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 3.3.2
• Fixed an issue with sending data to an Edge 800
• Fixed an issue with importing data from old GDB files
• Fixed an issue where altitude was not added to a geotagged photo
• Fixed an issue a few crashes having to do with editing routes
• Fixed an issue with GPX files that had non-standard line breaks
• Fixed some of the default routing avoidances for certain profiles
• Fixed an issue that could cause some very long routes to create a direct route
Screenshots
Customer Reviews
Getting better - breaks support for some devices
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.
Minus one star for the following: "Note that this may cause route transfer issues on the zumo 660. A future firmware update on the 660 will address this issue". This was posted on the 3.3.1 update posted in Decmeber of 2011. An update for the Zumo was released since (4.50) but does not address this issue. It's been 4 months, guys - fix it.
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.
Map Transfers take too long and cannot save
When I plug in my 400t it takes a long time to transfer the map to start using the app. I did not see anywhere that you could save the map to laptop from the device, otherwise I like the rest of the app...
- Free
- Category: Travel
- Updated: Apr 03, 2012
- Version: 3.3.2
- 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: OS X 10.5.8 or later
