Drivesmart 55/65 & Basecamp

betthe

Hello all...

The Question:
Will i be able to use my computer (Basecamp) to send custom created routes to a Drivesmart 55/65?

The Story:
Last week i sold my bike with my Zumo665/XM radio included. Would have been too much work for me now, to have properly remove them without just cutting wires.
I would like to buy a Drivesmart 55, using it to receive custom routes from BaseCamp or similar computer program. I am more comfortable with carrying a small computer than getting someplace and not being able to get an internet connection.

The car does have a built in GPS to go from A to B, but i like the custom routes for the side trips.

Thanks,
Betthe (Don)

sussamb

The short answer is yes, I've been using BC to send routes to my Garmins for many years.

You do though need to ensure maps, avoidances, routing settings etc correspond as closely as possible. Even then you may occasionally find some small differences between the routes due to slight differences between the routing algorithms on your device and in BC.

Boyd

Just be aware that the "Drive" series doesn't have all the motorcycle routing options as the Zumo, and it also doesn't have the same waypoint or track management capabilities. Waypoint (aka Favorites or Saved Locations) are displayed in a fashion that many of us dislike, and the only track capability is recording/displaying the active track. You cannot save or load tracks - if you send a track to the device from Basecamp, it will just be ignored.

sussamb

True, it won't accept tracks but works perfectly well with routes, which hopefully is what the OP wants. If he really meant tracks then a Drivesmart won't cut it :)

Boyd

Oh, I have no doubt that he meant routes. I just wanted to point out there are some major differences from the Zumo that could prove to be a disappointment. We have seen many examples where people just assumed that Garmin automotive models had the same kind of waypoint and track capabilities as other devices, only to learn the difference after purchasing.

sussamb

Haven't we just :)

betthe

Thank you 'sussamp' & 'Boyd'!
I just did what i hate...A new poster on a forum, asks a question, then never returns! My apologies to the board for my delay.
The day i asked the question and it was answered, i went out that afternoon to buy a drivesmart 55 and returned with a 65.
It connected with my old (XP, running Win7) desktop on first try so i was good to go. I then had my usual fight with Garmin Express, GarminMapUpdater trying to register and update my latest GPS. All done, i sent about 25 waypoints and 4 routes to the 65.
Found where the routes and waypoints went to. The waypoints (saved area) had 2 lists. 'ALL' and 'ADDRESSES'. The ADDRESSES list has 1 name in it. Checking the properties of that 1 waypoint, revealed that I had ADDRESSES set in the category tab. Might be a good way to categorize your waypoints in the drivesmart saved items.

Next day the computer wouldn't connect to the 65. it's been that way ever since, some days YES and some days no. Worked fine on 2 other computers, so, i guess it's a keeper.

Thanks again
Betthe