Garmin Base Camp

[CanuckRV]

I have been trying to use Garmin Basecamp with my Garmin RV 780 I have my device hooked up to my computer and everything is communicating fine except Base Camp lists two different maps City Navigator North America 2024.1 ( RV780 ) and City Navigator North America 2024.1 ( RV780 ).
Yes, both are listed as the same map but one seems to be the US and one is Canada as I live near the border we travel in both but if I'm in the Canadian map I can't search in the US and vice versa or plan cross border trips.
Is there any way to search both maps simultaneously that I haven't found?
Thanks for any help

[booster]

Originally Posted by CanuckRV

I have been trying to use Garmin Basecamp with my Garmin RV 780 I have my device hooked up to my computer and everything is communicating fine except Base Camp lists two different maps City Navigator North America 2024.1 ( RV780 ) and City Navigator North America 2024.1 ( RV780 ).
Yes, both are listed as the same map but one seems to be the US and one is Canada as I live near the border we travel in both but if I'm in the Canadian map I can't search in the US and vice versa or plan cross border trips.
Is there any way to search both maps simultaneously that I haven't found?
Thanks for any help

That is an interesting question and I have never noticed that before recently, I think with 2024.1 update. Ours is an RV890, which is tablet based and does work a bit differently than the older GPS units that were not tablets, so that might make what I see different than yours by a bit.


When I have the 890 connected to the computer, in the furthest left information section of the main screen it shows the trip file hierarchy and then RV890 listed with the internal storage and it's contents below that is file type hierarchy. Before lately it never showed the maps there but now does and I also have two 2024.1 maps shown in identical text.


When I look at the GPS itself and go to settings/map and vehicle/my Maps I also see two 2024.1 maps but have an added description with that title. One says "all US" and one says "all Canada and Mexico" and that sounds like what you are running across. My guess would be that the GPS itself, when in use on the road and not tethered to the computer, would choose which map based on where you are, but don't know that for sure.



On Basecamp you wouldn't normally use those maps anyway as you should also have the map actually installed into basecamp. You can see what maps Basecamp can see by looking at the Maps menu on the top toolbar. My Basecamp is showing the maps on the GPS and calls them that and also shows another 2024.1 map that is called "installed" and that map is in Basecamp all the time so that you can use Basecamp to plan routes without have the GPS connected. The internal Basecamp map will run much faster on the computer than using the ones that are in the GPS itself.



You can download the map directly to Basecamp at Garmin Express and you can even download the map to the GPS and Basecamp at the same time do save doing two very long downloads.


When you say you are "searching" for locations in Basecamp, are using the Basecamp search function? If so, it is truly a horrible search feature and never seems to find much of anything for me. It is probably the, by far, worst part of Basecamp and I never use it anymore. I have found it much, much more accurate and efficient to do my searching on Google maps in a separate tab on the PC or laptop and then just copy/paste the GPS coordinates into Basecamp using the "find" pulldown menu. It is very easy to copy the coordinates from Google Maps by right clicking and putting it into Notepad.


In general, I never have the GPS tethered to the computer when I am making a route or trip. The internal map appears to have Canada and the US in it so covers it all for me. I do all custom routings so that we can choose the actual roads we will be on for the trip because we don't like how a GPS would normally take us much of the time. I then just copy them into the GPS by tethering and copying.



I have been using Basecamp for a long time now, and will be the first to say that, yes, it is a pretty quirky program in many ways so has a long learning curve. It is also extremely useful for us as it is the only way I know of to get fully customized routing that also allows us to skip points along the way if we choose to as an option, or take side trips without messing up the route by not going through some specific point. The dreaded "turn around" "go back" perpetual harping is avoided.


I think it might be helpful to know what you want to be able to do with the Basecamp as the range of things is quite large as users all have different wants and needs. When we see what you want to do it will be much easier to help get you up to speed on it. If needed I can send you a trip that I have done or some screenshots of what you may want to do so you know what to expect. Basecamp has a lot right click shortcuts. There are very few decent instructions for Basecamp and many features and ways of doing things are there but you have to find them and learn how to use them.

[Urlauber]

Just wanted to say - what a wonderful, thorough and well written response! I always learn stuff from boosters replies.

[CanuckRV]

Yes, an excellent reply thank you so much.
I really just want to plan a route that I choose not the way the GPS thinks I want.

[booster]

Originally Posted by CanuckRV

Yes, an excellent reply thank you so much.
I really just want to plan a route that I choose not the way the GPS thinks I want.

That is one of the best functions with Basecamp you can do. There are a couple of ways to do it though, and which is really a personal choice with a bit of practice.


I would recommend starting with few simple special routes around the neighbor hood so you can see how a couple of guidance points work out.


You should be able to put them together with a bit of guidance of where to start and how to modify what the GPS gives you initially. The good is that Basecamp should do things just like the GPS does and you use the same map, so things transfer to the GPS well and you don't get any freelancing like you do with the setups that use a mapping program from a source and then a translator for the GPS transfer. Been there and it isn't always very nice.


There are some You Tube videos on basic route planning on Basecamp that might be useful to get started, but they don't cover a lot of what you may run in to.

[Roadtreker357]

I have been using BaseCamp for a number of years and second the previous comments in this thread.

My usual way to make a route is to make waypoints where needed: Campgrounds and waypoints. Then to make a route I press the Ctrl key and then left click on the waypoints in order of travel for a specific route. Once I see the route BC made, I can change it if I want by using the shaping tool.

To get the waypoints and routes in a trip file into my GPS, I have used the "send to device" icon and have also exported the file to a GPX file and then put the GPX file directly into the GPX file folder in the GPS.

It seems the past couple of years that when putting a trip file into the GPS that it does a good job of transferring all the wapoints, but sometimes no routes show up in the GPS or just some of the routes. I don't know if there is a limitation on route size/complexity that hinders good route transfer.

I second Booster's suggestion to let us know what you want to do, or have trouble doing, so we can be more specifically helpful. BC is a great tool for customized trips, just not very intuitive how to do things. Most folks today use their phones to route to things, and then complain about some facet of the route they took. I like knowing my route ahead of time, being in control of the route I take, and not at the mercy of what a phone map thinks the route should be.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtreker357

I have been using BaseCamp for a number of years and second the previous comments in this thread.

My usual way to make a route is to make waypoints where needed: Campgrounds and waypoints. Then to make a route I press the Ctrl key and then left click on the waypoints in order of travel for a specific route. Once I see the route BC made, I can change it if I want by using the shaping tool.

To get the waypoints and routes in a trip file into my GPS, I have used the "send to device" icon and have also exported the file to a GPX file and then put the GPX file directly into the GPX file folder in the GPS.

It seems the past couple of years that when putting a trip file into the GPS that it does a good job of transferring all the wapoints, but sometimes no routes show up in the GPS or just some of the routes. I don't know if there is a limitation on route size/complexity that hinders good route transfer.

I second Booster's suggestion to let us know what you want to do, or have trouble doing, so we can be more specifically helpful. BC is a great tool for customized trips, just not very intuitive how to do things. Most folks today use their phones to route to things, and then complain about some facet of the route they took. I like knowing my route ahead of time, being in control of the route I take, and not at the mercy of what a phone map thinks the route should be.

You are doing very similar to what I have done in the past, but have now changed it up a bit to make it a bit easier to complex routings where the drag and drop seems to get all messed up fighting what I try to do. The method also makes future changes to the route very much easier to do.


I do pick waypoints along the prosprective route, usually quite few more than we actually plan to stop at. The extras are based on, based on past experience, how Basecamp will do the actual routing. The big change ads a bit of work to help out later. I rename the waypoints using a prefex letter and/or number. Starting at A and progressing alphabetically. By doing this they appear in the side panel of waypoints in that alphabetical order as Basecamp sorts that panel and waypoint alphabetically first, than numerically. To make the route I click the A and ctl-click the last letter point so both highlight. Right click and select make a route between selected points and it takes all of the waypoints I selected. The points display on the route a their name so I know where every one of them is on the route.


If Basecamps freelances the route between any two points I can see on the map which two, or more, points it is doing it between . It might be D and F, for instance. All I do is select a point on the route I want that is in between D and E and name it DA so it appears right below D in the list on the left. Do the A and end letter route generation again and it will be put in right where it needs to be. The route may be correct then or it may still be freelancing, but you just keep adding points and numbering appropriately until I get my exact route.


I have found this to be much faster upfront to generate a route overall, and very much faster if we want to add a side trip because I know exactly what to name it so it goes directly into the right place on the route.


Once I get the route all done, I go into the "open route" popup and change all the waypoints where we don't want to stop to shaping points so they don't announce or show up as the next waypoint. If we choose to go offroute and miss a shaping point, the GPS will guide us back to the route and ignore the shaping point if we are past it. If it was a waypoint it would keep insisting we go back through the point unless we stop and restart the route by using "start at nearest route entry point".


One segment of our fall trip this year, about 400 miles in 3 separate routings, has about 50 shaping points because all GPS units will keep trying to take us off our chosen, slow, scenic route plan.


I don't know about why a route doesn't show up in the GPS, but they have changed the program a bit lately, and for us with RV890 tablet based GPS it may be more than the older units even.


The latest changes made it very important to do a careful file hierarchy in Basecamp because it will only let you transfer files/trips and not the folders which now the first level of seem to be only for organization. I am making a route from A to Q I have to make a folder with that name in Basecamp and then add a trip in that folder of the same name and use that for my custom route. I then use file/export and use the trip file not the folder and send it to the GPS which is connected to the PC or laptop. It always sends the complete route including all the start/finish, waypoints, and shaping points just as created.

[Roadtreker357]

Some of my routes are for 3 or 4 days driving, maybe 2,000 miles. That might be chocking BC in the transfer.

I just now updated BC and will have to play with the waypont naming convention Booster described. I like the idea of having wayponts listed in travel order. Will have to do some thinking about transferring a route compared to transferring a folder, not sure I understand at first reading. For me, a trip folder could have 20-30 valid wayponts (not just for shaping) and 3-10 differnet routes to cover many days. Enough content for a 2-5 week trip.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtreker357

Some of my routes are for 3 or 4 days driving, maybe 2,000 miles. That might be chocking BC in the transfer.

I just now updated BC and will have to play with the waypont naming convention Booster described. I like the idea of having wayponts listed in travel order. Will have to do some thinking about transferring a route compared to transferring a folder, not sure I understand at first reading. For me, a trip folder could have 20-30 valid wayponts (not just for shaping) and 3-10 differnet routes to cover many days. Enough content for a 2-5 week trip.

The folder thing is kind of confusing.


For the actual route, which I have to put in a named folder to keep it separate from general my places coverall file at the top of hierarchy, may have many separate trips within in it. All the waypoints can show in the list and also as many separate trip as you want to make. Quite a while I started doing multiple trip for shorter distances so they are easier to manage and if I need to modify them it is way easier to find things. I do the trip separation roughly by a days drive, but that part is arbitrary and I also do some by good identify points, like the change, on the same road, of the Skyline Drive to being called the Blue Ridge Parkway. I do label the trips part of the given route by using a ZZZ prefix, which puts them all at the bottom of list of waypoints. If I want them in order off use I add a number also so ZZZ1, ZZZ2, etc. Points of interest we may want to stop at or add to the route as we go I put in as waypoints, but not into any of the trips. I name them with a prefix ZZ and they will display on the list after the routing waypoints and before the trip lists. I am all about a bit more work early on while on the couch at home to help make the actual trip navigation as easy as possible.



I will grab a screenshot of the typical look of the fall trip although I won't be able to get it all on one because of need to scroll to see it all on parts of it.


If you want to see the whole trip, which is 3K+ miles over about 4 weeks I can send it to you to see.

[Roadtreker357]

Originally Posted by booster

If you want to see the whole trip, which is 3K+ miles over about 4 weeks I can send it to you to see.

I would like to see the whole trip. Can you PM me in this software? If not, my email address is tcaxel357(at)gmail.com

Thanks,
Tom

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by Roadtreker357

Some of my routes are for 3 or 4 days driving, maybe 2,000 miles. That might be chocking BC in the transfer.

Also check out the "Trip Planner" function which works well for longer trips, unless you go through an area of a lot of nearby alternate routes and you want to choose the exact one.

Traveling in Utah/Arizona and even typical National Park regions CA it's not an issue.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtreker357

I would like to see the whole trip. Can you PM me in this software? If not, my email address is tcaxel357(at)gmail.com

Thanks,
Tom

I will send an email and with an explanation because of the way it has to be sent. I have a folder saved in windows that duplicates the one in Basecamp but you can't transfer that in whole and have Basecamp sort the folders correctly. It will be easy to explain once you see it. I will also send a screenshot jpg of who my screen looks with the whole trip folder/segments in place.


I have found a way to send actual files on PM or post in a thread, so email is about the only way to do it, or host it somewhere which I don't do.

[booster]

email sent. It will come in from Yahoo.mail which sometimes gets kicked into spam for some reason, so be sure to check there if you don't see it.

[CanuckRV]

WOW! Thanks for all the Help I think I have somehow transferred the trip for this weekend, I'll let you know how it works out. I love the idea of renaming the waypoints. I'll have to figure out shaping points etc.

[booster]

For reference, here is the screenshot that I described earlier and sent to Roadtrekker357. It gives a better understanding of how the renaming and coding the waypoints can clean up how Basecamp displays them and separates trips from points and POI places in the route listing.


https://www.classbforum.com/forums/a...1&d=1684494527

[CanuckRV]

Well, that didn't go as planned. the trip I had laid out was for the second leg for last weekend and even though I had checked I had transferred it it was nowhere to be found on the GPS.
Back to square one and rereading the above postings.

[booster]

Originally Posted by CanuckRV

Well, that didn't go as planned. the trip I had laid out was for the second leg for last weekend and even though I had checked I had transferred it it was nowhere to be found on the GPS.
Back to square one and rereading the above postings.

Did you transfer it directly in Basecamp using the "send to" command?


I haven't lost one in transferring in a long time, but I still open the trip in the GPS after sending it there and look at the "show on map" function when opening the trip to give a quick check if it looks like what I programmed.


We always have the laptop with us on trips and I have Basecamp on it as well as the PC at home so I also transfer the trip to that, but do it by using the "export" command to put the trips on a flash drive and use then "import" in from the flashdrive to laptop.