Extended Tracking mode doesn't send tracking point

I've been having same issue, Garmin doesnt have clue how this product works. Been troubleshooting this POS for 7 months now. They are sending me a replacement unit, but when it behaves the same way, they will no longer be able to blame the hardware.

For some inReach units, the equivalent of extended tracking mode comes with a warning that track points may be delayed. I don’t see a similar warning for the Mini, but it still might be an issue. 

My personal guess - and it’s only a guess - is that extended tracking mode decreases the amount of retrying that the device does when it fails to send a track point immediately. This results in lags in sending, which would be worse in challenging conditions.

Question: if you force activity - for example by doing an active message check or sending a message - do the pending track points get “flushed out”?

Thank you for your reply.

In my impression, it is more like "sticking" than "lagging". According to some trials in actual use, the behavior of sending only first once is characteristic.

I never thought of trying to force an activity. I will try it in my next action. I will report.

I just tried this on the way to work this morning. I had no problems. By the time I got to work, the points from my drive were visible on the map and have correct timestamps (not that the timestamps prove that the points were transmitted in a timely manner). 

This is not to say that your unit does not have a problem. Just that it's not universal.

Where do you carry the Mini? Like any satellite-connected device, the Mini needs a good sky view. In my experience, the Mini is touchier in this respect than other iR devices. I don't believe that the Mini will log a track a point without a fix. And the Mini can be slow to acquire. You must have had a fix initially if the first track point was in the right place. However, the Mini does not attempt to acquire fix unless it needs to do so to send a track point. So burying the Mini in your pack will prevent subsequent tracking.

In my experience, all iR devices benefit from being carried high on a pack strap (shoulder level). This mostly prevents body parts, your hydration bladder, or whatever from blocking the sky view.