Garmin Basecamp

[SP250]

Anybody else have as much frustration and sheer anger at the way Bascamp does NOT work intuitively?

Wasted an hour just trying to get the F'**ing postcodes for start and finish of journey in to it.
I even rang the Garmin helpline and they couldn't get it right, so they advised me to download some 3rd party software which will put a google maps route into my Zumo.

FFS WHAT 3rd party software? Yea like that's going to make it easier................

Why don't they just make Basecamp work properly in the first place?????
Bl**dy software engineers F**ing usless to the general populace who don't have a degree in computer programming.

Rant over - I feel marginally better now.
Cup of tea time methinks to lower the blood pressure.

[popsky]

John try this, ok the base model only uses basic and open street source but it’s so easy to use for most bike navs, I can plot a 500 mile route in minutes the dl to my garmin, tried Basecamp once and that was enough for me.
I’ve got the gold membership which I know costs but give the basic a try I’m sure you’ll be impressed

http://www.myrouteapp.com

[milleplod]

I use this - https://tourstart.org/

Ultra-intuitive, nothing to really 'get the hang of'....it just works. Free trial period, then around £14 a year, worth every penny!

Pete

[popsky]

I use this - https://tourstart.org/

Ultra-intuitive, nothing to really 'get the hang of'....it just works. Free trial period, then around £14 a year, worth every penny!

Pete

Is this purely a mobile app and you can’t upload the route to a dedicated bike nav ?

[milleplod]

I use this - https://tourstart.org/

Ultra-intuitive, nothing to really 'get the hang of'....it just works. Free trial period, then around £14 a year, worth every penny!

Pete

Is this purely a mobile app and you can’t upload the route to a dedicated bike nav ?

No, I have it on my laptop......I create a route on there, connect my old, non-wifi Zumo 400 by cable and transfer the route at the click of a button. It's available as an app for IoS and Android, so routes can be transferred to newer units via wifi.

Pete

[popsky]

Excellent

[SP250]

Thanks guys for your help, but both your suggestions cost money.

As I paid over £350 for the Zumo GPS & lifetime map updates and I assumed the route programmer as well (basecamp), then I wrongly assumed it would work easily.
I am not happy at having to spend even more money to fix a damn expensive product which is not fit for the average Joe to use.

Hence my asking the Garmin tech help for a fix which would use Google maps and squirt the route into my Zumo & phone.
This was after he tried to show me how to use Basecamp and he got it wrong a few times so he suggested I get 3rd party software to translate Google maps to Garmin speak.

Even Mr Parry of this parish, finds it a pain to use and he is (was) a professional IT techie!

[ianc53]

Hi John

No solutions, but lots of sympathy. I've spend a lot over the years on Garmin sat navs for motor and push bikes, and tried hard to get to grips with Basecamp but, as you say, it is f'ing useless.

Sounds like I should be giving tourstart a go!

Good luck

Ian

[popsky]

I’m sure you can still use the free version John, give it a try

[milleplod]

If you do decide to dabble with Tourstart, just one little thing to be aware of. You'll need to download a little programme called 'Tourstart Transfer', it lets the Tourstart website talk to your satnav when transferring a custom route. The 'recommended' way to do things is to create a route, give it a name and then save it in your online account - when you click the 'download GPS data' button, you're given a drop-down menu, at the top of which is the Tourstart Transfer option that lets you move it straight to your device (there are also other options to let you save the file to your computer for moving to your satnav that way if you prefer). At this point, you'd select TTransfer, then connect your device by cable and its name appears on the small TTransfer panel on your screen. A click on the 'transfer route' button, job done.

Occasionally, TTransfer couldn't see my Zumo, which was really frustrating because it seemed to take multiple opening and closings of the website and/or TTransfer to make it work. The solution is to always open TTransfer first, before you go to the main website, and let it run in the background till you've created the route and you're ready to transfer it to your unit - that way, TTransfer sees your unit every single time with no faffing around. Of course, if you simply save the route to your computer and then drag it to your connected unit, this won't be an issue.

Tourstart support is really, really good. eMails to them are replied to very quickly by the guy who created it, Jan Pedersen in Denmark. The free trial of the 'pro' version, which is what you need to create custom routes, is 14 days. I think if anyone tries it, they'll be impressed enough to pay the £1.40 a month to continue using it. I tried Basecamp ages ago, hated it, - I hear people say 'oh, it's great once you get the hang of it'....I don't want to spend all that time getting the bloody hang of it, I want something that just....works, straight out of the box!

Pete

[popsky]

Pete that’s pretty much how MyRoute-app works, one thing I found when uploading the route to garmin in the drop down box you have 2 options for garmin 1.0 and 1.1, my 395lm is 1.0, if you don’t choose the right version then the route won’t be followed by the nav, easiest way is draw a test route and install on you nav open the route and look at the map if the waypoints are flags then it’ll follow that route, and iirc with the free version you can still upload to your nav but as Pete’s app you’ll start with the pro version, Jonny5 has uploaded the Montgomery route I’ve drawn and he still had the basic version.

[slparry]

I essentially only use Basecamp twice a year, once for the Welsh Weekend and once for the annual hike to the Highlands. It is cludgy and cumbersome to use, especially compared to how simple and slick Google maps is.

Once I get to grips with it it's at best OK but still painful to use. However, because it'll be ages 'til I use it again by the time I do I've misremembered how to do it all again

Given I didn't notice it had inverted the route from Baskerville Hall last year I'm definitely in the "it's a pain" camp. I'm sure if you're using it daily it's OK but most of us are rarely going to be in that category.

I've tried various external options to import Google Maps to Basecamp before but found they created millions of way points rather than the expected route. Perhaps I've done it incorrectly

[SP250]

Glad its not just me then.

Tried Phil's link and set up an account (or tried to), it still hasn't sent me the log in activating email yet, so I guess I can discount that one as well.

I just had a thought - a printed map doesn't have all this shit to deal with, so I've written the road numbers and towns I need on a piece of paper and stuck it into the window on my tankbag!
Sundays ride to Pontefract through the Derbyshire Dales is now sorted with out electronic bollocks.

I really am getting well versed in being a GOM!

[Al]

I still do old school as well John, that’s how my route to Montgomery will be done, with the aid of google maps on Sue’s phone for back up.

Al.

[popsky]

I’ll give you a demo on my phone John at Montgomery