Software for GPS route planning

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Software for GPS route planning

Postby bdimon » Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:13 pm

There's Mapsource, BaseCamp, Tyre, and (I'm sure) others. Which software have you tried and what did you think of it?

I did not care for Garmin's BaseCamp but I like Tyre http://www.tyretotravel.com for planning trips and loading custom POIs on my Garmin. I have downloaded some routes from web sites but they did not match up when I viewed the route on the GPS.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby BKling » Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:59 pm

I have used MapSource for a long time. It's not perfect and Garmin is dumping it in favor of BaseCamp. Any of them take getting use to.

I may be wrong but I think GoogleMaps can output in the correct format.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby STATMATT » Sun Sep 23, 2012 10:15 pm

If someone knows how to get google maps waypoints easily into garmin without loading them manually and individually that would be an awesome How-To.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby jskene » Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:10 pm

STATMATT wrote:If someone knows how to get google maps waypoints easily into garmin without loading them manually and individually that would be an awesome How-To.


Google in not friendly this way, but Mapquest does a great job. It'll download your route or waypoints directly to your Garmin. It downloading a route, make each of your manually placed waypoints a route stop on the Mapquest page and they will appear in the final route.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby henwin » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:31 pm

bdimon wrote:There's Mapsource, BaseCamp, Tyre, and (I'm sure) others. Which software have you tried and what did you think of it?I did not care for Garmin's BaseCamp but I like Tyre http://www.tyretotravel.com for planning trips and loading custom POIs on my Garmin. I have downloaded some routes from web sites but they did not match up when I viewed the route on the GPS.

I too prefer MapSource. What I really don't like about BaseCamp is that the videos on Garmin's website are out of date, and inaccurate so that they tell you stuff that is not true about the software. I ended up having to email tech support to find out how to do simple things. Also, I don't like the fact that BaseCamp is set up in such a way that the location of routes and data that I create is hard-coded into the software (very bad programming, IMNSHO) and not in a location where I want it.

For that reason I am still using MapSource.

I've also heard that Microsoft's Streets and Trips is good for laying out routes that can be imported into MapSource, if the route is saved in GPX format. From there it can be loaded into the GPS. I have never tried it, however.

One of the problems you may be looking at is the version of the map. I think that if the source map and target map aren't the same version, that can cause issues for routes, too.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby radon222 » Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:23 am

I've gotten used to BaseCamp but think there is still room for improvement on the implementation of some of the route planning tools. The hardest part about adapting to BaseCamp is getting your head wrapped the relational database model. Once you get that to click you can start to appreciate the ability to keep all the little tid bits of routes and waypoints that you've accumulated right at your fingertips. Instead of having to try and remember which GDB file from six years ago was that one ice cream shop we found is stored in.

P.S. - You also always have the option of exporting your "Lists" to separate GDB or GPX files for backup in a location of your choosing.
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby henwin » Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:30 am

radon222 wrote:I've gotten used to BaseCamp but think there is still room for improvement on the implementation of some of the route planning tools. The hardest part about adapting to BaseCamp is getting your head wrapped the relational database model. Once you get that to click you can start to appreciate the ability to keep all the little tid bits of routes and waypoints that you've accumulated right at your fingertips. Instead of having to try and remember which GDB file from six years ago was that one ice cream shop we found is stored in. P.S. - You also always have the option of exporting your "Lists" to separate GDB or GPX files for backup in a location of your choosing.

I found out from Garmin's tech support about that feature (the one I bolded, above.) The thing that's really irritating in all of this is, if you go to Garmin's web site, they have these nice instructional videos...but since they're old, they're wrong! Garmin said they're working on new ones. My reaction? Well it's lame and late. What good are they to people who need to learn how to use the current software?
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Re: Software for GPS route planning

Postby henwin » Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:08 am

nickclason wrote:MapSource has gone through my use for years. It's not ideal and Forerunner is throwing it in support of BaseCamp. Other wise any new updates will be good to use.

Garmin stopped supporting MapSource back in 2006 or something like that. Now they only support BaseCamp--and it was updated in April of 2012, I believe--I just opened it to find out the date, and I get a message that v 4.0.2.0 is downloading and is now ready to install! But as long as MapSource works, and mine's working fine, I'll probably continue to use that. I hear that MS Streets and Trips also works well and that one can use it to create routes, but I've never tried it. Maybe in my "spare" time I'll try to teach myself BC?
My GPS, OTOH, was pretty screwed up, #-o so I bought a refurbed unit from Garmin for $150. I didn't want the hassle now of buying a new unit now, because I'm headed out of town on Friday and I have laid out routes for that trip. I plan to wait awhile and see what they update the line with in the following year or two. :D
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