Zumo User Forums

I appreciate all the information people have been providing in this tread. Thank you!
I'd like to provide some more detail and maybe someone can educate me in what I could have done diffrently.
1. I attended a charity motorcycle run with a few of my friends.
2. The club organizing the run provided route sheets and/or a GPX download.
3. I had a club member IM (Instant Message) me the GPX files. There were (4) files, a route and a track file for both OUTBOUND and RETURN.
4. I saved the files on my phone and imported them (Route Upload) into MRA on my phone.
5. I then saved the files from MRA (app on my phone) to my phone (GPX 1.1 format).
6. I then imported the files into Tread
7. Tread transfers the files via Bluetooth to my Zumo XT2

The OUTBOUND route worked fine (it had lots of shaping points) but I didn't notice the RETURN route was created differently until I started the route.
From my perspective, it didn't make any sense why the OUTBOUND route had lots of shaping points, but the RETURN route had the ghost points. Obviously, the two route were probably created by different people.

So, what could I have done differently? I initially tried to have the club member just save the GPX files to the Internal memory card, but his USB cable wasn't working and didn't want to place my ZUMO XT into MTP mode or USB mass storage mode.

I suspect the return route was created by riding the route while recording the track, then the route was created from the track, with no further editing to add shaping and via points. Ideally, you would have the routes in advance and could check them out in Basecamp, adding shaping points as you felt were needed.

Without access to Basecamp, displaying both the return route and return track at the same time would have let you see when you diverged from the intended path. Then you could just follow the track, without directions.


The Zumo XT does not have a mass storage mode, only MTP.

lkraus wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:59 pm I suspect the return route was created by riding the route while recording the track, then the route was created from the track, with no further editing to add shaping and via points.

I agree.

lkraus wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:59 pm Ideally, you would have the routes in advance and could check them out in Basecamp, adding shaping points as you felt were needed.

This was a charity run and the routes were provided the day of the event. One reason the routes might not be given out in advance is that people might just ride the route and not provide any donation to the charity.

lkraus wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:59 pmWithout access to Basecamp, displaying both the return route and return track at the same time would have let you see when you diverged from the intended path. Then you could just follow the track, without directions.

I don't know anyone who brings a device (Laptop) to a charity or any other motorcycle run so that he could run Basecamp. A huge advantage of MRA is that I can run it on my iPhone.
I did end up following the track that I loaded onto the Zumo XT2. I much rather follow a "route" that provides me a time and distance to the next turn.

lkraus wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:59 pmThe Zumo XT does not have a mass storage mode, only MTP.

The Zumo XT2 has both.

LQQK_OUT wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:40 pm 4. I saved the files on my phone and imported them (Route Upload) into MRA on my phone.
5. I then saved the files from MRA (app on my phone) to my phone (GPX 1.1 format).
6. I then imported the files into Tread
7. Tread transfers the files via Bluetooth to my Zumo XT2

The OUTBOUND route worked fine (it had lots of shaping points) but I didn't notice the RETURN route was created differently until I started the route.
From my perspective, it didn't make any sense why the OUTBOUND route had lots of shaping points, but the RETURN route had the ghost points. Obviously, the two route were probably created by different people.

When did you see that the return route had no Shaping Points ? When you imported it into MRA, or when you loaded it into the Zumo?

I suspect that for the return route that your finger slipped (or their finger slipped) and gpx v1.2 was selected when it was exported from MRA. V1.2 has the ghost points and no shaping points - MRA deliberately leaves them out. Some other programs also do the same thing - including Basecamp if the option is selected.

MRA’s gpx v1.1 does not include the ghost points so it is unlikely that you used that to export the gpx file.

How do you know that it has the ghost points though ?

‘Ghost points’ is a term that I coined years back to describe the hundreds of invisible gpxx route points that ensure that the Zumo plots the route on the same roads as planned . Originally, the Zumo would not recalculate the route if it had ghost points that were created using identical maps.

LQQK_OUT wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 2:52 pm The Zumo XT2 has both.

Mass Transfer Mode AND Media Transfer Protocol ? Please tell us how. I've missed that !

I believe that Mass Transfer Mode - ie operating like a disk drive - was ditched on the XT because with the growth of mobile phones, people have got used to just removing the usb cable after transferring data. You can do that with Media Transfer Protocol, but not with Mass Transfer mode - you have to formally 'eject' the attached usb device before unplugging the cable, otherwise there is a high probability that the last chunk of data will not have been sent to the Zumo.

Here what Garmin says about Mass Storage Mode and Media Transfer Protocol:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=7 ... 0Uuvqdycj5

The XT2 is listed under PTP

The 590 and 595 had both MTP and Mass Storage - selectable from the hidden system menu.
But the .System folder could be made visible only in Mass Storage mode so I hardly ever used MTP in those devices.

The XT1 and XT2 have MTP mode and something call USB Ethernet. Whatever that is.....
.... but @lkraus provided some useful i formation about that here: viewtopic.php?t=1553

LQQK_OUT wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 2:52 pm

lkraus wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:59 pmThe Zumo XT does not have a mass storage mode, only MTP.

The Zumo XT2 has both.

I mentioned mass storage in reply to the previous post:

LQQK_OUT wrote: Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:40 pm ...didn't want to place my ZUMO XT into MTP mode or USB mass storage mode.

I did not notice that your earlier posts and signature indicate that you are using an XT2.

Unless @LQQK_OUT has discovered something that I have been unable to find the XT2 does not have Mass Storage Mode either.

jfheath wrote: Tue Oct 28, 2025 5:52 pm Unless @LQQK_OUT has discovered something that I have been unable to find the XT2 does not have Mass Storage Mode either.

According to the Zumo XT2 Owner's Manual it does.

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp ... B884E.html

A Google search also indicated that the Zumo XT2 can be set to mass storage mode. It said to switch to mass storage mode, one needs to navigate to the Diagnostics Page and change some settings. I did not try to verify this information.

EDIT: Hmmm, further research indicates the Zumo XT2 will only go into mass storage mode when connected to a MAC.

The XT1 and XT2 can be put into USB Ethernet Mode.

This has to be configured in the Hidden System Menu - Configuration and Settings - MTP Mode - USB Ethernet or MTP Autodetect.

Then connect by USB cable.

But in fact it goes into Media Transfer Mode - you can tell becasue you cannot drag a file from there into (say) Notepad - like you can if you were obtaining a file from a local disk drive. It also shows the two areas - Internal and SD card - as media devices, rather than Drive Letters.

So whatever the manual says it doesn't reflect what actually happens. I guess that the copied the Zumo 590 manual and never bothered to verify that it has remained the same.

But thanks for spotting that about the Mac. I never use one and I rarely read the manual because it hardly ever reveals anything useful, or is not up to date. The only time I read Garmin's offerings is when I have an issue to raise with technical support, then I have an idea of the level at which they are working.