Forum Discussion

RetiredBob's avatar
RetiredBob
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016

BaseCamp vs MapSource

I've been using MapSource for years to plan my trips and download them to my GPS (I know it's no longer supported by Garmin) and am very comfortable using it. My question is, should I switch to BaseCamp? For those who have experience using both, is BaseCamp significantly better? Is it worth investing my time to learn a new system? A lot of posters have mentioned the steep learning curve. Thanks in advance for any comments.
  • FlatBroke's avatar
    FlatBroke
    Explorer II
    Jun 11, 2016
    I also found Base Camp to use unless you use it a lot. I don't and have to relearn every time I open it.
  • joebedford's avatar
    joebedford
    Nomad II
    Jun 11, 2016
    Basecamp has a slightly steeper learning curve than Mapsource. It is different from Mapsource in many (better) ways, but after using it for the last couple of years I would not want to go back to Mapsource.
  • Ramblin__Ralph's avatar
    Ramblin__Ralph
    Explorer
    Jun 11, 2016
    As a long time user of Mapsource, I found Basecamp to be very confusing to use. However, I think the newer versions of Garmin GPS units will not interface with Mapsource, so you're forced to use Basecamp.

    I read in the stored waypoints from my new GPS with Basecamp, store them in a file, then open the file with Mapsource.

    YMMV.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jun 11, 2016
    I don't remember seeing that much difference between Mapsource and Basecamp. Basically a change of names. I used Mapsource and now use Basecamp. I only use it to transfer routes to the GPS, I use Delorme Street Atlas to create the routes. Basecamp or Mapsource removed too many roads when you zoomed out, and made it very hard to try to plan a longer route.

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