Garmin Basecamp / GPS / Google Maps

is it just me or does anyone else HATE Basecamp?

I can't figure it out at all...............total frustration!

I'm not all the tech savory to begin with but this program is killing me!

Does anyone know how to convert a google map to GPX?

tks,
Jason

Have a peek here- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?74203-Learn-Garmin-BaseCamp-Tutorial-Videos
May help ya.
OM

gsjay said:

is it just me or does anyone else HATE Basecamp?

I can't figure it out at all...............total frustration!

I'm not all the tech savory to begin with but this program is killing me!

Does anyone know how to convert a google map to GPX?

tks,
Jason

Click to expand...

One thing you have to keep in mind is that BC is not a Windows product and doesn't "think" like one.
OM's suggestion to review those tutorials is a good one.
Also here is another excellent resource: http://www.newenglandriders.org/Learn_BaseCamp_PC.pdf
Trust me when I say that once you get the hang of it you'll find its a very powerful program and you'll not go back.
The key is once you learn the basics, just keep using it and it will all fall into place.
I use it exclusively.

But in answer to your original question, here is a link to a program that many use to convert to .gpx: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

Good luck!

Thanks for the links everyone..................
I'm jumping in with both feet so I'm ready when the snow melts!
jason

No. Not everybody hates Basecamp. Some of us simply refuse to even try it. Powerful shmowerful. I don't need powerful. Powerful means complicated. The only things I do with Mapsource is store waypoints as a backup and to load when I get a new GPS; and to load a track every now and then so I can review it on my computer. For trip planning on my computer I use a 1990's version of Street Atlas USA.

gsjay said:

Does anyone know how to convert a google map to GPX?

Click to expand...

I checked into this maybe 5 years ago and google did not have that function for some reason. Mapquest did, however, and I used that for several years. Recently, I think last year, Mapquest took away that function.

I just got a Nav V which I believe includes Basecamp but I have yet to use it so can't help you there. Hopefully I can save you some time messing with google and Mapquest. I would love to be wrong about this, so hopefully someone will pipe up and tell us this function has been restored.

PGlaves said:

No. Not everybody hates Basecamp. Some of us simply refuse to even try it. Powerful shmowerful. I don't need powerful. Powerful means complicated. The only things I do with Mapsource is store waypoints as a backup and to load when I get a new GPS; and to load a track every now and then so I can review it on my computer. For trip planning on my computer I use a 1990's version of Street Atlas USA.

Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%!
BaseCamp is not for everyone.

gsjay said:

Does anyone know how to convert a google map to GPX?

tks,
Jason

Click to expand...

There are several free PC-based converters, including GPSBabel, ITNConverter, and Tyre. The last two will not only convert most GPS file formats, but are also good route planners. RoadRunner Magazine has several useful tutorials on route planning with Tyre on YouTube - look especially for the "Best Practices" and "Designing Your Own Route" series.

GPSVisualizer is an online converter, so it will work from Apple and Android devices.

Furkot is an online route planner that will also convert Google's KML files to GPX, but is a bit complex. (A good tool to learn in the winter when you can't ride.) It does a very nice job of planning right down to picking fuel stops, meals and lodging.

When using any non-Garmin converter/planner, be sure to check your planned route against the actual route displayed when loaded on your GPS. Different algorithms and maps may produce different results.

Definitely, BaseCamp is an acquired taste.

I've been trying to like it for a couple of years, but still no love. Just extremely counter-intuitive for me, so it takes me too long to get comfortable with it and if I don't use it for a few months it is back to a frustrating learning curve.

Yes, it is extremely powerful, and I truly wish I meshed with its way of doing things better, but it is so frustrating that I avoid it.

As for converting KML / KMZ files to GPX files, as has been mentioned, there are several good options. I use GPSBabel and Tyre. For me, Tyre is my preferred converter. It is bigger and more cumbersome than GPSBabel, but I prefer using it for some unexplained / unknown reason. I also use it to convert CSV and TomTom OV2 POI files into Garmin POI files (GPI). Very easy to make your own POI files in CSV and then just convert.

I for one use Basecamp regularly and find it a great trip planning tool. It can be used in many different ways from storing waypoints, to trip planning. Yes, Basecamp can be quirky but reboot your PC every now and then. It seems to mellow the "quirkiness." Another annoying thing Basecamp and my GPS do often is route me to an off-ramp only to get right back on again. So now I try to understand my route in advance to avoid these annoying quirks.

As for the haters... some folks have different skills than others - not better - just different. Some embrace technology some reject it. The reality is that tech is here to stay. It's your choice whether to use it or not. The old fashioned way - paper maps - works as does the tech way - a GPS. To make either work you've got to use your brain, relying on yourself not a map or a device.

nakwakto00 said:

I for one use Basecamp regularly and find it a great trip planning tool. It can be used in many different ways from storing waypoints, to trip planning. Yes, Basecamp can be quirky but reboot your PC every now and then. It seems to mellow the "quirkiness." Another annoying thing Basecamp and my GPS do often is route me to an off-ramp only to get right back on again. So now I try to understand my route in advance to avoid these annoying quirks.

As for the haters... some folks have different skills than others - not better - just different. Some embrace technology some reject it. The reality is that tech is here to stay. It's your choice whether to use it or not. The old fashioned way - paper maps - works as does the tech way - a GPS. To make either work you've got to use your brain, relying on yourself not a map or a device.

Click to expand...

Having spent a lifetime working in the software and hardware industries I have to say that Basecamp is poorly written and counterintuitive to the extreme. It would never survive if it had any real competition. The fact that some find it 'buggy' and requires rebooting the hardware it runs on means it is also guilty of poor memory management and/or competing or poorly designed subroutines. I could use it - after all is is but another program 'language' to learn, but I don't because the idea that a company can get away with poor programming due to size of market and lack of competition drives me crazy. I combine a GPS, Smart Phone and Maps without the hours/days of planning. And no, I am not averse to new technology or software - quite the opposite - just averse to bad software. As in all things though YMMV.

nakwakto00 said:

I for one use Basecamp regularly and find it a great trip planning tool. It can be used in many different ways from storing waypoints, to trip planning. Yes, Basecamp can be quirky but reboot your PC every now and then. It seems to mellow the "quirkiness." Another annoying thing Basecamp and my GPS do often is route me to an off-ramp only to get right back on again. So now I try to understand my route in advance to avoid these annoying quirks.

As for the haters... some folks have different skills than others - not better - just different. Some embrace technology some reject it. The reality is that tech is here to stay. It's your choice whether to use it or not. The old fashioned way - paper maps - works as does the tech way - a GPS. To make either work you've got to use your brain, relying on yourself not a map or a device.

Click to expand...

The choices are far more diverse than a paper map or tech dichotomy. Far greater. I posted earlier that I have limited use for PC based Garmin software. That said I am not anti GPS. I got my first one in 1997 or 1998 and used it in the 1999 Iron Butt Rally. It was a Garmin III - predecessor to the III+. Since then I have had a couple of III+, a V, a Street Pilot (the black and white model), a Street Pilot III Colormap, a couple of Nuvi 265s, a 276c, a 2610, a 2720 and a Zumo 660.

I routinely ride with a map in my tank bag and two GPS units mounted - one with a data table displayed and the other routing to one or more waypoints. But I don't build routes on my PC because they often fail to match up with the GPS even though Garmin claims the maps are the same. So for routing I either use or make a way point and route to it. Often it is my destination, with one or more via points to shape the routing. For the bigger picture I use a map or a non-Garmin mapping program on my computer. This just happens to be the easy way for me to navigate with the GPS.

For navigation I have accumulated about 300 personally marked waypoints at campgrounds, rally sites, stores, friends homes, hotels, etc across the US and Canada. And of course the ability to find/mark Cities and Points of Interest, and to enter a new address, or coordinates. I don't need Garmin software to do any of this. I much prefer Street Atlas USA or Streets and Trips for overall planning. Occasionally I have done routes on Mapsource for planning purposes but never load the route to my GPS because of the reason I mentioned above.

If I were still doing competitive long-distance rally riding I might embrace the technology further for the sake of saving time trying to route to 40 or 50 bonus locations. But since I am now usually interested in going to one or two locations, I just use waypoints and via points.

On a whim, I installed Basecamp. The first thing it told me is that my version of OpenGL is out of date...on a new laptop. I was limited to 2D maps. After spending some time trying to find out what my installed version of OpenGL was, I decided to simply use the 2D maps. I was only trying to find out how difficult it was to use.

I zoomed in on the area I normally ride in. I know what roads are available and wanted to see what Basecamp would suggest. Hmm...only about 1 percent of the available roads in the area were displayed.

Okay. I'm done. I can easily go to Google Maps, plot my route there, then save waypoints on my GPS to force it to take the same route.

Chris

daboo said:

On a whim, I installed Basecamp. The first thing it told me is that my version of OpenGL is out of date...on a new laptop. I was limited to 2D maps. After spending some time trying to find out what my installed version of OpenGL was, I decided to simply use the 2D maps. I was only trying to find out how difficult it was to use.

I zoomed in on the area I normally ride in. I know what roads are available and wanted to see what Basecamp would suggest. Hmm...only about 1 percent of the available roads in the area were displayed.

Okay. I'm done. I can easily go to Google Maps, plot my route there, then save waypoints on my GPS to force it to take the same route.

Chris

Click to expand...

Did you install the detailed maps from your GPS into your PC for basecamp to use? If not. You only have the base map which is basically interstates until you bring the detailed maps from your GPS to the PC.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

daboo said:

On a whim, I installed Basecamp. The first thing it told me is that my version of OpenGL is out of date...on a new laptop. I was limited to 2D maps. After spending some time trying to find out what my installed version of OpenGL was, I decided to simply use the 2D maps. I was only trying to find out how difficult it was to use.

I zoomed in on the area I normally ride in. I know what roads are available and wanted to see what Basecamp would suggest. Hmm...only about 1 percent of the available roads in the area were displayed.

Okay. I'm done. I can easily go to Google Maps, plot my route there, then save waypoints on my GPS to force it to take the same route.

Chris

Click to expand...

Great that you took the plunge!
Just a couple notes:
OpenGL has to do with your graphics cards capabilities to display complex graphics.
To be honest, you're not missing much by sticking with 2D...I have it and never use it.
The suggestion is a good one...make sure map versions match.
But! Thats not the reason you're not seeing the roads you want.
Once you open BC, go to the upper left of the window and you will see the map detail dropdown.
Set it to High, higher or highest and I bet you will see every road thats in the area...some you may not know exist!

Have fun!

Thanks for the suggestions. That's what forums are all about...helping each other.

I'm finding a block in making this work. It's a personal thing, I think. By the time I can zoom in to see the detail maps...I can't see anything more than my own neighborhood. Ugh.

So I set up a test scenario from my home to the Duval library. Hmmm...it took me on a less twisty road than if I just let my 590LM handle it. It also took me into a road that is often stop-n-go, rather than moving traffic.

I'll look into this more...but I'm thinking there are better alternatives.

Chris

daboo said:

Thanks for the suggestions. That's what forums are all about...helping each other.

I'm finding a block in making this work. It's a personal thing, I think. By the time I can zoom in to see the detail maps...I can't see anything more than my own neighborhood. Ugh.

So I set up a test scenario from my home to the Duval library. Hmmm...it took me on a less twisty road than if I just let my 590LM handle it. It also took me into a road that is often stop-n-go, rather than moving traffic.

I'll look into this more...but I'm thinking there are better alternatives.

Chris

Click to expand...

Ah...OK. No biggie.
Once BC is open and you have your route displayed, in the bottom left pane, double click on the route. That will open another dialog box.
Across the top of that new box, click on "Route options". From there you can set up profiles for how you would like BC to calculate your route.
Theres quite a number of different scenarios.

Part 2) Once BC is open and your route is displayed, go to that left pane again and this time right click on the route and select "show on map".
That should zoom you out to see a snapshot of the entire route.
Generally, pressing the letter Z on your keyboard, you should be able to zoom in and out by using either the right or left mouse buttons.

Hope this helps.

Joe

At the moment I really hate basecamp and I'm trying to love it so much...
My problem with it is that (I live in UK) the UK maps installed on the device show up in the map options, but the US maps (which I purchased from garmin) are loaded on the SD card.
Unless the Nav V is plugged into the pc I can't use the US maps for planning (well I can but it just draws straight lines between points), which is a pain to say the least.
All I'd like it to do is acknowledge that I've got the US maps so I can use its functionality.
Any suggestions (part from chucking it...which I have been close to) how to get the basecamp to have the US map in the options drop down would be gratefully received.

Derek

Just like on your GPS, in Basecamp you have to tell it to display higher detail on the maps. I think the default is quite low so this may be why you are not seeing much of the roads displayed.

I've come to learn how to work with Basecamp enough to get done what I need to do, but I'm far from enjoying it. I really dislike the way it organizes and saves the data. To be able to have a route or track as an individual file, one must export it first which seems ridiculous. Plus it will always clutter the screen with every single track and route that is in a file list. You have to keep creating new "lists" to separate the individual files. Trying to save a list on a remote cloud to access and modify on different computers is a whole new level of crazy.

61996 said:

. . .here is another excellent resource:http://www.newenglandriders.org/Learn_BaseCamp_PC.pdf
Trust me when I say that once you get the hang of it you'll find its a very powerful program and you'll not go back. The key is once you learn the basics, just keep using it and it will all fall into place. I use it exclusively.

But in answer to your original question, here is a link to a program that many use to convert to .gpx: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

Good luck!

Click to expand...

+1

BUT, beware of using Google Maps and converting. See thread: https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread...ons&highlight= Garmin could not guarantee that it wasn't this conversion from Google that caused failure of the unit due to some type of software corruption. Has anyone else encountered this? Anyone have insight?