to the internet to update the GPS device. If this occurs, select NO. When asked to confirm, select YES.


After the installation is complete, ensure that MapSource is up to date. The latest version of MapSource may be obtained at http://www.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=209


Now that US TOPO has been successfully installed to the hard drive, the map images will display on BaseCamp and MapSource without the discs inserted in the computer.


Note: If the US TOPO folder is moved or deleted, the maps will no longer function.

This just came to me but old Garmin registry/IMG based map products can be converted to the Mac/PC .gmap format with

JaVaWa MapConverter

but

on that page there's this

When you use JaVaWa GMTK to migrate maps from PC to Mac you don't need JaVaWa MapConverter; the required functionality is integrated in JaVaWa GMTK.

Note, again. I've never done this (or had to) as I'm a PC user.

PS: I believe N4HHE is incorrect in referring to 1995 topo maps. The US TOPO v3.02 map data (IMG files) is dated August 12th 2002 and the first version of MapSource (v2.00 which I have) is dated 12/31/1998.

In fact I don't believe Garmin even made a unit that accepted maps in 1995. As I recall that didn't happen until 1999 or the early 2000's.

[Note: Garmin never uses v1.x for public releases--they always use 2.x.]

Thanks all for the input. My Edge 705 stopped working and before I go out and purchase a replacement, I wanted to make sure my Topo maps were still usable.

I've done the installation of the maps to the hard drive with MapSource on a PC. I believe there was a registry hack for it to indicate where to look for the img files.

I will try out the suggestions and report back here when I do.

I believe there was a registry hack for it to indicate where to look for the img files.

Correct. That's how I (re)installed the topo maps to the HD on my PC. That said I posted Garmin's procedure since many aren't comfortable editing the Windows registry (I am).

Those maps aren't locked (unlike the latest US topo's) so you can put them on as many units as you wish.