BaseCamp

T

Todd Macom

New Member
Out of curiosity, what are the thoughts on BaseCamp? I had no issues using Garmin's previous version (Mapsource?) of Garmin software but when BaseCamp came out I struggled and with it and seldom use it. Granted I have not taken time to go through all the tutorials and tips on the net because I assumed other people were having the same problem and eventually they would replace it. To circumvent Basecamp I would just plug cities on my route into my Garmin to create a route which worked fine for touring. Now that I have switched my focus to LD riding and rallies, I see the need to either learn basecamp really well or figure out an alternative to plotting a route.
 
What threw me for a loop was that some of the tutorials almost needed an understanding of the specific location they were using in their examples. So, for the New England Riders tutorial, I needed a bit of background information on the locations they were using - only so I could begin to comprehend some of the routing choices that were being demonstrated.

I'm now merely marginally literate in BC -simply for those very same reasons you describe - needing to plot a route.
 
I still use both. Simply because with MapSource I can be MUCH more selective on what is upladed to the GPS. That and I don't have to wait for it to transfer everything from the GPS (GPSMAP 478) into itself before I can do anything.

My process:

Open Basecamp and use it to do routing.
Once I have my route created, open MapSource then copy/paste everything I want to upload to the GPS from Basecamp to Mapsource.
Close Basecamp.
Connect GPS.
Transfer to GPS from Mapsource.

I also still use MapSource to transfer the mapsets to the GPS. Because my 478 is not supported by Garmin Express, I still use the old GaminMapUpdater.exe to update the maps on the computer (with the 478 connected to get the "Lifetime" authorization).
 
Where to start...I’m no Basecamp expert but have used it enough times to know my way around. I’ve experienced many frustrations with software stability and transferring routes to my GPS. I’m coming to the conclusion that the way to go is use Basecamp for route planning, but transfer waypoints only to the GPS not routes. Number the waypoints in sequence and go from one to the next.

I have read Garmin message boards with desperate pleas for help from users...it’s inexcusable that Garmin won’t publish a comprehensive user manual. I have also read the New England Riders tutorial, and I purchased a self-published guide from a guy in Germany(!) as this was the best I could find!
 
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FJ2112 said:
<...>I have read Garmin message boards with desperate pleas for help from users...it’s inexcusable that Garmin won’t publish a comprehensive user manual.<...>
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Just shows the love between Garmin and their user base, doesn't it?

:rolleyes:

Here's my suspicion, based on 35+ years in the high tech world... They literally have a handful of people that somewhat understand the BC codebase. The original designers of the system are long gone, so these second generation code monkeys really don't want anything to do with this.

Since they are forced to by management, there's literally enough maintenance hours available to be certain that the system works with current and former models of GPS - the 'don't break it' rule. As long as the GPX files are read/writeable to newer GPS systems, they don't mess with it.

Mapquest 'died' for these same reasons...the geniuses that developed it are long gone from Garmin, and nobody remained to maintain the code.
 
Do any current largish software products have a "comprehensive user manual"? Not in my experience. Much less GIS type software (see Esri ArcGIS/pro or MapInfo) - to which Basecamp is most closely related. It would take longer to compile a manual than the life of the software package, and you would still not cover all scenarios.

Granted basic How-tos are often available but, beyond the help menu, they are largely user generated, just as they are in the Basecamp world. The problem is the Basecamp user pool is infinitely smaller than the aforementioned GIS platforms.
 
Basecamp development is dead. Garmin updated the Mac version to support 64-bit systems and that is pretty much the end of the line. I emailed Garmin about further development and their reply is "No".

I find BC a PoS software package, but it's the only way I know to transfer a detailed route to the Nav VI. I can't find a single aspect of BC that's pleasurable to use. I have entered addresses of a POI into BC and it still can't find it or it lists a hundred non-related items.

Somewhere in these forums, I believe I created a lengthy post on what I do.
 
Transferring routes to the Nav is as easy as dragging and dropping your gpx file from your computer folder to the connected Nav internal or SD card storage.
 
BMW RT Pilot said:
Basecamp development is dead. Garmin updated the Mac version to support 64-bit systems and that is pretty much the end of the line. I emailed Garmin about further development and their reply is "No".
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That's what they said before finally giving in and providing the 64 bit version.
 
Robert said:
That's what they said before finally giving in and providing the 64 bit version.
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Again, I point back to my 'codemonkey' comment above. When Apple proclaimed no further efforts for 32-bit machines and OS support, that forced Garmin's hand.

Tweak a couple of things, recompile code with a 64-bit compiler, then verify functionality.

Done.
 
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Marc11 said:
Transferring routes to the Nav is as easy as dragging and dropping your gpx file from your computer folder to the connected Nav internal or SD card storage.
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Yes I know that, but you still need something to make the GPX file and there's still no guarantee that the GPS will follow it.

For instance, when I first got my RT and the NAV VI, I had a lot of trouble getting the GPS to follow the route I wanted. It wasn't until I added a few steps to the process that got it running as I wanted.
 
There is no promise the GPS will follow the route you built in basecamp either due to the many variables.

The gps always recalculates and rebuilds a route you make in Basecamp so changes can and do happen even with Basecamp.

As for making a gpx file, so many easy ways, build a route in Google maps, save as kml and use GPS Babble or GPS Visualizer to convert to gpx as an example, there are many other options as well if you really want to move away from Basecamp ahead of some unknown time when it stops working there are options.
 
Marc11 said:
...stuff...
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That's what I do- detailed route in Google Maps, copy the route into Google My Maps (which gives the KML/Z file), import into BaseCamp (which creates a track), I then create a route from the imported waypoints and adjust holdover times for the stops. After all of that, I export to the NAV VI and adjust either the departure or arrival times and that's it. Unless something's going on, like major backups, the GPS will follow the route. Now sometimes it will try to reroute me, but I always override that. Finally, I will upload the KML/Z file to Spotwalla as a track, which comes in really handy when sharing the trip and to also quickly verify that the GPS didn't sneak a change of route while I wasn't looking! :)

I will look into GPS Babble and Visualizer because they sound like they could save some work for me.
 
Life is so much easier on the road when you navigate point-to-point. Having a stored overall route is nice for checking overall stats and ETA to final destination, but a properly planned route will already have you knowing ETAs and ETDs for each waypoint along the route.
 
Electrical said:
I find it fairly easy to make the Nav VI follow a prescribed route... using shaping points in BC.
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Right. I use them when the track and the route don't match.

For example, in Google Maps/My Maps, when I draw my route, Google will always take the shortest route. Sometimes that's OK but more often than not, it isn't and I have to drag the route to where I want it to be.

When I import the finished KML to BaseCamp, it shows as a track and it will be true to what I wanted. But that track is useless when made into a route, so I have to use the route creation tool to add the waypoints in the order I want and BC will then make a route. However, BC is like Google and it will make the route look how it wants.

To help quickly find the differences between the two, I usually make the track magenta and the route cyan or light green. Where the two diverge, I drag those parts of the route to match the track and those create shaping points.

When everything is good to go, it's time to export to the Garmin. Once in the nav, the system will follow the route, but there are times during the ride that it will try to reroute, and that's something I keep my eye on.

So while I've come to terms with having to do all of this, what I hate about BC is that it's completely worthless to actually create a route from scratch without any saved or imported waypoints.
 
...and, making sure you're in 'automobile' mode, since 'bicycle' mode will *really* mess up an expected route.

DAMHIK. ;)
 
Both the Windows and Mac versions of Garmin's Basecamp have been updated. The Windows version to 4.7.1 as of October 30, 2019, and the Mac version to 4.8.8 as of February 19, 2020.
 
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