How do you create a route in basecamp???

Former Member over 13 years ago

just bought a garmin oregon 450, and so far, i can't figure out basecamp. i am going on a backpacking trip soon and have planned my route on a map, and now want to follow this route on my oregon 450. supposedly, you can create a route with basecamp, but this software is absolutely horrible in terms of ease of use. no manuals, no help, nothing!

the "new route" tool is useless. all it lets me do is select a start and end point and then it creates the shortest route between the 2 points, along whatever trail it wants to. yes, i know there is an option to choose between the shortest route, literally a straight line, and the other option just creates a route that follows a road or trail, usiang the shortest route to the end point. this is useless for backpacking. seriously, who wants the shortest route? i want to create my OWN route, where i specify. that's the point of being able to create your own route, and i just don't see how this is done.

i have tried to drag the route to go along the trails i want it to, but after selecting every tool in the tool bar, i have come to the conclusion that none of them allow you to change this route. i have messed around with the options but none of them seem relevant to what i am doing.

i have also tried creating several waypoints, but there is no way to connect them MANUALLY, because if you try to create a route using the waypoints themselves, it just chooses the shortest route. this should not be so hard! is the software really this bad, or am i missing something? is there any other software available that can easily create a route that i can create and upload to my gps so that i can follow it while on the trail?

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

To add trails you need to compile a new map, with ALL the data. Trail data is hard to come by, normally created by folks with GPSrs.

OpenStreetMap is a good place to upload your data. If you do, you can download a routable map with it on it from garmin.openstreetmap.nl. Map updates are generally weekly, so don't expect to see your trails added instantaneously.

garmin.openstreetmap.nl maps do not include contours.

Thanks Seldom - I didn't make myself entirely clear, sorry: I already have an "official" Garmin 1:25k hiking vector map for the whole of France (source: IGN) on a 2Gb SD card: it seems to have most of even the smallest tracks routable, but there are some small errors and omissions. I wanted to overlay these corrections/additions on the existing map so that the routes work properly. OSM maps I find very incomplete in this respect. I guess what I'm looking for is a "vector overlay tweak" to the existing IGN map on the SD card or the internal memory of my Edge 800. The problems are few and far between and to be fair to IGN are sometimes routes across private ground, well-used nevertheless, or else shorelines - for some reason a number of nice sandy beaches aren't marked as being routable!

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

Easiest way I've found to create a hiking route in Basecamp to download to my GPS is to use the direct profile, then it's a simple click to pick the start point, and click at various points to make the route go where you want. I generally start with the map zoomed out, create a rough track then zoom in and add/move waypoints as necessary. Even IF the map you're using has routeable data (as KGANSHIRT pointed out many don't) it probably won't take you the way you want to go anyway if you're out hiking ;)

Thanks Sussamb, yes, this is more or less what I'm doing now: creating a track in base camp rather than a route. It's a bit fiddly, though. Even so, I'm gobsmacked how many small trials ARE correctly marked on my IGN 1:25k topo map (...it should be good at the price of over €250), but it only takes one small omission when creating a route for the nice auto-tracing to take a 3 mile detour because 50 yds of track aren't vectored.
Incidentally, I've found an easier way to draw and create tracks: I'm using an iPad with either the Trails App, or the iPhiGénie App for France. It's great as you can trace the track with your finger on the screen. Then I transfer the GPX file onto my SD card using an Airstash WiFi stick (...since there's no card slot in the iPad). This means I don't have to drag a computer with me or need to have an internet connection when creating a new track.

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

The best way is using Track to creat Route, ya, sound crazy, but that's what I did for all my timber logging track planning.

Did tried Route, but the default icon (flag) populated the whole damn gps screen, unless they can change it to user selectable icon, e.g. a "dot", it's just useless.

Using track also enable you to Move the line to the exact spot, then just creat a waypoint there with Proximity to warn you.

Change your track color e.g. Red, and then GoTo that track. It works for me perfectly and I'm making my living out of this little tricks.:D

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

Thanks Sussamb, yes, this is more or less what I'm doing now: creating a track in base camp rather than a route. It's a bit fiddly, though. Even so, I'm gobsmacked how many small trials ARE correctly marked on my IGN 1:25k topo map (...it should be good at the price of over €250), but it only takes one small omission when creating a route for the nice auto-tracing to take a 3 mile detour because 50 yds of track aren't vectored.
Incidentally, I've found an easier way to draw and create tracks: I'm using an iPad with either the Trails App, or the iPhiGénie App for France. It's great as you can trace the track with your finger on the screen. Then I transfer the GPX file onto my SD card using an Airstash WiFi stick (...since there's no card slot in the iPad). This means I don't have to drag a computer with me or need to have an internet connection when creating a new track.

ho ho ho! what a good idea! Just hope I can do it on my Samsung Tab! Did you said Trails App?! Thanks!

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

ho ho ho! what a good idea! Just hope I can do it on my Samsung Tab! Did you said Trails App?! Thanks!

Yes- "Trails - GPS tracker" from Felix Lamouroux. You'll need WiFi access to download the area of interest, but you don't need a connection to create the track. It should be easier with the Samsung tablet as you have a card slot to transfer the gpx onto the SD card.Some of the Trails "cycle and terrain" maps are pretty comprehensive, at least for France.

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

Thanks Seldom - I didn't make myself entirely clear, sorry: I already have an "official" Garmin 1:25k hiking vector map for the whole of France (source: IGN) on a 2Gb SD card: it seems to have most of even the smallest tracks routable, but there are some small errors and omissions. I wanted to overlay these corrections/additions on the existing map so that the routes work properly. OSM maps I find very incomplete in this respect. I guess what I'm looking for is a "vector overlay tweak" to the existing IGN map on the SD card or the internal memory of my Edge 800. The problems are few and far between and to be fair to IGN are sometimes routes across private ground, well-used nevertheless, or else shorelines - for some reason a number of nice sandy beaches aren't marked as being routable!

You definitely can't tweak official Garmin maps. You'd need access to their source data and THEIR compiler, and neither of those things is likely to happen. That's why I started making my own.

To update their data you'll need to go to Garmin's map error reporting page and tell them where the problems are. Or you can make and save routes in BaseCamp, although that's a poor substitute for a correct map.

0 kganshirt over 13 years ago

To add trails you need to compile a new map, with ALL the data. Trail data is hard to come by, normally created by folks with GPSrs.

OpenStreetMap is a good place to upload your data. If you do, you can download a routable map with it on it from garmin.openstreetmap.nl. Map updates are generally weekly, so don't expect to see your trails added instantaneously.

garmin.openstreetmap.nl maps do not include contours.

Yes, this sounds like the solution. If memory serves, when you upload track data for a trail, it gets compiled into a transparent overlay. That can be combined with a regular Garmin map to supplement it.

Of course it won't help much if it doesn't do a transparent overlay or doesn't include the routing data from the track(s).

...ken...

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

Errors on vectorial maps

Thanks to all for the replies. So in summary, to add a routable track to a map it has to be complied from scratch: no "tweak overlay" possible. In this case, I'll take your advice which is pointing me to create tracks rather than routes on Basecamp or some other software.

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

I'm having issues creating a route as BC keeps trying to put me onto roads when it calculates the route from the track ive created, any ideas what im doing wrong. Im new to Gps navigation and begining to wish id saved the money ive just spent on my 62s:confused:

0 Former Member over 13 years ago

I'm not having that problem. Do you have your profile set to hiking?