Newby needs basic training resource

Hi Simboticus,

Welcome to the forum. I've seen references to some good resources for Basecamp. I've never used them so I don't have access to the links right at hand. Hopefully one of the other members will be able to point you to them shortly. But in the mean time there is one assumption that I can help you with.

Routing requires that the necessary routing data be contained within the map you have selected. From your questions I'm going to assume that you have not installed any maps into Basecamp. So your situation is probably this: you have something like a City Navigator map on your GPS (you didn't say what type/model you have and Garmin makes a gazillion and they're all different from each other so guessing is difficult) and the map you are seeing in Basecamp is the very basic base map that comes with the Basecamp installation.

If that's close to your situation, what you have encountered is understandable. The base map in Basecamp has little or no routing data in it. So most, or all, routes you try to make will be something like what you got ... straight lines between points, because the map doesn't contain the necessary data to do anything else.

To get started playing with it, just connect your GPS to the PC via the USB connector and run Basecamp. Basecamp will see the device and it will take advantage of any map(s) you have on the device. If it's an automotive device like a Nuvi it likely has some version of City Navigator on it and it has loads of routing data in it. This will make you experience much more productive. :)

When Basecamp first sees the GPS device it will spend some time exploring it to see what is on it for maps and waypoints and tracks and such. A virgin device won't have much except whatever maps came installed on it. But that's all you need. It will take Basecamp a few minutes to index the maps to its liking before you can start using them.

To see what maps are available to you in Basecamp, both before and after you connect the GPS device, you can click on the Maps item on the menu. The first item(s) in the Maps menu is/are installed maps that are available for you to use. You must select one of them to work with. Before you connect your GPS device you will probably only see the "Global Map" that comes with the Basecamp installation.

If your device has something like City Navigator or a Topo map (if you bought a handheld with Topo maps), you will see the relevant map(s) also in the list and available to use, after you have your GPS device connected to the PC.


Another thing to be aware of when you are playing with routes is the idea of Profiles. Basecamp has Profiles in it and the trip planners or route planners on the various GPS devices usually also have profiles. To see the profiles that are available to you in Basecamp click on Edit > Options and in the left pane of the Options dialog you'll see an item called "Activity Profile". There is a dropdown box with a long list of the various profiles. You can poke through each and check the General and Routing tabs in the righthand pane to see the differences.

The routing/activity profiles on the various Garmin GPS devices are similar except each device may have a smaller list of available profiles. Or none at all.

The reason I mention this is that using a different profile can produce VERY different results when you create or recalculate a route. You can see this by creating a route with, say, the Driving profile. Then switch the activity profile to Trucking or Motorcycling and recalculate the route. You might see small differences, large differences, or no difference at all. It's worth poking around a bit to see which profile suits you best. For most people, leaving it on the default Driving profile is probably best.

Once you have an idea of the different results various profiles may produce from each other, you should have a good idea why I now tell you that you need to be sure that you match the profile in Basecamp with the profile in the GPS device if you plan to create a route in Basecamp and then transfer it to the GPS device. If the profiles are different, the route you end up with on the device might bear little or no resemblance to what you created in Basecamp.

The names of the profiles on the device might not exactly match the names in Basecamp so you may need to experiment a bit to find a good match. This is especially true if you have a device that does not have different profiles in it. Then it becomes really important to experiment a bit with routes to see which Basecamp profile best matches the default (only) profile in the device.

I hope that helps a little to get you going.

...ken...

I am using Basecamp for the first time, I've never used any other similar software, never had a GPS before. So I am starting from ZERO knowledge.

Where can I go to educate myself. reading through endless forum posts is a very inefficient way to learn this stuff. Is there a page(s) I can read to understand the basics.

For example I watched Garmin's video on how to make a route. It shows a guy selecting a point with the pencil tool, then another point, and viola, it draws a route between them. It looks super easy.

When I try the same thing, it draws a straight line from the point I selected to some far off random point, and then back to the second point I selected. The video doesn't explain what to do if this happens or why it happens. There must be some basic assumptions involved, some sort of setup that needs to happen to make the routing work. But I am so clueless I don't even know what questions to ask, other than "why doesn't this work?" I don't expect you guys to have the patience to explain such simple things to me. I read some of the answers provided, and I have no idea what you are talking about. Like select "Direct". It just raises more questions than it answers. Like: How do I select Direct, why would I do that, what's the difference?

This is just the very first thing I tried, and it doesn't work. So rather than struggle through each function, and ask you guys how to make each one work, is there something I can read to gain some baseline understanding. Then I can come back here and ask more informed and detailed questions.

Thanks

Start with this: http://www.newenglandriders.org/Learn_BaseCamp.htm

Thanks Ken,

I have a Montana 610t with 100K TOPO, it is connected to my PC during the above excersize. I am using the 100K map when trying to route, but it seems like it's using "Global Map". I can't figure out how to tell it to use the 100K map and not the global map

http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/simboticus/media/basecamp_zps6y9wqwzu.jpg.html

I tried to load the 100K TOPO map from the 610 to Basecamp, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.

Thanks Breezly that's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. I'm using this for Dual Sport riding as well.

Thanks Ken,

I have a Montana 610t with 100K TOPO, it is connected to my PC during the above excersize. I am using the 100K map when trying to route, but it seems like it's using "Global Map". I can't figure out how to tell it to use the 100K map and not the global map

http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/simboticus/media/basecamp_zps6y9wqwzu.jpg.html

I tried to load the 100K TOPO map from the 610 to Basecamp, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.

Therin lies your problem - I'm pretty sure the 100K Topo map is not routable. For a routable topo map you need the 24K.

Thanks Breezly that's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. I'm using this for Dual Sport riding as well.

I just bought a Montana 600 to use for the same. A friend and I are heading out this weekend hauling our XT250s down to Moab, Utah, for some backroad sightseeing. We considered riding our F650GSs down there but the weather between here and there is too unpredictable this time of year so we're going to trailer the trail bikes down.

I've used an eTrex Legend HCx for years for dual sport and mountain bike riding but the screen is just too small for these tired old eyes now. I've tried using topo maps a number of times over the years and I've never found them particularly useful for my purposes.

I like having them installed on the PC for planning, in order to get an idea of the terrain ahead of time but when I'm actually riding it's easy to just look at the surrounding terrain to see what's up. Or down. :)

My preference for dual sport is a searchable routable road map, like Metroguide Canada or City Navigator or Open Street Maps, with tracks available using either transparent overlay maps or individual tracks.

A really good example is this very useful package we're using for our Moab trip.

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/508

It includes both a transparent overlay map and a file with the individual named tracks. For off pavement riding these are perfect. Each track is assigned a nice bright colour so it's easy to see when you are following it or getting away from it.

The named tracks in the track file are especially nice in this case because the names are the actual trail names used by the locals and in trail books that have been published about the area. When we decide to ride a particular trail we can put the Montana into automotive mode and get an on-road route to the trailhead (assuming a routable road map is installed). Then we can switch to offroad mode, select the relevant track and follow it. For that purpose you really don't need anything more than a simple base map installed on the device. You just ride the trail and anywhere there's a branch or intersection a quick glance at the brightly coloured track line on the GPS shows which way to go.

I'm really looking forward to the trip and to using the Montana for the first time. I'm also taking the old eTrex along in case I have any problems with the Montana. I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy. (Yes, I carry spare gas, a tire pump, tire irons, spare inner tubes, and a patch kit. We used everything except the gas when we spent a week riding in the mountains around Kaslo, British Columbia, last year.)

...ken...

Therin lies your problem - I'm pretty sure the 100K Topo map is not routable. For a routable topo map you need the 24K.

Correct :)

I'm really looking forward to the trip and to using the Montana for the first time

Enjoy, I like using my Montana when I need a big screen, although some say size doesn't matter :)

Correct :)

I'll have to get the 24K map then, thanks!