February 26 GPS/Basecamp User Group

[WGingerichParticipant]

In-person GPS/Basecamp User Group meetings are back! Our first meeting, Saturday February 26 at 10 AM, will help participants create their own route in Basecamp and load it into their GPS.

Why bother learning Basecamp?

I use Basecamp for several reasons. One, it helps me create interesting routes to my destinations. It’s easier to just tell your GPS to take you to your destination, but it picks the roads for you. With Basecamp I can explore other interesting roads along the way, giving me complete control over my route. And it’s easy to do!

Second, having my detailed route on my GPS makes it easy for me to ride it without making a wrong turn or getting lost. That’s a big plus for me since many of the roads I take aren’t well marked and it’s easy to get lost.

Third, once you create a route in Basecamp it is easy to share with others and to build your own library of routes.

What will be doing at the February 26 User Group?

Ideally you have a PC laptop with Basecamp and a detailed map on it that you can bring to the meeting along with your GPS. The idea is for you to create a route on your own machine as I walk you through the steps. We’ll take questions as we go and make sure no one is left behind. Once you’ve created your route you’ll load it into our GPS.

If you have not already done so, please, please, please (!) complete the New England Riders “Basecamp Tutorial for PC Part 1” before the User Group. You can download it here. The tutorial introduces you to the structure and tools of Basecamp and walks you through the steps of creating a route outlined in the tutorial. With that experience under your belt you should be able to successfully create your own route at our meeting. Basecamp is a powerful program and it takes some dedicated time and effort to learn it, but once you figure it out it becomes relatively easy to use. With a little experience you can expect to create a route, say from your home to a lunch spot, in half an hour or less.

I’m told there is not a good version of Basecamp for Apple iOS so you may find the user group frustrating.  But you can download the Mac version of the New England Riders tutorial (same link as above) and work your way through it. Maybe you’ll be able to make it work for you.

Depending on time and interests of those present we may get into other aspects of Basecamp and GPSs during the session.

Meeting Time and Place

Time:  Saturday, February 26, 10 AM to noon.

Place:  Conference Room A, Parma-Snow Branch of the Cuyahoga Co. Library, 2121 Snow Road • Parma

Covid Restrictions: Must wear a mask; No food or drink

[Duncan CooperParticipant]

<span style=”font-size: 100%;”>This is a great program that anyone who uses a Garmin unit will benefit from. While B/C can seem intimidating, once you lay out a trip it becomes far more user friendly. Watching the New England Riders program is key. Especially if you watch it on your phone with BC open on your computer to follow along.  Mark your calendar!</span>

Coop

[Eric SmallParticipant]

Great to see this offered, thank you Wally!

This is all new to me. I’d like to attend, but first I need to figure out what my options are with this Motorrad Navigator IV that I just popped out of my 2012 K1600. I have all Garmin docs and accessories. Even a zipped carrying case! Haaha.

Don’t know if this unit is compatible with basecamp routes? If so, I’ll mount this unit on multiple bikes, If not I need to get a recommendation on a new Garmin Model. I did see some concerns in the Forums about issues with certain models, thanks Sandi. I’ll text some info on it.

[Eric SmallParticipant]

After further review, I am upgrading. Should be fun!

[WGingerichParticipant]

Eric, your Garmin Nav IV should work just fine if you want to use it. The Nav VI is the most recent BMW badged model — it has been known to have problems with the screen but Garmin is good about replacing it. I’m not familiar with the regular Garmin models but I think there is a relatively recent one. Others may chime in on this.

I have a mount on each of my bikes so I can use my GPS unit on all of them.

[WGingerichParticipant]

The GPS/Basecamp User Group is coming up this Saturday, 10 AM to noon, at the Parma-Snow Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library. If you intend to create your own route in Basecamp, and you have not already done so, now would be a good time to work your way through the New England Riders Tutorial (see top post). It’s probably not realistic to plan your own route on Saturday without prior experience in Basecamp. And remember to bring your laptop with Basecamp and a detailed map (City Navigator) installed, and your GPS and connecting cable.

And, by the way, this User Group meeting is open to anyone. You may not be ready to create your own routes but if you’re curious about Basecamp and want to see how routes are created this would be a good chance to find out.

The Library has lifted their mask requirement, and it is probably OK to bring coffee or a snack. Vending machines are close by.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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