Does MapSource work with new maps or is BaseCamp Mandatory?

So, based on comments I have read here and there, I am wondering if people who are buying the newer Garmin GPS units and also the newest maps, are still able to use MapSource for planning routes and pushing them to the units, or if one MUST use BaseCamp?

I think Garmin has stopped supporting Mapsource and now only pushes/offers BaseCamp, but will MapSource still work?

As semi-lame as MapSource is, I am used to it so am wondering if I get a new unit of some kind (i.e., Zumo 660, or Zumo 350, or Montana) will I be forced to abandon MapSource?

I use Mapsource with two of the GPS you list - Zumo 660 and Montana - the Topo and CN street maps work fine within the Mapsource shell.

Awesome!

So, the map set(s) you're using this way are pretty recent, right? And are they the "lifetime" versions you download, or from DVDs?

The CN maps are lifetime, Topo (100k and 24k versions) are off discs.

Excellent. Thanks! Of course, the downside here is that, price aside, the reasons I employ to stop myself from buying one of the newer bigger screen GPSes, are being stripped away.

Come to the bigside... My Zumo/Montana setup is damned near perfect (it should be, considering what I've paid for the buggers!). The Zumo has CN maps and the Montana does 24k topo, on an ideal ride I'll use a bit of each.

Dude, you're killing me!

Edited: And are you saying that you run the 660 with street maps and the Montana with topos simultaneously?

I just bought a new Montana and a new City Nav for it. The new City Nav works fine with Mapsource.

But the new BaseCamp is not seeing my old 100k Topos which is causing me some grief.

I haven't had any luck yet getting a solution from Garmin.

i'm on 2012 CN working just fine with Mapsource.
i have downloaded and tried Basecamp and i'm not a fan at all.
i've gotten use to how to get things done in mapsource and my brain is happy with how it works. i tried creating a simple route in Basecamp camp and i keep saying wtf? i do IT work and garmin did not think at all how to migrated over existing mapsource user work-flow experience. nothing works the same and that is a poor way to evolve your software; buy alienating existing users. i know i could spend the time and figure it out, but mapsource does what i need so i'm not bothering.

Spoke with Garmin the other day when I was seeking info on fixing my old 2720, and I asked them about using MapSource files in Basecamp, since I have built a bunch of routes over the years. The guy told me that he thought you needed to open the file in MapSource and save it as a GPX, then you could pull the GPX file into Basecamp. This came across not as so much official, but as him trying to figure out a way to get it done, so YMMV, but if it works, maybe it would help you.

If I get a new unit and new maps, I sure would like to keep using MapSource, and so far it sounds that that ought to be ok, except for what wbbnm is experiencing with his topo maps. Hopefully, he will post a fix, if he finds one.

I think the question to ask in his case is how old are the maps? Mine are the latest release (I've also got the very old version that came on 3 CDs, but I haven't even opened their case in years).

I believe Mapsource support will eventually end, and everyone will have to transition to Basecamp or whatever else Garmin cooks up. There is no harm in knowing how to use both BC and MS.

I agree, no harm. Can you think of anything about Basecamp to recommend it, or some feature that is really nice that MapSource doesn't have? (serious question, I have no idea)

Geotagging photos. If your camera clock is synched to GPS time (crossing time zones might get fidgety), Basecamp has the ability to compare time/date stamps on jpg files to a track and can add geotag info to the photos.

The 3D view of terrain is neat and helps if you're trying to visualize a trip through the mountains.

Ok, geotagging is kind of cool.

Am I right in assuming that a 3D terrain view requires topo maps? IOW, there is no embedded elevation or contour info in our street maps, is there?

Correct. As I understand its evolution, Basecamp started out as a program for hikers/hunters/etc... to plan and visualize routes through the woods. The ability to use topo map data was baked right in from the start.

Have you played around with Basecamp for making road routes? If so, what do you think?

My problem with Topos was with the new release of BaseCamp.

I just fixed that problem. It turned out that the Windows Registry location for the map img files was pointing a place on my D Drive where I had them stored. Mapsource was happy with this but apparently not Basecamp.

I noticed they were also stored on my C Drive in a Garmin directory. So I changed the Registry to point to the C drive instead and Basecamp seems to like this and things are working.

I still use Mapsource for most serious trip planning work. But there are features of BaseCamp that I really like. BC shows minor roads out to much higher zoom levels than Mapsource. Creating a route in BC is just about the same as Mapsource. You just have to hit the New tool and pick Route instead of a dedicated route tool.

Download Javawa Device Manager and it will allow you to set the missing map to be visible in Basecamp. And a whole lot more. It's a great program.

http://www.javawa.nl/jdm_en.html

Just realized you meant that BC didn't see the maps installed on your computer. The advice I gave was with regard to having BaseCamp see the maps on the gps, even if they are not installed on the computer.

Might be useful to you someday, anyway.

Garmin Adventures. Buggy as it's a recent feature, but it shows a lot of potential.

Here's a quick sample I made up recently: http://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/...sound-backroad-exploration-on-our-motorcycles

And another advantage is BaseCamp's ability to see the maps on your gps when it's connected to the computer even if they are not installed on the computer, as described in my previous post.

evidently this device manager only works with the newer gps not 60csx