“Logging” Mode (GPS)

If you want gps logging in an useful way (tracback on the messenger (how it is working on the messenger) is really not very useful for me), go for a mini 2 or a Garmin wearable and a messenger. I am using a Fenix 7x for navigation/logging and a Messenger for the iR stuff - great combination (although the iR widget on Garmin wearables/handhelds needs a revise). 

Btw: I can’t find any hint about the size of the internal memory for mini 2 or messenger on the Garmin homepages, but I would bet, that the messenger memory is smaller than the mini 2 memory…

So Garmin can save some more cents because of the memory size. There is no technical reason for that….

2042148 said:

I need to track coordinates and export them manually, rather than over the satellite network.

Any decent mobile hiking app will do a way superior job to an inReach device on navigation and mapping.

It is not the device's primary purpose.

The inReach unit is for communication. Use something like OsmAnd for mapping and logging. 

To address the question directly, no - there is no accessible "logged point" storage on the messenger. The only logging is for TracBack purposes. And that is difficult to use. 

FWIW, I doubt that this is coming to the Messenger at any future time. Nobody knows for sure. But the Messenger appears to have very little physical memory.

The "sent points" are relatively far apart in time. The minimum sending interval is 2 minutes. 10 minutes (or more) is more typical. iR devices other than the Messenger are capable of logging track points at much smaller intervals. The logged points are not sent over the satellite network. They stay on the device until the device is synced - typically via the appropriate mobile app (for example, the Explore app). Older devices refer to these as logged points. Newer devices refer to them as "activities".

As the others have said, Messenger doesn't provide a track file in any useable way.  If you have an unlimited plan, you can have 2 minute logging and then export that track from Explore.  Whether that is good enough depends on how you use it.

If track data is important to you, the Mini 2 creates activity.fit files, similar to the activity files a Forerunner or Fenix will create.  I believe it creates a new activity file each time you select "Start Tracking" and then "Stop Tracking".  These files are going to be very detailed.  Looks like they are using Smart Recording where they save a data point ever 3 to 7 seconds.

All of this said, a simple GPS watch will probably provide better tracking data.

MINI 2 = 18MB

Messenger = 7MB

Thanks And yes, the memory sizes are fully up-to-date…