Installing T4A Map Erases Garmin maps.
 

Installing T4A Map on a Zumo 550 erases European maps.

Hi, I will be travelling by motorbike from UK to Senegal in the next few weeks. I have European maps installed on a Zumo 550 and an SD card with Garmin maps for Morocco. I have also purchased a T4A map for West Africa. I have successfuly downloaded the T4A maps from my laptop on to the Zumo 550, however, this erases the European map set. I realise this erasing is normal behaviour but the only way I know to reinstall these European maps is to download to the Zumo 550 from my laptop.

However, I was not planning to take a laptop on the trip, just a Samsung Pad. It seems a pity to lug a laptop around just to reinstall the European maps, or in fact to install the T4A map and I would like to be able to leave the laptop at home.

Any suggestions around this delemma?

I do have my own solution having an old Zumo 400, so I can use this for the European maps and the Morocco maps and I'll install the T4A maps on my Zumo 550. However it would have been good to have European maps on both units and have one Zumo backing the other one up in case of failure. I've already had a Zumo fail during a trip.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

A) Using mapsource - select the T4A maps .. then select the European maps .. then select the Morocco maps .. so all of them are selected together .. now download that to your GPS. Note that all the maps must be installed on the PC under mapsource. There maybe a similar function under basecamp.

B) I prefer using separate memory cards for each continent .. thus have one card for Europe and another card for Africa... As you will be using a ferry between the two it is not too much trouble to change the cards on the ferry. You should be able to combine the T4A maps and the Morocco maps as noted above fairly easily.

I'd also recommend getting the Open Street Map for Africa too. They are free, constantly improving (more roads, more POIs as time goes on).

Have you thought about Ebola?

Yes rename the old gmapsupp.img before you copy the t4a map on the Garmin then you can swith between them by renaming them or copy one of the maps into a folder Garmin/gmapsupp.img on your sd card if your GPS has a SD slot :)

http://afrikamotorrad.eu

Thanks for the suggestion guys. Am trying option A) Warin, which seems to be working and is still running, just with the European Garmin maps and the T4A maps.

The Morocco map is on an SD card so I can just swap it in when I'm on the ferry. This does not impact the previously downloaded maps, and all will be there when I put the old SD card back in.

As for Ebola, I'm probably the most up to date guy on the situation in Dakar, which is currently clear of Ebola. I'll keep monitoring as I travel and revise plans accordingly. Cheers.

Just to close this off. The process of loading the Garmin European maps and the T4A map at the same time with Mapsource worked successfully. So my Zumo 550 now has European maps and T4A maps both loaded. In addition I can load the Moroccan Garmin SD card once in Morocco. So the Zumo 550 will cover my complete journey, and I have the Zumo 400 with European maps as backup, and the laptop can stay at home. Thanks again for the good advice.

Just to close this off. The process of loading the Garmin European maps and the T4A map at the same time with Mapsource worked successfully. So my Zumo 550 now has European maps and T4A maps both loaded. In addition I can load the Moroccan Garmin SD card once in Morocco. So the Zumo 550 will cover my complete journey, and I have the Zumo 400 with European maps as backup, and the laptop can stay at home. Thanks again for the good advice.