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Basecamp is a terrible piece of software

Really, Garmin. Have you used it yourself? It's buggy, totally user-unfriendly, etc..., etc... There is too much not to like about this program to start listing issues. 

Trash the current implementation and rebuild it from the ground up, please.

  • As in individual trips? Not one trip with 21 Hubs?

  • Yes. Not sure if you can preload that many but myself and others have had issues creating routes which start and stop at the same place. Especially if you deviate from the calculated route the GPS may take it upon itself to recalculate all the intermediate stops and go straight back to the finish.

    Perhaps enter it as 21 independent segments. Use shaping points in between. I also highly recommend using the "do not alert" property on the shaping points: Open the Via Points panel on the route, select all, then Command-K to toggle alert.

    A bone I have to pick with the GPS is what it does to recalculate if I deviate from the preset route. Sometimes it throws everything away but the final destination. Sometimes it will take me to a reasonable shaping point. Sometimes it wants to go back to the first missed shaping point. So generally I disable Automatic Recalculation so that I can manually find my way back to the route. I really think Automatic Recalculation should be a per-route setting.

  • Although mainly about the skip function on a Garmin GPS (Nav 5/6 in this instance) There is a very good explanation of how shaping points & waypoints work if skipped/missed by 'Wapping' on a BMW forum, I am sure he would not mind me posting his comments here to assist anyone:

    The Nav V and VI (along with I assume the other devices of the same ilk in the generic Garmin range) both have the 'Skip waypoint' function. I so rarely use waypoints as opposed to shaping points I had forgotten how it worked, so I though I'd remind myself. To do this I created a 75 mile route in and around London. Into it I put eight waypoints, sufficient shaping points to force the route along and some additional shaping points (often just placed in a straight line along a road) just so I had some extras in case they made any difference. Given the huge number of potential road choices in and around the capital I believe that this was more than representative of even the longest route anyone might create for a day out on their motorcycle. This is what I found. So reliable were my findings I am convinced that Garmin devices offering the skip waypoint feature should all behave the same way.

    1. I fired up the device and previewed the map version of the route, ensuring it was the same as I had created in BaseCamp. It was. I then pushed, GO

    2. I was presented with the usual choices of where to navigate to from where I stood. These were: My start point, any one of the eight waypoints and the end point, just as one would expect.

    3. I chose the first waypoint, about two hundred yards away. The route imported perfectly, the start point, the eight intermediate waypoints (represented as little yellow flags) and the blue dot shaping points and the end point were all there. The distance, route shape and estimated time to complete were all perfect.

    4. I rode my bicycle to and through the first waypoint, the route behaving perfectly.

    5. I then stopped the route completely and rode back to home. I next summoned up the route again, again choosing the first waypoint from the list. Again, the route displayed perfectly. I rode towards the waypoint but instead of going through it, I took some side streets to miss it out deliberately, effectively skipping it out by choice. My device realised I was off route and did its very best to send me back to the waypoint, just as I expected it should. I then did what the device told me to do, turned around and rode through through the waypoint, whereupon the device was satisfied that it had taken me to where I had asked it to go and all was well with the full route thereafter.

    6. I stopped the route again and peddled back home. I summoned up the route again, choosing the first waypoint from the list. I pedalled towards it but before I arrived I asked the device to give skip the waypoint, which it did, recalculating the my bespoke route in the process, just as I expected it would. This is how:

    It routed me from where I stood directly to the next (ie the second) waypoint on the list. By directly, I mean it did it according to my preference settings, ignoring any blue shaping points that I had inserted between the first waypoint and the second. From the second point onwards the remainder of the route route ran perfectly. Just to check, I rode to the second waypoint and past it, following the recalculated magenta line all the way. Whilst it did not follow my original bespoke route between where I stood and the second waypoint (it selected different roads) it was perfect, my bespoke route running perfectly thereafter.

    7. I stopped the route and rode back home. I restarted the route, selected and rode towards the first waypoint, skipped it using the button, following the recalculated route towards the second point but before I got there, I pushed the skip waypoint button again. I have effectively skipped two waypoints from my bespoke route.

    8. Again the route recalculated, this time taking me directly (according to my preference settings) from where I stood to the third waypoint, again ignoring any shaping points in between. From the third point, my bespoke route ran perfectly thereafter, following the shaping points exactly.

    10. I then tried all sorts of combinations of stopping the route, choosing different first destinations from the list and skipping multiple waypoints. Each time the device recalculated my bespoke route in exactly the same way. Each time, no matter what, it always reverted back to the bespoke route, just as soon as I arrived at the waypoint I had asked the device to take me to.

    11. In short, it all worked just as I expected it would and should.

    Summary:

    A. The skip waypoint function works and works well, even for multiple skips in a single route.

    B. Pushing the skip waypoint button MUST result in a recalculation, as you have changed the instruction you originally gave to the device, which was to take you to and through a waypoint. You, not the device, have opted to skip the waypoint out. There has to be a recalculation or the device cannot do what you have asked it to do.

    B. The recalculation may well change your bespoke route, as you have asked your device to to take you from where you stand to a fresh destination. This recalculation will be done according to your device's preference settings; the device has no choice and cannot to do otherwise. If there are no alternative roads beyond those you selected in your bespoke route, the recalculated route will not differ at all from your bespoke route to the next waypoint. If there are alternative roads and the device selects those roads, the freshly recalculated route offered up will differ from those you chose when you made your bespoke route. The differences may be significant, depending on a large number of variables.

    C. Any intermediate shaping points you might have put into your bespoke route between where you stand and the next waypoint you have skipped to, will be ignored. In short, the recalculation to skip a waypoint is driven by destination and preference settings, not by any existing shaping points.

    D. As soon as you reach the next waypoint, your bespoke route will run perfectly thereafter (following all and any shaping points and waypoints you put in) right to the end of the route.

    E. If you do not create your own bespoke routes, you may not notice that a recalculated route differs if a waypoint is skipped and you may not care anyway.

    F. All the above worked in exactly the same way, whether I used my Nav V or VI

  • Yes, that is pretty much the way my Zumo 595 behaves. The problem I have is that I commonly have 50-100 miles of shaping (no alert) waypoints between hard waypoints. Get off that route and it throws all those away for the shortest route tot he hard point. As a result I prefer to disable automatic route recalculation permitting me to manually find my way back to the established route.

    Also if I find myself near an established route I would like to join. Must disable automatic recalc beforehand. Would much rather have a vector to nearest shaping point which does not involve a u-turn on the route.

  • I love Explore web and especially the phone app. I would use this over Basecamp any day. The most unfortunate thing is you cant have routes snap to roads and trails. I really hope this effort they are putting towards it will include those enhancements. 

  • I've used Gamins for over 12 years now, with 3 different units, including my brand new Zumo XT for my motorcycles.  Years ago when I heard about the "supposed" functionality (being able to map out in detail my routes) I was excited.  So, the time finally came (today) when I tried to use it, and yeah, unless I'm totally missing something, this is THE worst software.  The graphics are early '80's at BEST, and I cannot even make it show the city I want to turn at!  I had to zoom into Google maps, get the route numbers there, and scroll and try and find it in Base Camp.  Even when I finally found that intersection it still refused to show the city.  Pathetic!  Since I have an ADV bike in addition to my streetbike, I used AllTrails to create a .gpx file that HOPEFULLY will work.

    @Gamin:  Completely trash this software and start over.

  • Yup.   Bizarre that the maker of the best hardware has allowed the software to work with it to continue to suck for so long. I'm thinking someone out there will compete with these guys and take market share.

  • I'm happy with Garmin, their hardware at least, but man, is Base Camp a TOTAL nightmare.  I have a hard time navigating in AllTrails because the dirt roads are slightly-less-white squiggles on a white background (who thought THAT was a good idea???), and whenever you add a waypoint, it zooms you out (WTF???) but at least you can see city names.  Unless I haven't found a way yet (I'm using both these for the first time to plan an offroad trip the weekend after this next weekend), there isn't a way to go from one city to the next, as in Google, and then simply drag the line to snap to the actual route.  This is all making what SHOULD be easy and fun, to be a total PITA...

    One of these days I plan on taking a ride up to Rapid City to see an old friend from back in the '80's, and see Rushmore for the first time, and then ride to see devils Tower for the first time.  Plus, it'd be good to enjoy the FREEDOM embraced by the NON-tyrannical Governor Noem!

  • I suggest those of you having problems put a little bit of effort into using it. I've used BaseCamp for around 10 years and it works well. One of the best tutorials is this one:

    www.newenglandriders.org/.../