INFO: Keep GPS Data Safe and Secure

Your Garmin device can store a lot of information and history. It stores waypoints, tracks, routes, custom POIs, etc.. and most important your home address. So it is better to keep it secure at all times. In cases where the unit is stolen, there should be a layer of protection on the unit itself so as not to give away your identity. Not to worry though, as this feature is built into your Garmin GPS device.

Known as Garmin Lock, this feature works by requiring the user to input a four digit PIN number before the GPS becomes operational. Meaning, the PIN code is required to start-up and use the device. Without the PIN the GPS receiver is just another electronic paperweight. Although this doesn't prevent the GPS from being stolen, it is a security feature that prevents the theif from getting your personal information and other pertinent data from your device.

Garmin Lock has another feature -- the Secure Location. The secure location enables you to access the GPS without entering the PIN (in case you forget it). The secure location is not really a security feature in the real sense of the word. It is a bypass to the security of the Garmin Lock itself. But even with the secure location, the forgotten PIN could not be reset. So make sure never to forget this PIN code when considering on enabling this feature.

With that, how do you enable these features? On the GPS main screen tap the wrench (Tools), like below. Then System (on the leftmost part of the next screen).

Security should be at the bottom part of the screen, so scroll down once and it will be there. The instructions here are for a Garmin nuvi 255W, but should not differ much on your unit.

You will then see Garmin Lock and Safe Mode. Those two are Off by default. Turn Garmin Lock on and input the PIN code twice. For Safe Mode, set a Secure Location and it will turn on.

I hope this helps you protect personal information on your Garmin GPS from theft in the event your GPS unit gets lost or stolen.

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TWEAK: Adding Custom POI to your Garmin GPS

Now that the GPS has a map, let us maximize its potential by putting its features to good use. The feature we are aiming at is the custom points of interest (or POIs).

This could be a very lengthy discussion but for now let's limit it to the basic use -- making it work on your very own Garmin nuvi. In this article, the unit tested is a Garmin nuvi 255W. If your unit is a newer model, this should work on those as well.

I drive a turbo diesel with a Euro IV compliant engine. But in the Philippines, most of the diesel pumping stations are only Euro II compliant only. That will be to the detriment of the engine in the long run. Fortunately, SeaOil BioXceed is available and is Euro V rated. That is the primary reason why I made SeaOil stations the custom POI -- for the information of those who are not yet aware. Don't get me wrong, I'm not affiliated with SeaOil in any way.

To start with, you will need to download Garmin POI Loader. Once downloaded, install the application.

If you already have SeaOil waypoints on your unit, it will probably be in the HH MM SS format. We need to covert that to its decimal equivalent. If you don't have the desired POI you can obtain them via google maps or wikimapia. Just convert the coordinates to decimal form.

Create a .csv file with the following format: longitude, latitude, name of POI. Remember, longitude first. Wikimapia and google maps list them latitude first, so just make the necessary adjustments. In our example, the .csv file will have this entry (I compiled this information from wikimapia, you may add more if you wish).

120.97570, 14.23108, SeaOil Silang
121.04165, 14.45521, SeaOil Sucat
120.92569, 14.45248, SeaOil Binakayan
120.99146, 14.41744, SeaOil Las Piñas
121.01322, 14.63977, SeaOil Del Monte
121.05002, 14.67199, SeaOil Tandang Sora

Now that we have a .csv, connect your Garmin GPS to a USB port and launch POI Loader.

[1] A welcome screen will open. Click Next > Garmin Device.

[2] Click on Find Device. You may choose between the internal memory and the SD card. Click Next.

[3] Tick Install new Custom POI > Next.

[4] Browse to the folder where the .csv file was saved. Choose a name for the newly created custom POI file: Fuel. Choose units that you are most comfortable with, here I choose the metric format -- meters and KPH. And set it to Manual. See below.

[5] POI Loader will find the .csv file. Tick This file contains proximity alerts points. And below it choose Alert whenever you get close to a point. Set the distance of the proximity alert. I set mine to a kilometer or 1000m. Like below.

[6] Click Next and wait for transfer to complete.

Now whenever you travel to that destination, and upon entering 1km proximity, you will hear an audible ding-dong sound coming from the Garmin GPS and a visible alert on screen (like below).

So go ahead put this tweak to good use on your Garmin. And may it help you find SeaOil stations. It will benefit your engine and it will benefit the environment.

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TWEAK: Using GmapTool to Create Finalized Mapset

In a previous post involving the upload of maps to a Garmin nuvi 255W, one of the methods used is to use mass storage mode. However, if you don't have a .img file to directly copy to your GPS unit, this method is practically futile.

True, the method is useless but not entirely hopeless. You may use a utility called gmaptool to join the MapSource map files to a single .img file and use that to copy over to your GPS internal memory or SD card. The software gmaptool can be downloaded here. Download the latest version available. As of this writing the version available is 0.60b.

When download is finished, install gmaptool. It will soon ask if you want to copy gmt.exe to the windows directory. Just let it copy the file. Since gmaptool requires cgpsmapper.exe, download cgpsmapper as well. Unpack it and note down the path to it.

In this example we will use the RoadGuide.ph latest V1.25 demo map. Note that this is applicable to any MapSource compatible map files, not just limited to RoadGuide's maps. As I'm currently located in the Philippines, most people say RoadGuide has the best Garmin compatible map. Notice that once you unpack the executable downloaded from the above link there will be files created in C:\jklinc\roadguide.ph. Note this path as we will be needing it again soon.

[1] Launch gmaptool. Under the Files tab, press "Add Directories". Add the directory C:\jklinc\roaduguide.ph. Once you have added the directory, gmaptool will automagically select the required files from that folder. You should have a screen like below.

Note that there will be extra files in the C:\jklinc\roadguide.ph directory. Not all of those are needed in the output file. So if you choose "Add Files" there, make sure to select only the above listed files.

Drag-n-drop works in the same way as Add Files. Just select the files in Explorer and drag-n-drop it to the gmaptool window. Still, Add Directories is the safest option here.

[2] Under Options tab, locate cgpsmapper.exe. Remember to note down cgpsmapper location, as stated above. That tip is very useful in this step.

[3] Under Join tab, fill-out Output File. For this example, we will use C:\gmapsupp.img so it will be easier for us to locate the output file.

[4] Press Join Selected or Join All. Then the gmaptool will join the selected files. Check the logs for errors. If error free, the output C:\gmapsupp.img file can be copied over to the GPS using mass storage mode.

There you go folks, another way to create an image file for use on your Garmin GPS unit.

DISCLAIMER: I have performed the above procedure and tested to work on my Garmin nuvi 255W GPS unit. I also used gmaptool version 0.60b, the latest on the developer's download site. Your mileage may vary.

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INFO: Garmin Mapsource Error Upon Install

When I first received my GPS, I was overwhelmed with excitement -- for one, over the fact that I got a very nice gift, and the overwhelming urge to use it the following day. But it took a bit more effort to upload a compatible and usable map to the Garmin nuvi 255W. For me to be able to use the GPS I was told that I needed mapsource.

So off I went and downloaded training center and then mapsource from Garmin's software and update site. After installing training center and mapsource, I launched mapsource. And.. ERROR! Little by little I started losing interest in using the Garmin nuvi 255W GPS. The error message:

Mapsource could not find any installed MapSource map products.
Please install one or more MapSource map products and start MapSource again.

You will find a screenshot similar to the one below.

The search for answers got me nowhere. Until I found out another way to upload a usable map to the nuvi 255W. The solution was to simply copy the gmapsupp.img to the \Garmin folder of the SD card on the nuvi. Still, it puzzled me why MapSource would not work on my desktop. So the quest to make MapSource to work continued.

I was almost ready to give up on MapSource until I remembered that I had Process Monitor. As it turns out, the MapSource installer copies the base map on registry keys on HKLM\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Families. While the MapSource application binary is reading from the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Garmin\Mapsource\Families.

As it turns out, the problems was that the desktop I was using was running Windows 7 x64. MapSource is running in WOW64 mode and finds keys in the wrong branch of the registry. I then exported the registry branch HKLM\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Families as installed by MapSource. Then, opened the exported .reg file in notepad, inserted "Wow6432Node" on the appropriate keys, and imported the modified .reg file back to the registry.

Did MapSource work this time? Yes. And the screenshot of the default MapSource application is below.

Just to expound a little on the procedure above, replace every instance of HKLM\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Families with HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Garmin\Mapsource\Families on the exported file. That did the trick for me.

Then, I tried loading OSM_PHIL map and MapSource successfully uploaded it to the GPS unit.

I can now backup waypoints and tracks from my nuvi. And I enjoy using the Garmin nuvi 255W since MapSource has empowered it with more options and functionality.

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HOW-TO: Uploading Map(s) to a Garmin nuvi 255W

I have lived in the Philippines almost my entire life. But I don't know my way around quite that well. And to be honest, I haven't been around to many of the tourist destinations either. Most of you may have visited far more places than I have been to.

But thanks to technology, most of the places in the country can be visited with the help of a global positioning system or GPS device. I just acquired a Garmin nuvi 255W recently (thanks to my sister). But sadly, the Garmin nuvi unit came prepackaged with US and Europe maps. Not very applicable where I'm at. Here is how I uploaded a Garmin compatible map for the Philippines.

On the quest for knowledge on how to do this, I found three (3) working procedures on how this gets done: [a] via mass storage mode, [b] via Garmin's mapsource, and [c] via a proprietary software called cgpsmapper. I have only used the first two so I can only outline details about them.

Mass storage mode. This is the simplest procedure to execute. Plug the Garmin nuvi device to an available USB port. It is detected as a mass storage device (not a GPS device but don't worry) -- one for the internal memory of the unit and another for the SD card. So two drives will be added to Windows explorer.

You will not mistake one for the other as the drive for the internal memory gets the name Garmin and the SD card is named Removable Media. The Garmin drive referring to the device's internal memory has an icon of a blue triangle pointing up.

Download the openstreetmap image file from osmphil_garmin website. Make sure to download the compressed gmapsupp.img.

The file downloaded has name gmapsupp.img. This needs to be copied over to the \Garmin folder on the SD card of the GPS. If the folder \Garmin does not exist, create it. (NOTE: On newer Garmin models the equivalent folder for \Garmin is \Map.)

Now unplug the GPS unit from the USB port and check the map just copied.

Using mapsource. To be able to install Garmin mapsource, download training center and mapsource (Garmin software and updates). Then install training center, after which install mapsource.

Download the openstreetmap image file from osmphil_garmin website. Make sure to download the executable file for Mapsource. Once done downloading, install the .exe file downloaded.

Plug the Garmin nuvi to the USB port. Then, launch mapsource and select the (OSM_PHIL) from the dropdown, like the screenshot below.

Under the Transfer > Send to device and tick Maps. Wait for the prompt message stating success -- "The data was successfully sent". This is illustrated by the screenshot below (Unid ID blurred for my own safety).

Now unplug the GPS unit from the USB port and check the map just copied.

There you go folks, a Garmin compatible map has been uploaded to your GPS unit for use in the Philippines. I still haven't gone around to test the accuracy but it beats having a GPS in situations where you don't know which way to go.

This procedure is known to work with the Garmin nuvi devices. Let me know if this procedure doesn't work for your unit.

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