New user from NJ, USA

[LQQK_OUT]

Count me amongst the fools too.
Except - when locating a hotel, I use street view because I need to know where I can park the bike - even if the coordinates are approximately right, it doesn't help if they mark the front of the hotel when the place to park is around the back. Especially in towns.

I do that also. I also need Google maps to locate trailhead parking spots, campgrounds, scenic sites (Ie waterfalls, etc) and many other locations that are off the beaten path. I've found Basecamp to be very inaccurate.

[LQQK_OUT]

A lot if Basecamps points of interest that I have wanted have been incorrectly located. I use them, but then position them where I want them to be. I use them because the phone numbers and addresses are usually correct, and that info can be useful on the Zumo screen.

How do you position them where you want them to be? Can you use the GUI within Basecamp to move a Waypoint?
I just update the waypoint record in Basecamp with the GPS coordinates I want. The rest of the record with the phone numbers, address, etc is preserved.

[LQQK_OUT]

A lot if Basecamps points of interest that I have wanted have been incorrectly located. I use them, but then position them where I want them to be. I use them because the phone numbers and addresses are usually correct, and that info can be useful on the Zumo screen.

How do you position them where you want them to be? Can you use the GUI within Basecamp to move a Waypoint?
I just update the waypoint record in Basecamp with the GPS coordinates I want. The rest of the record with the phone numbers, address, etc is preserved.

Oh, I see now. Move point within Basecamp.

[jfheath]

Thats correct - On the PC, you right click the mouse button over a point and you get the option to 'Move Route Point' or 'Move Waypoint' depending on whether or not the point is a Waypoint. The only way to tell whether a route point was created as a Waypoint is to look at the bottom left hand window pane in Basecamp. It will lost routes, tracks and Waypoints. Route points that were not created as Waypoints will not appear in this list.

Once the route is created, you can display the route properties dialogue box by double clicking the route. This shows all of the route points. You can change the order in there but a really useful feature is to select the 'Center Map' check box at the bottom. Then, whenever you click on a route point in the route properties list, the map zooms in really close with that route point at the centre. So you can just use the cursor keys to visit each point in turn to see if it is placed accurately. Most of them need moving a little bit - they are often placed just off the road if they were placed when the map was zoomed out - but are very easy to spot.

[LQQK_OUT]

I rarely plan any stops other than where I'm meeting someone (and the location is well known anyway so not a big deal) or where I'm sleeping that night so I'll find it when I get there.

Well, that's the difference. I tend to ride to obscure places and sleep in campgrounds. Both of these types of locales tend to be misplaced in Basecamp.

[jfheath]

Well, that's the difference. I tend to ride to obscure places and sleep in campgrounds. Both of these types of locales tend to be misplaced in Basecamp.

But that is the point that we have been making. You cannot rely on Basecamp, Google or any other software to provide the exact location of where you want to end up. I will sometime use Basecamp databases to find a location and select it to put on a map. This has the advantage of also providing the address and phone number. But I know very well that the position will not be correct. So I find out the detail, use satellite and street view and if possible 'drive' the route using street view photos so that I can recognise the turn offs, the road signs etc etc. And most importantly pin point the place that I want to park the bike. Then I move the point in Basecamp so that the Garmin gets the correct location.

It is worth noting that the point MUST be a Waypoint in Basecamp - especially on the XT. The XT has a habit of renaming and relocating your route points - just slightly. I'm not sure what it does, but I susepect that it uses the given co-ordinates to identify the nearest named place. Then I think it allocates that name to your route point, and then uses the coordinates that it has for that named place. That is only my suspicion - but the behaviour seems to fit that description. But it never does this with Saved Basecamp Waypoints.