Mapping Software Compatible With Garmin

[39520]

I use Basecamp and it is very appropriately priced. It's functional and it gets the job done, but as a Mac user and programmer for 20 years, I have to say it's one of the most awkward Mac programs I have ever seen.

Still, good for the price, plus I don't have to keep an old PC running just to do Mapsource....

[GUENTHER]

Ashalina,

when I create a route with my MapSource (version 6.16.3) with just a start point and an end point I see only these two waypoints under:

Routes->right click the route item->Properties

That is what is downloaded into your unit. I doubt that other mapping programs would download more than that. Can someone with other mapping programs confirm what the properties (waypoints) say for a route?

Now one thing with MapSource is still a mystery to me. Go to:

Edit->Preferences->Routing

There you can decide on "Faster Time" or "Shorter Distance". Most GPS units allow something like that to be selected. If the settings in MapSource and in your unit are different you may get a differnt route.

Even more complicated: Use the slider for "Road Selection" and go back to right click your route and click on "Recalculate". Some settings give horrible results in MapSource. I have no heard of any GPS unit that has this feature. Also on this page click on "Driving Speeds". Another set of factors which are most likely different between MapSource and your unit (where it comes implicitly from the map data).

Baseline is: If you really want your GPS to direct you to a certain piece of road make sure to click on the start and end of this road section when you create the route. Same for including a certain spot (restaurant, sightseeing turn out).

/Guenther

[kantuckid]

www.zumoforums.com

[JDOCKERY132445]

I have become a HUGE fan of the Harley-Davidson route planning site here. I have been using Mapsource and other Garmin offerings since my first GPS, a GPS III, back in 1997, as well as DeLorme's Street Atlas mapping software, Microsoft's Trips, and a host of other ones, and I must say I think the HD online offering is the best all around for actually mapping out the route and getting it on the GPS - which, with my Garmin 2610 at least, is simply a matter of hooking up the GPS with the USB cable and hitting transfer to GPS.

That said, I still use Mapsource to store and archive all of my rides. Though it is clunky and dated it is nice to have a single program to store all of my rides over the years. With the HD route planner you simply save the ride as a GPX file, open with Mapsource and hit "calculate route".

Give it a try - these programs are really up to individual preference and what matters is getting one that works best for you.

PS - I also love buying old 1920's road maps and hitting roads and towns that were big then but now are too-often bypassed and largely forgotten.

This is the best piece of advice I have received about GPS routes. I registered, tried the map routes, saved them and imported them to my 276C. Absolutely the easiest took I have ever seen and there are no errors.

My 226C can no longer be updated; so this is very handy. i will pass this along to everyone I meet.

[azgman]

You need to be sure that the map version on your computer is the same as the version in your GPS. Garmin lifetime map updates is your friend here. There is a new version of Basecamp out (3.3.1) which is much improved.


Garmin tech support is great, so reach out to them with specific issues.

[JDOCKERY132445]

You need to be sure that the map version on your computer is the same as the version in your GPS. Garmin lifetime map updates is your friend here. There is a new version of Basecamp out (3.3.1) which is much improved.


Garmin tech support is great, so reach out to them with specific issues.

Many of us are running old units that can no longer be updated. My 276C was last updated with the 2009 CityMaps.

That is why the Harley site is so valuable to me.

[GUENTHER]

I just checked the Harley-Davidson route planner. It does the same thing as MapSource. Only waypoints you explicitly included when creating your map online are downloaded to you GPS unit. So you may not get the same route on your GPS the way it looked in the HD application online.

What's noty easy with MapSource? I just click on all the locations I definitely want to have in my route and click on download. How much easier should it be?

/Guenther

[TED]

Depends on your brand and model of GPS I think, or perhaps how you are using the tools. Personally I have been using the HD planner for dozens of routes now and with the start/stop/via points permitted with my 2610 GPS I have not once had a variance. The same appears true for my new Nuvi 1490T.

I start with a start and end point. I then move the route around by just clicking on the highlighted route anywhere along its span and moving it to the roads I want, usually creating a via point in the process (HD calls this little red flag a waypoint, Garmin translates it as a route via point), so it goes on the roads I want. I usually end up with a start and end point and up to a dozen or more via points - none of these are stored as waypoints on the 2610, just as part of the route. I do a simple upload to the 2610 and off I go. I have a 7-day trip to the Canadian Maritimes with a start/stop each day and dozens of via points and it downloaded perfectly to the 2610.

Mapsource is similar, but I find the interface much less friendly.

YMMV depending on GPS, fortunately they are not a generic item.

[JDOCKERY132445]

I was at a GPS workshop on Sunday and there were a lot of different units. Each has its own quirks. One of our members had the new Montana and I really liked it; just not ready to drop that kind of money on it.

[TED]

You should check out the 2610, this GPS is out of production but has really developed a cult-following. Rugged, user-friendly, waterproof, a great device. You can find them on eBay for $50 or so, just make sure the screen is free of deep scratches (easy to see) as they will cause the outer layer to eventually delaminate and you'll have to buy a cheap screen protector from Monoprice ($3), cut it to size and put it on to get the touchscreen working properly again.

[39520]

Hey thanks for the tip about the HD site - who would have thought?

If BMWNA put up a website as good as the HD one, they would charge for it.

[azgman]

You should check out the 2610, this GPS is out of production but has really developed a cult-following. Rugged, user-friendly, waterproof, a great device. You can find them on eBay for $50 or so, just make sure the screen is free of deep scratches (easy to see) as they will cause the outer layer to eventually delaminate and you'll have to buy a cheap screen protector from Monoprice ($3), cut it to size and put it on to get the touchscreen working properly again.

I had a 2610 indeed a good unit, the 2730 or 2820 have the same case but far superior internals. Not quite $50, but they are reasonably priced as well.

[beemeup]

I agree that the HD site is good and it's easy to use. I purchased a Harley Davidson Road Tech Zumo 665 (a Garmin Zumo 665) at a great discounted price from an online Harley Dealer just before Christmas (saved $160). I got a 2 year instead of a 1 year warranty, free lifetime map updates and they turned me on to their free mapping site. All in all not a bad deal. We can say what we want about Harley Davidson, but this is a great example of giving the customer a good value for their dollar. Happy Trails, Don

[Ashalina]

I just checked the Harley-Davidson route planner. It does the same thing as MapSource. Only waypoints you explicitly included when creating your map online are downloaded to you GPS unit. So you may not get the same route on your GPS the way it looked in the HD application online.

What's noty easy with MapSource? I just click on all the locations I definitely want to have in my route and click on download. How much easier should it be?

/Guenther

Are you using a Zumo 660 or Nav IV? If not the Mapsource probably works very well. It did work very well with my Zumo 550's and other units. It is the change to a Zumo 660 or Nav IV where this random recalculation takes place even when using the same maps, same preferences and all the standard answers Garmin says will help keep the routes the same between what you lay out on your computer and what gets transferred to your GPS. Unfortunately what has traditionally worked well with previous Garmin units is not working as well with the newer units and that is why many with the newer units are looking for better options than Mapsource.

Using the same maps, preferences and other common suggestions does help but it is far from fool proof as it used to be when transferring routes from Mapsource to the newer Garmin units. Using a 2610, 2720, 276C, Zumo 550 or others the Mapsource is a cumbersome program to use but very effective. With the Zumo 660 or Nav IV not so much.

[Paul_F]

Using the same maps, preferences and other common suggestions does help but it is far from fool proof as it used to be when transferring routes from Mapsource to the newer Garmin units. Using a 2610, 2720, 276C, Zumo 550 or others the Mapsource is a cumbersome program to use but very effective. With the Zumo 660 or Nav IV not so much.

When I read this I thought that it made sense, as Map Source and the Garmin do not always agree. Soooooooooo I went into Map Source and believe that I have made the settings the same as on the Garmin.

Sooooo just for fun, I put into Map Source requesting a new route from London, Ontario to Flint MI, a distance of about 200 km with maybe two or three major highways. The programme calculated the route a couple of times at about 1600 kms so I went back and changed another setting, and received a route of 2935 km though NY City and such. Both appear to be very interesting trips, but a little out of the way.

Any suggestions what major item I set improperly to get such wacko routes?