Zumo 550: updated the maps, now worse than ever

JPrieST

JPrieST

Don't squat with your spurs on
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Joined
Nov 14, 2008
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296
Age
60
Location
Lexington, SC
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2024 GL1800 DCT
I sooo want to go on a rant about the complexity of updating this thing, and a whole list of reasons why this thing doesn't come close to giving you premium value for the premium price.

Anyway, I hadn't updated the maps in a couple years. I've been pretty frustrated that it refuses to route me on roads that have been here for 30 years, so thought maybe an update would help.

Of course the North America maps will not fit in the internal memory, so I downloaded the updated maps to the computer, then installed to the SD card. All seemed well until I went for a ride.

Now I find there are MANY roads in my area that it will not even show. I leave my house letting it route me to a destination. Everything is fine. I get to my destination and head home without having it route me...in other words just viewing the map as I ride. I turn onto Old Orangeburg Road and it shows me driving through a wide open space. It keeps telling me all the roads I'm passing, but does not show them. I get to Old Barnwell and there it is. I get to Shirway Rd, it tells me it is there, but doesn't show the road. I get to MY street and it says I'm on it, but doesn't show it.

So I see that if it routes me on a specific road it shows it, but if it isn't following a route, then it does not show MANY MANY roads in my area. Even when following a route it does not show alot of the side roads that it previously did show.

What have I done wrong? Anybody got suggestions?
 
I'm watching this intently. I was about to do this same thing but, I might see if you can get yours working before I attempt to update mine.
 
I don't have a 550 so don't know that this applies. On my 2730, there is a setting for how much detail is shown at various zoom levels. Sometimes when I'm not following a route it looks like I'm riding through a wide open space until I zoom in - a lot - then the roads show up. Maybe when you updated your maps this zoom level setting got reset to show less detail. Just a thought.

-Steve
 
Raj_Zin said:
I don't have a 550 so don't know that this applies. On my 2730, there is a setting for how much detail is shown at various zoom levels. Sometimes when I'm not following a route it looks like I'm riding through a wide open space until I zoom in - a lot - then the roads show up. Maybe when you updated your maps this zoom level setting got reset to show less detail. Just a thought.

-Steve
Click to expand...

Haven't found a setting to change for that, but I did have it zoomed in to show only about 2 tenths of a mile at one point.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
 
Slasher said:
I'm watching this intently. I was about to do this same thing but, I might see if you can get yours working before I attempt to update mine.
Click to expand...

I have found a sort of solution... I had deleted the old maps from internal memory. This freed up some space, so I went back and installed just the maps for my region into the internal memory. It now shows all the detail I would expect... But only for my region. If I wander outside that region I will still have the same issue, and not happy about that. I know there is a better solution. Any one else with ideas?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
 
JPrieST said:
Any one else with ideas?
Click to expand...

When I did my 550 last fall, I put as much as I could in the internal memory and the balance on an SD card in the 550. I made sure the majority of the internal maps were my main riding area. I do not remember what maps are on the SD card, but I hope they are detailed and not as you describe.

Kevin
 
I am only going by memory, but it sounds like you are looking at the base map only. This happens when there are two gmap files, one on your Zumo and one on your SD card. You have to delete the one on the GPS to force it to read the maps on the SD card.... (prefer to copy, save on your computer somewhere, then delete). Otherwise it willl just read the base map that's on the Zumo. I think the full file name is gmapprom. I can check tomorrow when I get my Zumo.

The other thing you do is set your preferences in the Zumo, Maps, Most Detail.
 
Just because you updated the map, doesn't mean that's the map you are seeing. On your Zumo go to settings, map, details and make sure you have the latest map install checked. My Zumo will not show some of the local highways I ride on if I'm not zoomed in enough. I've been using my Zumo for the last 4 years throughout the US and parts of Canada. Once you learn its quirks it has never let me down. I have plotted and used numerous custom routes with it. Learning the mapping software is the hardest part of using it.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
 
OK, I think I got it sorted. I knew there was an answer. I'm now as happy with it as I ever was, which has never been overly ecstatic. Ha!

When I did the original install I installed the entire US & Canada onto my SD card. I deleted gmapprom.img from the internal memory. I did not find the setting for adjusting the map detail. So I installed my region to the internal memory and that solved my problem locally. The zumo showed that it was using both the internal set of maps and the ones on the SD card. I plotted a route to my sister's house in Dallas (which is outside of my region) It plotted it correctly, but when I zoomed in on the destination it did not show the detail I am used to.

Then, thanks to all of your replys here I finally found the setting for map detail. Menu, tools, map, map detail. It has the option to use Least, Less, Normal, More, Most. It was set to Normal. I changed it to Most and now have the detail I wanted. For grins and giggles I again deleted the maps from internal memory to see if I would still get the detail I wanted. I went for a ride and intentionally took some single lane paved roads, some dirt roads etc. It shows all the detail I am used to.

I'm curious why the level of detail shown would be different (when set to normal) if using internal memory vs SD card. It would seem to me that it is the exact same data it is using to draw the map?

So, in the end I am about where I started other than a lot more POIs. It still routes me 3 miles out of the way to my local Walmart because it refuses to use a well established 2 lane road that has been there as long as I have lived in this area. If I turn on this road it will keep recalculating and directing me to turn around and go back. This continues until I am 1/4 mile from my destination (it telling me to turn around and follow a two mile loop to get back to where I am. This actually happens quite often in areas I know where I'm going. Not a big deal as I know the way, but makes me wonder how much time and miles I'm wasting when I'm using it to route me outside of my area.
 
As others mentioned you can have multiple maps loaded. I was going to mention getting rid of the old maps but is sounds like you found that. Then you need to go into settings and select the map that you want to use as mentioned above. There is also a map details setting to check. Both my 2730 and 550 have the setting.

On my 2730 I have two sets of maps but don't load the entire US because I don't ride the entire US. I have two sets of maps because I have found that there are things on the older 2009 mapset (POI) that they pulled off the newer ones. The one issue that I discovered by doing this and may be something you discover, is that if you build a route in a 2009 mapset that it may not work on the GPS that is running 2012. So you may need to pull your routes back into Mapsource or Basecamp and rebuild them and transfer back.
 
As far as why details were different on SD vs Internal memory the only thing I can think of is that it depends what map was selected.

As for how it is routing you....

Setting -> Down Arrow -> Navigation

What is your "Route Preference" set to? This setting will change how it routes you. Faster time, shorter distance or off road.
 
Separate but related question. Downloading the entire map is something I have never done because there is not enough room in memory. I have only loaded various regions so presumably the map data I have is loaded to the internal memory on the Zumo. I do have an SD card that I use for music files. I like the idea of having the entire map available if it will all fit on an SD card but I would still like to keep all of my music files on the SD card as well. My question is is there a maximum size SD card that the Zumo 550 will accommodate? And how much space does the entire lower 48 map take up?
 
Ken H said:
Separate but related question. Downloading the entire map is something I have never done because there is not enough room in memory. I have only loaded various regions so presumably the map data I have is loaded to the internal memory on the Zumo. I do have an SD card that I use for music files. I like the idea of having the entire map available if it will all fit on an SD card but I would still like to keep all of my music files on the SD card as well. My question is is there a maximum size SD card that the Zumo 550 will accommodate? And how much space does the entire lower 48 map take up?
Click to expand...

I have a 16GB card in mined. No real need for one larger than that. The Zumo can't deal with more than 1000 mp3s and if you are at that limit, you will have plenty of space for maps with a 16GB card.
 
sennister said:
I have a 16GB card in mined. No real need for one larger than that. The Zumo can't deal with more than 1000 mp3s and if you are at that limit, you will have plenty of space for maps with a 16GB card.
Click to expand...
Thats what I needed to know. Thanks!
 
Ken H said:
Separate but related question. Downloading the entire map is something I have never done because there is not enough room in memory. I have only loaded various regions so presumably the map data I have is loaded to the internal memory on the Zumo. I do have an SD card that I use for music files. I like the idea of having the entire map available if it will all fit on an SD card but I would still like to keep all of my music files on the SD card as well. My question is is there a maximum size SD card that the Zumo 550 will accommodate? And how much space does the entire lower 48 map take up?
Click to expand...

The map set I just downloaded yesterday is version 2013.40 and it takes 1.63 gb installed to the SD card. I have around 700 mp3s on the card as well and they take up 2.9 gb. I think Garmin only recommends a 4 gb SD card, but I also am using a 16 gb card with no issues there. As sennister said, 1000 mp3s is all the zumo will recognize anyway, so I would think an 8 would be more than enough unless you load a lot of pictures on it.
 
I have all of North America and 1000 mp3s on an 8gb SD card with room to spare.
 
He did say what that max size was.... ;)

I do have gobs of space.

Now one thing I need to fix on mine is the number of files per folder. My Zumo takes forever to boot and I have read that if you keep the folders broken down so there is 7-10 MP3s per folder it helps out the boot times a lot. Still need to do that. Maybe it is a project I should take on while I sit here waiting for the snow and ice to melt.
 
Yes it boots faster if you have several folders. You should not need to break them down that few per folder.

I was given this information at my first post Moonshine many years ago by Putt after telling him how long that it would take to start up.
 
Kevin_56 said:
Yes it boots faster if you have several folders. You should not need to break them down that few per folder.

I was given this information at my first post Moonshine many years ago by Putt after telling him how long that it would take to start up.
Click to expand...

I haven't messed with mine because it really hasn't bother me all that much. Most of the time I start the bike and get my gear one and situated giving the bike some time to warm up a bit. By then it is booted and I am off. The only time it is an issue is if I am doing something else. For instance at Moonshine last year, I was talking with Guy and he was going to show me where ACL's farm was. We were standing there for a while waiting for it to boot up.
 
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