yes, Garmin is shite, but...

[Snaf]

That all sounds far, far more complicated than just using Basecamp then sending the route to the device. None of this converting to this, converting to that malarkey. Why people think swapping between different planing and mapping platforms is better than just plotting route on Basecamp and sending to device is better is way beyond me.

Because all mapping apps have features that others don't and vice versa, basecamp doesn't work for me as I mostly use a windows or android based gps.
I use Memory Map for planning and OziExplorer for navigating, I've an interface program for seamlessly swapping between the two. It would be really good if (as Berin asked) if you could easily open a current view in Google Earth or Google maps as I do.
I've no intention of swapping to Basecamp unless it's better than what I already have and the first obstacle will be it not recognising all but one of my devices (including some Garmin).

 

[glenn2926]

I think you are maybe missing the point, or at worse, pushing some sort of agenda.

We can accept that you like BaseCamp and enjoy the ease of transferring routes from BaseCamp to your Garmin device. I too liked BaseCamp (and MapSource before that) finding it easy to use and transfer to lots of different Garmin devices easy and reliable. For whatever reasons, lots of people didn’t like MapSource and / or definitely didn’t like BaseCamp; some even hated anything even remotely related to Garmin as a whole. You aren’t one of them and neither was I.

Then came along lots of other route creation tools. Tire was an early one, as was another whose name now escapes me. Then came phones (as pretty good GPS devices in their own right) and of course the simplicity (at least for A to B routing) of Google and / or Waize. These too are popular.

Then came the enhanced (and still growing) applications like MyRoute, developed by the same people who owned Tire. This filled a void for those who disliked BaseCamp and wanted something better than “Tell me how to go from A to B”. Onto this can be added Kurviger and other applications, some of which (as it the case of Kurviger) will even create ‘twisty’ routes from A to Z, via all the letters in between.

Whist all this is going on, some bods wanted more. Some looked for applications better suited to off-road, whilst others simply liked the maps offered by other applications better, whilst others still wanted to do all sorts of things, like adding in every WC and loo in Ireland. In short, there is now something for everyone.

The one thing many of the applications had in common (and it’s nothing new) was the ability (or even the basic need) to export routes in a GPX format. This was born out of bods’ desire to:

A. Share routes with their friends.

B. Get the route from one application into another and / or into a GPS capable navigation device.

Garmin had / have their own version.

Both A and B have developed with time and become easier and easier. The only real exception is Google, which uses a different system but one that can be converted quite easily.

Of course if anyone is determined to find fault with anything they don’t like or just can’t get on with or (just as likely) can’t be arsed with, then they’ll find fault, no matter what. The venom directed towards Garmin and BaseCamp is proof of this.

On the other side of the same coin, there are those that are very happy with Garmin products as a whole and, more importantly, happy with the ease with which they can move their routes from one application into another and / or from one device into another. They certainly do not see it as a faff at all.

Which side of the coin, bods want to chose in a game of toss, is up to them.

I think I am missing the point. I’m happy just keeping it very simple with Basecamp and my old Zumo. No need for somehow making a GPX (which is just as well as wouldn’t have a clue how to) file and then trying to make a different device read it. Good luck to those that like doing this kind of thing but I don’t understand it and don’t really want to.
Luckily there is a very simple way of plotting for those of us not so tech savvy or those of us that aren’t really interested in the tech side of it. I’ve no idea how I will plot routes if Basecamp ever disappears, probably back to map reading.

 

[Wapping]

I’ve no idea how I will plot routes if Basecamp ever disappears, probably back to map reading.

You’ll learn how to use MyRoute and discover how very simple it is. You’ll then wonder why you never changed years ago.

Or not.

 

[Andy63]

The faster road thing really is a pain when transferring routes to the XT, might have to look into finding a 595 as alternative to using my XT

Ah bugger just bought an XT (current deal on Sportbikeshop) that literally turned up today and was unaware of this.
Only ordered one as i like the functionality of creating routes on the fly with adventurous routing using the slide bar for time to destination and twisties.

 

[Mzokk]

The faster road thing really is a pain when transferring routes to the XT, might have to look into finding a 595 as alternative to using my XT

I think the 595 was the first Garmin sat nav to suffer from the faster roads algorithm (according to reading on the zumo forums)........you might have to look for a 590

 

[Mzokk]

whilst others still wanted to do all sorts of things, like adding in every WC and loo in Ireland. In short, there is now something for everyone.

Oi! when you got to go you've got to go!!

 

[John Armstrong]

I think the 595 was the first Garmin sat nav to suffer from the faster roads algorithm (according to reading on the zumo forums)........you might have to look for a 590

396 has it as well

 

[glenn2926]

You’ll learn how to use MyRoute and discover how very simple it is. You’ll then wonder why you never changed years ago.

Or not.

I’ve used MRA to create routes a few times and it is ok ish. I cannot send them to my Zumo though. There isn’t a send to device drop down and if I save them to my desk top then try to import them into the Zumo it cannot see them. Or doesn’t understand them.
Calimoto is better but again the Zumo cannot understand when I try to send the route to it. Calimoto works on my phone but the phone isn’t as easy to see as a proper sat nav. Although I have used it as a back up whilst in Norway a couple of years ago.
Someone suggested a newer model Zumo a couple of months ago as my trusty old Zumo isn’t being updated any longer. This may well be the way to go.
The Bike has the BMW make life a ride type thing but it seems to be more a turn by turn thing than a sat nav.

 

[adventuredon]

I’ve used MRA to create routes a few times and it is ok ish. I cannot send them to my Zumo though. There isn’t a send to device drop down and if I save them to my desk top then try to import them into the Zumo it cannot see them. Or doesn’t understand them.
Calimoto is better but again the Zumo cannot understand when I try to send the route to it. Calimoto works on my phone but the phone isn’t as easy to see as a proper sat nav. Although I have used it as a back up whilst in Norway a couple of years ago.
Someone suggested a newer model Zumo a couple of months ago as my trusty old Zumo isn’t being updated any longer. This may well be the way to go.
The Bike has the BMW make life a ride type thing but it seems to be more a turn by turn thing than a sat nav.

Try saving the routes in MRA as 1.1 gpx. Then save it to your pc. Copy and paste into Zumo via PC. Worked for me. Also use the MRA recommended tool as the other option,but stick to 1.1gpx route track and poi

 

[Mzokk]

If you plug old Garmins into an Android phone it (and any sd card attached to it) appears in the Android file manager and you can transfer routes from MRA on your phone downloads directly to your Garmin or its SD card. Handy if you are on tour. This is an old NAV IV connected by cable to my phone.

 

[Snaf]

I think I am missing the point. I’m happy just keeping it very simple with Basecamp and my old Zumo. No need for somehow making a GPX (which is just as well as wouldn’t have a clue how to) file and then trying to make a different device read it. Good luck to those that like doing this kind of thing but I don’t understand it and don’t really want to.
Luckily there is a very simple way of plotting for those of us not so tech savvy or those of us that aren’t really interested in the tech side of it. I’ve no idea how I will plot routes if Basecamp ever disappears, probably back to map reading.

I suspect that our route plannings are very different and in my case mapping and research is almost a stand alone pastime that crosses many other hobbies but Basemap/Garmin is what works for your needs, and it did for me back in the early Etrex/Mapsource/Google Earth days but it doesn't anymore. Prior to that I had (and still have) thousands of pounds of paper maps, trips abroad would have us buying maybe £50 of detailed maps
Part of the issue for me is map licencing and quality of maps, I have about 480GB of backed up licence free maps world wide for use on any compatible device, Garmins offering is about 35GB and £250 per device for Topo maps. We have six devices currently in operation plus the Garmin on test. Why am I testing it, because I enjoy it, do I like it? Yes, it has some features that my other devices don't, can I load any of my existing maps onto it? No

 

[Orinoco]

This has been an interesting thread, I've fired up Basecamp for the first time in ages to plan a route for a camping trip to Watchet this weekend. Could be converted back, but still flipping between MRA planner to check maps and the B and C roads which Basecamp doesn't want to show me!

Any way of forcing Basecamp to show the B roads at least when zoomed out without all the other unnecessary additional town detail?

======

Question about displaying B roads only above, answered here:

Thread 'B roads colour in Basecamp'

Aug 27, 2025

Is there a way of showing the B roads in Basecamp? It seems they are lumped with minor roads as just two parallel uncoloured lines

Like so...

• Orinoco
• Replies: 11
• Forum: BaseCamp Software

Richard

 

[Berin]

Ah bugger just bought an XT (current deal on Sportbikeshop) that literally turned up today and was unaware of this.
Only ordered one as i like the functionality of creating routes on the fly with adventurous routing using the slide bar for time to destination and twisties.

It’s easily fixed, if when you create the routes you add plenty of via points. This is easy in MRA, with the expand waypoint function and quite easy in Basecamp to drop a few waypoints or via points in.

 

[Andy63]

It’s easily fixed, if when you create the routes you add plenty of via points. This is easy in MRA, with the expand waypoint function and quite easy in Basecamp to drop a few waypoints or via points in.

Thank you was slightly puzzled by it as I have shared routes, built on Basecamp, with friends who have the XT with no issues so probably alright the way i build routes.
I havent fitted it to the bike yet so not put any routes on it so far maybe test it out next week.

 

[Berin]

I wouldn’t over worry, Mrs Berin and I have been all over Europe with ours, and it’s been fine.

The faster route thing is a pain. Basically, it means it will always choose a motorway, if it can. But its actually pretty easy to shape a route on the XT using its own shaping tool, so just add a couple of points on the roads you want to go on if creating a route on the device.
You can also avoid motorways, or avoid specific roads or even map areas, on the device.

Also, turn of (or at least have prompted) autorecalculate, don’t allow u turns. And the curvy roads thing is crap, it’ll take you out of the way to do some bends in the road on a housing estate!

 

[John Armstrong]

I wouldn’t over worry, Mrs Berin and I have been all over Europe with ours, and it’s been fine.

The faster route thing is a pain. Basically, it means it will always choose a motorway, if it can. But its actually pretty easy to shape a route on the XT using its own shaping tool, so just add a couple of points on the roads you want to go on if creating a route on the device.
You can also avoid motorways, or avoid specific roads or even map areas, on the device.

Also, turn of (or at least have prompted) autorecalculate, don’t allow u turns. And the curvy roads thing is crap, it’ll take you out of the way to do some bends in the road on a housing estate!

I allow u-turns after a trip in France where I had it off, but it took me down a very unscenic road for 12 miles to find where it could go around a roundabout, to take me back over the exact same 12 miles. As you imply, best use your brain when using it when it gives "suggestions"!

 

[adventuredon]

And here lies the main weakness...Posted yesterday in the forum on mRA:
Corjan Meijerink
Developer
wrote a day agolast edited by
#1
I am sorry to announce we currently experience an outage of all our services.
Working very hard to resolve the issue ASAP.
Thanks for your patience