SAS.Planet Errors – How to fix without going mad

SAS.Planet is a powerful, free navigation tool used to view and download high-resolution satellite imagery from services like Google Maps, Bing, and Yandex. Because the software relies on unofficial access to third-party tile servers, errors are common when these providers update their APIs or block excessive traffic. This guide covers the most effective troubleshooting steps for connection issues, missing tiles, and application crashes current for 2025.

Common Errors

• HTTP 403 Forbidden: The server has temporarily banned your IP address due to excessive download requests.
• HTTP 404 Not Found / Gray Tiles: The specific map version is outdated, or the tile does not exist at that zoom level.
• Error: Unable to load maps: The map definition files (.zmp) are corrupted or obsolete.
• Exception EAccessViolation: A general application crash often caused by memory limits during image stitching or corrupt cache files.
• SSL/TLS Connection Error: Missing security libraries (OpenSSL) preventing access to HTTPS map servers.

Fix 1: HTTP 403 Forbidden (Server Ban)

This is the most frequent error, indicating that the map provider (e.g., Google) has flagged your activity as automated scraping. The ban is usually temporary but requires immediate action to resolve.

1. Stop all active downloads immediately by clicking the "Pause" or "Stop" button in the Download Manager.
2. Wait 24 hours for the IP ban to expire naturally. This is the safest method.
3. If you cannot wait, close SAS.Planet and connect to a VPN server to change your IP address.
4. Restart SAS.Planet and reduce your download settings: Go to Options > Internet and set "Pause between requests" to at least 1000ms.

Fix 2: HTTP 404 / Gray Tiles (Outdated Maps)

When you see a grid of gray tiles with "404" text, the map provider has updated their version numbers, and SAS.Planet is requesting old URLs that no longer exist.

1. Right-click the map surface and select Settings (Map Parameters).
2. Look for the Version field in the settings window.
3. Update this number to the current version. You can find the latest version numbers on the SASGIS forums or by checking the source URL in a web browser.
4. Click OK and press F5 to refresh the cache.

Fix 3: Invalid Map Definitions (Update ZMP)

If map versions change frequently, manually editing numbers is inefficient. The permanent fix is updating the internal map repository (zmp files).

1. Close SAS.Planet completely.
2. Download the latest sas.maps package (often available as a nightly build zip file) from the official repository or trusted community sources.
3. Navigate to your SAS.Planet installation folder and find the Maps folder.
4. Delete the contents of the existing Maps folder and paste the new files from the downloaded zip.
5. Restart the application to load the new map definitions.

Fix 4: SSL/TLS Connection Errors

Many modern map servers now enforce secure HTTPS connections. If SAS.Planet lacks the necessary OpenSSL libraries, maps will fail to load entirely.

1. Check your SAS.Planet root folder for two files: libeay32.dll and ssleay32.dll.
2. If missing, download the OpenSSL binaries compatible with your version of SAS.Planet (32-bit or 64-bit).
3. Place these two .dll files directly into the folder containing SASPlanet.exe.
4. Restart the application to enable HTTPS support.

Fix 5: EAccessViolation During Export

This crash typically occurs when trying to stitch (merge) a downloaded area into a single image file that exceeds the memory limits of the application or the file format.

1. In the Selection Manager > Stitch tab, check the estimated Image Size in pixels.
2. If the size exceeds 65,500 x 65,500 pixels, split your selection into smaller areas.
3. Change the output format. ECW is better for large maps than JPEG, but it still has memory limitations on 32-bit systems.
4. Ensure you are running the 64-bit version of SAS.Planet if your operating system supports it, as this handles large memory tasks much better.

Prevention Tips

• Use Cache Mode: Whenever possible, view maps in "Cache" mode (Alt+C) rather than "Internet" mode to reduce server requests.
• Limit Download Speed: Never download at maximum speed. Always add a delay (1000ms+) to mimic human browsing behavior.
• Regular Updates: Keep your Maps folder updated monthly to avoid 404 errors as providers change their APIs.
• Backup Cache: Regularly backup your cache folder to a separate drive to prevent data loss during crashes.

When to Contact Support

If you encounter persistent "Script Errors" or if a specific map source stops working entirely despite updates, the issue is likely a permanent API change that requires developer intervention. Before posting on the SASGIS.org forums, ensure you have your SAS.Planet version number (from the About menu) and the exact ZMP name of the map you are trying to access.