GPS help

[jardine]

looking for some help please I have a Garmin 60cxs and just need to know what the difference is in planning a trip on the map in the computer in Basecamp to transfer to the unit - is it better to use the routes or tracks option? cant seem to find any simple expanation anywhere. Cheers

[Sleepy John]

Originally Posted by jardine

looking for some help please I have a Garmin 60cxs and just need to know what the difference is in planning a trip on the map in the computer in Basecamp to transfer to the unit - is it better to use the routes or tracks option? cant seem to find any simple expanation anywhere. Cheers

Google 'garmin routes or tracks'

[DrLewall]

Originally Posted by jardine

looking for some help please I have a Garmin 60cxs and just need to know what the difference is in planning a trip on the map in the computer in Basecamp to transfer to the unit - is it better to use the routes or tracks option? cant seem to find any simple expanation anywhere. Cheers

I prefer trax over routes..routes will give you prompts to read and the 60csx screen is too small for my eyes to try and focus on..trax will show a colored track or line that you follow and if you deviate from the line, you can see it and make attempts to get back on the line.

Yes, I prefer tracks! I never had any use for routes, but many will give a good argument for routes and they probably do have their place, but I am not interested in routes..it all comes down to your preferences..hopfully someone else will get in here and tell you why routes are better than tracks..good luck

[Countdown]

What Lewall said but the preference is determined by if you are planning trip off highway on small jeep roads & trails or mostly highway and graded county roads.

One BIG problem with routes is getting the 60 to route the same path as you saw on your PC and then god forbid you make a wrong turn and the 60 Auto-reroutes you another way.

For Dual Sport Events, promoters only give out Tracks, never Routes.

If you go to GPSXchange.com there are thousands of Tracks but almost no Routes.

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by jardine

looking for some help please I have a Garmin 60cxs and just need to know what the difference is in planning a trip on the map in the computer in Basecamp to transfer to the unit - is it better to use the routes or tracks option? cant seem to find any simple expanation anywhere. Cheers

I'll give it a shot as well.

A route is designed to get you from point A to point B, with the whole objective to simply arrive at B. It provides turn by turn directions ("left turn in 500 feet") and when you miss a turn or go off the route the gps will then recalculate the route and provide new instructions again designed to get you to point B from your new location.

A track is designed to give you a "breadcrumb trail" to follow, with the objective to stay on-track. There are no directions provided and you follow you own course plotted on the gps, attempting to stay aligned with the on-screen track.

Most of the time when I'm riding it's the journey I'm after, not so much the destination, so I prefer to use tracks.

Hope that helps!

It's a little oversimplified, but that should get you started. And you can always convert a track to a route if you change your mind. Sometimes it's easier to create a route in BaseCamp and then use that as a guide when creating a track if there are a maze of trails and roads to choose from when navigating your path.

[DRZ Charlie]

Hardworkingdog,

Excellent analogy. Well done.

[HardWorkingDog]

Thanks! Even a dog has his day, I guess .

[Master]

I always use both at the same time. When using routes, the gpsmap tends to recalculate and you end up with a different route than the one you wanted to ride. The route provides you with turn-by-turn directions and estimations of time and distance, while the track makes sure you don't stray away from the route you planned to ride (when in doubt: follow the track, the gps recalculates the route and usually your route is back on track ).
Also, a route is easier to make on the computer, because you just have to click on a few points and the computer does the rest for you. I always make routes on the computer and after that convert them to tracks with a few mouseclicks, using a little piece of software called wingdb3. I just load up both route and track on my unit et voila, good to go.

[wbbnm]

I am new to this page but have been using Garmin GPS's for a long time. I am seeing lots of stuff I don't recognize.

What is this BaseCamp? I looked on the Garmin page and it looks kind of nice. I always use Mapsource. Is BaseCamp meant to be a replacement?

BTW. I navigate using tracks. But I also create routes on my computer because it is a lot easier to do "what if" tests using routes - mainly to see how long a leg is and how far it is to gas. Once I have finalized a route I hand draw the track and/or splice together pieces of my and other peoples tracks.

I also take the time to create manual waypoints once the the route is set. I just like seeing them on the screen. I number them from 1-50 to make sure I don't exceed the 50 limit for a lot of units for follow-the-road routing.

Also I plan rides for large groups and distribute the navigation data. Some of the guys just prefer routes even though I tell them that they are not always going to work due to routing differences and the fact that I often include roads that are not in City Nav.

[Klay]

BaseCamp is for Apple operating systems, I believe.

[250senuf]

Also comes in PC flavour.

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by Klay

BaseCamp is for Apple operating systems, I believe.

There's a version for both PCs and Macs, though the Mac version is more advanced. Mapsource is obsolete, no longer being developed. BaseCamp has some really interesting features; my favourite is the way it'll display the maps installed on certain models of gps as if the maps were installed on the computer.

[Countdown]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

Mapsource is obsolete, no longer being developed. BaseCamp has some really interesting features; my favourite is the way it'll display the maps installed on certain models of gps as if the maps were installed on the computer.

A bit overstated. Probably most people still use Mapsource and see no need for further development, and no real need to switch to BaseCamp and deal with all their old files. Obviusly new users will probably start with BaseCamp and also be happy.

I mainly use Mapsource to manage my tracks and I have not found BaseCamp offers anything new or improved.

[Steve W]

Originally Posted by Countdown

I mainly use Mapsource to manage my tracks and I have not found BaseCamp offers anything new or improved.

As do I. BaseCamp (both flavors) is lacking some track tools, especially in the editing department. Enhancements have been requested on the Mac side but the response from the development team has been cool to any more track editing tools. This is one area where the windows version is more advanced.

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by Countdown

A bit overstated (in my opinion). Probably most people (who) still use Mapsource see no need for further development, and no real need to switch to BaseCamp and deal with all their old files.

There, I fixed your post for you. No need to thank me.