GL1800 Navigation Updates

[Tricycleman]

I have an 08 GL 1800 with a navigation system. Is there software or application out there that would allow me to take the SIM card out of my nav system plug into my computer and updated to current mapping?

I have plugged the SIM card into my PC but there's no program that recognizes the file system on the SIM card.

 

[pwhoever]

I'm guessing when you say sim card, you are actually talking about the Compactflash card. The US models from 06-08 used Compactflash cards and the 09-up use SD cards. It's strange that your computer is not able to recognize it. There is no special encoding of them and should be readable. I'm wondering if yours may be corrupted.

As far as updating the Navi to current maps, it is very possible. My 07 has 2018.2 maps on it right now. It is a bit of a chore to do but is doable. You would have to update your firmware first and the most current is either 4.80 or 4.90. This needs to be done or your Navi won't recognize the newest maps. Also you need to remember that there is a 2gb limit that can be used or the Navi won't be able to read the file. I only have a file that contains the lower 48 on it. If I ever make it up to Canada and/or Alaska, I will just create a second card wwith that mapping file on it. You can find everything you need to know on this thread: http://gl1800riders.com/forums/118-navi/72686-fyi-how-update-your-navi-latest-everything.html

 

[07BlueCSC]

CF Card update

If you want to spend $95 for an update:

Go to: www.garmin.com

Click on MAPS

Then click on automotive maps

Find updates for in-dash systems

Click on HONDA motorcycle emblem

Update --- then model year (2006-2008)

This gives you an update to City Navigator North America 2014.40

 

[Tricycleman]

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the quick response to my question. Going to give it a try this evening and see what happens. I have a spare ScanDisk two gigabyte card which I think I will put the new firmware and the new map system on it and keep my existing card in case I hose things up I got the reassurance I can put my original card back in.

Need clarification on a couple steps if I'm understanding this right I first need to have the new firmware on the card then insert this into my wing let it register with my nav system then remove the card update the new map system on the card and then reinsert the card in my wing and things should be up todate and working. Do I understand this correctly? Thanks

 

[alwrmcusn]

The problem with the link you quoted is that as of just now it indicates it has 164 pages! I would love to update my Navi (2008 Gl1800) and have several times scanned through a LOT of those pages. Very confusing. Someone needs to simply restate as simply as possible the exact step by step method to accomplish the update. I understand the legal complexities of bypassing Honda/Garmin when updating. Perhaps private messaging to avoid detection would be sufficient. Would anyone be willing to sell the update on a preloaded card(s)? As I understand it, the latest Garmin update would only bring my system up to 2014. That would be better than the maps that are currently in the Navi system but still a few years out of date.

As far as updating the Navi to current maps, it is very possible. My 07 has 2018.2 maps on it right now. It is a bit of a chore to do but is doable. You would have to update your firmware first and the most current is either 4.80 or 4.90. This needs to be done or your Navi won't recognize the newest maps. Also you need to remember that there is a 2gb limit that can be used or the Navi won't be able to read the file. I only have a file that contains the lower 48 on it. If I ever make it up to Canada and/or Alaska, I will just create a second card wwith that mapping file on it. You can find everything you need to know on this thread: http://gl1800riders.com/forums/118-navi/72686-fyi-how-update-your-navi-latest-everything.html

 

[Tricycleman]

Map file problems

Ok the firmware update a piece of cake, my nav system recognized it as version 4.80. But downloading my maps with Garmin is turning into a nightmare. Garmin Express won't recognize my Compactflash card. My PC Windows 8 IOS will as I'm able to copy/paste/delete files on this card. I purchase the "Garmin nuMaps Lifetime" download version and part of the process is using Garmin Express to t get my files. Did I purchase the wrong Garmin program?

 

[pwhoever]

Not sure how to do it with just purchasing the Garmin update program but if you also have a Garmin Nuvi it will work with the lifetime updates using Garmin Express. When using Garmin Express, you select the option when downloading updates to install not only to the Garmin GPS but also to the computer. If have Mapsource installed on your computer you can access ths maps but I have been told that you can also use Basemaps which IIRC is still available as a free download from Garmin website. After you have the maps installed on my computer, open up Mapsource and select all the maps in the lower 48. Put a CF card into a reader/writer that is plugged into the computer. In Mapsource, select the transfer option and transfer the newly created map set to the CF card. It will take quite a while, maybe an hour or so to do this. Once it's done, you must use a program called gimgunlock to unlock the new map set on the CF card. The maps are locked to your Garmin gps and will not work on the GL1800 unless they are unlocked. The program can be found using a Google search. Search for "Garmin Image Unlock gimgunlock up to v.0.03+MapSigPatch" It will be a zipped file which when unzipped, will be 3 files. You then copy all 3 to the same CF card. The last step is to drag the gmapsupp.img file onto the gimgunlock file and you will see a DOS window open up showing the progress on the unlock procedure. Once it finishes, the DOS window will close and the CF card is ready to use.

The 06-08 have a 2gb limitation and that is the reason for only creating a mapset of the lower 48. If you also want Canada and/or Alaska, it is best to create a second card to use. You can use a blank 4gb CF card but still have to limit the size of the map set to under 2gb. Also the above instructions only work for the 06-08 US Gl1800's. For the 09-up, the map set is named gmapprom.img and a slightly different method is used.

One thing to mention is that the POI by name search will probably not work but you will still be able to search by address. Also when searching long routes such as 700 miles-up, if you try using the avoid highways option, you will probably get a memory error. But if you dont avoid highways, it should work. Shorter routes should work either way.

Hopefully this helps...

 

[fastfreddy2015]

Thanks for the info much appreciated.

 

[Ozarkryder]

Please excuse me here, not trying to hijack this thread. I don't have OEM nav on our 2004 GL1800 Champion.

All that I have heard about Honda's (and other brands) built in Nav system has been the hassle, expense and lack of updates. Is there really any advantage (other than built-in POIs of dealer locations) of the OEM system over a stand alone unit?

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Please excuse me here, not trying to hijack this thread. I don't have OEM nav on our 2004 GL1800 Champion.

All that I have heard about Honda's (and other brands) built in Nav system has been the hassle, expense and lack of updates. Is there really any advantage (other than built-in POIs of dealer locations) of the OEM system over a stand alone unit?

I've never had a stand alone system. But I'm sure a stand alone is more user friendly in many, many ways. However, there maybe situations where a stand alone is harder to see. It also does not have a thumb control to zoom in and out, and many are not "bad weather" resistant. If I were gonna get a stand alone, I'm sure I'd get a Garmin Zumo. Their web page used to advise against any of their others being used on a m/c.

I find the "dealer" locations annoying. And in-between software updates, dealers close and relocate making the dealer info often useless.

 

[Tricycleman]

Give up

I give up. Got both map source and basecamp also City navigator North America and lower 48 states . These are "gmapsupp.img" unlock files. The North America file will not let me or I don't understand how to make a map set of just the lower 48 and the file that is just the lower 48 when installed into my wing nav says no map found.

Guess I settle for the 2014 version from Honda/Garmin and spend the $95 as I spent more time than that on my PC trying to make the damn thing work.

 

[Tricycleman]

RE: I Give up

I GOT IT TO WORK:clapping: Re-name the file after it was unlocked did the trick. file was named gmapprom and renamed it to the old file name gmapsupp. Now I got my new map being read on my 08 Wing Nav system as 2016.10. Unsure if that is the latest but a lot more current than 2006 original map. Now if I could just figure out how to make the Map source or Base camp do what I want. Guess I do some research on YouTube for tutorials .

 

[BrokenBackJack]

We have a 2010 Goldwing 1800 CSC Trike and want to update the Navi on it too. Called a Honda dealer and they want $80 for the card and another 120 to program it. Sounds darn high priced to me.

Where is the card located anyways?

Any info greatly appreciated!!!!!

 

[pwhoever]

I GOT IT TO WORK:clapping: Re-name the file after it was unlocked did the trick. file was named gmapprom and renamed it to the old file name gmapsupp. Now I got my new map being read on my 08 Wing Nav system as 2016.10. Unsure if that is the latest but a lot more current than 2006 original map. Now if I could just figure out how to make the Map source or Base camp do what I want. Guess I do some research on YouTube for tutorials .

Glad to see you got it working. I know that the map file on garmin devices are named gmapprom.img but as you found, they are the same file as gmapsupp.img. 2006-2008 use the gmapsupp.img but 2009-up use the gmapprom.img. Simply renaming it works. The problem comes in with the size of the file for 06-08 GL1800's. If your gmapsupp.img file is over 2gb which I guess it probably is on 2016.10, you will probably get errors when trying to plan some routes. That is why I make my own mapset of the lower 48.

I have no experience with Basecamp although I have been told it works as well, I just always use Mapsource when creating my mapsets. To use Mapsource, look under the "Tools" selection and make sure to select "Map". This will let you start to select the maps you want to use on your mapset. You can either start clicking on the different parts of the map, highlighting them in pink (slower), or hold down left mouse button and drag the mouse cursor over the maps you want. it may miss some of the smaller sections or highlight some sections you don't want. All you have to do now is left click on the individual ones you dont want and left click on the individual ones that you want to include that didn't during the mass selection. It helps if you zoom in a bit and drag the map around to make sure that some of the smaller ones got selected.



Once you have all the maps selected that you want, it is time to create the mapset. Make sure that you're CF card is in a reader and connected to your computer. Click on "Transfer" and then "Send to device". It should find your CF card and then send the maps to your CF card. It is a long slow process so be patient. Once it finishes, you will now have the mapset on your card in the Garmin directory named gmapsupp.img and that will need to be unlocked to work. make sure to put your gimgunlock files on the card in same directory as the gmapsupp.img and unlock it. It seems a bit confusing but really isn't too difficult to do. Once you are done, the card can now be used in your GL1800 navi.

To check that it is working properly, once you have your GL1800 navi working, zoom all the way in to check if you can see local streets. If you can't, you didn't properly unlock the mapset or IIRC, the mapset is too big. That is the reason I only put the lower 48 on the card. over the last several years, the file size has grown as more roads are built causing the original gmapsupp.img to get bigger. And because the 06-08 have the 2gb limitation, Garmin now creates 2 OEM CF cards to use for this reason for the most recent maps. 1 is for US and 1 is for Canada. Depending on where you are, you use the proper card and then switch it out if you travel to the other location.

If someone knows how to do this with Basecamp, please post the info. I have been told it works just as well, I just don't know how to do it...

 

[pwhoever]

We have a 2010 Goldwing 1800 CSC Trike and want to update the Navi on it too. Called a Honda dealer and they want $80 for the card and another 120 to program it. Sounds darn high priced to me.

Where is the card located anyways?

Any info greatly appreciated!!!!!

Your card is different from the 06-08 and is a SD card instead. I know on the 06-08, there is a small door on left side of Nav unit in trunk and the CF card is inside that door. I am assuming the SD card is in a similar place on the 09-up. Starting in 12-up, IIRC, there are actually 2 SD cards, 1 with mapset and info and 1 for routes and favorites??? The 09-up don't have the 2gb limit that the earlier units have. They can use the full gmapprom.img file. And like I mentioned in last post for clarification, the mapset from 06-08 is named gmapsupp.img and for 09-up, it is called gmapprom.img. If you have a Garmin gps, it should have the full gmapprom.img on it and this file can be used on the 09-up after you use the gimgunlock method I mentioned in an earlier post. You would just have to figure out a way to copy the original file from your Garmin GPS over to the proper directory on your GL1800 SD card. You would have to temporarily rename that file to gmapsupp.img to unlock and after unlocked, rename it back to gmapprom.img. This is a lot faster than the 06-08 method. If you don't have that file on your Garmin, then you might have to create the mapset like as used for the 06-08 but you can select all the maps available if you wish. I am assuming (so use at your own risk) that you could just put the SD card in a reader and use the Device option and "Send to device" and it should copy the gmapsupp.img onto the SD card. Unlock it and then rename it to gmapprom.img. The safer method that I would use is and should work is to get your own SD card, copy all the contents of the GL1800 card over to that and then use that to make your updated card. That way if something happens, you will still have the original card. That should get you the latest maps.

The other thing is the 09-up also utilize a "junction view" (.jcv file). This might need to be copied over as well but in order for it to work properly, i have been told that you would need to modify another file so the .jcv file can be read properly. You would have to research that on your own because I don't have the info for that.

 

[Blackacre1066]

firmware question

Not sure how to do it with just purchasing the Garmin update program but if you also have a Garmin Nuvi it will work with the lifetime updates using Garmin Express. When using Garmin Express, you select the option when downloading updates to install not only to the Garmin GPS but also to the computer. If have Mapsource installed on your computer you can access ths maps but I have been told that you can also use Basemaps which IIRC is still available as a free download from Garmin website. After you have the maps installed on my computer, open up Mapsource and select all the maps in the lower 48. Put a CF card into a reader/writer that is plugged into the computer. In Mapsource, select the transfer option and transfer the newly created map set to the CF card. It will take quite a while, maybe an hour or so to do this. Once it's done, you must use a program called gimgunlock to unlock the new map set on the CF card. The maps are locked to your Garmin gps and will not work on the GL1800 unless they are unlocked. The program can be found using a Google search. Search for "Garmin Image Unlock gimgunlock up to v.0.03+MapSigPatch" It will be a zipped file which when unzipped, will be 3 files. You then copy all 3 to the same CF card. The last step is to drag the gmapsupp.img file onto the gimgunlock file and you will see a DOS window open up showing the progress on the unlock procedure. Once it finishes, the DOS window will close and the CF card is ready to use.

Couple of additional questions.

1. Where did you find the firmware update - have searched the Garmin site with no results.

2. Running a Mac with OS 10. Any suggestions on finding Garmin Image Unlock gimgunlock up to v.0.03+MapSigPatch for the OS?

Thanks

 

[pwhoever]

As far as the firmware updates for the 06-08 units, this is the link that was in the thread I mentioned earlier:

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/0B_8v-pbOagwWMDNOWUs5alBhWXM?usp=sharing

As far as using a Mac and the unlock program, I really can't help you there. I use a PC and you may have to search for another unlock program that works on Mac.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

All that I have heard about Honda's (and other brands) built in Nav system has been the hassle, expense and lack of updates. Is there really any advantage (other than built-in POIs of dealer locations) of the OEM system over a stand alone unit?

It depends a lot on how much time one puts in learning the system and experimenting until one learns the easiest way to program a route.

Having said that, the system is not very user friendly. I've told several people, by the time you have input a long trip with all the "vias" required to ensure you get the route you want, you pretty much have memorized the route and don't really need the Nav system anyway!

Way to expensive an accessory for the price.

Much better off w/a good "stand alone"! As far as the comment on susceptible to "moisture", I'd cover it with a plastic bag, no problems!