Garmin 450: Route vs. track

[srenn]

Trying to map hunting land.  Have created several tracks, unidirectional of course, and would like to be able to create a "route" or "track" to get from camp to individual deer stands.  Using Basecamp, I am confused as to whether to build a route, filtered route, or track.  I would love to be able to combine all of my tracks as nothing but hundreds of waypoints so that I could pick any path to go from A to B or from A to C, etc.  I don't know if my verbiage is correct or if I am asking the impossible!  I don't understand the differences between route, filtered route, and track.  I've read the help and, well, not too much help.....HELP!

[alpine]

To begin with:
A track is where you have been.

A Route is where you want to go. And depending on your GPS, there are a lot of variables of how many Way points, Via points can go into your route.

Just started using BaseCamp myself. For turning a track into a route, it's golden. Filtered routes are what I have to use, as my Nuvi 500 has limitations on way points, and via points (and Garmin's tech people got this wrong also) can be in a route.

[srenn]

Thanks for the reply. 

So if I go from A to E via a curving track B-C-D, for example, my track is A-B-C-D-E.  If I wanted to, again, go from A to E, can I just use the saved track on the GPS?  If so, what would be the advantage to changing said track into a route?  Maybe a better way of asking it is:  Is a track, as I described above, navigateable again in the future (stored)?  or, do I have to change a track into a route to be able to retrace a track previously walked?

Thanks ahead of time for the help!

[jbensman]

None, navigating a track (particularly one you GPSed) is much better than using a route.  Use the track manager on your OR. 

[alpine]

A small but:

Some GPSr will only let you backtrack a track, where (almost) all will follow a route.

So depending on what GPS you are using, you can save and use accordingly.

For me, I am using the Nuvi 500 on my ATV. Tracks only show up on the screen for set period of time before going away. A route downloaded into the 500 stays there until I delete it.

For me, downloading a track, saving it (filtered for via points) as a route, then two years from now if I want to do the same ride, it's an easy upload and go.

[jbensman]

A few points of clarification for the OR and other GPSs with Track Manager:

If you have already been to the place, you can use your track (it is always best to first clean it up in MapSource using the track edit tools to remove stuff like extra points when you were sitting around).

If you do not have a track and you know the route you are going to travel, use the track tool in MapSource to draw a track of the route you are going to take.

You can send the track to the GPS directly or the better option is to save it as a gpx file on the GPS in the \garmin\gpx directory.

Once you have sent the track to the GPS, use where to, then tracks, then select the track.  The GPS will then navigate the track.  It will highlight your route on the GPS.  It will also show you how far to the end.  If you put waypoints along the track (for example at your planned lunch site), the GPS will also tell you how far it is to the waypoint with a field or using the active route screen.  If you have a T model which has DEM (i.e., elevation) data, it will add elevation to your track and you can use the elevation screen (or the elevation dashboard) to see the elevation profile of what you have left to do and what you have already done.  The GPS will also add high and low points so you can tell when everything from now on is downhill (and you can use the active route screen to tell you how far to the high point.  If you do not have a T model, you can go here to add elevation data to your track http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/elevation Even though I have the T model, I still use this site as its data is more accurate than the built in elevation data.