Basecamp routing activity profiles, how does it decide

Former Member over 11 years ago

Playing with Basecamp and routing using the various activity profiles. If I create a route between Osoyoos, BC and Calgary, AB using the Driving activity profile, I will be routed via Hwy 1. If I switch the activity profile to RV or Trucking I am now routed via Hwy 3, which is crazy because Hwy 3 is the worst possible route through the mountains. In looking at the settings for Driving, RV, Trucking even when they are setup identically, only the Driving profile will send the route via Hwy 1. Obviously Basecamp is using some unknown to us users settings to plot the routes. The Driving profile has "Elevation Mode" greyed out, while both the RV and Trucking profiles allow you to adjust the "Elevation Mode" between "Standard" and "Minimize Ascent".

It's obvious that Basecamp is NOT using any elevation data for it's calculations. Here's the grade profile for Hwy 1

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/popular-topics/documents/Hwy%201%20Kicking%20Horse%20grade-profile.pdf

and the grade profile for Hwy 3
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/popular-topics/documents/Hwy%203%20Kootenay%20Pass%20grade-profile.pdf

why would basecamp choose hwy 3 for rv's and trucks? Makes no sense. I have the following maps installed on the 3550:

Cnna-Na-DEM North America DEM
CN North America NT 2015.10 3D
CN North America NT 2015.10 ALL

according to the help file, it should be this simple...

Setting the Routing Preferences

You can change the way routes are calculated for each activity. Not all options are available for all usage modes.

Click BaseCamp > Preferences > Routing.
From the drop-down list, select an activity.
Change any of the following options:
Calculation Mode—select Fastest Time or Shortest Distance.
Elevation Mode—click Minimize Ascent to minimize the amount of elevation change when calculating a route.

but it doesn't work that way. I am about to go buy an RV 760 but am a little concerned about the routing in Basecamp. There's no reason why the routing should be any different using the 760 than my 3550. Thanks for any help or insight.

0 ljlaursen over 11 years ago

I have had problems similar to what is described and own an RV 760. Some times the RV 760 doesn't want to take the route in BaseCamp. I have the latest updates of map on the computer for BC and the 760, 2015.1.
I did the same routes in BC and got the same results for the routes. Auto on Hwy 1 and RV on Hwy 3. I am in the US and can't comment on the roads. I entered the route in the RV 760 using the RV activity and it used Hwy 1 for a 9 hr 30 min trip. The RV profile is 60 ft long; 8 ft wide; 13 ft tall and 36,000lbs. Sorry not metric.
Obviously the calculation algorism is different for BaseCamp and the RV 760

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

That's encouraging that the RV760 routed you the best way. I just don't see how Basecamp would behave any differently. Could you try creating that route in Basecamp using the RV profile. It should route you via hwy 3, transfer that route to the 760 and see if it recalculated it? Thanks.

Wouldn't help with our planning in Basecamp but at least we could trust the 760.

0 ljlaursen over 11 years ago

I took the route using Hwy 3 in BaseCamp and loaded it into the RV760. Unfortunately the RV760 follows the route on Hwy 3. If I put a shaping point on Hwy 1 in BaseCamp then the RV760 follows Hwy 1. Thus, you need the shaping point to have the RV760 use the route from BaseCamp. I had a similar issue where planning the route on the RV760 gave a different route than BC. It was transferred to the RV760 and looked the same as BC. Then when I was actually driving the route the RV760 changed the route. I was caught by surprise and went several miles out of my way.