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grafikfeat

New member
If I repeat info I apologize...

I was following Mac/Garmin for a bit and then got side tracked w/ a huge house lifting project.

Went back to the Garmin site and found all this support for the Mac:

Garmin and the Mac

"Garmin is committed to creating a great software experience for all of our customers.
This page is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on our growing range of software
made for Mac and helping you enjoy the full potential of your Garmin device."


I was finally able to update the firmware and maps on the BMW Navigator III.

They also have some neat little "apps" for the Mac.
Well worth the time to look around.

Finally a 'native' updater.
 
Finally a 'native' updater.

Yeah, but Roadtrip doesn't have anywhere near the functionality of Mapsource. It's true that Mapsource is convoluted, but if you got used to getting info a certain way and that ability has gone away, you;re still gonna have to run two platforms. grumblegrumble
 
Yeah, but Roadtrip doesn't have anywhere near the functionality of Mapsource. It's true that Mapsource is convoluted, but if you got used to getting info a certain way and that ability has gone away, you;re still gonna have to run two platforms. grumblegrumble

also, be careful if you load your maps via PC and then load routes via Mac... the two really don't like each other.

this only applies to Garmin units that don't have all the maps built in, i assume.

and, i have yet to figure out what the logic is behind how the mac/roadtrip stores routes... it just drives me :banghead

ian
 
Yeah, but Roadtrip doesn't have anywhere near the functionality of Mapsource. It's true that Mapsource is convoluted, but if you got used to getting info a certain way and that ability has gone away, you;re still gonna have to run two platforms. grumblegrumble

I was just happy to update firmware/2010 maps.
I'm looking into connectivity w/ Google Earth.

I'm curious to see where these apps go...
 
and, i have yet to figure out what the logic is behind how the mac/roadtrip stores routes... it just drives me :banghead

ian

Everything in roadtrip is in one database. There really is no separate storage place for routes, waypoints, tracks, etc. Everything is in "My Collection". The other folders are more like iPhoto albums... nothing more than pointers to the actual data stored in "My Collection".

In "My Collection" waypoints come before routes and routes before track logs. You can create a folder and drag things into the folder, but that does not remove them from My Collection. The confusing part of using folders for routes is that when you drag a route to a folder the waypoints associated with that route don't show up in the folder, too. They don't need to, I guess.

I use folders for organization, of course, and to control what gets uploaded to the GPS. I'll create a route, drag it to a folder, then upload only that folder to the GPS. Since the route in the folder is a pointer to the actual route in "My Collection" the waypoints for that route get uploaded, too, even though they don't show up in the folder.

Having everything in "My Collection" really gets confusing when you use more than one GPS. The single database means you can not have a waypoint with the same name on the two GPS unless their location is identical. Also, I've learned not to create a route or waypoint, upload to my 276C, then download from my 276C. The waypoint name changes form along the way, leaving me with two (or more) waypoints for the same location with different names.

All-in-all I find Road Trip a so-so program, but mostly usable. I prefer to plan routes using Google Maps and once even figured out how to get such a route transferred to my GPS. I don't remember it being a simple task and I've forgotten whatever steps I took to get the route transferred. One of these days I'll have to figure it out, again.
 
I prefer to plan routes using Google Maps and once even figured out how to get such a route transferred to my GPS. I don't remember it being a simple task and I've forgotten whatever steps I took to get the route transferred. One of these days I'll have to figure it out, again.

+1 on Google Maps although I've never even attempted a transfer to a GPS receiver.

I tend to use waypoints for my routing, having been bit too many times by too many versions of software, firmware, and mapping differences.
 
All-in-all I find Road Trip a so-so program, but mostly usable. I prefer to plan routes using Google Maps and once even figured out how to get such a route transferred to my GPS. I don't remember it being a simple task and I've forgotten whatever steps I took to get the route transferred. One of these days I'll have to figure it out, again.

i cannot wait to have a simple tool to send google routes to garmin gps.

the mapsource code has crappy interface on both PC and mac platforms, but at least having road trip lets me travel comfortably with my mac. even if it does have a screwball file management system (or lack of one... thanks for the explanation.)

izn
 
I'm thankful Garmin now has a good Mac solution. Roadtrip and my Nuvi 750 play just fine with my iMac. I find route planning on Roadtrip to be sufficient for my needs.
 
I'm thankful Garmin now has a good Mac solution. Roadtrip and my Nuvi 750 play just fine with my iMac. I find route planning on Roadtrip to be sufficient for my needs.

That's my sentiment. At least I updated my GPS easily w/ firmware and maps w/o a trip to radio shack for whacky cabling etc.

AND no PC is needed.
 
+1 on Google Maps although I've never even attempted a transfer to a GPS receiver.

I tend to use waypoints for my routing, having been bit too many times by too many versions of software, firmware, and mapping differences.

It's actually pretty easy.

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I'm still seeing if you can upload "routes" instead of just "places".

That would make it a killer feature! I've used Google maps so many times to check for terrain features, rendezvous points, and whether an area was populated or not. Noty having to go back to Mapsource, Street Atlas, or whatever mapping application I was using would be a HUGE PLUS!
 
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