Using Garmin BaseCamp and Garmin Dakota 20 On a Macbook

Using Garmin BaseCamp & Garmin Dakota 20 on a Macbook

I guess this article serves little meaning but I will write it anyway. For those of you who are already using those on a Mac, chances are you probably don’t need to read this, and for those Windows users you probably don’t have to read this. So I will just write this for my own future reference.

Let’s start off with the most important thing: The combination of BaseCamp and Dakota 20 on a Mac works. There is no hiccup or whatsoever. 

It is required to install the map, the BaseCamp app and the MapInstaller separately into the Mac before I could get the whole package to work.

Firstly, get the MapInstaller for Mac. I just realized that I need to download the app, then click on the app to reveal the installer, then continue with the installation to really install the app on the Mac.

It feels different coming from a Windows Computer.

Then I need to install the BaseCamp, using the similar method. But at this point I don’t open up BaseCamp.

Then I open MapInstaller and install the map on my Mac, then I close the app. Next, I open the BaseCamp and read the map that I installed just a moment ago.

It will prompt me to unlock the map with a code that I have to get it from the map seller, other than that once I key in the code I could then read the map with BaseCamp, on my Mac!

I inserted a SD card in my Dakota 20, so when I connect the device to my Mac it will recognize two devices: one being the Dakota and another being the SD card (with no name, by the way).

I can create routes on my Mac now, and send it to my device and/or SD card. Here’s the catch: it seems like I need to send from Dakota to my Mac the route data first (even though those are not what  I want),

then only the BaseCamp will allow me to send from Mac to device for the routes I created on my Mac.

I found this a bit confusing and not really intuitive, but since it does work so I guess it is OK. (or maybe I was doing it wrong?)

I will leave it to you to find out how to use the BaseCamp though, since the message of this post is to tell you that Mac + BaseCamp + Dakota 20 is a go.

Cheers!