Garmin BaseCamp
By Garmin
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Description
Garmin® BaseCamp® provides an interface for viewing Garmin map products and managing geographic data. With BaseCamp, you can perform the following tasks:
• Transfer data to and from your Garmin device.
• Create, view, edit, and organize waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Find places, such as addresses, points of interest, and public land survey areas included in your detailed map data.
• View map data in 2D and 3D.
• View topographical information included in your detailed map data.
• Geotag photos with geographical location information.
• Print detailed topographical maps, PLS quads, and multi-page poster maps.
• Download and view BirdsEye™ satellite imagery.
• Import and view Garmin Custom Maps.
What's New in Version 3.3.1
User data management:
• Added Detailed Data table view for user data.
• Added shaping point support. Shaping points are not announced when you reach them. Note that not all devices will support this feature.
• Improved graphing of track data.
• Added display settings to adjust width of routes and tracks.
• Added support for importing waypoints and tracks from KML/KMZ files.
• Added ability for smart lists to follow any or all criteria
• Added ability to drag URL from browser to the waypoint or track Link: field.
• Added waypoint category to the waypoint dialog. This is synced with newer devices that support waypoint categories.
• Added contact and address info to the waypoint dialog.
• Added grade to the track dialog.
• Added notes and multiple link support to the track dialog.
• Improved printing of routes.
• Fixed issues with sending routes to the zumo.
• Fixed issue when duplicating a route. BaseCamp will now also duplicate the waypoints in that route.
Activities:
• Added more activity profiles, with improved activity routing on supported maps.
• Added specific avoidances for various road classes, removed the road selection slider.
• Added ability to create custom activity profiles.
• Made activity selectable from relevant preference pages.
• Converting activity profiles where vehicle doesn't match the default for the profile to a custom activity profile.
General:
• Changed to read all GPX files on a memory card, similar to how devices behave.
• Added the ability to create OpenCaching.com geocaches from a geocache or waypoint.
• Changed notifications from pop-ups to less obtrusive notifications.
• Added ability to use a key to temporarily switch to the hand tool. Defaults to the space key.
• Added ability to switch the behavior of mouse-scrolling between zooming and panning the map.
• Fixed an issue where reading data from fitness device caused BaseCamp to crash.
• Fixed an issue with importing certain GPX files with geocaches.
• Fixed an issue where downloading BirdsEye could cause BaseCamp to crash.
• Fixed crash that could occur when ejecting a device.
• Fixed issue where Undo and holding the Alt Key would terminate the current route creation using the Route Tool.
• Fixed zumo 5x0 and 4x0 route transfer issues. Note that this may cause route transfer issues on the zumo 660. A future firmware update on the 660 will address this issue.
Screenshots
Customer Reviews
Getting better - great update!
Excuse the multiple reviews of the same version - editing has left two versions, I cannot remove either through "View My Account"…
I would like to give Garmin credit where credit is due - The recent update fixes a lot of complaints I've had with Basecamp, with which I've been vocal with 1-star reviews. However, there still is work to be done.
Basecamp isn't 'free" - it's a program that is needed for mapping and route creation for Garmin's line of devices - often it comes included on a disc in the box. Reviews excusing the shortcomings of this software because it is "free", seem a bit shortsighted, as this program is needed to properly support this device, and use the features to it's fullest. Up until this release was posted, I had to reboot to Windows to do mapping because Mapsource was that much more powerful and useful, though never released on the Mac. I've been trying to use Basecamp, Roadtrip and previously, Project:Bobcat to replace the Windows-only Mapsource with limited success just because I prefer using OS X to Windows.
Waypoint categories are now supported in Basecamp! VERY useful to those of use managing over 1000 points in our GDBs. Shaping points are also supported, no need to hear constant updates about a random point in the middle of an interstate that you didn't put on your map as a waypoint. This allows you to view your next turn even if it is hundreds of miles away. Being told to go 8 miles to keep going straight gets old quick when you want to just relax and not have to worry about actively navigating.
Activity modes are great, it would be better if it had support for multi-use paths like Google Maps is adding.
Creating routes from tracks is amazing. Previously, I had to use third party software for this.
While Basecamp supports the same computer-installed map sets of Mapsource, it also allows you to load maps straight from the GPS device - quite useful if you are remapping a route and using a computer without loaded maps. However, the retrieval process is quite slow and not a replacement for installing your maps to your intended computer. Great feature in an emergency, though.
At this point, with Mapsource EOL'd over a year ago, I would recommend Basecamp over Mapsource for most everyone, but there are still some drawbacks:
Library: First, the library organization is still a mess. With Mapsource, you loaded up a GDB file, and saved that GDB file. Different files for different projects. You wanted to create a route for someone else and label their home as 'HOME' it wouldn't conflict with your label of 'HOME' used in another set of directions. With Basecamp, the library is jumbled together in one file that loads automatically. For basic users, that is fine - for power users, making multiple routes for multiple people, using specific roads and routes to cross the entire country - it's a pain. It's a pain to have all of your mapping activity in the main program, always. It's like having all of your icons scattered about your desktop - while in individual folders, it can get, for power-users, quite complex quickly. I don't need routing from 3 years ago in my everyday library, but do want to keep them for reference. I've found that I have to export these folders as individual GDBs and erase them from the library - which is a bit backwards, IMO.
Search: The search feature is lacking. Finding intersections and addresses seems to take a back-seat to finding stuff based on the center of the screen. So you navigate the map to the general location you are searching, then type in the address, intersection, item name, etc. and it spirals outward and tries to find what you are looking for. I can find things 2x faster on Mapsource because of direct address entry, and the resources that this fancy search needs.
Feel: I've found that the navigation of the map, using the hand tool on the touchpad of my Macbook, causes the screen to rotate instead of pan, I've found that switching scrolling from 'zoom' to 'pan' helps with navigation when not using a mouse.
This update is a big one; keep the improvements coming. At some point, I would love to leave the laptop at home and map from an iPad or other tablet - logistics of transferring the map aside, I would love to not bring the Macbook as much as I do. At this point though, I think I can delete my Windows partition - it was on the Mac just for Mapsource.
Awesome mapping tool!
Compared to the Fred Flintstone software that Garmin had years, Basecamp is spectacular. Seriously user-friendly program that allows me to do a lot of the work pre and post trip at home on my laptop. Standing in the woods trying to type in notes and shift from uppercase to lowercase is a beating.
Garmin, ya'll out did yourself here. Thanks
- Free
- Category: Travel
- Updated: Feb 10, 2012
- Version: 3.3.1
- Size: 42.5 MB
- Languages: English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai
- Seller: Garmin International
- Copyright © 2011 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later
