Gramin 1390T and Maps on SD card a No GO?????

Did you place the map on the root of the MicroSD without intending to? The map should be in X:\Map, where X is the drive letter of the MicroSD slot.

You are missing something in your procedure. Make sure you create a garmin folder on the SD Card.

Why would he need a Garmin directory? Maps on a 1xxx device don't go there, though the .JCV file does (X:\Garmin\JCV).

To work on SD Card Maps has to be name as gmapsupp.img and has to be in a file name Garmin on the SD card. Thats is the only way to do it.
Jacques

He may be having issues with space and want to put the map update on the SD Card. He may want to find the thread on how to get rid of data he does not need and that will give him more space. I guess he may have explored that option.

I see what the OP is attempting to do, and see why the Garmin directory is required in the method he is attempting to use. However that procedure he's trying to follow involves jumping through too many hoops for my taste. The OP would be better served using MapInstall and transferring the maps that way to the MicroSD. Unlike the procedure he's attempting to use, MapInstall doesn't require the device's .XML file to transfer maps to a SD card and doesn't require the nüvi be connected to the computer at all, if the computer has a SD card slot or the user has a USB card reader. I've used it for the last three years now to transfer files to the SD card of my 200W, especially as that device is even more limited in memory than a 1350 (1GB vs 2GB).

Using a Nuvi 1350. Hope this is close enough to the topic.

E: is the Nuvi. The main map is located at
E:\.system\gmapprom.img

G: is the micro sd card. The second map is located at
G:\garmin\gmapsupp.img

I can store many maps on the micro sd card but the Nuvi 1350 will will only allow 2 maps in use. The unit critical one is gmapprom.img and you can have 1 other map named gmapsupp.img. Any other names will be ignored so I created a G:\maps subdirectory and store other maps there. That way I can move and rename various maps on the sd card.

To reiterate, the map naming convention for main and second maps is absolute.

I have not tried to put the main map on the sd card and running from there.

I am saving your post for the next update.

On the 1xxx series units, the only restrictions for the maps on the MicroSD card is that they are placed in the X:\Map directory (not X:\Maps) and that the extension for each map is .IMG. I have experimented with a couple of older maps in my possession (Roads & Recreation 2.01 from 1999 and Topo 2008 from an Oregon) and put them on the 1300LM at the same time. Regardless of how I named each map the 1300LM picked them up. Using them though is a different story, since the two maps I used are not routable.

Older units such as the 2x0 and 2x5 series nüvis are restricted to GMAPSUPP.IMG on the root of the SD card.

My 1350 doesn't care how many .img maps I have on the micro sd, it will only use 1 (in addition to its base map). I'm not sayin... I'm just sayin...

I really wish there was some way to know the subtle differences in data handling etc, between for example, a 1350 and 1390. Seems we just have to spend hours just trying different things, regardless, they are great devices.

30 minutes ago, 1:30pm CST, I was using my 1350 in the simulator mode. As we are going on a Danube cruise next fall and ending up with 3 days in Prague, I have started to create a .csv file of interesting places to visit. So I set the President Hotel in Prague as the start point and then "drove" to the Kolkovna restaurant and then on to the Astronomical Clock using a map I (sort of created) downloaded from OpenStreet Map, all the while watching the streets change, listening to "HAL" giving instructions, and confirming the route on GoogleEarth on my Dell Inspiron 17" laptop. I should add the Nuvi showed the correct time in Prague and the screen went into the evening mode - all pretty amazing.I may be 68 but I am having fun learning all this stuff. Ain't technology grand.

Just to put all of this technology in context, during my working life I was an air traffic controller and when I started in 1966, there were still Radio Ranges in use in Canada and VORs, although common in the USA, were less so in Canada. I recall going to my first lecture about satellite navigation, wasn't that in the 80's? And now the iphone can basically take you anywhere, at least in NA, and you can geocache if you're inclined. I wonder what's next.

The point I was making is that the 1xxx nüvis don't care what the file is named, as long as it has the .IMG extension. Your original post mentioned the naming procedure for older units like my 200W.

Regarding the maps on the MicroSD, all of them can be active which can be verified in the Map Info screen. However if those maps have overlapping data you will only see one map.

E: = my Nuvi 1350
G: = the micro sd card in the Nuvi 1350
An earlier post by me said the Nuvi 1350 could only use two maps, its own E:\.system\gmapprom.img and G:\garmin\gmapsupp.img. While this is mostly true, you can have many .img maps.

Strephon_Alkhalikoi corrected me (above) so I contacted him to further discuss the mapping situation and he suggested where I made a small, but critical error and sure enough, my testing methods did not pick it up.

Strephon is correct.

On the 1350 you must create a g:\map\ subdirectory and you can load several .img maps there. Right now I have 2 different maps of Europe, Mexico, Aruba, Barbados and I can "go" there via my test .csv file. I have even simulated driving in some of the cities.

I get all my additional maps from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

I am constantly amazed at just how much you can accomplish with a Nuvi.

Learn something new everyday.

Of course there are so many ways if we take the time to read and find out. The 1490t for example most users are disappointed with the internal memory size. I am too. However with a Micro SD Card 4GB or 8GB you can do so much with it. The big problem is most users don't know how because Garmin has not addressed the lack of space problem and the solutions effectively. If you don't follow this forum you may not be aware of the work around.

Hello...my issue is along the lines of this thread and I'm clueless so I'm hoping someone can help me out...basically, I'm headed to Italy next week for sixty days and I purchased the European maps for my device. I downloaded them directly to the MicroSD card. I have not been able to view the maps on my device. I'm still in California so I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I still cant change the country...my only options are US, Puerto Rico, and virgin islands...

How do I get the device to read the maps off my microSD card? I downloaded basecamp and mapsource but I have no idea how to use them...can anyone take pity on my and help me out before I do something crazy to my device?

Thank you in advice.

Well I believe I found your first problem. The map download from Garmin likely is an EXE and should have been downloaded to your hard drive. Move it to your desktop.

Back up your nüvi before doing ANYTHING. To back up your nüvi, open Windows Explorer and make sure hidden files and extensions are visible. Then simply copy everything you see into a folder on your hard drive. Repeat this process for your MicroSD card.

Install BaseCamp then install the Italy map. BaseCamp includes MapInstall, which you need to load maps. MapSource doesn't. After installing the maps, read the following tutorial: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my...

With MapInstall, be sure to select the MicroSD card at the screen that shows your device serial number, otherwise your internal map will get overwritten. If you already have a map on the MicroSD card it will also be overwritten which is why you want to have a backup.