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BaseCamp Track Editing: Missing Features and Failures

atlas_cached
Is anyone else using BaseCamp to edit Tracks?

I find the interface to be sorely lacking and severely unintuitive.

I have many track logs with errant segments stretching many miles due to GPSr firmware issues Garmin also refuses to resolve.

Currently, the only way to accomplish this task in BaseCamp is to divide the track in many smaller sections until you have isolated the segments you wish to delete, and then you can delete them.

BaseCamp does not make this easy. When using the 'Divide' tool, and selecting a track to split, BaseCamp decides which half of the track will be kept, and which half will be randomly renamed. This is some thing the USER should have control over.

Now, the original Track is broken into several parts, randomly named 011, 012, 156, 157, etc. Because BaseCamp does not use the original track name for split tracks, it can be very tedious determining which segments go together and need to be rejoined.

BaseCamp SHOULD use the original track name (such as Track 2012-06-15 124355), and simply amend the time stamps of each to reflect each portions new values. (now Track 2012-06-15 124355 and Track 2012-06-15 121522, for example)

Now I haven't even mentioned yet, that when you zoom in on the track you are editing to try and divide it at exactly the correct place, you usually can not see the rest of the track, and therefore can not see exactly what the division will look like until after you pull the trigger and examine both sections independently.

BaseCamp SHOULD have a (resizable) pop-up window (similar to the map overview window) zoomed in to the section of track you are working with, while keeping the full track viewable in the main window, so you can make detailed adjustments and see how the entire track is being affected simultaneously.

BaseCamp SHOULD have a simple segment selection tool that would allow the user to simply select the segment(s) they wish to work with, and a delete/edit function for selected segment(s)? This would be a much quicker and easier workflow than the only current method available, which is horribly frustrating and incredibly inefficient, at best.
  • 0
    You can help yourself avoid the 'errant segments' if you switch off track recording at the end of one track and don't switch it back on again until your GPS knows its location at the beginning of your next track. The reason you get the 'errant segments' if you don't do that is your GPS is having to assume that either a) you lost satellite signals bewteen the two or b) your batteries failed, and it's simply trying to join what it thinks is one track together. In most cases this is what you need it to do.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    I don’t see the problem, BABJ615. If you want to delete one or more points within a track, just right-click the track/name and select OPEN. Left-click the first point you want to delete, shift-click the last point to be deleted, then hit DELETE. You can zoom in and/or zoom out as much as you want. The section of track to be deleted is highlighted on the map. Seems pretty straight-forward to me – perhaps I’m not understanding your problem fully?
  • 0
    I don’t see the problem, BABJ615. If you want to delete one or more points within a track, just right-click the track/name and select OPEN. Left-click the first point you want to delete, shift-click the last point to be deleted, then hit DELETE. You can zoom in and/or zoom out as much as you want. The section of track to be deleted is highlighted on the map. Seems pretty straight-forward to me – perhaps I’m not understanding your problem fully?


    I tried that. But when you have hundreds of tracks to edit, and each track has thousands of track points, scrolling through the text list is even more time consuming.... The very reason for a graphical interface.

    Now, IF BaseCamp were to highlight the track points in the text list when selecting the track segment on the map, that would be very helpful....

    Garmin? Garmin? Anyone?
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    Now, IF BaseCamp were to highlight the track points in the text list when selecting the track segment on the map, that would be very helpful....


    We'll see what we can do about that. Thanks for your feedback.
  • 0
    You can help yourself avoid the 'errant segments' if you switch off track recording at the end of one track and don't switch it back on again until your GPS knows its location at the beginning of your next track. The reason you get the 'errant segments' if you don't do that is your GPS is having to assume that either a) you lost satellite signals bewteen the two or b) your batteries failed, and it's simply trying to join what it thinks is one track together. In most cases this is what you need it to do.


    I am aware of the current work-around, which would not be necessary if Garmin would implement a very simple firmware fix.

    Still does not help with the months of tracks I still need to edit.
  • 0
    We'll see what we can do about that. Thanks for your feedback.



    Awesome! :)

    FALAGAR: Could you possibly just add an option to the Track Divide tool to ONLY remove the track segment selected, instead of the entire track from start to the selected position? This is how Topo Fusion Pro works, and it is very efficient.

    Thank You.
  • 0
    I am aware of the current work-around, which would not be necessary if Garmin would implement a very simple firmware fix.

    Still does not help with the months of tracks I still need to edit.


    Guess you're aware of it then but haven't bothered to do it ... hence the months of tracks you still need to edit :) Might at least help in the future IF you were to use the work around, and for the reasons I've given I'm not sure a firmware fix is the answer ... in most cases your GPS needs to link certain 'separate tracks' together and we'd all be complaining if it didn't.

    However seems Falagar may be able to at least help your problem in a BC update :)
  • 0
    Guess you're aware of it then but haven't bothered to do it ... hence the months of tracks you still need to edit :)


    I am very aware of it. I am also very aware this was not always the behavior, as I also have many tracks that do not have these errant segments in them. Identical behavior has been reported by many other users here and elsewhere.

    Might at least help in the future IF you were to use the work around,


    I am now using the work around, but, as I stated, that does not help with the months of tracklogs before.

    and for the reasons I've given I'm not sure a firmware fix is the answer ... in most cases your GPS needs to link certain 'separate tracks' together and we'd all be complaining if it didn't.


    IF you read the Feature Request I linked to, you would know it is an additional option for tracklog recording that was requested, and would therefore not affect any users that are happy with their current setups.

    Let me paste it here for you: "Add option [At Power On] to [Setup | Tracks | Auto Archive] [Groundspeak Discussion] [05SEP12]"


    However seems Falagar may be able to at least help your problem in a BC update :)


    I am looking forward to FALAGAR's help :)
  • 0
    Well I think that's the way to go, with a fix in BC but I can't see Garmin making the sort of changes to firmware that you're suggesting to numerous GPS devices. From what you say you were late to learn the work around and I think for the vast majority of users it's not really an issue, as it works the way it's meant to work.

    In the mean time I guess you'll have to crack on with your months of tracks :)
  • 0
    I am not sure if this of interest to you, but here goes. After you select a track, use the selection arrow tool via click and hold to choose a section of the track. This draws a box and selects the track points within the box. Kind of a course option, but not bad. Open the track properties and it should open in the track list where the select points are located. The points may not be active for deletion (not highlighted blue), but you can right click on them to activate/delete.

    I’m not sure, but this may be better than what you are currently doing.