The Official 2021 Driftin' GPS Routes File

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Hey folks –

 

The Garmin *.GPX file for the Driftin’ event in southwest Wisconsin next month can be found at the bottom of this post.  Some notes:

 

• I strongly recommend duplicating all of the route files, recalculating the duplicates, then then comparing each duplicate to its original to look for discrepancies in routing/distance.  If you’ve never done this before, here’s how:

 

1. After downloading the file and importing it into Basecamp, click on the first route in the list, then shift-click the last route on the list to select all of the routes.
2. Right-click somewhere in the selected area, and in the pop-up menu, click on “Duplicate” (it’ll ask if you want to duplicate the waypoints; say no).
3. Select all of the originals (Control-click them one at a time), right-click on one of them, and click on “Recalculate Selected Route(s).”
4. Right-click on the first recalculated route, and click on “Open” to bring up the route properties window.
5. In the list, click back and forth between the recalculated original route and the unchanged duplicate.  If the distances are different, you’ll have to visually inspect the map as you click back and forth between the two versions to see where they differ, and insert additional way points to make the recalculated original route match its unchanged duplicate.
6. When the original matches its duplicate, delete the duplicate.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 for each of the routes.

 

• The routes take you to one of three different lunch destination towns.  In the morning, pick a destination town – Viroqua, Richland Center, or Platteville – and then browse through the corresponding batch of routes to decide how far you want to ride before lunch.  After lunch, find the batch of routes that will take you from where you are back to event headquarters, decide how far you want to ride for the afternoon, and choose accordingly.  Depending on your choices, total route distances for each day range from 212  miles to 298 miles.  If you skip the routes and just let your GPS take you directly to/from lunch-town, you’ll get…something shorter.  The file includes several restaurant waypoints in each town, although I’ve only actually eaten at one or two of each.  If you’re in Viroqua and looking for a real Wisconsin lunch, at the Nelson’s Agri-Center kids sometimes cook brats on a grill outside the store to raise money for school programs.  You’ll have to use your bike as a table, but it’s good eatin’.

 

• I’ve personally ridden many of these roads, but not all of them. I scouted some of these roads from home over the past year using Google satellite view and street view.  To the best of my knowledge, there is very little total distance of gravel/dirt roads, but I can’t promise absolutely none, so please exercise due caution.

 

• The two GS routes are an exception.  Mike obtained these from the folks at Driftless Road Adventures (more info here, where Mike first posted about them).  I haven’t ridden many of those roads at all, but I assume they contain plenty of gravel roads and paths that would be less-than-optimal for folks on RTs or other street-oriented bikes.

 

• In BaseCamp, you’ll see a long list of waypoints marked with an alien head, like this one:  .  These were harvested from Roadside America, a website dedicated to keeping track of oddball roadside attractions throughout the US.  I only punched in a few that are outside the Driftless, but I’ve included all of the ones inside the Driftless.  Sadly only a few are actually incorporated into the routes I created.  In Basecamp, you can double-click on each waypoint to bring up the properties window, then click on the “Notes” tab to read some info about what it is (there’s also a link in the Notes section to take you to the relevant page at Roadside America).  If you find any that look interesting, feel free to add them to whatever route you like, including your commutes to/from the whole event.

 

• A separate set of waypoints marks the locations of official wayside rest areas throughout Wisconsin. These are primitive sites with picnic tables and outhouses, but they sometimes make for convenient bathroom stops.  Only a few actually lie on the routes I made, and WI-DOT told me that because of COVID, they can’t guarantee that those waysides will be open this season.  But you’ll be riding past them anyway, so you’ll know whether they’re open when you do.

 

• High-octane gasoline can’t be found at all gas stations in the Driftless.  I’ve included waypoints for a few that I’ve verified; there may be others, but no guarantees.

 

• There are waypoints on both shores of Lake Michigan for the SS Badger ferry and the Lake Express ferry.  If you’re coming from Michigan or eastern Canada and can afford the fare, either of these beats riding through Chicago.  The Badger is more northerly, slower (~4 hrs), bigger, older, and cheaper; the Lake Express is more southerly, faster (~2.5 hours), newer, and expensive.  The Badger requires you to bring your own tie-downs (you can buy them at a Walmart on the east side of town), whereas the Lake Express supplies tie-downs for you.  Both require you to tie your own bike down, and you won't be allowed to visit your bike during the crossing.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, remember to bring your preferred remedy; both vessels can operate in some really windy conditions, and it can get rough.

 

• There is a “Rally” waypoint at Krachey’s BP in Prairie du Chien.  Mike suggested this as a convenient place for people to rendezvous in the morning.  Huckleberry’s restaurant is right there for breakfast if you want more substantial fare than what will be available at event headquarters (“Borah Borah - HQ”).

 

That’s about all I’ve got.  Watch out for cowshit and gravel on the roads, and beware of flesh-rending agricultural equipment on blind rises and turns.  Ride safe, ride well, and above all, have fun.  

 

Here’s the link (hosted off site):

2021_bmwst-driftin.gpx

[John Ranalletta]

8 minutes ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

Hey folks –

 

The Garmin *.GPX file for the Driftin’ event in southwest Wisconsin next month can be found at the bottom of this post.  Some notes:

 

• I strongly recommend duplicating all of the route files, recalculating the duplicates, then then comparing each duplicate to its original to look for discrepancies in routing/distance.  If you’ve never done this before, here’s how:

 

1. After downloading the file and importing it into Basecamp, click on the first route in the list, then shift-click the last route on the list to select all of the routes.
2. Right-click somewhere in the selected area, and in the pop-up menu, click on “Duplicate” (it’ll ask if you want to duplicate the waypoints; say no).
3. Select all of the originals (Control-click them one at a time), right-click on one of them, and click on “Recalculate Selected Route(s).”
4. Right-click on the first recalculated route, and click on “Open” to bring up the route properties window.
5. In the list, click back and forth between the recalculated original route and the unchanged duplicate.  If the distances are different, you’ll have to visually inspect the map as you click back and forth between the two versions to see where they differ, and insert additional way points to make the recalculated original route match its unchanged duplicate.
6. When the original matches its duplicate, delete the duplicate.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 for each of the routes.

 

• The routes take you to one of three different lunch destination towns.  In the morning, pick a destination town – Viroqua, Richland Center, or Platteville – and then browse through the corresponding batch of routes to decide how far you want to ride before lunch.  After lunch, find the batch of routes that will take you from where you are back to event headquarters, decide how far you want to ride for the afternoon, and choose accordingly.  Depending on your choices, total route distances for each day range from 212  miles to 298 miles.  If you skip the routes and just let your GPS take you directly to/from lunch-town, you’ll get…something shorter.  The file includes several restaurant waypoints in each town, although I’ve only actually eaten at one or two of each.  If you’re in Viroqua and looking for a real Wisconsin lunch, at the Nelson’s Agri-Center kids sometimes cook brats on a grill outside the store to raise money for school programs.  You’ll have to use your bike as a table, but it’s good eatin’.

 

• I’ve personally ridden many of these roads, but not all of them. I scouted some of these roads from home over the past year using Google satellite view and street view.  To the best of my knowledge, there is very little total distance of gravel/dirt roads, but I can’t promise absolutely none, so please exercise due caution.

 

• The two GS routes are an exception.  Mike obtained these from the folks at Driftless Road Adventures (more info here, where Mike first posted about them).  I haven’t ridden many of those roads at all, but I assume they contain plenty of gravel roads and paths that would be less-than-optimal for folks on RTs or other street-oriented bikes.

 

• In BaseCamp, you’ll see a long list of waypoints marked with an alien head, like this one:  .  These were harvested from Roadside America, a website dedicated to keeping track of oddball roadside attractions throughout the US.  I only punched in a few that are outside the Driftless, but I’ve included all of the ones inside the Driftless.  Sadly only a few are actually incorporated into the routes I created.  In Basecamp, you can double-click on each waypoint to bring up the properties window, then click on the “Notes” tab to read some info about what it is (there’s also a link in the Notes section to take you to the relevant page at Roadside America).  If you find any that look interesting, feel free to add them to whatever route you like, including your commutes to/from the whole event.

 

• A separate set of waypoints marks the locations of official wayside rest areas throughout Wisconsin. These are primitive sites with picnic tables and outhouses, but they sometimes make for convenient bathroom stops.  Only a few actually lie on the routes I made, and WI-DOT told me that because of COVID, they can’t guarantee that those waysides will be open this season.  But you’ll be riding past them anyway, so you’ll know whether they’re open when you do.

 

• High-octane gasoline can’t be found at all gas stations in the Driftless.  I’ve included waypoints for a few that I’ve verified; there may be others, but no guarantees.

 

• There are waypoints on both shores of Lake Michigan for the SS Badger ferry and the Lake Express ferry.  If you’re coming from Michigan or eastern Canada and can afford the fare, either of these beats riding through Chicago.  The Badger is more northerly, slower (~4 hrs), bigger, older, and cheaper; the Lake Express is more southerly, faster (~2.5 hours), newer, and expensive.  The Badger requires you to bring your own tie-downs (you can buy them at a Walmart on the east side of town), whereas the Lake Express supplies tie-downs for you.  Both require you to tie your own bike down, and you won't be allowed to visit your bike during the crossing.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, remember to bring your preferred remedy; both vessels can operate in some really windy conditions, and it can get rough.

 

• There is a “Rally” waypoint at Krachey’s BP in Prairie du Chien.  Mike suggested this as a convenient place for people to rendezvous in the morning.  Huckleberry’s restaurant is right there for breakfast if you want more substantial fare than what will be available at event headquarters (“Borah Borah - HQ”).

 

That’s about all I’ve got.  Watch out for cowshit and gravel on the roads, and beware of flesh-rending agricultural equipment on blind rises and turns.  Ride safe, ride well, and above all, have fun.  

 

Here’s the link (hosted off site):

2021_bmwst-driftin.gpx

Thanks for the routes, Mitch.

[Mike]

Thanks for all your work on this project, Mitch! This part of the Midwest offers some of the best riding anywhere, with many lightly traveled, curvy roads. It’s also pretty darned scenic.

With respect to Mitch’s notes on his routes: the idea of looking for school/fire department/rescue squad-sponsored lunches is excellent. Generally the food’s pretty good, and these folks—particularly the local rescue squads and fire departments—receive most of their operating funds from this sort of effort. On the subject of excellent restaurants, if you find yourself in Viroqua I’d suggest the Driftless Cafe, a James Beard nominated restaurant that’s not too hoity-toity.  

As for gasoline, most stations offer 91-octane that’s pure gasoline (no ethanol). 93-octane is hard to find. Some of the Casey’s stations only sell regular (87-octane), which is a bit of a mystery to me.

 

Keep an eye out for road hazards; in particular, deer, farm equipment, and Amish buggies. The latter can sneak up on you pretty fast...they’re painted black and can be difficult to spot from a distance. Again, it’s great riding, but with the caveat that the full range of rural hazards might be encountered at any time.  On our road—Borah Ridge Road—you’re very likely to come across deer on or near our place. It’s not someplace you’d be riding at high speeds, but just be aware.

Really looking forward to this. Again, many thanks to Mitch...putting together these routes is a time consuming process.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

3 minutes ago, Mike said:

On the subject of excellent restaurants, if you find yourself in Viroqua I’d suggest the Driftless Cafe, a James Beard nominated restaurant that’s not too hoity-toity.  

 

Seconded, and I've included a waypoint for it in the routes file. Been there a few times now, good stuff.

https://driftlesscafe.com/

 

Although...

 

4 minutes ago, Mike said:

With respect to Mitch’s notes on his routes: the idea of looking for school/fire department/rescue squad-sponsored lunches is excellent. Generally the food’s pretty good, and these folks—particularly the local rescue squads and fire departments—receive most of their operating funds from this sort of effort.

 

Starting to drool again.  Hard to beat a good Wisconsin brat...

 

[Dave_in_TX]

On 5/9/2021 at 2:33 PM, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

Hey folks –

 

The Garmin *.GPX file for the Driftin’ event in southwest Wisconsin next month can be found at the bottom of this post.  Some notes:

 

• I strongly recommend duplicating all of the route files, recalculating the duplicates, then then comparing each duplicate to its original to look for discrepancies in routing/distance.  If you’ve never done this before, here’s how:

 

1. After downloading the file and importing it into Basecamp, click on the first route in the list, then shift-click the last route on the list to select all of the routes.
2. Right-click somewhere in the selected area, and in the pop-up menu, click on “Duplicate” (it’ll ask if you want to duplicate the waypoints; say no).
3. Select all of the originals (Control-click them one at a time), right-click on one of them, and click on “Recalculate Selected Route(s).”
4. Right-click on the first recalculated route, and click on “Open” to bring up the route properties window.
5. In the list, click back and forth between the recalculated original route and the unchanged duplicate.  If the distances are different, you’ll have to visually inspect the map as you click back and forth between the two versions to see where they differ, and insert additional way points to make the recalculated original route match its unchanged duplicate.
6. When the original matches its duplicate, delete the duplicate.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 for each of the routes.

 

• The routes take you to one of three different lunch destination towns.  In the morning, pick a destination town – Viroqua, Richland Center, or Platteville – and then browse through the corresponding batch of routes to decide how far you want to ride before lunch.  After lunch, find the batch of routes that will take you from where you are back to event headquarters, decide how far you want to ride for the afternoon, and choose accordingly.  Depending on your choices, total route distances for each day range from 212  miles to 298 miles.  If you skip the routes and just let your GPS take you directly to/from lunch-town, you’ll get…something shorter.  The file includes several restaurant waypoints in each town, although I’ve only actually eaten at one or two of each.  If you’re in Viroqua and looking for a real Wisconsin lunch, at the Nelson’s Agri-Center kids sometimes cook brats on a grill outside the store to raise money for school programs.  You’ll have to use your bike as a table, but it’s good eatin’.

 

• I’ve personally ridden many of these roads, but not all of them. I scouted some of these roads from home over the past year using Google satellite view and street view.  To the best of my knowledge, there is very little total distance of gravel/dirt roads, but I can’t promise absolutely none, so please exercise due caution.

 

• The two GS routes are an exception.  Mike obtained these from the folks at Driftless Road Adventures (more info here, where Mike first posted about them).  I haven’t ridden many of those roads at all, but I assume they contain plenty of gravel roads and paths that would be less-than-optimal for folks on RTs or other street-oriented bikes.

 

• In BaseCamp, you’ll see a long list of waypoints marked with an alien head, like this one:  .  These were harvested from Roadside America, a website dedicated to keeping track of oddball roadside attractions throughout the US.  I only punched in a few that are outside the Driftless, but I’ve included all of the ones inside the Driftless.  Sadly only a few are actually incorporated into the routes I created.  In Basecamp, you can double-click on each waypoint to bring up the properties window, then click on the “Notes” tab to read some info about what it is (there’s also a link in the Notes section to take you to the relevant page at Roadside America).  If you find any that look interesting, feel free to add them to whatever route you like, including your commutes to/from the whole event.

 

• A separate set of waypoints marks the locations of official wayside rest areas throughout Wisconsin. These are primitive sites with picnic tables and outhouses, but they sometimes make for convenient bathroom stops.  Only a few actually lie on the routes I made, and WI-DOT told me that because of COVID, they can’t guarantee that those waysides will be open this season.  But you’ll be riding past them anyway, so you’ll know whether they’re open when you do.

 

• High-octane gasoline can’t be found at all gas stations in the Driftless.  I’ve included waypoints for a few that I’ve verified; there may be others, but no guarantees.

 

• There are waypoints on both shores of Lake Michigan for the SS Badger ferry and the Lake Express ferry.  If you’re coming from Michigan or eastern Canada and can afford the fare, either of these beats riding through Chicago.  The Badger is more northerly, slower (~4 hrs), bigger, older, and cheaper; the Lake Express is more southerly, faster (~2.5 hours), newer, and expensive.  The Badger requires you to bring your own tie-downs (you can buy them at a Walmart on the east side of town), whereas the Lake Express supplies tie-downs for you.  Both require you to tie your own bike down, and you won't be allowed to visit your bike during the crossing.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, remember to bring your preferred remedy; both vessels can operate in some really windy conditions, and it can get rough.

 

• There is a “Rally” waypoint at Krachey’s BP in Prairie du Chien.  Mike suggested this as a convenient place for people to rendezvous in the morning.  Huckleberry’s restaurant is right there for breakfast if you want more substantial fare than what will be available at event headquarters (“Borah Borah - HQ”).

 

That’s about all I’ve got.  Watch out for cowshit and gravel on the roads, and beware of flesh-rending agricultural equipment on blind rises and turns.  Ride safe, ride well, and above all, have fun.  

 

Here’s the link (hosted off site):

2021_bmwst-driftin.gpx

I'm seeing that all the recalculated original routes are shorter than the unchanged duplicates

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

1 hour ago, Dave_in_TX said:

I'm seeing that all the recalculated original routes are shorter than the unchanged duplicates

 

I'm guessing you're using a different map set in BaseCamp than me, something newer/older.  Hopefully the distances don't differ by much?  This is where steps 5-6 come in.  Let me know if I'm misunderstanding something.

[Dave_in_TX]

1 hour ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

 

I'm guessing you're using a different map set in BaseCamp than me, something newer/older.  Hopefully the distances don't differ by much?  This is where steps 5-6 come in.  Let me know if I'm misunderstanding something.

I'm new to BaseCamp. I jut installed the latest version today. The differences are significant, I'm seeing differences of 20+ miles.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

13 minutes ago, Dave_in_TX said:

I'm new to BaseCamp. I jut installed the latest version today. The differences are significant, I'm seeing differences of 20+ miles.

 

Are you able to see where each recalculated route differs from its duplicate, and insert waypoints into the recalculated route to get it to conform?

[Dave_in_TX]

1 hour ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

 

Are you able to see where each recalculated route differs from its duplicate, and insert waypoints into the recalculated route to get it to conform?

At this point, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what waypoints are and how to add them. I have never used BaseCamp until today.

[Dave_in_TX]

Not sure what waypoints to add. The route with straight sections is the recalculated original, the curvy one is the duplicate.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

3 hours ago, Dave_in_TX said:

Not sure what waypoints to add. The route with straight sections is the recalculated original, the curvy one is the duplicate.

 

Under the "Edit" menu, select "Options", then check your activity profile:

 

 

Make sure it says "Motorcycling" at the top, and "Faster Time" under "Route Preference."  After you've made those changes, try recalculating a route and see if it follows the roads properly.  Once it's actually laying the routes on the roads, then you can do a legit check for route distance discrepancies.

 

Actually, looking again at your screenshot, it looks like you might not have the map properly loaded.  Are all the roads really jagged-looking, and not very many of the small rural roads visible?  If so, check under the "Maps" menu, what does it say for which map you're using?  It should list "City Navigator North America NT XXXX.X", with a check mark next to it.  What have you got there.  

 

I'll check in again tomorrow morning.

[Dave_in_TX]

11 hours ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

 

Under the "Edit" menu, select "Options", then check your activity profile:

 

 

Make sure it says "Motorcycling" at the top, and "Faster Time" under "Route Preference."  After you've made those changes, try recalculating a route and see if it follows the roads properly.  Once it's actually laying the routes on the roads, then you can do a legit check for route distance discrepancies.

 

Actually, looking again at your screenshot, it looks like you might not have the map properly loaded.  Are all the roads really jagged-looking, and not very many of the small rural roads visible?  If so, check under the "Maps" menu, what does it say for which map you're using?  It should list "City Navigator North America NT XXXX.X", with a check mark next to it.  What have you got there.  

 

I'll check in again tomorrow morning.

The only map available is "Global Map". Do I need to have my GPS connected?

[John Ranalletta]

36 minutes ago, Dave_in_TX said:

The only map available is "Global Map". Do I need to have my GPS connected?

 

Caution: I'm not a Garmin expert like some here.

 

When you connect to Garmin, have your GPS connected to the computer.  Using Garmin Express, you can load (update) maps on your GPS and  your computer.  Using the local map (on the computer) is much quicker when using Basecamp,

 

Not sure I understand your question, but after importing routes to Basecamp, you'll need to have your GPS connected to transfer the routes.  After the transfer, when you start your GPS, you will be prompted to "import" the routes for using on the unit.

 

[John Ranalletta]

I have a question for Nav V users.  When choosing to download maps, Express asked to insert a micro card; however, I don't see a micro card slot on the V.  TIA.

 

[Bernie]

19 minutes ago, John Ranalletta said:

I have a question for Nav V users.  When choosing to download maps, Express asked to insert a micro card; however, I don't see a micro card slot on the V.  TIA.

 

I am not sure where the MicroSD card slot is on the Nav5. On the Nav6 it is in the battery compartment, below the battery. Check if it is maybe in the same area on the Nav5.

Checking the owners guide for the Nav5, it is located under the battery.

https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/files/file/16-bmw-navigator-v-manual/

[John Ranalletta]

4 minutes ago, Bernie said:

I am not sure where the MicroSD card slot is on the Nav5. On the Nav6 it is in the battery compartment, below the battery. Check if it is maybe in the same area on the Nav5.

Checking the owners guide for the Nav5, it is located under the battery.

 

Thanks, Bernie

[lkraus]

1 hour ago, Dave_in_TX said:

The only map available is "Global Map". Do I need to have my GPS connected?

You can connect with the USB cable and use the map from the GPS, but Basecamp will be very slow to change the display when you pan or zoom the map.

 

If you connect the GPS and then run Garmin Express, you can choose (Map Details or Map Options) to update the map if a newer one is available AND install the map to your computer.  With the map on your computer, Basecamp will be able to change the display with very little delay, and you can then use Basecamp without connecting the GPS.

 

This should work for Navigators and most Zumo models. I understand a bug in Express does not currently give Zumo XT owners the option to install the map on the computer.

 

Garmin does not do a very good job of explaining how their devices and software work. John Heath (BMWST user jfheath) has written an excellent guide explaining how Basecamp works with a Garmin GPS (with private YouTube links). It's designed primarily for a Zumo 590/595, but it is 99% applicable to the  Nav V and VI.  John still updates the guide as he learns more, and he does not want "old" versions floating around the net, so he asks that we not pass our copies around.   If you send him a message with your email address, he will send you a current copy.

 

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

1 hour ago, Dave_in_TX said:

The only map available is "Global Map". Do I need to have my GPS connected?

 

OK, so you don't have a detailed map set installed in BaseCamp.  The "Global Map" is kind of a skeleton, and you need to put some meat on those bones.  

 

If you connect your GPS, Basecamp can use the maps that it contains, but as John notes, it'll be slow.  Better to have the full map installed on your computer directly.  BaseCamp will run faster, and you won't need to have your GPS receiver connected to your computer whenever you want to work on something in BaseCamp.

 

Here's Garmin's page about using Garmin Express to install maps on your PC or Mac .  If you run into problems with this, I'd recommend contacting their tech support here.  They've got a good reputation for solid tech support, so I'm confident they can get you where you need to be.  

 

lkraus has beaten me to the punch here.  Anyway, give it a shot and let us know how it goes.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

 

 

[Dave_in_TX]

Garmin Express us giving me problems. I hadn't used it in over year. It wa.nted to update to latest version so I did that. Now it  doesn't seem to recognize that my 660 is connected but my computer shows it in Windows Explorer. I've tried different usb ports with the same result.

[Bernie]

Are you using a Garmin cable?

[Dave_in_TX]

Yes, I'm using the cable that came with the Garmin, the same cable I used last time..

[Dave_in_TX]

Besides not connecting to my 660, Express has been spending the last 20 minutes checking for updates.

[John Ranalletta]

23 minutes ago, Dave_in_TX said:

Besides not connecting to my 660, Express has been spending the last 20 minutes checking for updates.

Dave, I've got the NavV and it always has difficulty being recognized by the computer.  I'll plug it in and just let it sit until some magic happens and it connects.  I've loaded/reloaded drivers, burned incense and everything else Garmin recommends, but just waiting works for me.

[Dave_in_TX]

16 minutes ago, John Ranalletta said:

Dave, I've got the NavV and it always has difficulty being recognized by the computer.  I'll plug it in and just let it sit until some magic happens and it connects.  I've loaded/reloaded drivers, burned incense and everything else Garmin recommends, but just waiting works for me.

Strange. I didn't have this problem the last time I updated my maps.

[Dave_in_TX]

After much grief, I now have City Maps installed on BaseCamp. Garmin Express couldn't find my Garmin 660; it turned out that my SD card was the problem. After replacing the card, I was able to download maps and update my 660. Updating the 660 was painfully slow and had to be attempted many times.

[edgrew]

On 5/13/2021 at 2:29 PM, lkraus said:

"Garmin does not do a very good job of explaining how their devices and software work. John Heath (BMWST user jfheath) has written an excellent guide explaining how Basecamp works with a Garmin GPS (with private YouTube links). It's designed primarily for a Zumo 590/595, but it is 99% applicable to the  Nav V and VI.  John still updates the guide as he learns more, and he does not want "old" versions floating around the net, so he asks that we not pass our copies around.   If you send him a message with your email address, he will send you a current copy."

 

I found a link to John's videos in one of his posts I have watched them and found them very useful.  The link to the guide didn't work for me (I got a 404 error message.)

I have sent a message to John re the guide but have not as yet had a reply.

Does anyone here have a copy they could send to me?

Regards,

                Ed.

 

 

[edgrew]

John Heath has contacted me and sorted my query re his guide.  Thank you John.

Regards,

                Ed.