I got the Emerald ROM from Coolrom. I just Googled "Pokemon Emerald ROM" and it was the first result. (I can also PM you the link, if you want.)
If you already tried that link, I'm not sure what the issue could be. Others have patched it successfully, except for one person, awhile ago.
Also, as for the G/S/C map connections tut, I have hypothesis for upward/downward connections, but not leftward/rightward. I'll submit the thread when I get on my computer, and you can see for yourself if it'd warrant being posted. (Left/right map connections are 2x as tricky as up/down ones >_>)