Latest XT2/Tread software version

[proofresistant]

I have loaded a track to the tread app. I have converted the track to a route and both are present in de XT2.

That sounds good at first glance.
Just a thought, at first glance, it’s faster to turn a track into a route in the Tread app.
But ultimately, it might work better if you first convert the route into a track in the navi device, using the device maps.

If i start the route calculation of the route taken 10 minutes or more. Very dissapointed.

Hmm, that sounds a lot like synchronization issues to me.
When the Navi is busy synchronizing, I notice similarly long processing times, among other things.

If i try to start the route while not on the route, calculation is done directly to the end. What a waist of time

That, in turn, sounds to me as if
a) the route path got corrupted during synchronization, yes, I’ve observed exactly that before.
Or
b) as if that route line is vulnerable to the CEP problem.



Maybe try this approach again:

• import the track into the Tread app

• wait sync transfered track to the navigation device is done

• turn off Bluetooth

• convert the track to a route in the navigation device

By the way,
I've also tested the new version. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything particularly positive to report; everything related to synchronization is still, (at the very least) questionable

[Regain]

I have loaded a track to the tread app. I have converted the track to a route and both are present in de XT2. If i start the route calculation of the route taken 10 minutes or more. Very dissapointed. If i try to start the route while not on the route, calculation is done directly to the end. What a waist of time

As @proofresistant mentioned, try the calculation in the XT2 rather than Tread. 10 minutes seems rather a long time for any calculation so something in the plan wasn't liked. Where did the track come from and how? I just ran a quick test in the middle of writing this and it calculated very quickly.

You were off-route when you started it. A route built this way has no shaping or via points other than the beginning and end (vias). Did you turn off auto-recalculate? If not, depending where along the route you are and how you started it, it's possible your Zumo very helpfully tried to take you to your destination in its own sweet way. Remember to keep your original track visible.

Sorry if we're getting off-topic again.

[Oop North John]

I've found excessive recalculation times in the last few Tread app calculation times, even for removing a waypoint on a route that it had already calculated. The XT2 seems to be ok in this respect.

[LQQK_OUT]

Garmin wants to make BaseCamp (BC) impossible.

I don't think that this is the case. There are still plenty of users of Zumos prior to the XTs and other bits of hardware which are all supported by Basecamp. I believe that they have discontinued support and development - but the program is still available to download, and there are plenty of Zumo 590 series, 390 series, 340 series around that have grown up with Basecamp. Garmin have produced no other software for route planning for those devices. We have the software, they cannot delete it. I for one will continue to use it.

(It) has already started and is displaying a warning message of incompatibilty the BC with the new XT-XT3 and is pushing an online solution with the Tread app, but it doesn't work.

Basecamp displays a message that indicates that the Zumo is not officially supported in Basecamp. It does that for the XT2 - and has done for some time. It does not do it for the XT1, and it does not say that Basecamp routes are incompatible with the Zumos.

The issue is that the XT2/3 have features that Basecamp routes cannot access. Eg Michelin Scenic Roads, 4 levels of adventurous routing, Popular Paths (Moto), Michelin Scenic Roads, Bookmarked Great Rides, ....
But any route, track, waypoints can all be saved as a GPX file and the XTs can all read and process those.

If you ‘install’ gpx based routes using Trip Manager, and you do not allow the Zumo to synch with Tread / Drive then the Zumo XT and XT2 both behave perfectly. (I have no personal experience of XT3, but from what I have heard it seems likely).

As someone that's familiar with the Garmin products, including Basecamp and has been using the Zumo XT2 for almost two years now, to say that I'm frustrated is an understatement. I'm not sure why I should continue to use any Garmin device.
I currently use MRA Routeplanner for route planning and also have a license for MRA Navigation Next for Smart phone navigation.
What is the advantage of using a Zumo XT2 over an inexpensive 5" or 7" waterproof Carplay/Andriod Auto Bluetooth Motorcycle device? I then have access to ALL my phone apps and I can use MRA Navigation Next for GPS navigation (I can download all my maps to the phone, hence no need for cell service). I never will need to update my Garmin GPS device. No need to synchronize any data/routes. I can plan/modify my routes on a PC or smart phone since the application is web based. What am I missing?

[Francis]

1) The CarPlay/Android Auto mirroring system drains the phone's battery and won't last a full day of driving.
2) A tablet with a full-featured Android OS and navigation installed in this tablet cannot display incoming messages or show incoming calls.

The only exception is DMD — a partial exception. It can display message notifications and incoming call notifications, but it won’t connect the call. What’s worse, the feature is built into the DMD navigation app, so it must be in the foreground—as soon as it’s in the background and you have another navigation app running, the notifications stop working.

Garmin doesn't just display notifications - it can read them aloud through your headset using text-to-speech. Garmin can show a rain radar overlay on your route preview. Garmin can receive traffic updates and road closures, and it can reroute your trip.
Garmin is like a wife - she has "her time of the month" once a month, but you still love her

[LQQK_OUT]

1) The CarPlay/Android Auto mirroring system drains the phone's battery and won't last a full day of driving.
2) A tablet with a full-featured Android OS and navigation installed in this tablet cannot display incoming messages or show incoming calls.

The only exception is DMD — a partial exception. It can display message notifications and incoming call notifications, but it won’t connect the call. What’s worse, the feature is built into the DMD navigation app, so it must be in the foreground—as soon as it’s in the background and you have another navigation app running, the notifications stop working.

Garmin doesn't just display notifications - it can read them aloud through your headset using text-to-speech. Garmin can show a rain radar overlay on your route preview. Garmin can receive traffic updates and road closures, and it can reroute your trip.
Garmin is like a wife - she has "her time of the month" once a month, but you still love her

Thank you for this post. Great information.
In regard to your point #1 about the phone battery draining, that's not an issue for me. I keep my smart phone in the tour-pak of my motorcycle, which has a power port inside it. My phone is kept fully charged while I'm on my motorcycle. The rain overly is a nice feature of the Zumo, but I can get that feature on my phone using an app, hence it's not as seamless. I use the Zumo for routes that I plan to use specific roads, so traffic re-routing is less of an issue. If I'm going to travel from point A to point B, I could just use Google maps and get the traffic updates.
The mirroring solution is sounding better for me.

[smfollen]

LQQK_OT wrote;
As someone that's familiar with the Garmin products, including Basecamp and has been using the Zumo XT2 for almost two years now, to say that I'm frustrated is an understatement. I'm not sure why I should continue to use any Garmin device.

I share your frustration. I've had an ongoing dialog with Garmin Product Support for a year and a half regarding the Tread App changing routes. At this point, I doubt they will ever fix it. Two months ago, I wrote a letter to Garmin's Vice President of Software and Services to call his attention to multiple long standing issues. I have not received a reply.

Here is my take:
Garmin makes very good hardware - weather resistant, reliable power connections, good touch screen, bright display, etc. A phone or tablet can not compete with that, except, maybe, the expensive DMD devices.

I consider my XT2 to be a navigation device. I bought a zumo primarily to navigate planned routes. I occasionally use it to be guided directly to a destination, or just to have a convenient map available.
The software on the XT2 itself to perform those navigation functions is certainly not perfect, but, with the advice from @jfheath, and many others on this forum, navigation with the zumo is certainly workable.

With the forum's advice, the zumos themselves handle gpx files containing routes, tracks and waypoints well. @FrankB gave us Trip Manager to get those files onto the zumos, with lots of helpful features.

There are plenty of good route planners available which create gpx files - MRA, Kurviger, ... Personally, I use Rever, occasionally Google, and Basecamp. I use Trk2Rt for conversions when needed.

The only shortcoming with that is that the gpx files can not be transferred wirelessly.

Would it be better if Garmin would give us a good single modern tool to plan routes on phones, tablets and pcs, with wireless transfer to the Zumos? Of course it would. I doubt they ever will.

One friend of mine, just yesterday, told another friend "Use the XT2, just don't use any of the other Garmin software."

I completely eliminated the Tread App from my setup long ago. The only thing paired to my XT2 is my Sena headset, for turn-by-turn directions only.

Some of its other functions on the XT2, including those supported by the Tread App, would be nice extras IF they worked well and IF they didn't interfere with the primary purpose - navigation. Unfortunately, that is just not the reality.

Personally, I can't imagine Garmin is going to add significant resources to zumo software development and support. I just wish they would focus their resources more on their core functionality - navigation.

The key question there is probably whether customers would rather buy an expensive device that navigates well or an expensive device that performs a variety of functions with a number of issues.

[Francis]

I understand the frustration of people who live their lives primarily online - when planning on the web and then transferring the data to the XT-XT3, you run into problems.
I’m old-school, I bring my laptop on long trips and use BaseCamp on it, so I have no trouble planning routes.

[proofresistant]

... A phone or tablet can not compete with that, except, maybe, the expensive DMD devices. ...

I wouldn't just confirm that. There are currently several alternatives that are at least as good as—and in some cases even better than—Garmin devices.

Just quick a few examples designed specifically for motorcycles:

• DMD (Full Android System)

• CARPE ITER (Full Android System)

• Hugerock (Full Android System)

• Carpuride (Full Android System) & (Android Auto / Apple CarPlay) also

• CHIGEE CarPlay (Android Auto / Apple CarPlay)

• ...

And of course, there are other Rugged/Outdoor solutions as well

I understand the frustration of people who live their lives primarily online - when planning on the web and then transferring the data to the XT-XT3, you run into problems.

To reduce the frustration to people who live their lives primarily online is simply absurd.
Garmin has its weaknesses, and there are more as a quite a few of them. Users experience a lot of frustration and pain when using the devices, and Garmin isn’t really interested in fixing the issues. Just think of the RUT issues, CEP, shifts Shaping points, problems with the Tread app synchronization, and finally, the removal of compatibility with BaseCamp.

I’m old-school, I bring my laptop on long trips and use BaseCamp on it, so I have no trouble planning routes.

Yes, that's one way to do it, and it's fine if that works for you. There are also many who are still old-school and get along just fine with paper maps.
But seriously, neither paper maps nor BaseCamp are state-of-the-art, and they certainly aren’t the way of the future—even if the tried-and-true still has many advantages.

[Dutchgixxer]

Firmware version 6.60 has became available