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Third party maps

TomekB
7 months ago

It is possible to add 3rd party maps to Fenix watches and handheld GPSMAP units. Topoactive maps are too general, not optimised to particular activity and do not show regional trail marking. Having possibility to render 3rd party maps convinced me to buy my first GPSMAP 60CS  over 20 years ago and also to purchase my latest Fenix 7 watch.

However, I would like to have these maps in the Garmin Explore app to use them for planning courses and marking waypoints. So, I would like to take 3rd party img map file and copy it manually from my Fenix to my mobile and then use such map in Garmin Explore. Certainly better would be an automatic transfer from a connected watch to the Garmin Explore but I can copy it using my laptop too.

Does anyone knows if it is possible?

  • 0 7 months ago

    This would be great, but it is not possible. Because of the bad and super outdated maps, Explore is mostly unusable for route planning in my opinion. 

    Unfortunately Garmin seems to have stopped improving Explore. I cannot remember a feature update in the past 2-3 years. 

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to #Matthias#

    Yes, Topoactive maps are really poor. Starting from rendering that makes map hard to read. They also skip many relevant information (trail colours, cycle trails,  ski trails). The left screenshot comes from Topoactive.

    So why they stopped supporting Basecamp that allowed using 3rd party maps and boosted usage of Garmin GPS in outdoor?

  • +1 6 months ago

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