Function

 

Garmin BaseCamp provides an interface for viewing and managing geographic data. With BaseCamp, you can:

• Transfer data to and from your compatible Garmin GPS device.
• Download and view BirdsEye™ satellite imagery.
• Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Organize saved waypoints, routes, tracks, geocaches, and photos.
• Find geocaches, addresses, and Points of Interest (POIs) included in your detailed map data.
• View map data in 2D and 3D.
• View topographical information included in your detailed map data.
• Geotag photos with geographical location information.
• Upload photos to Picasa™ Web Albums.
• Print detailed topographical maps, Public Land Survey (PLS) quads, and multi-page poster maps.
• Import and view Garmin Custom Maps.
• Download available firmware updates for your compatible Garmin device.
• Install maps on your compatible Garmin device.
• Download, create, and share Garmin Adventures.
• Use BaseStation to track contacts or dogs in real-time on the map.

BaseCamp vs MapSource

• The final version of MapSource (6.16.3) was released in October, 2010. MapSource was intended for use with first generation Garmin GPSr units that do not allow direct access to the internal database. While MapSource can interface with current generation Garmin GPSr in limited capacity, it is not recommended. All support and development for MapSource has been discontinued.
• Garmin introduced BaseCamp, an evolutionary replacement for MapSource, in January, 2009. BaseCamp picked up where MapSource left off, taking full advantage of advanced features only available with newer Garmin GPSr devices, including:
  • Advanced map printing capabilities
  • Ability to read and use maps on connected devices
  • 2D and 3D map views, no longer confined to 'North Up' orientation
  • Individual per-Route settings
  • Support for geo-tagged photos
  • Sync with multiple outdoor Garmin devices
  • Support for BirdsEye satellite imagery maps
  • Direct access to view GPSr data in Google Earth
  • Ability to create and import your own Custom Maps
  • Persistent database model allowing flexible and intuitive database organization
  • and much more!

 

Interface

1. Menus: Menus provide access to various tasks and functions in BaseCamp.
2. Toolbars: Toolbars provide quick access to specialized functions in BaseCamp.
3. Search bar: Enter key words to find items on the map.
4. Search results: Data list returned based on search parameters.
5. Library and Devices Area: The Library and Devices area consists of two panes, and helps you manage your data.

• The upper pane displays lists in My Collection, Garmin Adventures, connected devices, and Cloud Storage.
• The lower pane displays the contents of the item you select in the upper pane.
• You can swap map and data views to show a larger view of the data in the Library and Devices area.

6. North Indicator/Map Controls: The north indicator shows the current orientation of the map. The map controls appear when you move your mouse cursor over the north indicator. The map controls allow you to adjust the map view.
7. Map: The map displays your map product, as well as waypoints, routes, tracks, points of interest, and other map items.
8. Overview Map: The Overview Map provides a geographical context for the map by displaying a broader, less-detailed view.
9. Information Area: The information area displays details about the selected item in the Library and Devices area.
10. Status Bar: The status bar shows information about the currently selected item or items in the Library and Devices area, map coordinates when you move your mouse cursor over the map, and measurement information when you are measuring distance.
11. Filters: Allows you to sort and filter your saved data (see Viewing Data).

Toolbars

• The toolbar area appears below the menus.
• The following toolbars appear by default:
  • Activity Profile toolbar: Select an activity profile.
  • Map Selection toolbar: Select a map product to use with BaseCamp.
  • Map toolbar: Interact with the map, such as zooming and panning.
  • Drawing toolbar: Create and edit items on the map, such as waypoints, routes, and tracks.
  • Find toolbar: Find places on the map.
  • View toolbar: Change the map view, swap data and map views, and toggle the Overview Map.
  • Device Transfer toolbar: Send and receive data from connected devices.
• You can also show or hide additional toolbars:
  1. Click View > Toolbars.
  2. Select one of the following options to show or hide a toolbar:
     • Detail Level: Change the detail level of the map.
     • Edit toolbar: Perform common editing tasks, such as copy, paste, and undo.
     • Playback: Control route and track playback.
     • Playback Info: View the distance, speed, heading, and time during route and track playback.

Menus

• BaseCamp menus provide quick access to various tasks and functions within BaseCamp.
• The menus appear below the title bar at the top of the BaseCamp application window.

  • File

    • Click File, and select one of the following options:
      • New: Create new lists, folders, adventures, waypoints, routes, tracks, and BirdsEye Imagery.
      • Import: Import data from a file into a list, folder, or adventure.
      • Export: Export data from the Library to a file or from a Device to a file.
      • Backup: Back up the data in the Library.
      • Restore: Restore data from a backup file.
      • Restore from Previous Version: Restore data from an older version of BaseCamp.
      • Print: Print the current map view.
      • Exit: Close BaseCamp.

  • Edit

    • Click Edit, and select one of the following options:
      • Open Selected Item: View detailed information for selected data.
      • Undo: Undo the last action.
      • Redo: Redo the last action after you have clicked Undo.
      • Cut: Cut the currently selected item and place it in the system clipboard.
      • Copy: Copy the currently selected item and place it in the system clipboard.
      • Paste: Paste information in the system clipboard to the currently selected location.
      • Delete: Delete the currently selected item.
      • Remove and Delete Unique Content: Remove the selected list or folder and delete all items that appear only in the deleted lists.
      • Remove: Remove the selected list or folder.
      • Remove from [name]: Remove the selected item from the current list.
      • Duplicate: Create an exact copy of the selected item.
      • Rename: Rename the selected item.
      • Select All: Select all items in the Library, in a list, or in a device.
      • Create Route: Create a new route.
      • Send To: Select a Library location or a device to which you want to send the currently selected item.
      • Move To: Move the selected list to another folder.
      • Advanced: Use advanced editing options for routes or tracks.
      • Geotag Photos Using Track: Add geographical information to photos taken while recording a track log.
      • Properties: Show the pop-up balloon and display the properties dialog for the selected item on the map.
      • Options: Configure BaseCamp software preferences.

  • Device

    • Click Device, and select one of the following options:
      • Send to device: Send waypoints, tracks, routes, photos, and adventures to a device.
      • Receive from device: Receive waypoints, tracks, routes, photos, and adventures from a device.
      • Check for Device Software Update

  • Find

    • Click Find, and select one of the following options:
      • Find All: Returns a list of POI's, Addresses, Adventures, OpenCaching Caches and User Data.
      • Find Options: Enter a search Location and select a Type:
        • Top Results
        • Points of Interest
        • Addresses
        • Featured Adventures
        • All Adventures
        • OpenCaching Caches
        • User Data
      • Find Points of Interest: Returns a list of POI's for the selected category:
        • All Points of Interest
        • Attractions
        • Auto Services
        • Bank/ATM
        • Cities
        • Community
        • Entertainment
        • Food and Drink
        • Fuel
        • Geographic Places
        • Hospital
        • Lodging
        • Marine
        • Other
        • Public Land Survey
        • Recreation
        • Shopping
        • Transportation
        • Custom POI's
      • Find Addresses: Returns a list of addresses.
      • Find Intersection
      • Find Caches on OpenCaching: Returns a list of OpenCaching Caches.
      • Find Garmin Adventures: Returns a list of Garmin Adventures filtered by:
        • Rating
        • Distance
        • Duration
        • Difficulty
        • Publish Date
        • Published By
      • Find Data In {Selected Folder/List}: Returns a list of data items available in selected folder/list.
      • Find Places on Yelp: Returns a list of nearby places on Yelp.
      • Find Near Selected User Data: Returns a list of data items near selected item.
      • Refresh Find Results: Refreshes returned list of data.
      • Stop Search: Ends current search in progress.
      • Locate Coordinates: Centers map view at user entered coordinates.

  • View

    • Click View, and select one of the following options:
      • Basic Map Only: Show or hide detailed map data.
      • Align North Up: Return the map view to north-up orientation.
      • Data Filter: Select the type of data you want to view. All other data is hidden.
      • Sort By: Select a method for sorting list items or device folder items.
      • Swap Map and Data Views: View your data in the map pane.
      • Full Screen: Maximize the application window, and remove all toolbars and the status bar. Press F11 to exit full screen view.
      • Map Views: Select the map view.
      • Map Controls: Show or hide the map controls.
      • Toolbars: Show or hide toolbars.
      • Selected Items on Map: Centers the currently selected item on the map.
      • Google Earth: View items in Google Earth.

  • Tools

    • Click Tools, and select one of the following options:
      • Pan: Selects the Pan tool.
      • Zoom: Selects the Zoom tool.
      • Select: Selects the Select tool.
      • Measure: Selects the Measure tool.
      • Waypoint: Selects the Waypoint tool.
      • Route: Selects the Route tool.
      • Track: Selects the Track tool.
      • BirdsEye: Launches the BirdsEye Imagery download wizard.
      • Move Point: Selects the Move Point tool.
      • Insert: Selects the Insert tool.
      • Erase: Selects the Erase tool.
      • Divide: Selects the Divide tool.

  • Maps

    • Click Maps, and select one of the following options:
      • Map Product: Select a map to view from installed maps.
      • Buy Maps Online: Purchase map products from the Garmin Web site.
      • Install Maps: Install map products on connected device.
      • Manage Map Products: View and unlock installed map products.
      • Manage Custom POI's: Select POI's (GPI files) to display from connected devices.

  • Trip Planner

    • New Trip: Open Trip Planner interface.
    • Open Recent Trip: View list of recent Trips.

  • Adventures

    • Create Garmin Adventure: Combine related photos, videos, waypoints, tracks, and routes into an adventure that you can share.
    • What is this?: Opens Garmin Adventures Web Page
    • Edit: Edit currently selected Adventure.

  • BirdsEye

    • Download BirdsEye Imagery: Download BirdsEye imagery for compatible devices.
    • What is this?: Opens Garmin BirdsEye Help Guides Web Page

  • Sign In

    • Click Sign In, and select one of the following options:
      • Sign In to myGarmin™: Sign in to your myGarmin account to share data from BaseCamp.
      • Create an Account: Create a new myGarmin account.
      • Enable/Disable Cloud Storage: Turn Cloud Storage option On/Off.
    • Sign Out of myGarmin™: Exit from current myGarmin account.

  • Help

    • Click Help, and select one of the following options:
      • Help: Launches the online help center in your browser.
      • Welcome to BaseCamp: Displays an introductory dialog box with information for getting started with BaseCamp.
      • Video Tutorials: Launches the video tutorial Web page for BaseCamp in your browser.
      • Garmin Forums: Launches the Garmin Forums Web site in your browser.
      • Report Map Error: Send map error information directly to Garmin.
      • Check for Software Update: Updates the BaseCamp software.
      • View BaseCamp License: Displays the BaseCamp end user license agreement.
      • About Garmin BaseCamp: Displays BaseCamp version and copyright information, as well as important system information.

Select Map

• Different map products contain different types of map data.
• If you have more than one map product installed on your computer, you can select which map product you want to view.
• Map products must be unlocked to view map data.
• Select a map product from the drop-down list in the map selection toolbar to view it in BaseCamp.
• You can also click Maps > Map Product to select a map product.
• You can use BaseCamp to view a map that is loaded on a compatible GPSr or µSD card:
  1. Connect a GPSr or µSD card reader to your computer.
  2. The name of the device or the µSD card will appear in the Library and Devices area.
  3. Select an option to view the map product:
     • Click Maps > Map Product, and select the map product.
     • Double-click the map product in the Library and Devices area.
     • Select the map product from the drop-down list in the map selection toolbar.

Map Controls

• The map controls appear when you move your mouse cursor over the icon in the upper left corner of the map.
• You can select View > Map Controls to show or hide the map controls.
  
  
  1. Pitch Slider: Slide left or right to adjust map viewing angle in 3D view.
  2. Zoom Slider: Slide up and down to zoom the map in and out.
  3. Movement Arrows: Click the arrows to move the map.
  4. Compass Ring: Click and drag to rotate the map orientation.
  
  

Map Overlays

• Enable or disable additional map information overlays (BirdsEye, Custom Maps, etc.).
• Overlays can be accessed on your computer hard drive, or any compatible Garmin device.
• Overlays can be managed in the same manner as other data, organized into lists and folders.
• In the lower left corner of the Map view, select Show Overlays or Hide Overlays, as desired.
• You can adjust the draw order of each overlay to display images on top of one another on the map.
  • Double-click an overlay in the Library and Devices menu.
  • Adjust the Draw Order slider as desired.
  • Images with higher draw order will be displayed over images with a lower draw order.

Map Refresh

• If installed maps appear not to be displayed correctly after a map update (or at any other time), force BaseCamp to clear and refresh the map cache:
  • Press and release CTRL-G on your keyboard to disable installed maps.
  • Press and release CTRL-G on your keyboard to enable installed maps.

Viewing the Map

• BaseCamp provides several options for viewing the map.
• You can view the map in 2D view, 3D view, or both.
• The Overview Map provides a broader, less-detailed view.
• You can show or hide the Overview Map, or move it anywhere on the main map view.
• To change the way map information appears, adjust the display settings.
• To view details about points of interest (POIs) on the map, click the Select Tool, and hold the cursor over a POI.
   
  • Moving the Map
     
    • Click the movement arrows in the map controls.
    • Click the Pan tool, and click and drag the map.
    • Click and drag the Overview Map. The darkened rectangle on the Overview Map represents the area displayed on the map.
    • Press the arrow keys on the keyboard.
    • Press 8 (up), 2 (down), 4 (left), and 6 (right) on the number pad.
    • Move the mouse cursor near the edge of the map until an arrow appears. Click when the arrow is visible to move the map.
       

  • Zooming In and Out

    • Click on the map and use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in and zoom out.
    • Slide the zoom slider in the map controls, or click and on the zoom slider.
    • Click the Zoom tool and use any of the following options:
      • Click a point on the map to zoom in.
      • Click and drag across the map to zoom in on an area.
      • Right-click a point on the map to zoom out.
• Press the plus (+) and minus (-) keys on your keyboard:
  • Hold Ctrl and press the plus (+) key to zoom in to the maximum zoom level.
  • Hold Ctrl and press the minus (-) key to zoom out to the minimum zoom level.
     

• Rotating the Map

  • Click and drag the compass ring in the map controls.
  • Press Home (rotate left) and Page Up (rotate right) on the keyboard.
  • Click the North indicator on the compass ring to return to north-up orientation.
  • Click the Pan tool. Right-click and drag to rotate the map.
  • The North arrow shows the current orientation of the map.
     

• Tilting the Map

  • You must view the map in 3D view to adjust the viewing angle. Use any of the following options to adjust the pitch, or viewing angle, of the map:
    • Slide the pitch slider in the map controls, or click or on the pitch slider.
    • Press End (increase viewing angle) or Page Down (decrease viewing angle) on the keyboard.
    • Click the Pan tool. Right-click and drag to tilt the map.

Search

• Enter a search term in the search bar and select .
• Toggle desired filters to be included in search results:
  • POI's
  • Addresses
  • Garmin Adventures
  • OpenCaching Caches
  • User Data
• Single click a search result to highlight on the map.
• Double click a search result to center on the map.
• Save a search result by dragging to the desired folder or list.

Measure Distance

• You can measure the distance, the heading, and the area between two or more points on the map.
  1. Click the Measure tool.
  2. Click a starting point on the map.
  3. Click a second point to mark a segment to measure. A line appears between the two points.
     The following information appears on the map and in the status bar in the lower left corner of the application window:
     • The total distance from the first point to the last point.
     • The total area enclosed by the segments.
     • The heading from the first point in the segment to the second point in the segment.
     • Elevation measurements (Topo maps only) for the first point and the second point in the segment.
  4. To add additional segments, click additional points.
  5. When you are finished, press Esc on your keyboard, or right-click.

Right-Click

• You can quickly access a right-click menu of actions on the map.
• The available actions change based on the map features and items year the cursor.
  1. Select the Hand tool or the Select tool.
  2. Right-click anywhere on the map.
  3. Choose from available options:
  •  Open
  •  Playback
  •  Send To...
  •  New Waypoint
  •  Move Waypoint
  •  Create Route using Selected Waypoints
  •  Delete
  •  Remove
  •  Split Track Here
  •  Split Track at Segment
  •  Insert Into Track
  •  Invert Selected Track
  •  Filter Selected Track...
  •  Create Route from Selected Track
  •  Geotag Photos using Track
  •  Begin Measurement
  •  Begin Route
  •  Begin Track
  •  Find Nearest Places
  •  Start A New Trip From Here
  •  Start A New Trip To Here
  •  Create Garmin Adventure...
  •  Create BirdsEye Imagery...
  •  Report Map Error

Google Earth

• If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you can view the current map area or the selected data in Google Earth.
• To view data in Google Earth, select an item, and click View > Google Earth > {item name}.
• To view multiple items in Google Earth, select the items, and click View > Google Earth > Selected Items.
• To view the current map in Google Earth, click View > Google Earth > Center of Screen.

Preferences

• Measurement

  • You can choose your preferred compass heading format, measurement units, and coordinate system used in BaseCamp.
  • To change the general settings, click Edit > Options > Measurement.
    • Measurement System: Select Statute, Metric, or Nautical measurement systems, or choose Custom to set individual measurement unit preferences.
    • Grade: Select the format used to display the elevation grade.
    • Heading: Change how BaseCamp calculates your compass heading on the map.
    • Position: Select the grid and datum BaseCamp will use when displaying GPS positions.

• Display

  • You can customize the way information appears on the map.
  • To adjust your display settings, click Edit > Options > Display.
    • Rendering Quality: Move the slider between Low and High. Using higher quality may cause the map to redraw more slowly.
    • Labels: Move the slider between More and Fewer to adjust the quantity of POI labels on the map.
    • Symbol Size: Move the slider between Small and Large to adjust the size of symbols on the map.
    • Track Width: Move the slider to select the width of tracks displayed on the map.
    • Route Width: Move the slider to select the width of routes displayed on the map.
    • Map Font: Click Select to select the font to be used for text labels on the map.
    • 3D: Enter a value next to Elevation Exaggeration to exaggerate elevation changes on the 3D map. A value of 0% means that elevation changes are drawn to scale.

• Activity Profile

  • Adjust settings for different Activity Profiles.
  • To edit activity profiles, click Edit > Options > Activity Profile.
  • Select desired activity profile from the drop down menu.
    • Edit Activity Profile:
      • Create new activity profile.
      • Delete selected activity profile.
      • Edit selected activity profile.
    • General
      • Map Display Features: Choose desired features to be displayed on the map.
      • Reset Activity Options: Reset display and routing options for the selected activity profile.
    • Routing
      • Route Preference:
        • Faster Time
        • Shorter Distance
      • Elevation Mode:
        • Standard
        • Minimize Ascent
      • Road Type Avoidances:
        • Interstates
        • Major Highways
        • State Highways
        • Residential Roads
        • Unpaved Roads
      • Feature Type Avoidances:
        • Toll Roads
        • Carpool Lanes
        • Ferries
        • Date and Time Closures
        • U-Turns
        • Climbing Paths
        • Cable Cars
        • Roundabouts
        • Narrow Trails
      • Area Avoidances:
        • Show Area Avoidance Tool
        • Show Avoidance Areas on Map
      • Speed:
        • Interstate Highway
        • Major Highway
        • Other Highway
        • Collector Road
        • Residential Street

• Device Transfer

  • Adjust the device transfer options.
  • To edit device transfer options, click Edit > Options > Device Transfer.
  • Select desired device from the drop down menu.
    • Transferring Routes:
      • Strip shaping points from routes on transfer to device.
        • Also send the original route in case I want to recalculate later.
      • Always match route to the map on my device when transferring.
    • Transferring Tracks
      • Simplify tracks by removing intermediate points
      • Enter maximum number of points per track to send to your GPS device.
    • Apply to All Devices: Apply current setting to all devices in the drop down list.

• Software Update

  • Software and firmware updates provide new features and improvements.
  • You can configure BaseCamp to check for software updates and firmware updates for connected devices.
  • To configure software updates, click Edit > Options > Software Update.
    • Choose from the following options for updating application software and device firmware.
      • Check for updates automatically: Select this check box to enable automatic updates.
      • Check every: Select how frequently BaseCamp should check for updates.
    • Complete BaseCamp software update information is available in Software Updates.

• General

  • You can choose the default language used in BaseCamp, and reset all BaseCamp options to default values.
  • To change the general settings, click Edit > Options > General.
    • Language: Select the language for the application (this does not change the names of items in the map data).
    • Reset Options: Reset all the options to the default values.
    • Database Options: Select an existing database or create a new database.
      • Create new database.
      • Edit selected database name.
      • Delete selected database.
      • Switch to selected database.
    • Search Options: Enable or disable online search features.
    • Edit Options:
      • Use "Alt" while dragging to move or insert data
      • Show warning messages when not using "Alt" to edit data.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Edit

  • Ctrl + A: Select All
  • Ctrl + C: Copy
  • Ctrl + O: Option Menu
  • Ctrl + V: Paste
  • Ctrl + X: Cut
  • Ctrl + Y: Redo
  • Ctrl + Z: Undo
  • Del: Delete
  • F2: Rename

• File

  • Ctrl + I: Import
  • Ctrl + P: Print

• Filter

  • Ctrl + Shift + A: All Data
  • Ctrl + Shift + B: BirdsEye Imagery
  • Ctrl + Shift + C: Garmin Custom Maps
  • Ctrl + Shift + G: Geocaches
  • Ctrl + Shift + P: Geotagged Photos
  • Ctrl + Shift + R: Routes
  • Ctrl + Shift + T: Tracks
  • Ctrl + Shift + W: Waypoints

• Find

  • Ctrl + F: Find All
  • Ctrl + Alt + F: Find Options
  • Ctrl + R: Refresh
  • Ctrl + T: Locate Coordinates

• Help

  • F1: Online Help

• Library

  • ↑: Select Next Item Up
  • ↓: Select Next Item Down
  • ←: Close Open Folder Tree or Select Parent Directory
  • →: Expand Closed Folder Tree or Select Child Directory

• Map Control

  • Rotate

    • Home: Rotate Map 5° Counter Clockwise
    • Page Up: Rotate Map 5° Clockwise

  • Scroll

    • ↑ ↓ ← →: Scroll Map Window 5%
    • Ctrl + ↑ ↓ ← →: Scroll Map Window 90%

  • Zoom

    • +: Zoom In
    • –: Zoom Out
    • Ctrl + +: Maximum Zoom
    • Ctrl + –: Minimum Zoom

• Tools

  • Drawing Tools

    • E: Erase
    • I: Insert
    • M: Move Point
    • R: Route
    • T: Track
    • W: Waypoint
    • X: Divide

  • Map Tools

    • B: BirdsEye
    • D: Measure
    • H: Pan
    • S: Select
    • Z: Zoom

• View

  • Ctrl + 2: 2D Map
  • Ctrl + 3: 3D Map
  • Ctrl + 4: Both 2D and 3D Map
  • Ctrl + D: Display Selected Item(s) on Map
  • Ctrl + G: Toggle Basic Map Only
  • Ctrl + N: Align North Up
  • Ctrl + Tab: Swap Map and Data Windows
  • F11: Toggle Full Screen

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