Regular old dashboard GPS (Garmin Nuvi 200) any good for pines navigation?

Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
589
44
Copperhead Road
My wife recently got a new GPS for her birthday. We had one (Garmin Nuvi 200) that we bought about four years ago, so that one is now relegated to me. Can these units be used for some of the more out of the way places in the pines such as Bass River SF and Wharton SF? I'm sure some of the roads show up, but can topos be loaded onto these, etc...?
 

Boyd

Administrator
Staff member
Site Administrator
Jul 31, 2004
9,549
2,809
Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Actually, I made this map just for you. :) And, as the Nuvi series goes, the 200 is arguably one of the best for topo maps. The newer models don't do so well with topo maps. My maps are specially tweaked to work well on the Nuvi, something which virtually nobody else does.

Download here (free) - note the screenshot from the nuvi 205, I use it for testing all my maps: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/294/

You might also enjoy the LIDAR based map. Again, note the screenshot from my nuvi 205: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/276/

They can both be installed on your device at the same time using a couple different techniques. Download Basecamp (free from Garmin) here:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4435

Download the maps and read the (easy) tutorials at GPSFileDepot before installing:

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-open-maps-in-mapsource/
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-change-which-map-is-displayed-on-a-garmin-gps/
 

Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
589
44
Copperhead Road
Actually, I made this map just for you. :) And, as the Nuvi series goes, the 200 is arguably one of the best for topo maps. The newer models don't do so well with topo maps. My maps are specially tweaked to work well on the Nuvi, something which virtually nobody else does.

Download here (free) - note the screenshot from the nuvi 205, I use it for testing all my maps: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/294/

You might also enjoy the LIDAR based map. Again, note the screenshot from my nuvi 205: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/276/

They can both be installed on your device at the same time using a couple different techniques. Download Basecamp (free from Garmin) here:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4435

Download the maps and read the (easy) tutorials at GPSFileDepot before installing:

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-open-maps-in-mapsource/
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-change-which-map-is-displayed-on-a-garmin-gps/


Wow! Guess I lucked out then! Downloading basecamp now.
 

Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
589
44
Copperhead Road
First off, I downloaded the map and it's fantastic! Can't wait to try it out! Just a quick question-will I have to overwrite the regular road map that's already on there or should I get a memory card so that I can store both maps? I think I'll ultimately download the LIDAR map as well.
 

Boyd

Administrator
Staff member
Site Administrator
Jul 31, 2004
9,549
2,809
Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
No, none of this will affect the pre-loaded road map. That map is in a file named gmapprom.img and Garmin's software knows not to touch that. It would be a good idea to do a full backup of the nuvi before installing anything on it however. Just create a folder on your computer and copy all files from the GPS to it.

I don't know how much free space you will find on the Nuvi 200 however. If you don't have enough room, you may need to get a micro SD memory card. A 4GB card should only cost a few bucks.
 

Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
589
44
Copperhead Road
No, none of this will affect the pre-loaded road map. That map is in a file named gmapprom.img and Garmin's software knows not to touch that. It would be a good idea to do a full backup of the nuvi before installing anything on it however. Just create a folder on your computer and copy all files from the GPS to it.

I don't know how much free space you will find on the Nuvi 200 however. If you don't have enough room, you may need to get a micro SD memory card. A 4GB card should only cost a few bucks.

Thanks! I just got your NJ map uploaded and viewed it on the GPS-fantastic! I have the LIDAR map uploading now. Can't wait to try them out this weekend in Bass River SF.
 

Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
589
44
Copperhead Road
Cool. :cool: But don't tell your wife, let her think you're suffering with her old hand-me-down GPS! :D


:p I had PMed Boyd earlier that for some reason the maps weren't playing nice with each other on my unit (or so I thought-turns out I was trying to run too many at once). Just as a public service I'm posting this here. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DELETING THINGS FROM THE UNIT AND ALWAYS BACK IT UP!!! :eek: I thought that I had accidentally installed the same map twice and thought it might be causing a problem so I went in and deleted what I thought was one of Boyd's maps. WRONG! I deleted the North American base map, which essentially turns the Nuvi into a brick...when you turn it on it just says "No routing information found" and won't let you access anything else. Luckily I quickly figured out that you can restore it via Garmin Express online (phew...), but if I had just been more careful in the first place I'd be done and playing with my new toy by now... D'oh!
 

Boyd

Administrator
Staff member
Site Administrator
Jul 31, 2004
9,549
2,809
Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Great, glad it works now. I should have warned you to do a backup - sorry! Garmin express will only restore your map if you have a lifetime subscription or if you have downloaded a map within the past 12 months AFAIK.

Really, your advice is very good. Everyone with a GPS needs to do a backup of the entire device. Newer models make this harder to do by putting files in hidden directories and accessing the Nuvi as an MTP device instead of a disk. This thread will tell you how to a backup for the different models though: How to backup your Nuvi
 
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