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Configure Basecamp suggestions..

TXBobcat
I have used MS for a long time and have liked it because it works like the standard applications over the years.

MapSource will no longer be supported so I have been trying to learn and work with BC. So I will be asking for a number of ideas on how to setup BC to work using my logic. My problem with BC is everything you do is in one file and it is like taking a cardboard box and setting it on the floor and putting all your business and personal papers in the same box then trying to find them. Yes you can put documents in different folders in the box. So here goes with the questions. I plan to update this thread so I can keep everything togeather in one place.

A bit of history. I retire in 2007 and sold my property and travel fulltime in a 5th wheel. Saying this, I have a lot of waypoints and routes in seperate files sorted folders by year. In the folders I have each route saved in the folder by year/month/day with a name of the from and to locations. Example, 2012-05-11 Springhill COE, Barling AR To Branson Stagecoach RV Mo. I have a MS file with all the campgrounds I have stayed at listed by name and state (this is in a MS file). I don't expect to configure BC to meet the way I have used MS. This is just to give you an idea of how I have been managing my maps.

About BaseCamp. I have a pretty good feel of how BC works and am getting use to it so I am really looking for info on how to manage my waypoints, routes and such. So here we go.

What is the difference between a Folder and a list? I do know you can put lists in a folder but in a way you still see all the same thing.
Example: We are escapees and I want to keep a list of them. I create a folder called "Escapees". In the folder I create a list called "Campgrounds" If I click on "My Collection" I see all the waypoints. If I click on the "Escapees" folder I see all the waypoints. If I click on "Campgrounds" I see all the waypoints.
This is so redundant. In the "My Collection" I expect to see everything. OK.. But in the folder I should only see the name of the lists. Then I open the lists to see what is there.
The way this is working out is to just save everything in "My Collections". You need some way to section or seperate information into logical parts.

What is the folder "Unlisted Data" for. If you make a waypoint, route or such it is in "My Collection". Why have it in two places. I would like to remove "Unlisted Data". I would also like to remove Garmin Adventures . If I want to do Adventures then I could activate it.

I would like to have a list/folder or what ever that I can have all my waypoints and list them by state. It would help me to think about going to a state and I could go to the list/folder and select the state and see if I already have the campground available.

I know how to backup my BC Data file and I can export the data to a .GPX or GPB file. I also know how to export selected items to a file.

So, I can maintain a database, export data to different files, backup the entire database.

I actually hope the infomation collected here will help me and others that have similar ideas.

I ask that the thread stay on topic because there is nothing we can do to change the way BC is written and we will soon not be able to use MS. Just as well learn to use BC and learn to use it to the best as we can. I have no real problem with BC, I just need to learn how to use it in a way that fits my logic. With your help I believe I can do this.

BC
  • 0
    Well a list is a list and a folder a collection of lists. I have for example a folder called Routes and lists within that folder hold separate information, each folder covering a certain part of the country. Sounds pretty much what you want to do with your state lists?

    As for Unlisted Data, it's a very helpful folder. It's too easy to remove something from lists but still have it in My Collection somewhere. Unlisted Data is simply a list of anything that isn't in any other list. I check mine occasionally to ensure I don't have any 'orphans'.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    The following is how I organize my data. Yes some of the waypoints are in more than one LIST, but been in a list does not take up much space on the computer.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    MapSource will no longer be supported so I have been trying to learn and work with BC.
    I think MS is going to be around for a long time, even though it's no longer supported. Like you and I, many others got used to MS and prefer it for lots of reasons. However, I needed to upgrade to a Nuvi to take advantage of the more sensitive receiver and the availability of European maps, and the Nuvi I selected doesn't play nice with MS.
    What is the difference between a Folder and a list? I do know you can put lists in a folder but in a way you still see all the same thing.
    I set up my MS files much as you do/did. I have a folder for each year, with a file for each trip for that year named and sorted chronologically. I plan to do the same thing in BC, with a folder for each year and a list within the folder for each journey. Within that list will be all the relevant waypoints from past visits to that area, plus anything new I add. I generally put routes in before I go, then replace the routes with tracks after I've done the trip. I think I can do all that with BC. Time will tell.
    I would like to have a list/folder or what ever that I can have all my waypoints and list them by state. It would help me to think about going to a state and I could go to the list/folder and select the state and see if I already have the campground available.
    This was pretty easy with the later versions of MS because the waypoint categories could be used to separate batches of waypoints. There weren't enough categories to have one for each state, but I used Western US, Midwest, New England, Europe, etc. then one each for Colorado and Arizona, where I have many, many waypoints. There have been discussions of waypoint categories in BC, but I don't think it's happened yet.
    I actually hope the infomation collected here will help me and others that have similar ideas.

    I ask that the thread stay on topic because there is nothing we can do to change the way BC is written and we will soon not be able to use MS. Just as well learn to use BC and learn to use it to the best as we can. I have no real problem with BC, I just need to learn how to use it in a way that fits my logic. With your help I believe I can do this.
    I'll follow this thread with interest. You're going through the same stuff many of us have, and I'm still very much in the process of setting up my standards in terms of how I want to use BC going forward. You may not care to, but I learned quite a lot by going back through all the archived threads and looking for the ones with the most replies and/or subject lines that sounded interesting. If nothing else, it showed me that I was a neophyte in the land of GPS/MS/BC, even though I have four devices and have been using MS for 12 years.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    I think MS is going to be around for a long time...

    Well all one has to do is download and keep the MapSource install package. Then even if Garmin makes it unavailable sometime in the future (as they have some software) you have it in case a reinstall is necessary.

    MapSource will work with many newer units (including nuvi's) if you learn how to copy GPX files to/from your device. MS cannot do some things (e.g. manage Birdseye imagery) but it can, and does for me, do the routine stuff.
  • 0
    MS will see the newer nuvis, you just need to set them to mass storage mode instead of MTP mode. To do that:

    1. Start NUVI by itself and go to Volume Screen.
    2. Press the upper right hand corner of screen for 10 seconds.
    3. The Developers Screen will pop up
    4. Scroll down to MTP SETTINGS
    5. Change from AUTO DETECT to MASS STORAGE
    6. Shut down NUVI and hookup to Computer USB cable

    Mapsource should now see it :)
  • 0
    Well a list is a list and a folder a collection of lists

    Yes I agree but here is what I get. I expect to see the list name, not the waypoints that are in the list. Notice in the screen shot. You should only see the list named campgrounds not a full list of the campgrounds.





    As for Unlisted Data, it's a very helpful folder. It's too easy to remove something from lists but still have it in My Collection somewhere. Unlisted Data is simply a list of anything that isn't in any other list. I check mine occasionally to ensure I don't have any 'orphans'

    Isn't My Collection the repository for all waypoints, routes, tracks ands such. So why do I need another.

    Now I am not trying to be contrary. I just don't see why there are multiple areas where you try to seperate items but yet see same thing in different places.

    I will work this out. Just want to learn the best way to handle this app.

    BC
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    Isn't My Collection the repository for all waypoints, routes, tracks ands such. So why do I need another.

    I think the issue you're having is that the design philosophy of MapSource and BaseCamp are very different.

    MapSource is a file orientated application. You put waypoints/routes/tracks/etc in a single (GDB) file. To keep stuff separated you use multiple files. The data in one file has nothing to do with that in another unless you've copied it explicitly. The user (as you have) can keep their data organized by using the Windows filesystem (folders, shortcuts etc) as they please.

    BaseCamp is a database orientated program. With it everything is kept in a single database (actually a GDB file under the hood). With a large amount of data this becomes unwieldy. You can therefore have folders and sub-folders with one of more lists existing in those. You can also "mirror" (the equivalent of a shortcut in Windows OS'es) data between lists (i.e. List A under folder B contains a "Home" waypoint but it's also in list C under folder D). One issue with that is that all data must be uniquely named. Thus you can't have a "Home" waypoint in list A and a different "Home" waypoint in list C.

    The point is that you must think differently and organize your folder/sub-folder/list names that achieves, as well as it can, what you want.
  • 0
    Yes I agree but here is what I get. I expect to see the list name, not the waypoints that are in the list. Notice in the screen shot. You should only see the list named campgrounds not a full list of the campgrounds.






    Isn't My Collection the repository for all waypoints, routes, tracks ands such. So why do I need another.

    Now I am not trying to be contrary. I just don't see why there are multiple areas where you try to seperate items but yet see same thing in different places.

    I will work this out. Just want to learn the best way to handle this app.

    BC


    Sorry, but that's not the way it works. If you select a folder you see all the waypoints in that folder, select a list and you just see the waypoints in that list.

    As for unlisted data. This is a feature that many users have asked for as it's too easy to create 'orphans'. You may see no need for it in which case just ignore it :)
  • 0
    Ran into a new situation. I am building all the campgrounds we have stayed in or know about by state. We are Escapees and go to Rainbows End in Livingston TX There are two ways to get to Rainbows End. One from a back road and another off the highway to the main entrance. I have labeled the waypoint name Rainbows End and the entrance Rainbows End Entrance.

    BC will not let me use both name. It is telling me that I have to have a unique name. What is the length limit for waypoint names. It looks like it is about 10 or 12 characters.

    Any thoughts.

    I also have a question about naming of waypoints. I know that we can't have a duplicate name like Home. However in the entire US or World there are names and places that will have the same name. If there is a campground named Wilwood in TX and one in Colorado will it allow the name to be duplicated. It would be intresting that if a POI, waypoint or whatever has the same name maybe if BC would look at the location (lat/long) or something to determine that they are not the same place but the same name.

    I have used MS Streets and Trips for years and they will allow duplicate names but it will tell you that you are using a duplicate name, then continue on.

    Any thoughts on this...

    BC
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    Here is a suggestion on waypoint names.
    I leave out the spaces and use a more complete name.
    RainbowsEndBack
    RainbowsEndMain
    WilwoodTX
    WilwoodCO

    Remember, BaseCamp sees all the waypoints all the time even tho you do not.
    You can only use a particular waypoint name 1 time in all of BaseCamp.

    I entered 2 waypoints into my BaseCamp Unlisted Data folder, Rainbows End and Rainbows End Entrance with no duplicate name warning.
    Then I opened an old track and tried to enter a 3rd waypoint named Rainbows End and got a duplicate name warning.

    If you got a duplicate name warning then somewhere in BaseCamp, in some track, you have a waypoint with that same name.
    If you use a more complete name you will have a much better chance of not getting a duplicate name warning.
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