Things that I cannot accomplish in Mac BaseCamp

Not sure if this thread is still being monitored but I've wasted most of two days trying to get Basecamp to plan a route. I have European maps on the Nuvi 2595 (and downloaded to my mac, now copied into three or four places to try and get it working) but can only plan on global maps in Basecamp without the Nuvi attached.

I went with Nuvi over Tom Tom because the marketing blurb said you can plan routes on Basecamp and upload to your satnav. Apparently the City Navigator Maps only work when the Nuvi is connected to the laptop. Why?! I have purchased the maps, didn't really have a choice as to what format the maps are in, and have 7 apps on my Mac to manage this satnav. Yet still I can't find addresses, save locations and map a decent route without using the satnav?! And the hundreds of posts I've found all over the www suggest that other people want to do this as much as I do and can't understand why Basecamp can't do it. It's basic - come on Garmin! I may as well just use Google and save the resulting route as a GPX format!

So what do I want to do that the system doesn't? Well for one understanding why on earth I need all of these apps just to update and plan on a satnav, exactly what role each one plays and how they interact. And secondly being able to access the map that I have on my satnav (and which is stored on my laptop) through Basecamp without having to connect the satnav.

When you update your maps you can choose to download them to your computer as well as your nuvi. Once you do that you can use them with Basecamp without your nuvi attached. Will solve all your problems :)

When you update your maps you can choose to download them to your computer as well as your nuvi. Once you do that you can use them with Basecamp without your nuvi attached. Will solve all your problems :)

That's what I did - chose to download the map updates to my satnav and computer. They're currently sitting there quite happily in the App Support/ Garmin/Express/Maps directory (which is where they were automatically downloaded), taking up a nice big chunk of Gb memory ... quite happily sitting there ignoring all attempts to connect BaseCamp, and quietly ignoring every piece of Garmin software that is searching for a map ... happy in their cosy little folder. :p If they're in the wrong place then that's down to Garmin as I didn't choose the location.

MapInstall tells me there are no unlocked maps found for any device, MapManager tells me no compatible maps are detected but does allow me to find and install the Euro map (and after a few minutes of a creeping blue line and a message saying the map was successfully installed it returns to status quo showing no maps installed and no compatible maps detected). MapUpdate tells me all of the maps are up to date. Lifetime Updater tells me the same. Garmin Express tells me everything is up to date. BaseCamp tells me it doesn't have any detailed maps!

Surely it shouldn't be this difficult and I shouldn't need all of this software just to plan a route offline and then update a map. I hate systems installing unnecessary software which I don't need - and I have no idea which of these Apps I actually need. Someone at Garmin must have decided I need them or it wouldn't have automatically downloaded them.

It seems from online forums that Garmin seems to be doing little to resolve this issue given the number of people experiencing exactly the same problem.

Any help or advice would be gratefully received - but please don't advise me to download the maps again. We're in the sticks and have between a 1 Mbps and 3 Mbps line at the very best of times, usually less! :rolleyes:

Run MapManager to install the maps to BaseCamp. The maps should be in your _User_Library_Application Support_Garmin_Maps directory. MapManager should move and or link to the mapsset so BaseCamp can find it.

Run MapManager to install the maps to BaseCamp. The maps should be in your _User_Library_Application Support_Garmin_Maps directory. MapManager should move and or link to the mapsset so BaseCamp can find it.

So you'd think! If only that was the case. I've run MapManager three times now and allegedly successfully installed the map every time but if I open MapManager now it says there are no compatible maps detected, the Garmin/Maps directory still only has two files (unlock codes and a gma file) and BaseCamp still thinks it doesn't have any detailed maps. And there those maps sit .... oblivious to the mayhem they are causing. ;)

I could uninstall all software and re download everything but on our internet connection that is a real last option. I'm trying to persuade my husband that BaseCamp is the thing to use to plan our forthcoming trip. He hates computers at the best of times and at the moment I can't in all seriousness give him this to use. It's doing my head in and I'm the "IT expert" of the family!

So you'd think! If only that was the case. I've run MapManager three times now and allegedly successfully installed the map every time but if I open MapManager now it says there are no compatible maps detected, the Garmin/Maps directory still only has two files (unlock codes and a gma file) and BaseCamp still thinks it doesn't have any detailed maps. And there those maps sit .... oblivious to the mayhem they are causing. ;)

I could uninstall all software and re download everything but on our internet connection that is a real last option. I'm trying to persuade my husband that BaseCamp is the thing to use to plan our forthcoming trip. He hates computers at the best of times and at the moment I can't in all seriousness give him this to use. It's doing my head in and I'm the "IT expert" of the family!

Move the .gmap file (or a copy) into the directory yourself. Just make sure you move it into your "user" library, unless you want it available to all users, then the Mac_Library is where it should go. Agreed, BaseCamp/MapManager/MapInstall are about as intuitive as a brick, but it can be made to work.

I did have another go at MapManager but this time imported the unlock codes file before installing the map. That seemed to get it to copy the map file into the Garmin/Maps directory. So now we have the Europe gmap file in App Support/Garmin/Express/Maps and App Support/Garmin/Maps directories. Not made a blind bit of difference to BaseCamp mind you - it is still totally ignoring the Europe map and insists it only has the global map to play with, and MapManager still says there are no compatible maps installed.

In the Unlock Codes editor of BaseCamp I have three entries, all of which state that "map product not installed".

I'm sure that gmap file is chuckling away to itself in its cosy little folder undisturbed by humanity and computer programming .... ;)

Each map should have a map bundle in your Maps folder ending with .gmap. That is what MapManager is attempting to create, but apparently is being thwarted. BaseCamp looks in that directory to find maps. As Killtimer suggested, you can manually copy the .gmap file into your ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/Maps directory.

Each map should have a map bundle in your Maps folder ending with .gmap. That is what MapManager is attempting to create, but apparently is being thwarted. BaseCamp looks in that directory to find maps. As Killtimer suggested, you can manually copy the .gmap file into your ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/Maps directory.

The gmap file is in the directory suggested. I promise. Attached screen print as proof. It's the same as the one in the Garmin/Express/Maps folder (within a folder EU.2013.40/IMG). So it's either imbued with magical powers of invisibility repelling BaseCamp or there's a fundamental issue somewhere.



I fear I'm going to have to uninstall everything and start from scratch. :( But if I do that and it still doesn't work I'm not going to be a happy bunny!