Mapsource to Basecamp Conversion

[hopz]

As a long time user of Mapsource I guess its time to consider moving to Basecamp.

 

Would value any thoughts, conjectures, rumors and innuendo, not to mention facts on the process.

 

Does Basecamp read and play well with older routes made in Mapsource?

 

etc.

 

 

[Albert]

Same boat here hopz. I've had no trouble opening any of my older routes in Basecamp so I don't think that will be an issue. I haven't been able to wrap my head around Basecamp's "philosophy" yet but I haven't really tried either.

 

I also recently picked up a copy of Streets and Trips that I've played with a little bit. The problem so far with S&T is, it seems like you need to have one big route to dump in your gps. I'm used to storing lots of different routes in the unit prior to a 2+ week trip and then just opening what I need at the time. This seems like a real deal breaker but I may just not have figured out how to use S&T properly yet.

 

Conversely I've found some things S&T can do that Mapsource/Basecamp can't that I like a lot. With S&T a much cheaper alternative (especially given Garmin's ridiculous licensing/update procedures), I was really hoping it might work out. I may need to practice a little more before I give up.

[dirtrider]

Morning Hopz

 

Base Camp plays well with about any route & GPS system that I have run through or made with it. (very stable routing program)

 

On the other hand Map Source is no longer supported by Garmin so it doesn't always make a stable route that plays well with some GPS units that are using the newer NT mapping.

 

Base Camp is still a bit clunky & personally I don't like the way it uses common folder storage but every iteration of Base Camp gets better.

 

Map Source has some outstanding issues with older routes on the latest updated mapping as it can't seem to properly update older map database indexes. If the route made on Map Source has map database indexes that are older than the current mapping it CAN (not always will) give routing errors or strange lines & turns on the GPS routing.

 

At the moment you can still use the old Map Source program to make routes if you like, just run the route through Base Camp & re-calculate it first as that updates the map database indexes to seamlessly use the newer mapping.

 

Seeing as Map Source isn't supported anymore my suggestion is to at least start using Base Camp for some things as your will be forced to use Base Camp eventually anyhow.

 

[marcopolo]

I moved to Basecamp in 2010, after dropping PC and getting an iMac. Basecamp for Mac and Basecamp for PC are not exactly the same. It took me a little while to get my head around its logic, but once I did I was glad I made the switch (though I really didn't have a choice as there's no Mapsource for PC). For example, it's nice to have all data in a single database ("My Collection"), so you can easily copy a waypoint etc. into a new folder that you might create for a new trip. I found I had a lot of duplication in Mapsource. If I can make the switch without too much difficulty, I think anyone can. My experience, of course, has been solely with the Mac version. I also discovered that, while I had a lot of data saved in Mapsource, I didn't really try to import it into Basecamp (and I haven't really missed it). I'd suggest starting with a clean slate in Basecamp and going from there and decide later whether you really need that old data. I haven't missed it; I mean, how long does it really take to create waypoints, routes etc.?

[marcopolo]

... I was glad I made the switch (though I really didn't have a choice as there's no Mapsource for PC)...

 

I meant to say that there's no Mapsource for Mac!

[johnlt]

Just like my 276C, Garmin no longer supports it so I will be forced to change. I've had no issues with mapsource and I love the 276C for my dirt bike but I guess I'll have to move on.

[Stan Walker]

Just like my 276C, Garmin no longer supports it so I will be forced to change.

 

Why do you say that? I would think that the 276C will continue to be usable until it has a hardware problem. What problems are you running into?

 

I upgraded the NT maps for my 276C just last year (2013.2). I used those maps on a long trip and I don't recall any unusual problems. If I recall correctly I used Map Source to load the maps and input the route.

 

Stan

[kltk165]

For the life of me, no matter how hard I try, making clean routes that don't call out street names is a challenge. Sometimes it's great, no issues. Other times there's so many waypoints I just want to quit. Mapsource was very user friendly once you understood "shaping points". Basecamp doesn't play nice at all for me. My understanding is that it's much better on the newest Zumo (forget the model number but it's the one that came out after the Zumoo 66X series) than the Zumo 66X models. I'm using a Zumo 665. I also found that the routing works better using the auto profile as opposed to the motorcycle profile. I find that the motorcycle profile makes it route all kinds of crazy routes. I prefer to make my own routes and find the motorcycle profile goes too far out of the way to get from point A to B. As always, Zumoforums is your best friend in this department. Motorcyclemama is a fantastic resource on that site. She's very helpful and incredibly knowledgeable.

[johnlt]

You are correct, "until I have a hardware problem". It is such a popular unit I'm hoping there will be some aftermarket repair service but haven't found one yet.

[Stan Walker]

You are correct, "until I have a hardware problem".

 

One of the more common problems is that the internal rechargeable battery gets old and the 276C "forgets" when/where it is once the unit is turned off. This forces you to to do the long start up sequence. For anybody who is careful and can solder well this battery can be replaced at home. I did mine about a year ago.

 

If you should decide to just toss yours, feel free to toss it my way, I could always use the unit for spare parts!

 

Stan

[marcopolo]

FWIW, I moved on from my 276C last year when I bought a Garmin Montana. It's the closest thing I could find to the old chartplotters (like the 276C).

 

For general info on the Montana, check here:

 

http://garminmontanagpsr.wikispaces.com

[johnlt]

That seems to be the direction most of the ADVrider guys go when they need to replace their X76 units. My riding buddy got one and is quite happy.

[Foot]

basecamp on the PC and Mac are two different acting programs. On the mac you can create a route from point A to B then drag the route to change it. You cannot do that on a PC, go figure!

 

Alan

[dirtrider]

basecamp on the PC and Mac are two different acting programs. On the mac you can create a route from point A to B then drag the route to change it. You cannot do that on a PC, go figure!

 

 

Evening Foot

 

In Base Camp on the PC sure you can drag & change the route. Just use the INSERT (pencil looking tool) to do it.

 

Are you using the 4.0.5 Base Camp? Insert tool should do the trick for you.

 

Should be a new Base Camp update out any day now so watch for that.

 

[steve_w]

Stan Walker,

Where did you find an upgrade for Mapsource. I am also using a 276c, love it, but would like to update the unit soft ware.

 

Steve W

Holland, MI

[randy]

I am trying to learn basecamp. I find it extremely frustrating. just trying to do one simple task. I want to make all my race tracks and dirt riding parks waypoints in one folder. I go up to the search function and let say enter Barber Motorsports park, near Birmingham, AL. It finds nothing. Then I enter Roebling Raceway in Pooler, GA nothing. Not one track or dirt bike park comes up. It is like some function is turned off, or basecamp does not have POI for these places. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgg

[BMW_Ken]

I am trying to learn basecamp. I find it extremely frustrating. just trying to do one simple task. I want to make all my race tracks and dirt riding parks waypoints in one folder. I go up to the search function and let say enter Barber Motorsports park, near Birmingham, AL. It finds nothing. Then I enter Roebling Raceway in Pooler, GA nothing. Not one track or dirt bike park comes up. It is like some function is turned off, or basecamp does not have POI for these places. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgg

 

I just found Barber with no problem. At Find I selected "Arena/Track" near "Birmingham, AL" containing "barber" and it came right up. Then you can right click it and make it a Waypoint.

 

I agree that I like the find function in Mapsource better, but this one usually works.

[randy]

you are correct Barber came up. But Roebling raceway, Jennings GP, Virginia International Raceway none of them are coming up. I will keep trying. This is what drives me crazy about basecamp. It just seems so inconsistent compared to mapsource. routing is not the big and issue. But finding points of interest drives me crazy.

[Stan Walker]

Where did you find an upgrade for Mapsource. I am also using a 276c, love it, but would like to update the unit soft ware.

 

To be perfectly accurate I didn't say I upgraded MapSource, I said I upgraded the NT maps for my 276C to version 2013.2 (2013.3 is now the latest). I did this by ordering a new copy of the NT maps on DVD for $79.99. I seem to recall that the DVD comes with both Basecamp and MapSource, if not, the latest version of MapSource (6.16.3) can be downloaded for free from the Garmin web site.

 

Stan

 

[dirtrider]

Morning Randy

 

The search function in Base Camp has been one of the issues that Garmin has been working on. The first versions of Base Camp were really bad but the current version 4.0.5 is much better. (A new Base Camp update is due about any day now so keep checking)

 

Not everything is in the Base Camp search data base so when looking for specific places (like race tracks) just search by address.

 

You can still use Map Source for the search function then make a waypoint or POI & transfer it to Base Camp.

 

I just picked Roebling & it didn't come up in Map Source either (maybe with some fiddling you can force it to find the track) but it didn't find it right off in Map Source either.

 

The upside is-- EVERY version of Base Camp seems to be improved as far as search function goes. With Map Source being NOT supported by Garmin for quite a while now, it is what it is, so it will never get better & will degrade over time as places & roads change names or location.

 

I usually (quickly) search in Google first then just use the address in the Base Camp search function, then make a waypoint from that address & re-name to what I want.

 

[UberXY]

Ive been using Basecamp for a few years, no problems.

 

However, as a former programmer who wrote applications for the Mac 20 years ago, I think BaseCamp may be one of the least Mac-like programs I have ever seen on the Mac - it looks like a DOS programmer wrote it, and wrote it reluctantly.

 

Also, I have to say that my Garmin Zumo will be my last standalone GPS ever. A mini iPad in a waterproof case with a Bad Elf GPS card does a zillion things more than a single purpose GPS unit, and you can use any routing app you want, and for less money. I note that recently Rand McNally released its RV oriented application for the iPad - maybe they see the writing on the wall, as previously you could only get this information on the $350 Rand RVND 7720 GPS unit.

[randy]

Currently I am on Basecamp 4.0.5 One other item that has me perplexed,my basecamp has no detail unless I attach me GPS ,my basecamp has not detail street information. so I cannot plan a route or even make waypoints unless I have my 665 attached to the computer.

 

ok, I will search by exact address. usually I just search find the city, i.e. Alton, VA then enter Alton, VA and virginia international. But I will try exact addresses. thanks

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Randy

 

If you have no detail UNLESS your GPS is connected that probably means you have no detailed or routable mapping on your computer.

 

I have a few Map Source versions on all my computers so that assures my computers have detailed or routable mapping on them as Base Camp accesses the Map Source loaded mapping.

 

I'm not sure how you get the mapping IN your computer if you only have Base Camp installed.

 

Hopefully someone with JUST Base Camp can tell you how to get detailed or routable mapping in your computer.

 

 

[marcopolo]

I guess it depends to some extent on how a person acquired their maps in the first place. I always get mine on DVD, so I can load them on any computer I have (I have a Mac and a Macbook Air, which I carry on the bike on trips. I have my City Navigator maps loaded on each of those.). If the maps came pre-loaded on the GPS, some units will also ship with the maps on a DVD (I believe Zumos fall into that category, but I can't swear to it off the top of my head as I have a Garmin Montana. The Montana comes without detailed maps, so I buy them on DVD). If you have a GPS with pre-loaded maps, but no DVD, you may have a unit with so-called lifetime map updates. In that case, you should be able to download a map update to both your GPS and your computer.

 

As for Basecamp vs. Mapsource, I'm repeating myself here, but having made the switch in 2010, I prefer Basecamp (for Mac). Yes, it will take getting used to, but just start using it and you'll catch on. It's really not that big of a deal after a bit of a learning curve.

[BMW_Ken]

Afternoon Randy

 

If you have no detail UNLESS your GPS is connected that probably means you have no detailed or routable mapping on your computer.

 

I have a few Map Source versions on all my computers so that assures my computers have detailed or routable mapping on them as Base Camp accesses the Map Source loaded mapping.

 

I'm not sure how you get the mapping IN your computer if you only have Base Camp installed.

 

Hopefully someone with JUST Base Camp can tell you how to get detailed or routable mapping in your computer.

 

 

I have the lifetime map updates on my GPS. Each time I update the maps it gives me the choice of installing maps on the GPS and computer or GPS only. If you install on the GPS and computer, then they are available for Basecamp and/or mapsource.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Ken

 

Have you tried the lifetime update with ONLY Base Camp on your computer & no Map Source on your computer?

 

Obviously with Map Source on the computer there is folder to upload the map update to.

 

I have always had Map Source on all my computers since it was in beta form so obviously there is a map folder already on all my computers.

 

Since Base Camp came out I haven't run any of my computers with only Base Camp & no Map Source present so can't say if it will allow the map to download to the computer with no Map Source present.

 

[randy]

my current computer does not have mapsource. It had basecamp. all my Garmin units are registered with Garmin, 665 and two NUVI car units. And Yes all my units have lifetime maps update. I will check into it.

[BMW_Ken]

Afternoon Ken

 

Have you tried the lifetime update with ONLY Base Camp on your computer & no Map Source on your computer?

 

Obviously with Map Source on the computer there is folder to upload the map update to.

 

I have always had Map Source on all my computers since it was in beta form so obviously there is a map folder already on all my computers.

 

Since Base Camp came out I haven't run any of my computers with only Base Camp & no Map Source present so can't say if it will allow the map to download to the computer with no Map Source present.

 

No, I have not updated on a computer that did not have Mapsource on it. Like you said, that could make a difference.

[Deek]

Morning Randy

 

The search function in Base Camp has been one of the issues that Garmin has been working on. The first versions of Base Camp were really bad but the current version 4.0.5 is much better. (A new Base Camp update is due about any day now so keep checking)

....

 

I just downloaded BC a few days ago.....some things are nicer than the MS I've been using for about a dozen years, but some are pretty bad.....

 

How in the heck can you even find a regular ol' city? That is so easy in MS, but I'll be danged if I can figure it out in BC! If I'm looking for "orleans" for instance, while the map is centered around Iowa in the 100 mile scale, it won't find "New Orleans" in LA....only finds two other "Orleans", one about a 100 miles from the center, another about 200 miles from the center of the map. That's pretty bad IMHO, and that's keeping me from using BC any more than I am.

 

 

 

 

[Deek]

As a long time user of Mapsource I guess its time to consider moving to Basecamp.

 

Would value any thoughts, conjectures, rumors and innuendo, not to mention facts on the process.

 

Does Basecamp read and play well with older routes made in Mapsource?

 

etc.

 

 

I've been playing around with BC lately. Like you I'm a long time user of Mapsource.

 

In the little testing I've done, copying and pasting a route from MS, at least using City Nav North America NT 20xx (CNNA NT 20xx) works pretty good. BC, when you start the program, will have the versions of CNNA that you have on Mapsource.....but if your newer GPS is attached to the PC, you'll have THAT version show in BC also. I've only tried copying a CNNA NT 2012 route from MS to BC a few times, and it seem to work okay. But it can get complicated if you have, for instance, many older CNNA mapsets loaded in MS. Ditto if you have a newer version of CNNA on a connected Garmin GPS....like I did with my wife's new (to us) Nuvi 1490. So I suppose you could throw BC some curves if you loaded a route using say, MS CNNA NT 2009 into BC with a new GPS, say with CNNA 2013 on it.....in that case the roads, etc might be much different between the 2009 and 2013 mapset versions.....so if you do a recalc of the route in BC the route COULD be quite different from the original...I haven't done much testing yet........but for now I think I will stick with MS for my "older" GPSs (Streetpilot 27,28xx) and use BC when I create a trip for my wife with her new Nuvi GPS.

 

I hope this hasn't confused you more......you can download BC without charge and start playing around with it.....best way to get even more confused!

[dirtrider]

Morning Deek

 

In the search box L/H (find) box change that to "cities", next, in the center (near) box highlight that & type in the state your city is in, then in the last (containing) box type in the city you are looking for.

 

The search function does work but it is rather clunky. Give it time as the the search function seems to get better with every new Base Camp update.

 

[dirtrider]

Morning Deek

 

Strike the above, that was for the old Base Camp.

 

Instead-- lets search for Miami Florida.

 

Change find box to cities, then type Miami, FL, USA in the (near) box, you can leave the containing box blank unless you are looking for something specific.

 

[Albert]

Just curious how those of you that have been using BC deal with a long trip. Using Mapsource I prepare route segments, usually corresponding to each day, but sometimes special route segments to particular locations. I download all these to the unit before leaving and just call up the one I need at the time.

 

It appears that on BC I'd need to somehow construct one giant route with every possibility preloaded onto it. I don't think that would work (at least not feasibly) so how do you guys do it? Note, in the past I haven't traveled with a laptop but that's probably changing. I hope that's not the answer though. TIA

[marcopolo]

Just curious how those of you that have been using BC deal with a long trip. Using Mapsource I prepare route segments, usually corresponding to each day, but sometimes special route segments to particular locations. I download all these to the unit before leaving and just call up the one I need at the time.

 

It appears that on BC I'd need to somehow construct one giant route with every possibility preloaded onto it. I don't think that would work (at least not feasibly) so how do you guys do it? Note, in the past I haven't traveled with a laptop but that's probably changing. I hope that's not the answer though. TIA

 

Not sure why you'd think that, but with Basecamp I've been doing it exactly as I had been with Mapsource: I create a separate route for each day's riding of a long trip. If I'm in one location for several days, like at an UnRally, I might have a series of possible routes prepared in advance for "local rides". I download all routes for a trip into my GPS and call the appropriate route up each day and navigate it. One gigantic route is really unworkable -- in my view -- and have never done it that way (and there's no need to do it that way in Basecamp). I do carry a laptop with me on the bike and can obviously create new routes whenever I want. I'm now using a Garmin Montana GPS.

[Paul In Australia]

Me too. Same as above. No issues

[Albert]

OK it's gotta be user error then. I need to go back and spend some time figuring this out. Thanks guys.

[w2ge]

Just took a look at this thread.. (I too am a long time user (and have taught many and given many "seminars" on Mapsource) but as has been said, since ver 6.16.3 -out in 2010, Garmin no longer supports MS) so.. I too, have semi-migrated to BC.

 

A few things.. The newest version of BC just came out (literally in the past few days) Ver. 4.1.0, if you disliked the "FIND" function in the older versions of BC.. your gonna HATE the newest find function. It is a mess..

 

Re: Someone said that the AUTO "profile" works better than the motorcycle profile in BC, that is true.. but all you need to do is edit the Motorcycle profile and it will route much better, as you probably "prefer." (Utilities >options>Activity Profile> scroll to choose a profile and then click on routing tab... then you can set it up as you like (or make it exactly like the auto profile)

 

BC is certainly more "demanding" in re: creating routes in that it seems to want more shaping points (i.e. viapoints and/or waypoints) to get the route the way you want. Originally I had issues with that, but it actually works better when sharing your routes across various platforms.. that is: say a Z660, vs. your buddies Z550 along with different date mapsets as well as the persons preferences they have set in their GPS.. so in the long run, it actually is a good thing, routes stay "truer".

 

Let me leave with a few tutorial links that I always gives someone trying to get up to speed on BC (and along with the "relational database" type folder system it uses! Little UGGHH there...)

 

I'm VERY active on ZUMOFORUMS as W2GE.. Lot's of very, very helpful users on there... (These are mostly Windows BC links, BTW)

 

 

http://garmin-mapsource.wikispaces.com/BaseCamp (make sure you click on the link tabs, i.e. tutorial, database, etc..)

http://gpstracklog.com/2012/02/garmin-basecamp-video-tutorials.html

http://www.2wheelgeek.com/BaseCampResources.aspx

[dirtrider]

I see Phil mentioned the latest Base Camp release-- 4.1.0.

 

I would strongly suggest current Base Camp users not update to the 4.1.0 yet. In fact is has enough issues that Garmin has pulled it from their Base Camp auto update (you can still do it manually). At least don't do the update until you do some research to see if it offers anything you need vs the issues it might cause you.

 

There are some freezing issues with newer Zumo's & Nuvi's when reading certain POI lists.

 

The search function on 4.1.0 is a disaster. If you think 4.0.5 was bad for search functions, well 4.1.0 found a way to trump that.

 

According to Garmin they are working on a quick release 4.1.1 (to be out very soon) & hopefully that will address some of the pressing 4.1.0 issues.

 

[12R12RT]

All true, but if you still want to go ahead and play, then go into the POI directory and delete the file called 006D135900.gpi.

 

BC crashes when it is trying to read this file.

 

BC will not crash after the file is deleted. That file is not a critical file to the Zumo functionality (I believe it has a bunch of airports in it).

 

The file can be found in the {Zumo} Garmin/POI directory.

 

As always, back up data to your computer before you delete it from the Zumo.

 

Tom

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Tom

 

No need to delete it? Just re-name it to 006D135900.gpi.OLD. That way when Garmin brings out 4.1.1 just rename it back to 006D135900.gpi & you are good to go with that POI list again.

 

My co-workers Nuvi still locks up Base Camp 4.1.0 even with 006D135900.gpi completely removed (didn't so that with the 4.0.5) so I just ran him back to 4.0.5 until the 4.1.1 comes out. Not worth my time tracking down the issue.

 

Even switching to Mass Storage mode didn't stop the lock up.

 

[Albert]

That's basically what I did DR. My Zumo 660 was locking BC as well. I found the "fix" on the Zumo forum so I just copied the POI file onto my laptop for now. I'll put it back once 4.1.1 is installed.

[12R12RT]

Thanks for that, haven't heard that the lock-up can still occurred with the file removed. Did he also remove any other .gpi files? I removed them all.

 

And yes, just renaming it will work, too.

 

I did an experiment - I dusted off an old machine with XP on it and installed BaseCamp 4.1. The Zumo that locked up BC on my Win8 machine worked fine on the XP machine. Slow as heck, but it worked.

 

Curiouser and curiouser, eh?

 

Tom

 

 

[w2ge]

FYI, BaseCamp 4.1.1 has just been released.

 

The 006D135900.GPI loading crash is supposed to be fixed as well as a few other "bugs".

[Bernie]

Thanks for the info on the upgrade for BaseCamp.

As for the the Zumo 550 and Win8, no problems here, as long as I don't plug it into a USB3 port. Transfer with either MapSource or BaseCamp is fast and trouble free, and my route files are big.

I have been creating my routes in MapSource and then I will import the file/ them into BaseCamp, recalculate them and then upload them into the Zumo 550. Works great, no more straight lines when trying to run a route on the Zumo.

[RockBottom]

I've spent hours in the past two weeks trying to transition from MapSource to Base Camp and it's hard to even put in words how much I despise it. I really wonder what was going through the heads of the designers.

[w2ge]

I've spent hours in the past two weeks trying to transition from MapSource to Base Camp and it's hard to even put in words how much I despise it. I really wonder what was going through the heads of the designers.

 

Yeah Steve.. Fun ain't it! NOT! As unintuitive as MS was, BC is even less.

 

I think the first "hang-up" is getting a handle on the database type file structure within BC. Secondly, I miss the "snap-to" function that is lacking in BC when you try to drag a route to a pure intersection. (little tip: pressing and then scrolling with your mouse wheel will get you zoomed into a corner to drop a shaping point while dragging the route), and the current search function is just a total mess.

 

What I do like is that if you have a route created on an older mapset that would be "flagged" in your GPS (due to it having a newer mapset), you can recalculate it in BC and it resets all the date-indexes on the viapoints thus eliminating many of the viapoint flags. Also, the join function in BC is vastly superior than what you had to do to join routes in MS. The map view is also nicer looking regarding detail in my opinion. It also has a neat function where you can add in "layover" time at planned stops.. i.e. say you want to add in 60 minutes at your planned lunch waypoint and it will "allow" for that and recalculate all the direction-times after that, etc..

 

I don't know if you noticed the I listed in an earlier post... Some are pretty good with getting a handle on BC. But yeah, I still do most of my route creation in MS, then often do a bit of fine tuning in BC.

[malcolmblalock]

RockBottom, I'm with you on this. I have to believe that BaseCamp is better, but I've found nothing yet to prove it. Maybe if I had never "learned" MapSource, it would be simple. But so far, I can't even do the most basic things with BaseCamp, even after seeing the tutorials several times.....

[marcopolo]

No doubt Basecamp is a head-scratcher at first if you're used to Mapsource. Maybe most of the comments here relate to the PC version of BC, but having switched to the Mac version in 2010 (when we bought our first Mac), I can use it pretty effortlessly and prefer it to MS. I can't recall, though, how long it took for the light to suddenly came on. You know, that ah hah moment.

[WestyLancs]

As an avid MS user I tend to agree with the above, however I AM,

getting more used to BC, the more I play on it.

The latest version seems to be 4.1.1 in which 'search' seems to have changed again !!!!

 

The basics - plotting a route, adding via and waypoints, and searching - I seem to be getting the hang of. For the time being

that'll do me. I just need to know where I'm going. The whisles and bells can be added later, as I get more used to it.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon RockBottom

 

I have been using Base Camp since the first Beta arrived. If you think it is bad now your should have used it in the early development era versions.

 

I do agree it is still a bit clunky but the trade off is that Base Camp makes extremely stable routes with few glitches. Every new NT Map iteration that comes out has more & more issues making stable routes in MapSource. Major road routes with some acceptable errors are still possible in MapSource but making flaw free routes on minor back roads that have lots of twists, turns, track backs, & direction changes is now a very big issue in MapSource.

 

So, you might as well bite the bullet & get used to Base Camp as every map update coming out has more & more issues with Map Source. Map Source isn't supported any longer so there is no reason for Garmin to verify the new mapping works correctly in MapSource.

 

I have been using Base Camp long enough now to understand it & actually like a lot of the functions. Base Camp is excellent for dealing with older (re real old) routes made in much older mapping or even 24K Topo or V-8 mapping as it automatically updates the map database indexes (reason for a lot of routing issues using older routes on newer mapping).

 

My biggest bitch with Base Camp at the moment is the search function. Last iteration 4.1.0 & 4.1.1 was/is a disaster as far as the search function goes.

 

Some of the newer GPS units can take advantage of some of the added functions in Base Camp.

 

My guess is that in a few short years Map Source will be used about as much as Windows 95 is used today. It just won't support the new larger (complex) mapping, new GPS device, & routing requirements.