Garmin BaseCamp is a nice (and free!) software for viewing maps, managing geographic data, and planning routes. There are maps offered by Garmin and there are also free alternatives, usually based on the OpenStreetMap project. BaseCamp for Mac OS X uses a specific format—it’s usually a file ending with gmapi. Sometimes the free maps are not offered in this format, so you first have to convert them. As I always forget how this works, I created this page.

• Garmin Basecamp For Mac Os High Sierra
• Garmin Basecamp Versions
• Garmin Basecamp For Mac Catalina
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Contents

• 1 OpenMTB maps
• 2 Garmin IMG format

OpenMTB maps

OpenMTBMap is a project based on OpenStreetMap which offers detailed hiking and mountainbiking information. You can download a map for free here. In the following guide I have chosen the Alps map.

Garmin BaseCamp provides an interface for viewing Garmin map products and managing geographic data. With BaseCamp, you can perform the following tasks: Transfer data to and from your Garmin device. Garmin Support Center BaseCamp No Longer Opens after Catalina 10.15 Mac Update The latest version of BaseCamp for Mac 4.8.7 is compatible with 10.15 Catalina Mac operating system update. With the release of the Catalina operating system update, all 32 bit application support has been removed.

Requirements

You will need a Windows computer (sorry, but I don’t know any other way) with the following free tools installed:

Map installation

Copy the downloaded file mtbalps.exe to the Windows computer and start it.
Click on Next and select Mapsource-Qlandkarte_GT as layout. Choose a directory where you want the map to be installed, e.g., the default one C:Gaminopenmtbmapalps. You should now be able to see the map in Garmin BaseCamp.

Map conversion

Start Garmin MapConverter and select the just installed map. For the Alps map it is called FAMILY_6528. For other OpenMTB maps it will be called differently. You should be able to guess the family id by looking at the beginning of the file names in the installation directory of the map. Click Next and select an installation directory, e.g., the default one C:Garmin. After conversion is finished there should be a directory called FAMILY_6528.gmapi. This can be directly imported into Garmin BaseCamp on Mac OS X: simply copy this directory to you Mac computer, start Garmin MapManager and install it. Finished.

As a last step, I recommend uninstalling the map on your Windows computer. Go to the installation directory C:Gaminopenmtbmapalps and execute openmtbmap_alps_uninstall.

Garmin IMG format

Assume we have a map map.img in Garmin’s IMG format.

Requirements

You will need a Windows computer with the following free tools installed:

First step (GMapTool)

Copy the map map.img to your Windows computer. Start GMapTool.

Click on Add Files and select map.img.

Go to the tab Options, select MapTk, and select the directory where MapTk is installed.

Garmin Basecamp For Mac Os High Sierra

Go to the tab Split. Select some empty directory where you want to save the parts of map.img created by GMapTool.¹ Select Compile preview map and enter some name describing your map. Select Set mapset FID and enter the FID and PID of your map. You should be able to get these numbers when you click on Info in the Files tab of GMapTool. Otherwise, try some random number between 100 and 9999 for FID.

Now, click on Split all. The process should hopefully finish without error messages. If so, you can close all windows and GMapTool.

Second step (Garmin MapConverter)

Garmin Basecamp Versions

With the Windows explorer go to the directory you selected in GMapTool for the splitting process. Right click on install.bat and select Run as administrator. You should now be able to see your map in Garmin BaseCamp under Windows. Now, start Garmin MapConverter. Select your map (the one with the FID you have chosen above) and click Next. Choose some directory. After the conversion is done, there should be a directory called FAMILY_FID.gmapi inside the directory you have chosen (where FID is your FID). This file can be used for Garmin BaseCamp under Mac OS X: simply copy it to your Mac OS X computer and install it using Garmin MapManager.

Garmin Basecamp For Mac Catalina

I suggest uninstalling the maps under Windows. Go to the directory of the split process you selected in GMapTool. Right click on uninstall.bat and select Run as administrator.

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1. In case you use Parallels, this directory should lie on the Windows drive since in the next step we have to execute a batch script with administrator rights and this does not work on a remote drive.