I think it is the result of a gaggle of geeky Gen Zers holding a company contest to see who could load a mapping program with the most useless features as possible with no care that only geeky Gen Zers can use it easily. I mourn for the wonderfully easy and intuitive MapSource Garmin took away from us. But then I'd go back to rotary dial phones and three on the tree if I could.
Who likes or hates Garmin BaseCamp?
- Thread starter Bernard Sullivan
- Start date
I've been using it long enough that it is pretty much second nature for me. I can generally bang out a route as fast on BC as anything else. I do use Google Maps in conjunction with BC for researching things like hours of operation, maybe checking out street views, and verifying locations are still what they seem to be - Google does get updates much faster it seems.
I joined the satnav generation when BC had recently replaced MS. I listened to the old boys whingeing about MS was brilliant and BC was rubbish, decided not to look at MS and have just found BC to cut the mustard ever since.
The good old days invariably uses rose-tinted specs.
Incidentally, I'm an ancient Boomer.
The good old days invariably uses rose-tinted specs.
Incidentally, I'm an ancient Boomer.
BC is not intuitive to use. It's sloppy, lazy software written by dysfunctional children poking their phones. To more easily grasp what it is, you need to understand that it's a GPS simulator, not mapping software. This is why nothing works like an actual mapping software program should. You can't just move the cursor to the map and do something, you have to first select a tool for the cursor, etc. I hate it. I don't use it. It was never finished and now it's obsolete and unsupported by Garmin. Oh, except suddenly there is Basecamp 4... Always in beta, imho.
Re: Win11 https://www.gpsrchive.com/BaseCamp/index.htm.
There are some very good teaching aids out there. Watch as many as you can find. Search here on this forum for some good tips and links too.
Here is an intro that starts from scratch and explains some of the initial pitfalls that often confuse people, (like no maps w/o linking your GPS or downloading maps to your PC. LINK
Good luck!
Re: Win11 https://www.gpsrchive.com/BaseCamp/index.htm.
There are some very good teaching aids out there. Watch as many as you can find. Search here on this forum for some good tips and links too.
Here is an intro that starts from scratch and explains some of the initial pitfalls that often confuse people, (like no maps w/o linking your GPS or downloading maps to your PC. LINK
Good luck!
You mean simple, useful, fully capable of doing the job required w/o extra crap that no one needed? Is English your first language? Have you ever actually used a rotary phone? Do you even understand what a phone is? Pro Tip - It's for making phone calls, not storing the 1217 pictures you never look at or txtg your BFF.
https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=209
I'm not sure if that link will work for you, but all I did was go to Garmin.com and used their search for MAPSOURCE. Download it and give it a try. I don't use it much anymore, as I learned how to use basecamp and now prefer its features.
I'm not sure if that link will work for you, but all I did was go to Garmin.com and used their search for MAPSOURCE. Download it and give it a try. I don't use it much anymore, as I learned how to use basecamp and now prefer its features.
Basecamp and MapSource. Seriously. I use both for different purposes to create the "perfect" route. Most of the route planning is done in BC, but there are a few functions more easily completed in MS. After grooming the waypoints and eliminating all unnecessary items using MS, it is also MS that ultimately that loads the route and waypoints into the GPS.
You mean simple, useful, fully capable of doing the job required w/o extra crap that no one needed? Is English your first language? Have you ever actually used a rotary phone? Do you even understand what a phone is? Pro Tip - It's for making phone calls, not storing the 1217 pictures you never look at or txtg your BFF.
There's a fly in the ointment Neither MapSource nor BaseCamp maps can "find" my RV 770. (Haven't tried the Zumo yet). I'm downloading some kind of Garmin update that may solve the problem but I think something's haywire somewhere. Y'all need to know I'm not only Murphy's favorite lab rat --I've got standing!
I use Basecamp and come from Mapsource and Streets&Trips. If you learn all of the good features in Basecamp you can really plan some good rides that allow you to get accurate mileage of the ride and the time it will take to complete the ride.
Basecamp allows you to build in stops / layovers and different ride profiles between stops. It has some good features.
Basecamp allows you to build in stops / layovers and different ride profiles between stops. It has some good features.
@Greg Rice - Kinda sounds like the BMW rider telling me how feature rich his bike is... as it sits with a pool of oil under the final drive.
But ok, can you elaborate on why you find it useful to build in stops/layovers? I'm curious because I can't think of any situation where that would provide info I don't already have.
What "good features" do you find useful?
Yes, it's nice that it doesn't require an internet connection, that was always part of the appeal to MS too. Plug in your locations, hit optimize, and sometimes that was all you needed to get the big picture. There's a lot more time involved with BC to do the same.
But ok, can you elaborate on why you find it useful to build in stops/layovers? I'm curious because I can't think of any situation where that would provide info I don't already have.
What "good features" do you find useful?
Yes, it's nice that it doesn't require an internet connection, that was always part of the appeal to MS too. Plug in your locations, hit optimize, and sometimes that was all you needed to get the big picture. There's a lot more time involved with BC to do the same.
This debate needs some context:
Nobody makes a software product to do what we need. The market is way too small.
As such we use products that we think might help. Best fit if you will. Some folks around here have worked very hard to find ways to make available products work for LD rallies with some success.
A tool analogy; We are using screw drivers as pry bars. The BC screw driver seems to make a better pry bar than the MS screw driver. It kinda works but it's not seamless by any stretch.
Nobody makes a software product to do what we need. The market is way too small.
As such we use products that we think might help. Best fit if you will. Some folks around here have worked very hard to find ways to make available products work for LD rallies with some success.
A tool analogy; We are using screw drivers as pry bars. The BC screw driver seems to make a better pry bar than the MS screw driver. It kinda works but it's not seamless by any stretch.