Mapping Software
- Thread starter Dave28117
- Start date
I did my first two rallies with a TomTom and Google maps but went to Basecamp and Garmin gps units in 2012. Mapsource was just becoming End-of-Life but I did try to work with it before settling on Basecamp. After coming to grips with its Database structure I have had good luck using it. When Garmin added the ability to switch databases it was a game changer for me.
So in short, I am a Basecamp guy.
So in short, I am a Basecamp guy.
I use Basecamp to plan, store and send/receive route data to/from the GPS's. I use Basecamp, along with Google Maps, to find fuel stops, as both come up with different data. My girlfriends bike has a very small fuel tank and we travel a lot through the western states, in the middle of the night, on the roads less traveled, making planned fuel stops a must. It also has a lot to do with what hardware your using.
In my opinion the answer is based upon what you want to do.
BaseCamp does some very good things. It does a better job of handling a LOT of waypoints and building/optimizing routes. However I find it to be a challenge to use at times. If you want to interface with a Garmin device it is nearly indispensable. For a quick day trip it seems to be a handful and the task might be better completed with Google or a cell phone app. BaseCamp has multiple levels and tools for planning. Forinstance, the base tool uses and creates waypoints. Importing GPX files and planning routes is quite easy. A route is created and it can be manually manipulated (order of stops, etc) and it can be automatically optimized. But, at times, the automatic does not do a perfect job.
When you sen the waypoints to your Garmin device it sends only the Waypoints and the GPS device will recreate the route. So in Basecamp you may need to add shaping waypoints.
In this case I have had a better experience with using Garmin Maps and sending the route to my handheld device.
One really nice feature of BaseCamp is that you can add durations for each stop and it will compute what time you should arrive, etc. VERY handy for planning time constrained routes such as a rally.
BaseCamp does some very good things. It does a better job of handling a LOT of waypoints and building/optimizing routes. However I find it to be a challenge to use at times. If you want to interface with a Garmin device it is nearly indispensable. For a quick day trip it seems to be a handful and the task might be better completed with Google or a cell phone app. BaseCamp has multiple levels and tools for planning. Forinstance, the base tool uses and creates waypoints. Importing GPX files and planning routes is quite easy. A route is created and it can be manually manipulated (order of stops, etc) and it can be automatically optimized. But, at times, the automatic does not do a perfect job.
When you sen the waypoints to your Garmin device it sends only the Waypoints and the GPS device will recreate the route. So in Basecamp you may need to add shaping waypoints.
In this case I have had a better experience with using Garmin Maps and sending the route to my handheld device.
One really nice feature of BaseCamp is that you can add durations for each stop and it will compute what time you should arrive, etc. VERY handy for planning time constrained routes such as a rally.
