Garmin 660 - India Map

Typically, a change of location of more than a few hundred miles will require a much longer time to acquire the satellites at the the new location. It could take 30 - 45 minutes or longer. Be sure that you are outside with a completely unobstructed view of the sky.

If you didn't use MapSource to load the map, then it probably is not in the proper format for the unit to be able to read it. From where did you obtain the maps?

A friend bought the SD card but never used it. I purchased from him. I didn't use Mapsource to load map. I backed up & pasted gmapsupp.img in Garmin folder as instructed on a GPS forum. I'll try to Mapsource-way over the weekend I guess.

Wait ... wait ... wait.

If the card was a preloaded Garmin map SD card, then the maps are LOCKED to that card most likely. Copying them to another card most likely won't work.

And as to instructions you may have read "on a GPS forum", my guess is that those instruction would not apply to a nuvi 660.

Sounds like you have overwritten the original GMAPSUPP.IMG file with another map file that is copy protected. That's why you don't see any detailed map.

You don't need Mapsource to use India map on SD card. Put the original GMAPSUPP.IMG file back to Nuvi internal memory (you do have a copy, don't you?). Insert the SD card with India map in the memory slot then turn on your GPS. That's the correct way to use maps on SD cards.

After backing up the gmapsupp.img files from SD card & the original GPS, I think my SD appears empty now. My Garmin 660 had enough space for both US & India maps. Is there a way I can put that file back on the SD card & then lock / authorize the map with that SD card again ? Here's an account of what I did :
I had backed up the whole GPS before I changed things. There was gmapsupp.img file (we'll call it US img) that I was supposed to replace with India's file which also has same name (we'll call it India img). My Garmin's memory is about 2 GB. US img file was about 1 GB & India's image is less than 100 MB. So, I renamed US img file to "gmapsup2.img" & copied India img as gmamsupp.img (Someone said that Garmin recognizes gmapsupp, gmapsup2 & gmamprom img files as map files). Now, when I go to Settings > Map > Map info, it shows the India map listed & checked. It doesn't show any other map (if it identified gmapsup2 img too, it should show US option too there). Now, when I go to View Map prompt, it still draws the world-base-map somewhere in Colorado (a car icon with a '?' in the middle), keeps showing "acquiring satellites" & doesn't draw my location in India. I went to my terrace, it showed 2 satellites for a minute or so, but then lost them. All this while, it never drew the India's map on the screen.
I'm not sure if this is a map problem or am I simply at a 'bad-reception' location. I'll try bringing it to my office tomorrow. Also, could buying an external antenna help ? At this point, could a hard reset help as well ?

How did the SD become empty? Did you cut/paste the files when backing it up? Put the original india map file back onto the SD card then insert it into your GPS.

Forget about the empty space. You may be able to copy/paste maps to the internal Nuvi memory but you will NOT be able to use them without the SD card.

The nuvi 660 does NOT have the ability to read the file named gmapsup2.img.

45 minutes?! Are you waiting for the satellite to come about?

Every location on earth is a good reception location except for what is around you on the ground that is in the way of the GPS "seeing" the satellites. 2 satellites is not enough for a position. 4 would be good. If you were in an area surrounded by flat land with no buildings or mountains in the way, the GPS would see 9 to 11 satellites at all times, in India or the US.

If your terrace is on a building, with a roof or a terrace above, that is a very poor location and is the source of the problem. It could be that your map did not disappear.

To repeat Motorcycle Mama's advice, go to an open field away from buildings or mountains and leave the GPS on for 30 - 45 minutes and see that it acquires at least 4 satellites. It should show your position in India.

dobs108

i am also quite interested in knowing how this works out for him as someone has asked me to buy and send them this card for their trip.

it would be of great help to know if it works at all or not? and if it does how good are the maps of india provided?

do a master reset on your gps.

then set you locale settings correctly before trying to have the unit acquire satellites.

then go to browse map and try to zoom out all the way and scroll over to india map

then zoom in to a location in india that you know and then tap the screen, you will see a mouse pointer there, at this point click on the button that says set location.

now try to find a major city like bombay, then zoom into it all the way, do you see detailed map or just blank screen, this will tell you if your map is read correctly or not.

post back here and the experts will help you.

When doing a master reset, the locale settings must be entered.

dobs108

Thanks for all your comments. I did a master reset a few times. I zoomed into Bangalore on the base map & it shows detailed roads & names . When I drag the base map to India, it shows 4 yellow squares around India, which I guess is the indication that the GPS has map for that area. Tonight, GPS saw 2 satellites (#21 & 30) for 5-6 mins inside my house, then disappeared. I'll go to a large field next & will post what happens. I think Nuvi 660 has a strong built-in antenna. May I need to buy an external antenna too for better signal ?

An external antenna should not be needed if you are driving around in a car or truck, no matter where you are in the world. An external antenna is needed to use the GPS inside, but why not do without it and use simulation mode?

dobs108

yes the squares mean you have the map for that region. zoom in all the way and it will give you an option to set that location as the current location, then when you reboot it the next time, the GPS will remember itself as being in that location.

depending on when it was the last time signal was acquired, it may take up to 10 minutes or more outside before you get a good signal, all reboots and signal acquiring after this will be very quick as the gps uses prediction to guess where the satellites will be and for it to work properly, you need to turn it on once a week and let it get a good signal while you are outside.

you do not need to go to an open field to get signal, all you need is that the gps has a clear view of sky above you. don't stand under a tree, a building etc...

you do not need an external antenna.

how are you doing with the GPS? any luck?

Not yet. I went to a vast open field too. No satellites locked yet . I'm probably going to sell this Garmin Nuvi 660 & will buy MapMyIndia GPS, which has great reviews.

Hi All,
I think I have the world basemap, as I can scroll to India & other countries. I can also see the India portion highlighted with 4 yellow outlined boxes, which indicate that I have detailed maps for that area on the GPS. Right now, the India file is named as gmapsupp.img & US file is renamed to AAgmapsuppAA.AAimgAA, so that I might just switch the two when I go to US anytime. I can see detailed roads of India when I zoom on India (I located & Favorited my House too ). I can also run it in simulate mode to show me directions from my current "Set loc." to intended location. However, the satellites still remain a problem. As soon as I open the antenna of this 660, it again starts assuming it's last known location in US (Garmin loc. around Kansas City). Dunno what's wrong.
The last thing I might try, would be to restore the original GPS contents, put the India map on an SD card, put the device unlock key on SD card too & see, if anything changes. Should the SD card files have any directory structure (like :\Garmin) or can I copy the files directly at root level ?

you may not have a actual india map and that might be the reason.

all gps are by default pre programmed to go to a specific location in the country purchased every time you reset the device.

you have two choices for maps:

1. Garmin City Navigator for India
2. Mapmyindia maps for garmin

both have recently came out with new versions, so you can compare the two and decide which one will work out better for you. i can tell you from experience that sometimes when you take a gps to another country, i have once seen it take upto 30 minutes on the initial boot to get decent signal, however after that no problems there onwards.

you have been warned that you may not like the mapmyindia gps device's interface if you have used garmin already.

create a folder "Garmin" on the SD card, put map files inside that folder.

i didn't realized that your gps has a flip antenna, am i right? i am assuming so based on your replies. if so, please update your device to the latest firmware before trying anything. if that does not helps and you do indeed have a flip antenna, i would not trust it too much.