I don’t want all the faffing. I’ll stick with BaseCamp.
- Thread starter Wapping
- Start date
The XT has a larger screen and is far quicker at calculations than the 660, I had a 660 about 20 years ago
I never got on with Basecamp, MRA is very easy to use and exporting the gpx is really easy, you just export from MRA and save to the Garmin Drive app, all on your phone, then the drive app passes by bluetooth directly to the XT (if paired to it). But like all things, if your current solution works, stick with it.
That sounds like a very complicated way to get a route to the device. I just draw it in Basecamp and send to device, job done. Oh and Basecamp is free.The XT has a larger screen and is far quicker at calculations than the 660, I had a 660 about 20 years ago
I never got on with Basecamp, MRA is very easy to use and exporting the gpx is really easy, you just export from MRA and save to the Garmin Drive app, all on your phone, then the drive app passes by bluetooth directly to the XT (if paired to it). But like all things, if your current solution works, stick with it.
None of this MRA? Garmin drive? Bluetooth malarkey. Just send, done.
I’ll start you a new sub-section (to go with the Garmin one) ‘MyRoute is crap. Get it off your chest here’.
It’s not crap, just far too complicated and not user friendly. How some think it’s easier or more user friendly than Basecamp is just crazy. Basecamp is draw the route and send. That’s it. It couldn’t be easier.
It really isn't. But "horse to water" and all that. I just draw it in MRA and send it by bluetooth to the device, can't see the difference, apart from Basecamp isn't supported anymore. MRA is full supported and there is a brilliant active forum for any issues encountered.
But as I don't work for MRA or Garmin, I couldn't give two hoots what anyone does. There is always a road atlas.
I use basecamp for POI's, and tracks, and MRA for route planning. The big advantage of MRA over basecamp for route planning FOR ME is flexibility. If I'm on tour I don't have to have a laptop capable of running basecamp with me I can use an iPad or usually my phone and a paper map. This means I can plot a route for tomorrow based on whim, where I can get accommodation or the state of the weather. I've even sat in a café mid morning after starting a planned ride and completely replanning it based on running into foul weather and heading in the direction that the weather was clear. Everyone has their own way of doing things even in the day's I used map navigation, I tended to use a "tulip" type system with road numbers, left right turns and distances on a piece of paper in the map pocket of my tank bag, mainly because I did a bit of navigation for night time navigation Rallies when I was a Student. I only ever referred to the map if I got lost 
There are great options now with dedicated sat nav's, phones and phone mirroring devices and any amount of software choices.
There are great options now with dedicated sat nav's, phones and phone mirroring devices and any amount of software choices.
I don’t use tracks, whatever that is or POI again whatever that is. I literally draw a start point, end point and then drag the route to wherever I want to go. Send to device and that’s it. I certainly try to Use the K, I, S, S principle.
Basically as above and have a paper map.
Basically as above and have a paper map.
As far as I’m aware, there’s still nothing as good as Basecamp in terms of managing waypoints and tracks.
Most of my trips involve specific places, and also some degree of unpaved roads. The advantage that Basecamp has its ability to create a waypoint once and then use it many times, duplicate it into different folders, modify it, etc.
Example.
On day 1 I want to go from A to D via B and C, taking a specific route involving off- pavement. I create a list called day 1, copy the waypoints into it and create a route and a track.
On day 2, I start from D. I create a list called Day 2 and copy D into it, move it slightly and call it Day 2 start or whatever, and then create the days route.
Etc.
MRA’s waypoint handling is still hopeless, as it’s track management so the above is really either hard to do or impossible in MRA.
I will still typically start in Basecamp, then export to MRA and a Garmin device. MRA is really just a back up, but it’s handy for some navigation and of course it’s easy to make routes on the fly, or modify a road route.
Most of my trips involve specific places, and also some degree of unpaved roads. The advantage that Basecamp has its ability to create a waypoint once and then use it many times, duplicate it into different folders, modify it, etc.
Example.
On day 1 I want to go from A to D via B and C, taking a specific route involving off- pavement. I create a list called day 1, copy the waypoints into it and create a route and a track.
On day 2, I start from D. I create a list called Day 2 and copy D into it, move it slightly and call it Day 2 start or whatever, and then create the days route.
Etc.
MRA’s waypoint handling is still hopeless, as it’s track management so the above is really either hard to do or impossible in MRA.
I will still typically start in Basecamp, then export to MRA and a Garmin device. MRA is really just a back up, but it’s handy for some navigation and of course it’s easy to make routes on the fly, or modify a road route.
I think you will find, the minority think Basecamp is easier than MRA and they are probably crazy
No piece of software can be everything to every person. You I would say have specific requirements that the vast majority of users do not. I plan routes for trips away, they are normally round routes from a fixed location. I then export to a gpx for others to load into their own devices. MRA allows me to do this, allows me to check routes for Tom Tom etc and ensure the routes work.
I have been using MRA since it came out, it has never let me down. But I am not doing complicated things with my routes.
I once tried to learn Basecamp, thought it was very difficult, whereas my knowledge has grown with MRA, not withstanding the threads on here, there are some knowledgeable users as there are on the MRA forum and Garmin XT forum.
Love learning, but if I don't need a particular feature for what I use the software for, it goes in one side and out the other.
Wow, you have to do all that to make a route and you think Basecamp complicated. Very strange. I don’t need to do any of the GPX thing. I don’t even know what it means.
We are very different but I’ll stick with Basecamp thanks, no need for any of this GPX crap just press send to device, done.
I used to use basecamp, the creation of routes and tracks I found simple. Very easy for off road planning.
The organisation on the left I thought a bit messy though.
However, I don't bother at all anymore.
I look at a map, or Google with terrain view. Look for somewhere not flat and therefore usually better roads and scenery. Pick a town or village within a days ride and press go. Set to avoid main roads.
Touring this way is so much more interesting, every journey throws up the unknown and unexpected.
The organisation on the left I thought a bit messy though.
However, I don't bother at all anymore.
I look at a map, or Google with terrain view. Look for somewhere not flat and therefore usually better roads and scenery. Pick a town or village within a days ride and press go. Set to avoid main roads.
Touring this way is so much more interesting, every journey throws up the unknown and unexpected.
Good for you!
Thanks
its a very very personal choice a bit like marmite, if you are happy with your prefered software i cant see the problem, i know of people who struggle with mra and others that struggle with base camp, me i struggle with mobile phones, and prefer to use a windows tablet or laptop when away on trips, as again i prefer it to mac just my choice. as long as the software and machine does ALL YOU need it to do then all is good.
Yes you do you are drawing a track as a route, the end point is a waypoint and a Point of Interest otherwise why would you go there?
And you are picking your points of interest off a paper map. This is often my starting point. Yes you do.....once you have created a route and saved it you have created a GPX file for your nav to follow.
This is the nail on the head...we probably don't use half of what the navigation units and software are capable of and all of them are good at different things. At the moment I use paper maps for overview purposes and because I like paper maps, I use QGIS for some Points of interest I may want to use but not necessarily hold as waypoints to use in formal routes this is taken from Open Street maps and Google maps. Ditto the Northern Ireland Historic Environment map viewer I can identify places I might want to visit and save data as POI's to Basecamp and/or my Zumo XT or my other Garmin devices. That site allows subsets of GPS data to be downloaded as KML files which can be loaded as POI's via Garmin's POI loader. I Always use basecamp for track handling and some route planning but predominantly use MRA for route planning now as I have all my routes synced with my phone which I can't do with basecamp. (I could do it with Garmin Explore but give it a try
) That means I can easily use the routes on my phone my Zumo's or the AA screen on my Africa twin and can change them and make new ones easily.When I'm navigating planned routes I now tend to use MyRoute app via the AA screen of the bike. If I'm just riding about I use my Zumo XT and may prod at the screen to take me to one of my Custom POI's that I have loaded on the device.
I also use OSMand+ which can use routes created in MRA or Basecamp and display them on the AA screen of the Africa twin and they are nice to look at. OSMand+ also has very good track handling and POI handling like basecamp (its relational like basecamp is) but the user interface is a bit of a nightmare. I use it a bit for motorcycling but more for walking which it has a profile for.
A nice little feature of Garmin Zumo's right back to the Zumo 660 is the ability to load Custom POI's and display them on the screen. You can also set visual and audible proximity alerts from 0ft to 200,000ft (or 38 miles if you want to) and it you want to visit the POI you just prod the screen to route to it or add it to an existing route if you are running one.
My current POI's loaded on my ZumoXT are thus.
I get a visual and audible warning if I'm within 500yds of a public loo....very handy
Defence heritage sites and Dolmens were downloaded from here
It looks like this when you select a feature and all the site notes are transferred to the Zumo.
Its great we have access to a lot of data now. This is a WW2 Lewis gun mount on the North Down Coastal path South East of Belfast (the conical topped plinth is the mount). Its marked on the Defence Heritage digital maps but not OS maps.
Its slightly bigger siblings further along are on all maps though.
I like using Basecamp as all my data is there and it sends routes etc very easily my 590.
When the old 590 broke, I had to use an alternative in a rush. on the 590, the screen is outdated now and planning routes on the fly is a pain so I started using MRA. Its easy to plan, synchs to cloud and works rather well. I like the interface. but synching or sending to a 590 is a pain. MRA is also cumbersome gloved up on a phone. It also doesn't see all my work from basecamp. But.....it seems that if I could have my basecamp library available to me, it'd be easy to use tread on the fly as its all in the cloud (just like MRA but it would be the link between my BC data and the tread/garmin Zumo XT2 synch...
To import BaseCamp data to Garmin Tread collections, you export your routes/tracks as a GPX file from BaseCamp, import that GPX into the Garmin Explore website or directly into the Tread App on your phone, and then sync your device; the Tread App automatically sorts them into collections, making transfer seamless via Wi-Fi without
Came across this video, and with a little admin it seems you can get all your BC data into explore, then link your tread app and device to it...
When the old 590 broke, I had to use an alternative in a rush. on the 590, the screen is outdated now and planning routes on the fly is a pain so I started using MRA. Its easy to plan, synchs to cloud and works rather well. I like the interface. but synching or sending to a 590 is a pain. MRA is also cumbersome gloved up on a phone. It also doesn't see all my work from basecamp. But.....it seems that if I could have my basecamp library available to me, it'd be easy to use tread on the fly as its all in the cloud (just like MRA but it would be the link between my BC data and the tread/garmin Zumo XT2 synch...
To import BaseCamp data to Garmin Tread collections, you export your routes/tracks as a GPX file from BaseCamp, import that GPX into the Garmin Explore website or directly into the Tread App on your phone, and then sync your device; the Tread App automatically sorts them into collections, making transfer seamless via Wi-Fi without
Came across this video, and with a little admin it seems you can get all your BC data into explore, then link your tread app and device to it...
