Can BaseCamp generate routes?

Former Member over 15 years ago

I am brand new to BaseCamp, but I have been using Garmin GPS receivers for many years. I would like to generate a route along a trail and send it to my GPSmap 60CSx. Doesn't seem like a lot to ask.

I created a new route in BaseCamp by setting a waypoint at the trailhead and another at the opposite end of the trail and dragging them into the route properties box. BaseCamp then created onscreen a lovely path tracing faithfully along the trail, just as I'd hoped, but when I tried to send the route to my GPS it sent only the two endpoints. Surely I'm missing something simple here - BaseCamp has obviously done all the hard work needed to create a route, so it is absurd that it would refuse to share that information.

Al Heezen

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

I've learned my lesson: I'll make a local copy of my post so that I can reproduce it easily when the website eats it.

I've used it (BaseCamp) for simple route planning as well with no issues, on road and off.

That is precisely what I am trying to do! How do you do it?

Attach a .gpx file to your next post and I'll see if it uploads to my units.

How will you do that? I just tried using GPSBabel to send the GPX to my device, and it also sent only the endpoints. (I examined the code in the GPX and found that the intermediate points are wrapped in a <extension> XML tag - no idea what that means). But I'll attach the file for the heck of it.

Just read your last post. I've no experience with 3rd party maps on Garmin units. The maps you're using may be the problem.

The only map set I have ever installed anywhere is Garmin's "TOPO U.S. 24K West"

Maybe I should just give up. The appearance and operation of BaseCamp are a HUGE improvement over Topo!, but do I want to invest a lot of time in it if I can't get a handle on a simple thing like transferring stuff to the GPS? (In addition to the problem in this thread, there also appear to be unwanted transfers that happen spontaneously when I just plug the USB cable into the device. And old deleted data kept reappearing on the device.) I don't want to transfer a lot of my trail data from Topo! (not an easy thing to do) if I am going to be blind-sided by some basic, elementary deficiency down the road.

0 Killtimer_ over 15 years ago

The only map set I have ever installed anywhere is Garmin's "TOPO U.S. 24K West"

According to Garmin Topo US 24K contains "many" routable trails.... not all indicated trails are routable. If the auto routing data doesn't exist for the trail you want, it's not going to work. In general, all the routable trails in Topo are also in CityNav, which I have. The trail you're trying to route isn't in CityNav or the older (but sometimes more accurate) "Roads and Recreation". My guess is it isn't GPS routable. Have you tried a route transfer from a simple route along nearby NF3065 say? Or one of the more established trails in the area?

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Many new questions:

According to Garmin Topo US 24K contains "many" routable trails.... not all indicated trails are routable.

Where did Garmin say this?

If the auto routing data doesn't exist for the trail you want, it's not going to work. In general, all the routable trails in Topo are also in CityNav, which I have. The trail you're trying to route isn't in CityNav or the older (but sometimes more accurate) "Roads and Recreation".

Doesn't exist where? Are you saying that it is the GPS device that must generate the route? What about the lovely route generated by BaseCamp?

My guess is it isn't GPS routable.

I would like to move past guesswork. I'm retired, but that doesn't mean my time is entirely without value.

Have you tried a route transfer from a simple route along nearby NF3065 say? Or one of the more established trails in the area?

I just tried two venerable trails on FR 3065, including one of the most popular trails in the area. Just a second, I'll try THE most popular...and that didn't work either. I'll attach the GPX from the last, Skyline Divide, for what it's worth.

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Doesn't exist where? Are you saying that it is the GPS device that must generate the route? What about the lovely route generated by BaseCamp?

That's exactly what the device does. It calculates a new route between the routing points. But you can change your routing setup on your device to Guidance Method = "Off Road" and Lock On Road = "disabled". The device will show a straight line between the routing points instead of a calculated route following trails... It's more or less the same as a track then.

Greetings,

Oliver

0 PSEABOLT over 15 years ago

A track is a collection of points on the map taken at predefined intervals. About all BaseCamp or any GPS can do is draw the track on a map or show an elevation profile.

A route is defined by a minimum of two waypoints. A start and end plus any shaping waypoints or via added to redefine the route. A gps that can display routes for navigation must recalculate the route from the defining waypoints in order to give important data like ETA, distance to next via or destination, etc. Calculating a route can be very processor intensive and Garmin adds route data to some maps to make calculation faster and to provide consistency of routes between GPS's with different processors and designs. US Topo 100k does not contain the routing information so if you have topo 100k selected in basecamp, you will get straight line routes even if Auto routes are selected when calculating or recalculating a route. You can display an elevation profile with US Topo 100k selected. If you switch to City Navigator, you can't get an elevation profile but you can recalculate the route to follow roads. You can switch back to US Topo 100K and your route will still follow roads plus you can draw an elevation profile of the road.

If I can find a trail on topo 24k maps, I can use the routing tool to draw a route that follows the trail because topo 24k contains routing information even for trails. In a few cases but not all, I have had to move off the trail and road intersection onto the trail to get the trail to draw but I find this to be a great feature of the 24k maps.

I have closed the Safari window and lost what I had typed but I have never had a problem with this web site kicking me off. I never had this site time out because of inactivity.

0 Killtimer_ over 15 years ago

Where did Garmin say this?

On the "Features" tab of the Topo 24 specifications page of the Garmin website.

Doesn't exist where? Are you saying that it is the GPS device that must generate the route? What about the lovely route generated by BaseCamp?

Yes the GPS does it's own calculations. BaseCamp just shows you what the result should be, all things being equal.

0 azdrmn over 15 years ago

Unfortunately the GPS will typically recalculate the route sent to it. It can't do that correctly unless the map used in BaseCamp is in the GPS. Luckily there is a fairly easy way to do that if it isn't already there. You should use Send to GPS on the route or folder containing the route, on the Send dialog check the box that says "Send Maps matching the data" (or something like that). If that box isn't enabled, make sure you have Garmin MapInstall installed in your Applications folder. When MapInstall is started, you should see the maps that were autoselected for you highlighted. Feel free to add map tiles up to the limit of your cards free space. The process of preparing the maps can take awhile, so I wouldn't suggest adding map tiles unless you have a few hours to let it run. Now send to your GPS. If you select Recalculate on the route in your GPSMap 60, it should now follow the same route you saw in BaseCamp.

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Well, it did it again! Not only does it automatically log me off, but it won't accept my login when I type it in the main "vBulletin Message" part of the login window. I have to use the little login thing at the top of the window.

But I tricked it! Ha! I saved a copy of my message, which follows in a second.

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Thanks to everyone for your time and effort, but I'm still in the dark.

That's exactly what the device does. It calculates a new route between the routing points. But you can change your routing setup on your device to Guidance Method = "Off Road" and Lock On Road = "disabled". The device will show a straight line between the routing points instead of a calculated route following trails... It's more or less the same as a track then.

Greetings,

Oliver

I must have been really unclear before. I have no trouble getting a straight line. How do I get it to follow a trail?

A track is a collection of points ...
A route is defined by a minimum of two waypoints. ...

If I can find a trail on topo 24k maps, I can use the routing tool to draw a route that follows the trail because topo 24k contains routing information even for trails. In a few cases but not all, I have had to move off the trail and road intersection onto the trail to get the trail to draw but I find this to be a great feature of the 24k maps.

I know about routes and trails and waypoints - I've been using Garmin handhelds for about 8 years. (Although I'm a little puzzled by this new term "via point", which seems to be the same as "waypoint".)

Anyways, those are the maps that I have.

Unfortunately the GPS will typically recalculate the route sent to it. It can't do that correctly unless the map used in BaseCamp is in the GPS. Luckily there is a fairly easy way to do that if it isn't already there. You should use Send to GPS on the route or folder containing the route, on the Send dialog check the box that says "Send Maps matching the data" (or something like that). If that box isn't enabled, make sure you have Garmin MapInstall installed in your Applications folder. When MapInstall is started, you should see the maps that were autoselected for you highlighted. Feel free to add map tiles up to the limit of your cards free space.

That's exactly what I did. I installed 3 tiles.

The process of preparing the maps can take awhile, so I wouldn't suggest adding map tiles unless you have a few hours to let it run.

It only took a few minutes, as I recall. Is that odd?

Now send to your GPS. If you select Recalculate on the route in your GPSMap 60, it should now follow the same route you saw in BaseCamp.

I can't find a "Recalculate" option. Where is that?

And what about all the Setup/Routing settings? I've tried everything that made any sense to me. (I've never found any decent documentation on these units.)

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Solved!?!

OK. I get it. After many more hours and fruitless rereading of the manual, it finally dawns on me that you have to be actively navigating a route on the device before it will show up on the map. Gawd!

Thanks to all of you for your help. I am at once a bit sheepish about wasting your time and furious at the abysmal state of the documentation that Garmin offers.

Al Heezen

P.S. Now if I can Garmin to do something about the 70% errors in the odometer and the elevation log, I'll be a happy camper.

P.P.S. And one other little thing - it would be nice if somewhere it were mentioned that the device always includes your present location as the starting point of the route.