GPSrChive Discussion Forum

I continue to use Basecamp and until recently it has worked fine with all my devices including watches.

Now, when I connect my Garmin 255 watch to my computer I now get the following error. Basecamp then does show the watch connected as a device but I cannot see any of the files on the watch. I can see the watch and all it's files fine in Explorer and it also works fine with Express. The watch has the latest software. I have restarted the Basecamp, the computer, and the watch with no change.

Interestingly when I connect my old Garmin 245 watch that no longer works either. The 245 does not display the error message, but the symptoms are exactly the same. Makes me thing the issue must be with Basecamp not the watches. I will call Garmin Support next week when they are open, but thought I would put this out here in case there is something else I can try to diagnose the problem that I have not thought of. Thanks.

Spoiler

Basecamp error.jpg

Well Garmin support has not been a help so far. It seems maybe it was the latest software update to the watch that Basecamp is not interfacing well with. At least it is not my 66sr that has the issue as that is the device I rely on to get my hiking traces into Basecamp. I do sometimes want an activity from the watch in Basecamp also.

You should still be able to manually move activities from the watch into Basecamp.

I move all of my data into Basecamp this way.

GPSrChive wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 12:55 pm You should still be able to manually move activities from the watch into Basecamp.

I move all of my data into Basecamp this way.

Do you mean in Explorer? I could not see how to do that as it seems Basecamp just keeps all data in a file called AllData.gdb. I looked at this sites Data Management page for Basecamp but only saw directions for doing it in Basecamp itself which won't work for me as Basecamp does not see the files on the watch. (Shows the Gamin directory as empty).

I just thought of this possibility though: Using Windows Explorer, I could copy the activity files from the watch to my computer and then connect one of my GPSr units and copy them from the computer to the activity directory of the GPSr. Then open Basecamp and send them as normally done from the GPSr to the Basecamp folder/list.

Garmin support says it looks like a bug in one of the recent software updates to the watch that they thought had been fixed with the most recent watch software update. They had me send them some log files and supposedly the engineers are looking into why it is still happening for me even with the latest watch software. We shall see if I hear anything back from them.

I copy desired data from my devices to a backup or archive directory on my PC, then drag and drop those items directly into Basecamp lists and folders as desired.

CheminerWill wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 4:36 pm I just thought of this possibility though: Using Windows Explorer, I could copy the activity files from the watch to my computer and then connect one of my GPSr units and copy them from the computer to the activity directory of the GPSr. Then open Basecamp and send them as normally done from the GPSr to the Basecamp folder/list.

That is a very complicated method...
Just use File > Import in BaseCamp and select the FIT file you want to import.

javawa wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 4:53 pm

CheminerWill wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 4:36 pm I just thought of this possibility though: Using Windows Explorer, I could copy the activity files from the watch to my computer and then connect one of my GPSr units and copy them from the computer to the activity directory of the GPSr. Then open Basecamp and send them as normally done from the GPSr to the Basecamp folder/list.

That is a very complicated method...
Just use File > Import in BaseCamp and select the FIT file you want to import.

As per the original post, this thread is trying to work around a bug that prevents me from doing it the normal, simple way you describe.

GPSrChive wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 4:50 pm I copy desired data from my devices to a backup or archive directory on my PC, then drag and drop those items directly into Basecamp lists and folders as desired.

Thanks, I will do it that way. Did not realize I could just drag and drop into a Basecamp list. Should have tried that first thing after I lost the ability to send directly from the watch.