Mapsource / Basecamp

[Wowbagger]

I've never used them. What are they for and what am I missing?

I'm on a Mac.

[Feanor]

They are programs which will let you create routes and waypoints on your PC / Mac.
Mapsource is the original program, no-longer-supported; and Basecamp is it's ugly offspring.

It also allows you to build mapsets on the PC to transfer to the GPS.

The advantage over on-line tools is that you can load the same mapset into the program on the PC as you have on the GPS device, so you can have more confidence that what you see on the PC is what you will get on the day on the device, since they are using the same maps.

[fuaran]

Mapsource is Windows only.
BaseCamp is available for Windows or Mac OS X.

There's also RoadTrip, which was older Mac OS software, I think its now pretty much redundant to BaseCamp.

[Sergeant Pluck]

It's a routing / track creation / waypoint and data transfer tool, Wow. I've installed Openfietsmaps in mine and it autoroutes, follows roads etc. like any of the web based tools.

I'm still playing around with it. It seems excellent. All the mapping webpages have made it redundant, I suppose, although in its favour it does allow easy organisation and storage of routes and as you'd expect, transfer to / from an Etrex is a doddle.

I do think Ben T's website is excellent and it remains unclear how often I'll use Basecamp. But it's free and worth a try.

[Kim]

There's a Mac version of Basecamp.

http://www8.garmin.com/support/mappingsw.jsp

[Wowbagger]

I've managed to download Basecamp and have it working, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as Bikehike. Does it have any advantages?

What of Ben T's website? Which is that?

[Sergeant Pluck]

Advantages? Er, probably not, other than the ability to make routes even if the internet breaks.

Ben T:

http://www.gpxeditor.co.uk

As discussed on this thread. Seems to be excellent, especially for the track + sparse route method.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60946.0

[Kim]

I've managed to download Basecamp and have it working, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as Bikehike. Does it have any advantages?

You can do it without an internet connection.  That's a fairly major one, or was when I first got into GPS.  Still valid if you've got a laptop with you on tour, or something.  Cloud computing makes me nervous anyway.


If nothing else, it lets you dump the contents of your GPS to disk, in case the firmware fairy comes and causes a factory reset.

[Feanor]

I've managed to download Basecamp and have it working, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as Bikehike. Does it have any advantages?

The main advantage is the ability to have the same mapset on both the route-planning program and the GPS device.

Using a web-based route-planner will look lovely and all on the website with it's maps, but may not come out as planned on the GPS device when it assesses the route against it's different maps.   Tracks will be less affected, but may appear to go places which have no roads.

[fuaran]

It depends on just what you want to do. BaseCamp can do a lot of stuff other than route planning.
My main use is for viewing tracks recorded on my GPS, looking at them on the map and analysing the statistics.
Also I have various collections of waypoints for places of interest, so its nice to see them on a map and decide which to visit.

And managing the waypoints/routes/tracks on the GPS device. I can figure out which ones I want to delete/edit, or download them all as a backup.
BaseCamp also has features for geotagging photos, and geocaching/opencaching, if you care about that.

In terms of route planning, it can do a few things that are not possible in Bikehike etc. eg you can view several different routes/tracks at once, so you can check if they are going the same way etc. Also you can split and join routes/tracks, which is handy if you want to reuse sections of a previous route.

[Biggsy]

I've managed to download Basecamp and have it working, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as Bikehike. Does it have any advantages?

I use Mapsource (Basecamp's predecessor) for making custom mapsets.  I combine City Navigator, OSM, contours, and select the tiles (areas) I want, to create a single file to put on the GPS device.

You might as well carry on using Bikehike for route planning if it works well enough for you.

[Kim]

I use Mapsource (Basecamp's predecessor) for making custom mapsets.  I combine City Navigator, OSM, contours, and select the tiles (areas) I want, to create a single file to put on the GPS device.

This is an extremely useful thing to be able to do on a HCx if you have Garmin mapping (overlaying contours on City Navigator makes for a very good routable road cycling oriented map, but in some situations OSM mapping is more useful).  Combining the maps into a single .IMG means you can quickly switch between flavours of map from the setup menu.

The new eTrexes will read multiple .IMG files, which means you don't need Mapsource (or a map-combining tool) to do this.

[andyoxon]

I use Mapsource (Basecamp's predecessor) for making custom mapsets.  I combine City Navigator, OSM, contours, and select the tiles (areas) I want, to create a single file to put on the GPS device.

This is an extremely useful thing to be able to do on a HCx if you have Garmin mapping (overlaying contours on City Navigator makes for a very good routable road cycling oriented map, but in some situations OSM mapping is more useful).  Combining the maps into a single .IMG means you can quickly switch between flavours of map from the setup menu.

The new eTrexes will read multiple .IMG files, which means you don't need Mapsource (or a map-combining tool) to do this.

If I can chip in and ask what might be a good contour mapping to overlay, if it's possible, onto OpenFietsMap_UK (or OSM), and how is it done in Basecamp/mapsource?  The contours on OFM could be more prominent IMO, to be able to see easily on the GPS unit display.

[Viking]

Is it just me or does Basecamp only have a basic map.  There is no detail on my Mac.

[Biggsy]

Andy, Google "contours v2 map".  There's even a version as a .exe file that will install the maps in Mapsource for you.  Then make your custom mapset with Mapsource.

Viking, yes Basecamp comes only with a useless map.  You're supposed to install maps in it: City Navigator, Topo, OSM, whatever.

[Biggsy]

ps.  There are ways of changing the colour and boldness of contour lines and any map features (on your computer).  The complicated details have been posted to this forum before.  Personally, I don't want contour lines very prominent, otherwise they can look a footpath or river etc.

[Viking]

Andy, Google "contours v2 map".  There's even a version as a .exe file that will install the maps in Mapsource for you.  Then make your custom mapset with Mapsource.

Viking, yes Basecamp comes only with a useless map.  You're supposed to install maps in it: City Navigator, Topo, OSM, whatever.

Ha! OK, can I load up the ones that came with my Edge 800 on SD card (City Navigator)

[Kim]

Ha! OK, can I load up the ones that came with my Edge 800 on SD card (City Navigator)

Probably not.  I think this is the reason why you should buy Garmin maps on DVD, not SD card.

Googling suggests that Basecamp may be able to read them off the device while it's connected, though.