Mac/Windows Software

Basecamp Windows I just want a moving map.........

I just want a moving map.........

Former Member over 11 years ago

Maybe this is overly basic, but all I am after is a moving map with current speed, direction, elevation on the screen. Like nRoute or similar used to do. I have spent most of the afternoon trying to achieve this with zero joy, thus my appeal here.

I have the following equipment/software to work with:

City Navigator North America 2014.1
Basecamp 4.2.2
Garmin GPSmap 296 on ver. 6.1
Sony Laptop running Win 8 (64bit), i7 proc, truckloads memory, etc.
Garmin grmnusb.sys 2.3.1.0

Also Mapsource 6.16.3 (in case I should be using that for my purposes), or if Basecamp cannot do this, then I should use.....??

I can communicate back and forth with the 296 with Basecamp and with Mapsource, all good. I have selected and transferred maps back and forth (296's card only holds a certain amount), and can transfer a route from the GPS to pc, etc.

Goal: Upcoming road trip in a few days. We always use the 296 (just switch from aviation mode to automotive mode), and the boss wants her laptop to display moving map (no route, just the map itself) as a moving map with speed, direction, etc. As I said, we always used to do this (maybe with Nroute? I really don't remember). So I dropped $100 on this city navigator 2014 (was previously on 2008 so it was probably time), and otherwise ready to go, but I just cannot figure out how to tell Basecamp to operate as a "moving map in real time."

Am grateful for any suggestions.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

I think the problem there is that you're assuming everyone wants to do what you want to do. They don't.

GPS is now a mainstream consumer product--for better or for worse. What that means is that the vast majority of users purchase a small rectangular unit, whether a Garmin nuvi, Tom Tom or whatever, stick it on their dash/windshield and go no further. Now as much as I, you, or whomever don't like that it's the reality.

Now I complain here, often, about how nuvi's are "dumbed down" for the average user. While many come here with issues connecting their nuvi to BaseCamp for trip planning or whatever not many people do that. I'd imagine that the number of people wanting to use a computer in conjunction with a GPS unit for real-time navigation is very very small (perhaps RV users).

Garmin is just trying to cater to their (perceived) market and thus produce products and software to satisfy the majority.

Yeah, just my impression from the responses was that referring folks to legacy software was not out of the norm here. Just figured an option to real-time track, or even show location on viewed map wouldn't impact functionality for anyone not looking to do that. And since we used to be able to..........

It's cool. We all live with that everywhere (Apple: "folks don't need Adobe Flash on our products... OnStar: "customers don't need customized routes, so we can't do that, even if you are sitting at the threshold of a "closed" road.....Microsoft: "fill in the blank here......"

More annoyed at myself for not even poking around; just ordered the DVD and assumed.......

Have a good Sunday; the honey dos are calling........

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

NMEA is your best bet. That is a standard GPS protocol.

Yep, and that's the default. Just opened that area of settings to see if there were options.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

In some units you can enable advanced NMEA sentences. For simple real-time tracking those aren't needed.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

However I do have an image (VHD) of an old Win98SE laptop that has CN 2009 (I think) on it so in theory I could try it out--if I get bored enough :D

FYI I got City Navigator North America NT 2009 from that Win98SE VHD although I haven't installed nRoute (and probably won't).

As I recall CN NA NT 2009 was the last registry based CN NA map. Also the map data is dated March 4th 2008 (I purchased the maps about a month later) so its some 5.5 years old. Amusing looking at the POI's on those maps in my area as many of them have gone.

0 C14_Rider over 11 years ago

If I wanted to do serious laptop gps, I'd take a very close look at ALK CoPilot. ALK does PC Miler, a very popular gps app for trucking. And CoPilot has an RV mode. Also an integrated trip planner, i.e. serves the function of BaseCamp. Now they also have smart phone versions for only around $15. Rather tempting, though I don't know if you can use the laptop app to plan and then send routes/trips to your phone for driver guidance while your wife simply monitors location as you drive...

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

I know this is not the same as nRoute, but I thought I mention it anyways: if you get a Rino or one of the new dog tracking units (Astro, Alpha) you do get a moving map with BaseCamp. You can connect those devices in Basestation mode and it shows and tracks your current position, as well as your buddies' (or dogs') position.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Hey Falagar, how hard would it be to make Basestation mode take straight NMEA or even the Garmin protocol? Or perhaps it does already? What constrains it to only the models you listed? Or is it perhaps not limited?

I would test it but I've been on the road for a week. Get home tomorrow with a day to do laundry, repack, prep the bike and off on a 5000+km motorcycle trip. No PC so no Mapsource or Basecamp. When will we get Basecamp for Android so I can use it on my tablet?

... ken...

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

If I wanted to do serious laptop gps, I'd take a very close look at ALK CoPilot. ALK does PC Miler, a very popular gps app for trucking. And CoPilot has an RV mode. Also an integrated trip planner, i.e. serves the function of BaseCamp. Now they also have smart phone versions for only around $15. Rather tempting, though I don't know if you can use the laptop app to plan and then send routes/trips to your phone for driver guidance while your wife simply monitors location as you drive...

This appears to be a very impressive product. No smartphones owned, but they have laptop version which appears to be what I am looking for. The screenshots on the website show cartoon looking display, but the text in the manual seems to indicate that the user can choose to correct the display to show as an actual map. Is my interpretation of the manual correct? (cartoon only display would be a show stopper here)

0 C14_Rider over 11 years ago

Didn't end up buying it back when I was looking, so I'm not an authority. But if by "cartoonish" you mean 3D (the view that has perspective and appears to be a view from a baloon about 50' above the road), then yes, you can select 2D instead, which is a simple view like looking at a paper map. I believe one of the screen shots shown if you select "laptop" as the version of interest shows a 2D view. This would be similar to most device-specific GPS's these days, I believe (I only really know about my Zumo, which I run in 2D all the time.)

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

As far as I know all the Nuvi models as well as the Zumos and some of the handhelds (Montana, etc) can be switched between 3D and 2D (overhead or "map" view).

[email][email protected][/email] you might want to pop over to Laptopgpsworld.com and check out the forums on Garmin laptop products, MS Streets&Trips, ALK CoPilot, and DeLorme Street Atlas. They specialize in nav software on laptops and there is a wealth of info available.

...ken...