It's almost unusable. I'm running Windows 7 64bit with an nVidia GTX 275 video card, 6 GB of Corsair Dominator RAM, 300GB 10,000RPM WD VelociRaptor HD and an Intel I7 920 processor. My system should handle this with no problem, however, the basecamp software is almost unusable while panning, zooming, or just navigating on the map. I get lots of freezes (it will say "NOT RESPONDING") for up to 2 minutes and then start working again. I am able to download birdseye maps and I'm also able to load them to my garmin Oregon 550 with no problem, but I DO get an error that says unable to connect to my SD card on the oregon, (even though it connects) I'm using the latest release of Basecamp that I downloaded 2 days ago. Also, I have installed the same software onto my secondary desktop and have the exact same issues. I am going to try to install it onto my 3rd desktop which is running XP 32bit SP3. Will see if it makes any difference. Garmin .... can you please look into this? I am going to Colorado in a few months to hike Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. I'll be heartbroken if I can't get this software to function properly before my trip. Thanks
From what I can see, .jnx images are used only in the GPSr. BaseCamp keeps the raw files at %appdata%\Garmin\BaseCamp\GcsOverlays with no visible means of identifying what's what.
I made the mistake of trying to backup those files using BaseCamp's menu option. It finished several hours later. Then I tried the restore function. Bad idea. I ended up losing the maps that I had downloaded. I just threw my hands up in the air then.
We are thinking alike ;) I am running windows XP, so the folder structure may be a little different if in Vista or 7, but you get the idea.
I am experimenting right now by creating a new folder called "unloaded BirdsEye Images".
The location is here (C:\Documents and Settings\"user name"\Application Data\GARMIN\BaseCamp\unloaded BirdsEye Images)
I moved the encrypted folders from the GcsOverlay folder into the new folder.
I connected my 400C and fired up BC, it loads much faster and the imagery is listed in the pathfinder on the left of the screen, but the imagery does not show up on the map screen.
Now I am able to resume downloading Birds Eye! YEAH!
I have not attempted to replace the encrypted folders back into their proper place yet to see if the imagery shows up, but if it does, that might be a workaround for people like us who have hit a brick wall with BaseCamp.
Hey TJ311, Good luck with Elbert!!! That's a nice fourteener! I hope to get to Colorado this year for some hiking.
Thank you!! I'm stoked to get out there and do some hiking. I will be there for a week. Thinking about catching the cog to the top of Pike's Peak and riding down. Have you done that?
I haven't made it out to Colorado yet, but I hope to really soon. A couple of years ago, I was able to do Wheeler Peak, Humphries Peak and Mt. Whitney with a friend of mine. We took 2 weeks to DRIVE across the country and back. It was a blitzkrieg trip! We are planning on a northern route next thru South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado and I hope to take a little more time to soak it in.
The Cog looks pretty neat! I may have to add that to the list!
Garmin..... Any updates? I'm trying to load waypoints and birdseye images to my oregon 550 and Basecamp just crashes. I have a 40 mile bike ride in 2 days. Need my images!! HELP!!
Garmin..... Any updates? I'm trying to load waypoints and birdseye images to my oregon 550 and Basecamp just crashes. I have a 40 mile bike ride in 2 days. Need my images!! HELP!!
One thing I have found. If you leave the GPS plugged in, it makes Basecamp run slowly and use a lot of RAM. I'm not sure if it is trying to load up the GPS maps or what is the reason.
So, when using Birdseye, unplug the GPS after going through the subscription process.
I am having the same problem. Was this software tested before release? and are Garmin fixing this problem? I like the maps but am getting incredibly frustrated trying to get them onto my Dakota 20.
Hey Dav65. I feel your pain! However, I do think Garmin is trying to fix the problems, it just takes time. BaseCamp seems to be getting better with each release because it crashes less frequently for me, but it is still slow and consumes memory.
How many BirdsEye images do you have downloaded? I have found that after I get to about a dozen or so, I will remove them from BaseCamp in order to get new downloads.
Here is my workaround process for my XP machine...
Download imagery
Place my MicroSD card inside the unit and connect it to the computer
Right Mouse Click on the BirdsEye file in the left pane of BaseCamp and send it to the "Removeable Media"
Copy that .jnx file back to a folder that I created on my hard drive (for a back up)
After performance degrades, delete the BirsdEye files from BaseCamp
If you want to see a image after you delete it from BaseCamp, you have to load it back on to the MicroSD card and RMC on it and "send to My Collection"
I really wish that you could transfer directly from the hard drive back into BaseCamp without having to put it on the SD card first.
I have to agree on Basecamp being slow. I will admit I'm using an older laptop but it's not any faster when I tried my 64 bit machine. The laptop is 2.4 with XP, 2 gig memory and a 250 gig hard drive. I'm also using the thumb drive trick for extra cache memory which works like a champ.
I'm downloading Birdseye maps in standard resolution. I am going state by state trying to get Utah, Colorado and Wyoming on one 16 gig card.
The more maps I have in Basecamp at a time the slower the program gets. So what I do is download three, transfer them to the SD card, start downloading three more and delete the first three from Basecamp. If I go more than three the program really starts to drag. At about 8 or 9 maps in Basecamp and I can walk around the block between mouse clicks. At 12 and up I might as well watch a movie or take a nap between mouse clicks.
I won't go as far as to say the program is unusable because the above method is working for me. But it is a really draggy program.
Another problem I've had is I cannot send the maps directly to the SD card while it's in the GPS. That might be what people are talking about when they say it's unusable. I'm using an Oregon 450 with a Sandisk 16 gig card.
I have to put the card into the computer slot to transfer the files. It will not transfer the files to the card while it's in the GPS. Another thing I've tried which worked it to send the maps from Basecamp to a 2 gig card in the computer and then cut and paste them to the 16 gig in the GPS. That method works great too.
