Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Discussion related to the Garmin GPSMAP 66sr GPSr
crazyzakster
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Joined: Sun May 21, 2023 10:50 pm

Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by crazyzakster »

*** moved to GPSMAP 66sr forum ***

I am struggling with the basics of using my new Garmin 66SR for hiking...I build my map on Caltopo.com and define my way points (start, trail junctions, peaks), snap lines to the trails, export as GPX, and import them to Base Camp, then send to the device. My waypoints seem to make it, but not the trails. I've also tried to export from alltrails and import, but do not see my maps anywhere. (I'd expect to see them in a folder and click on the hike I want to navigate on). This weekend, I had one "map" that I made from Caltopo, and I went into my Way Point manager, and selected the next Way Point of my hike, but the map wouldn't show me the path. The way points helped but fortunately I had my downloaded alltrails map to do the real navigation. I watched multiple videos on youtube but all seem to skip around the information I need, or their version of Base Camp is different, etc...I'm so frustrated and am ready to throw my Garmin I bought last year through the window...

Could someone provide an outline as to steps needed to simply get me to use my Garmin 66SR to navigate me on a trail PLEASE? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Mike
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GPSrChive
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Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by GPSrChive »

Have you looked at the GPSrChive > How To... page yet?
crazyzakster
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Joined: Sun May 21, 2023 10:50 pm

Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by crazyzakster »

Thank you- I haven't...It seems to have a information presented in a different manner and I will look through it and see what I can gleam. I'm just so darn frustrated with my Garmin...for instance...the hike I did this weekend, I created a map in caltopo with may points and tracks, loaded it into my garmin. When hiking this weekend, I only could find/make use of my way points in Way Point manager, which showed no map, but would at least tell me the distance to my next way point or whether I passed it. Just now, I found my map from Caltopo in Route Planner on the Garmin- it is named as "Trip Planner map to Tr" I'm not sure how or why it got there when I "sent it to the device" from Base Camp...so frustrated...Thanks, I'l read through the pages you gave- I appreciate the input.
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GPSrChive
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Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by GPSrChive »

To be honest, it sounds like you are very new to Garmin and maybe the 66sr is your first outdoor handheld device from them?

If so, you will have a steep learning curve in the beginning, but there is no reason to chuck the device out the window. You will only soon be filled with remorse and a potentially damaged GPSr, which is quite capable.

Waypoint Manager is just what it says: A Waypoint Manager. It is used to manage Waypoints. Only.

Tracks, Courses, and Routes all have dedicated pages in the device to manage those items.

Take a lot of time to read through the GPSrChive > How To... pages, then carefully examine all of the information available at GPSrChive > GPSMAP 66sr.

You do not have to use BaseCamp to move data to/from the GPSMAP 66sr, but it may help keep things a little simpler in the beginning.

After you have reviewed all the material above, ask your questions here and we will see what we can do to help!

Welcome to GPSrChive!
Nail
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Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:08 pm

Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by Nail »

1. What activities will you be using the 66sr for?
2. In my opinion, you confuse and change the concepts of map, route, track, there is also a course. Familiarize yourself with these terms and start distinguishing them.
3. Do you have Garmin Express installed on your computer to download and install the latest software and maps? If not then do it.
4. There are different ways to navigate, but the maps on which you are plotting a track for future route navigation must contain the same routes as the map in 66sr. Try using BaseCamp to plot your track. Connect the 66sr to your computer then start BaseCamp. After some time, maps to Basecamp from 66sr will be loaded. You have them in the drop-down list at the top left. Expand and select the map and draw on it. Start with gpx track.
Przekątny
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Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:30 pm

Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by Przekątny »

@crazyzakster
I may be wrong, but I think you've used the wrong site. Caltopo.com is not intended
for planning routes, drawing tracks trips.

Take advice and create routes and tracks in Base Camp.
Extensive video tutorials are available for Base Camp.
mimichris
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Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:59 am

Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by mimichris »

Among other things, I use the 66sr maps that I copied to the USB key and that I can read with BaseCamp, and then I create my waypoints, tracks and routes very easily. Same with 67.
GPSMAP66sr, GPSMAP67, GPSII+, Twonav Cross.
luvvinbird
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:39 pm

Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by luvvinbird »

Have you downloaded the manual for your device from Garmin.com? That manual plus the wealth of information available on this website will help you. Get to know the basics first and play around with the settings. What you purchased is an amazing machine that has quickly become a favourite among it's many owners. Trust me, if an old dude like me can understand and use it's many features, so can you.
JungleJim
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Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by JungleJim »

Przekątny wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 9:17 am @crazyzakster
I may be wrong, but I think you've used the wrong site. Caltopo.com is not intended
for planning routes, drawing tracks trips.
CalTopo is actually quite a useful tool. It is more oriented towards USA I believe, but it provides several map layers that work world wide. You can easily draw waypoints and lines and export these in GPX format as tracks or routes to put on a handheld GPS unit. But the workflow needs manually copying the GPX to the device which may be not convenient.

But as a tip to the topic starter, I suggest to get familiar with the Garmin terminology first: waypoints, tracks, routes and courses. CalTopo uses slightly different terminology which can make things confusing, especially since CalTopo seems to use Map as a term for a collection of map objects (waypoints, lines, etc).

Needing the exact same map on the device and in the tool you use for planning is IMHO not always necessary and depends on your actual workflow. For example I plan most of my routes on Komoot (paid app) and they get synced automatically via Garmin Express or Garmin Connect Mobile and end up as a Course on my device which for me works quite well.
Current: GPSMAP 67, Edge 1040, inReach Messenger - Previous: GPSMAP 66sr, Oregon 700, Dakota 20, Edge 1030 Plus, Edge 1030, Edge 520 Plus, Edge 520
Przekątny
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Re: Help A Struggling New Garmin 66sr User

Unread post by Przekątny »

JungleJim wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 3:07 pm CalTopo is actually quite a useful tool. It is more oriented towards USA I believe, but it provides several map layers that work world wide. You can easily draw waypoints and lines and export these in GPX format as tracks or routes to put on a handheld GPS unit. But the workflow needs manually copying the GPX to the device which may be not convenient.
Yes, you can set a track, you don't have to use all the functions, Polygons will not have a direct use in the device. The appearance that the program is prepared facilities for creating your own vector maps. For a novice user, the BRouter web client would be easier to use.
JungleJim wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 3:07 pm Needing the exact same map on the device and in the tool you use for planning is IMHO not always necessary and depends on your actual workflow. For example I plan most of my routes on Komoot (paid app) and they get synced automatically via Garmin Express or Garmin Connect Mobile and end up as a Course on my device which for me works quite well.
Niestedt to set up a route in Base Camp to get in the receiver
the shape was in accordance with the planned shape
mileage in Base Camp, it is necessary to plan the route on the same map.

When scheduling on a different map, the route on the device may not be displayed.
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