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Lengthy earlier than the Garmin Epix (2nd gen) or Fenix 7 got here out, Garmin has been promoting maps. In actual fact, they’ve been promoting maps for mainly their whole existence. Currently this stuff are constructed into gadgets, however it wasn’t that way back that when you wished further maps on a Garmin system you had to purchase them individually.
However one of many neat issues you are able to do with this map-buying-prowess is put satellite tv for pc imagery maps onto the Garmin Epix and Fenix 7 collection. In actual fact, you may as well do it on the Fenix 6 Professional watch. Neither are formally supported (listed as a appropriate system), however all these items work simply positive and folks have been utilizing them for years. Some suspect the explanation it was faraway from official compatibility is that the map expertise with the decrease decision Fenix 6/Fenix 7 shows might not all the time be nice. However the Epix has far better decision and pixels per inch – at 326ppi versus 200ppi on the Fenix 7 collection. So, issues merely look higher now.
The principle cause you’d wish to use satellite tv for pc maps over the included common maps is for areas the place the common maps aren’t as helpful. For instance, alongside coastlines or close to water, the place vital moist/dry particulars are typically fuzzy. Identical goes when you’re off-trail solely, and attempting to determine when you can lower throughout an enormous swath of land, or if maybe simply out of sight are impassable rocks/marshes/and many others… There’s numerous makes use of for it.
In any case, you are able to do this on the Fenix 6 Professional, Fenix 7 (all variants), and Epix items (in addition to even the Fenix 5 Plus collection and unique Fenix 5X). And doing so is straightforward – assuming you’ve bought a pc, and your charging cable close by.
(Notice: At current, if on a Mac, there appears to be a difficulty stopping Basecamp from seeing Fenix 7/Epix gadgets, although, it does work positive with Fenix 6/Forerunner 945 gadgets. This difficulty has nothing to do with BirdsEye immediately, however since Basecamp is required to have the ability to obtain maps, it not directly blocks BirdsEye in the intervening time.)
Downloading It:
First up, you should go and purchase a Garmin BirdsEye Imagery Subscription. It prices $29/yr, and will get you limitless maps throughout that interval, for anyplace on this planet. It hyperlinks to a single system. Additionally, any maps you obtain throughout that subscription yr stay legitimate in your system even when you unsubscribe.
So beginning there, merely observe the acquisition steps from this web page:
When you’re executed paying, you’ll get a couple of totally different e-mails over the course of some minutes. It’s not on the spot, it takes like 5-Quarter-hour. Subsequent, when you haven’t registered your system but (e.g. paired it as much as a telephone or laptop), you want to take action. It’s fairly possible you’ve already executed so – but when not, try this first.
Then, you should obtain Garmin BaseCamp. That is a part of their “Basecamp is Previous and Smelly Software program” collection of desktop merchandise (aka BOSS). It’s been round for longer than the Fenix collection has existed, and permits switch of routes, waypoints, and maps to gadgets (initially for handheld gadgets). Usually for many newer maps you’d use Garmin Specific or on the Fenix 7/Epix collection even the watch itself. However BaseCamp was designed for the hand held period, and apparently no one remembered this software program remains to be there.
As soon as downloaded and put in, you’ll be staring straight into the face of 2008 consumer interface design and tradition (one other 2008 providing):
In the event you haven’t but, go forward and plug your watch in (sure, utilizing this stand makes this appear much more BOSS-like):
Then, on the prime menu, choose ‘BirdsEye’, then ‘Obtain BirdsEye Imagery’. That’ll deliver you right here, which reveals your Garmin Epix (or Fenix 6/7):
Click on subsequent once more, and also you’ll see the BirdsEye product routinely populated, however then click on on ‘The place is my Subscription’ to sign-in and get your account validated (so you’ll be able to see the acquisition you probably did above). The username you’ll enter is your e-mail handle. Keep in mind, the BOSS software program is so outdated it’s from an period the place Garmin Join used usernames, not e-mail addresses.
When you’ve signed in, you’ll see your subscription listed, click on the ‘Activate’ button to get it excited:
When you’ve executed that, it’ll provide you with successful message, after which one other affirmation dialogue indicating your mission is generally achieved:
Now, comes the great half! Selecting the realm you wish to obtain. You’ll see how you need to use the little map zooming device in orange to focus on a area. However keep in mind, satellite tv for pc imagery is large when it comes to dimension. So downloading all of Europe like this might take a whopping 22,465GB, also referred to as 22 Terabytes, which is roughly…properly…far more storage than you’ve in your little 16-32GB Epix/Fenix items.
You need to use the little icons to zoom in/out (magnifying glass), transfer round (hand), and both draw a sq. or free-form. You’ll be able to see that even when I choose the entire Netherlands, that’s nonetheless some 26GB on the excessive stage (however 74GB at highest). If I scale back that to the usual, it’s about 1GB.
However commonplace is not any enjoyable, so I’m going to zoom into simply Amsterdam, and there we go – much better, on the highest it’s about 779MB (slightly below 1GB) and simply matches. In the event you had been mountaineering in a area, you can simply make a extra finite circle across the space you wanted and simply make it match.
Besides, wait – it says I’ve exceeded the obtain restrict of the server. As a result of once more, 1997 BOSS. This was apparently the period of dial-up modems. The precise restrict appears to fluctuate based mostly on which setting you select. So on the ‘Highest’ setting, it seems restricted to about 76MB, whereas the ‘Excessive’ setting is 107MB, and in the usual setting you’ll be able to go tremendous large. Besides, not all the time. It’s additionally in regards to the underlying tiles, so in some locations you’ll get far greater ranges. For instance afterward I obtain the realm round Chamonix (Alps in France), and simply cleared over 200MB on the best setting.
In any case, now I’m able to obtain:
It’ll obtain every thing, and when you didn’t give it a reputation, you are able to do in order properly. You must hear the dial-up modems beginning in your laptop. It’ll take about that lengthy to obtain this 76MB map. Verify that ‘Copy maps to system’ field, so as soon as it’s executed subsequent week, it’ll a minimum of have copied the maps too. That’ll be the short half.
In the event you faucet end, you’ll be able to double-click on the map identify you created to see this nifty display displaying, the place you’ll be able to watch map tiles obtain, mentally envisioning Tetris items falling:
No actually, this whole factor took about 45 minutes to obtain this 76MB. And no, it’s not my web – I common speeds of about 500 Mbps right here on the DCR Cave, that means in a best-case state of affairs it ought to take roughly 1.216 seconds to obtain a 76MB file, and a worst-case state of affairs 2 seconds. Clearly, that is extra in regards to the design of how recordsdata are downloaded for BirdsEye imagery.
You’ll be able to double-check every thing copied by trying on the ‘Main’ folder beneath your system, after which possible scrolling to the underside:
Additional, you’ll be able to repeat this course of for as many areas as you’d like. I went alongside after and added some imagery for Chamonix as properly. Although this time it allowed me to obtain a 220MB part on ‘Highest’, demonstrating it’s all in regards to the underlying tiles. This one took 1hr 31mins to obtain.
With that, you’re prepared to make use of it – so go forward and disconnect your watch from the pc.
Utilizing it:
Excellent news! This part is trivially simple. You simply use your watch as regular.
By default, Garmin will load the BirdsEye Imagery for any areas you’ve downloaded. However what’s cool is that they’ll additionally routinely overlay the path/street/route imagery excessive of that. You’ll be able to see this under right here:
As you’ll be able to see, the standard right here is mostly fairly good, however not as detailed as you’d discover if trying on a pc or telephone. For instance, I can roughly guess that there are boat docks above, however you’ll be able to see it’s not as sharp because the precise imagery if I look on Google Maps or such (under, however upside-down). And whereas these are actually totally different sized pictures, even when absolutely zoomed in on the Garmin satellite tv for pc maps.
Nonetheless, relying on what you’re utilizing this for, it’s nonetheless greater than helpful generally. I discover satellite tv for pc imagery tremendous useful in attempting to determine areas of tree cowl (or not), or tough concepts on the place snow-covered trails is perhaps in summer time (since mountain satellite tv for pc imagery tends to be taken in the summertime, so you’ll be able to normally determine the place glaciers/and many others is perhaps). Identical goes for a lot of coastal areas the place non-satellite maps aren’t tremendous helpful for locating the sides of water or small islands. As all the time, there are lots extra makes use of right here.
For instance, right here’s the sting of a marsh space I usually run in:
And for enjoyable, right here’s Olympic Stadium:
And right here’s Epix and the Fenix 7 facet by facet, clearly, in very totally different areas (French Alps vs Paris):
Now, if you wish to flip off the BirdsEye layer (or the paths layer), you are able to do so within the maps choices for that individual sport profile. As soon as in that profile, entry the settings by long-holding the middle-left button. Then scroll to ‘Map Settings’ > ‘Map’ > ‘Configure Maps’ > ‘BirdsEye Imagery’ > after which toggle both on or off.
Notice that it’s all or nothing right here, so both all of your areas go on or off. In the event you backed-up one stage, you’ll see the identical choice for ‘TopoActive Maps’, which do permit toggling it per-region (e.g. North America, Europe, and many others…).
All of the core options like routing and recognition and such are all the identical right here, since they’re leveraging that detailed TopoActive map layer. So none of that modifications. Undoubtedly there’s a battery hit to utilizing the BirdsEye maps versus TopoActive maps, however I haven’t calculated that at this level.
Wrap-Up:
It’s cool that that is an choice, each when it comes to having the ability to obtain satellite tv for pc maps for anyplace on this planet, in addition to having the ability to toggle these layers on and off, inside the system itself. Plus, with the 16-32GB of storage, you’ll be able to load fairly a little bit of satellite tv for pc imagery, relying on the precise element stage you select, and the way explicit you get with that obtain space creation device.
After all, I feel it’s additionally clear that Garmin in all probability wants to have a look at overhauling some of these things. As increasingly more of their items get AMOLED shows over the approaching years, individuals’s curiosity will enhance right here. And that is a straightforward $30-annual subscription when it comes to income for them. Plus, it’d profit the entire present handheld and Edge biking gadgets that already help this at present (virtually all of them). Shifting this kind of characteristic to be smartphone-based utilizing WiFi to obtain maps, with speeds that symbolize this decade, is one thing I hope is on some inner roadmap to get executed.
Actually, we aren’t all going to be utilizing BaseCamp without end. Or a minimum of, this model of it. I believe this might match properly inside the Garmin Discover app, and there appears to be hints about variants of that app permitting BirdsEye imagery obtain (based mostly on trying on the baked-in model on their new Overlander system). The Discover app has lately seen its duties expanded to accommodate Garmin’s inReach Mini 2 connectivity, so maybe extra is on the way in which.
Both means, as with many different Garmin issues, this characteristic will possible be utilized by lower than 1% of the Fenix customers. However for that sub-1%, it’s extremely helpful. And, as I’ve mentioned earlier than – that’s in the end what’s made Garmin so profitable – discovering everybody’s personal 1% characteristic.
With that – thanks for studying!
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