Hack for Garmin MFD maps ?

Seattle Sailor

Seattle Sailor

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Dec 15, 2020
8
Swan 40 Seattle
I have US and Canadian maps in raster format. They look almost like real paper charts on my notebook and by connecting to my GPS I see the position of my little boat. So now I was gifted a Garmin gpsmap 4012. It works as it should but the chart display is not as detailed as my raster charts. Garmin charts are a proprietary file, I have observed. My raster charts are .BSB and .KAP files. How can I convert to view on my Garmin? The top chart below is a raster chart (BSB) from the Canadian Hydrographic Office. The other one is from my Garmin GpsMap.
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,398
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Since no one has responded to your question, you would probably be correct to deduce that it is not possible or better said, there is no publicly available way to make the conversion.

If you read the Licensing Agreement for the charts you have, there is probably a clause in there that says you only have a license to use the charts and not to modify them. Developing an app or device to modify the charts and then using it to modify the charts probably runs afoul of the intellectual property rights of the chart producer.

Most chart plotters provide a base chart with the chart plotter. If more detail is needed or wanted, then it will be necessary to purchase a license.

Garmin does not have a history of playing well with others. The only charts available are from Garmin, neither Navionics nor C-Map support Garmin devices. The device you have was first released in 2004 and has most likely been out of production for 10 years or more. Unfortunately your options for new charts will be limited. Contact Garmin for suggestions.
 
Seattle Sailor

Seattle Sailor

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Dec 15, 2020
8
Swan 40 Seattle
Hello Dave: I'm not trying to do something illegal here. It's just for my own use and I'm trying to educate myself. Garmin used to advertise "SeaMap", "HomePort" and "MapSource" all programs to manipulate maps. It is not illegal AFAIK to use maps on my laptop and I have, and I'm using SeaClear and Open CPN but this Garmin 4012 is a much more seagoing affair than my laptop. It is waterproof and bolted to my navstation. I am trying to find somebody who has done what I want to do
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,398
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Seattle Sailor said:
Hello Dave: I'm not trying to do something illegal here. It's just for my own use and I'm trying to educate myself. Garmin used to advertise "SeaMap", "HomePort" and "MapSource" all programs to manipulate maps. It is not illegal AFAIK to use maps on my laptop and I have, and I'm using SeaClear and Open CPN but this Garmin 4012 is a much more seagoing affair than my laptop. It is waterproof and bolted to my navstation. I am trying to find somebody who has done what I want to do
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There is an forum on CruisersForum.com that is geared towards electronics. I believe some of the OpenCPN developers hang out there. You may have better luck on CF, but I think the new-to-you technology is pretty old and there is little incentive for people to try to convert files.
 
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
@mermike that‘s a good find. I would not trust such DIY conversion charts, not knowing what details might have been lost or modified in the process. Random errors or misinterpretation caused by a dumb program or program bug might have dire consequences on the water. However, as a second reference it might be useful.
@Seattle Sailor you may wish to consider using an app on your phone (or tablet) alongside your Garmin. Less than $20/year gets you the Navionics app with frequent updates and great usability (much better than Garmin).
 
Hello Below

Hello Below

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May 7, 2012
1,353
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
Captain Larry-DH said:
you may wish to consider using an app on your phone (or tablet) alongside your Garmin. Less than $20/year gets you the Navionics app with frequent updates and great usability (much better than Garmin).
Click to expand
:plus:
Redundancy. Overly cautious or safe?
Whenever I am about to transit waters that are or maybe challenging do to depth, width or the like, I will have my iPad with the Navionics App up and running close at hand. More than once Raymarine MFD/Navionics have lost GPS connection at the worst possible time. For whatever reason the iPad has provide that needed backup.
 
mermike

mermike

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Nov 21, 2012
595
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
Captain Larry-DH said:
@mermike that‘s a good find. I would not trust such DIY conversion charts, not knowing what details might have been lost or modified in the process. Random errors or misinterpretation caused by a dumb program or program bug might have dire consequences on the water. However, as a second reference it might be useful.
@Seattle Sailor you may wish to consider using an app on your phone (or tablet) alongside your Garmin. Less than $20/year gets you the Navionics app with frequent updates and great usability (much better than Garmin).
Click to expand
I wouldn't trust it either, but it's interesting.

I have a Garmin 741 and run OpenCPN with both ENC and RNC charts on my laptop and tablet for redundancy. The Navionics app is a good alternative for the money. You can get similar functionality for free with the maps at activecaptain.garmin.com. Only if you're in cell range though, I believe.
 
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
mermike said:
Only if you're in cell range though, I believe.
Click to expand
That’s not the case. You can preload the charts for the areas of interest. I have the entire east coast US and Bahamas, BVI and USVI/PR in my phone.
Edit: If you don’t update frequently it might pop a warning that the charts are out of date and functionality might be impaired, but the warning can be quickly bypassed and I’ve never seen any impairment. I suspect the lawyers stuck that in there, as a CYA in case bad things happen if you rely on old info. Where I sail they sometimes move a buoy, or a harbor entrance channel moves, but most of the hazards are granite, and they don’t move.
 
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mermike

mermike

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Nov 21, 2012
595
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
Captain Larry-DH said:
That’s not the case. You can preload the charts for the areas of interest. I have the entire east coast US and Bahamas, BVI and USVI/PR in my phone.
Edit: If you don’t update frequently it might pop a warning that the charts are out of date and functionality might be impaired, but the warning can be quickly bypassed and I’ve never seen any impairment. I suspect the lawyers stuck that in there, as a CYA in case bad things happen if you rely on old info. Where I sail they sometimes move a buoy, or a harbor entrance channel moves, but most of the hazards are granite, and they don’t move.
Click to expand
Good to know. Thanks.
 
Seattle Sailor

Seattle Sailor

.
Dec 15, 2020
8
Swan 40 Seattle
Garmin acquired Navionics in October. So maybe we'll get better and less expensive charts. I have been running a Furuno GP32 for 10 years until I recently installed this Garmin 4012. Had to crawl into places no man has gone before. Left the Furuno functional because I did such a nice job installing it when I was younger. So now the Furuno still does NMEA 0183 to the pilot and radar. The Garmin does NMEA 2000 from the GPS and 0183 from AIS and to A/P and radar (that has not been sea trialed). I am contemplating using the notebook to run SeaClear or OpenCPN as I have before, getting the vessel position from the Furuno GPS sensor into the serial port. This way I run raster charts I have already in the notebook, obtained free from NOOA for all of US waters and raster charts purchased for Canada's West Coast and have the cherished redundancy. I think this will work fine for me. I'm cheap and lazy.
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,398
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Seattle Sailor said:
Garmin acquired Navionics in October. So maybe we'll get better and less expensive charts.
Click to expand
mermike said:
BWAAHahahahahahahahaahah!

Did I say that in my outside voice?
Click to expand
Actually, I think Garmin acquired Navionics a year or so ago, but that's history.

Navico acquired C-Map and that did result in some nice changes. There is nice integration between a tablet app, an online charting program, and the Navico chart plotters. The app and the website are free to use. Downloadable charts for a tablet are available for a reasonable subscription charge. Worth checking out.

www.c-map.com

Home | C-MAP

Nautical Charts
www.c-map.com www.c-map.com
 
WayneH

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,039
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
Redundancy?
B&G V7 linked to cockpit Ipad so that helmsperson can see where she's going.
Ipad has built in GPS and INavX installed as backup. INavX was the primary choice before we got the B&G because the old chartplotter ran Garmin data cubes that Garmin no longer updated.
Boat laptop running OpenCPN with it's own GPS puck.
Smartphone running CMAP and Saildroid free. Saildroid just has waypoints with no mapping.
InReach for tracking and messaging to shore.

But for our current sailing ambitions, we are relying on the B&G only. Although I do update the maps on all devices often.
 
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DArcy

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,702
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Seattle Sailor said:
Thank you Len for that suggestion! I have to find out if my Samsung pad will work.
Click to expand
I have Navionics on my Lenovo Android tablet and on my Samsung phone. One purchase runs on both devices since it is the same Goolge account. They both work very well. They sometime take a while to open if there are updates so don't wait to the last second to run the app. A nice feature is you can log in to Navionics on the web-app, create and save a route and it will show up on your phone/tablet.
 
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
DArcy said:
A nice feature is you can log in to Navionics on the web-app, create and save a route and it will show up on your phone/tablet.
Click to expand
That's nice for planning. Will try that.
IMHO one of the best features of the Navionics app is the autoroute function. There is nothing better for those "what's our ETA?" situations, even when planning. I used it extensively a few years ago when I was bringing a boat up the ICW from Florida. The bridges typically open on the hour or half-hour. So I'd put a Mark at the bridge, start an autoroute from present boat position, and it would give us a running ETA (taking into account the bends in the channel). We could adjust our speed up or down to minimize "hover time" for bridge openings, by timing our arrival for 3-5 minutes before opening. It also saved fuel by not having to motor as fast, in many cases, and reducing idle time.
 
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Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

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May 17, 2004
5,069
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Captain Larry-DH said:
IMHO one of the best features of the Navionics app is the autoroute function. There is nothing better for those "what's our ETA?" situations, even when planning.
Click to expand
:plus: Also very nice for wintertime planning / dreaming of summer trips.
 
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