How many track points can be stored on the internal memory?

Anyone sussed this yet?

It's impossible to make a good decision about what logging interval to choose without knowing the answer to this question.

I've just had an exchange with Matthew at Garmin support. His first answer was 200! I explained that I'd already recorded a track with over 2,200 track points so that couldn't be correct. His next answer was "I have done a lot of searching and have not been able to find a definitive answer to the maximum track logs that can be stored." I hope he does know the difference between track points and track logs really?

I've suggested this info is included in the documentation. The old Garmin 76csx's would hold a maximum of 10,000 track points. I'm hoping the inReach Mini does at least that many. With a 1 sec logging interval even 10,000 points will only accurately record a track for 2h 47 mins

0 twolpert over 6 years ago

Pretty sure the 200 refers to the number of points in a route. Sounds like he's confused about everything.

Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to the question. I'm not even sure you could find out by experimenting (without sync-ing repeatedly to see when things go sideways). The reason I say that is that I don't know that the Mini shows any indication when it has wrapped the storage.

0 geoffmozz over 6 years ago

Tom,

Thanks for caring :-)

I'm trying to avoid it but may try this....

Clear the log
Put the unit outside and leave it tracking with a 1 sec logging interval for a few hours.
Examine the stored file to see what's happened.

Exporting a synced tracklog from my account as a kml seems to preserve all the trackpoints and I can examine the file with LibreOffice Calc. Timestamps might show if 'wrapping' starts....maybe?

0 twolpert over 6 years ago

The problem with this approach is that the unit will detect the fact that's it not moving. When that happens, it definitely lengthens the send interval to 4 hours. I've never checked, but I assume it would change the logging interval in the same manner. So you probably won't fill the log this way.

Yes, the time stamps should show that it wrapped. I don't recall if the kml export will break the track into segments when that happens or not. Nor do I know if the original sync would do so.

0 geoffmozz over 6 years ago

Yes...you're right. I left the inReach mini outside for about 3 hours with a 1 sec logging interval. The kml export was a small file! As you predicted, I did not fill the log.

I'll be out for a long walk in the hills soon. I'll keep tracking running with a 1 sec logging interval and see what I get in the log.

I wonder whether it might be possible to get the log file straight off the inReach before Garmin has a chance to modify it in any way? However I didn't see much when I browsed the inReach like a USB drive.

0 twolpert over 6 years ago

I've never seen anything useful in the file system. Unlike some handheld GPS devices, the Mini does not automatically export tracks at all, let alone in a usable format like .gpx. Pretty much talks only to Garmin Express, the sync program for wired sync, and BT for OTA sync via the phone.

0 CowboySlim over 6 years ago

[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]I tried to post yesterday, but I’ll try again, this may help:[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]1. Connect Mini with USB cable to PC while ON.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]2. Look at the device on MY PC, mine says: 5.83 MB free of 5.98 MB.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]3. Using a Logging interval of 30 sec with Send Off, record a track for 50 minutes which should capture 100 pointrs.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]4. Repeat step 2 to see how much free storage has been decremented and estimate how many points could use up the remaining free space.[/FONT]

0 geoffmozz over 6 years ago

OK...I cleared the log and was out hill-walking for 5h 50mins with logging interval set to 1 sec. I did a sync via USB cable.

The whole route was mostly captured pretty accurately but the interval between the recorded track points on the map varied (which seemed to match the exported KML). Sometimes it was 1 second between points but often it was 2 secs and the interval was many more secs occasionally. If I paused for any length of time the inReach wouldn't bother recording track points until decent progress was being made again. It would be interesting to know the algorithm the inReach uses to decide whether or not to record a track point. It's certainly not as simple as regularly recording a track point according to the set logging interval.

There were hundreds of metres when I was moving where no track points were recorded at all. I had cliffs on one side and I guess it was struggling to get a GPS fix with some of the sky missing...however I would have expected my phone or Garmin eTrex to have been OK....unfortunately I wasn't tracking with either of those for a performance comparison.

So at the end of the day I still don't really know how many track points the inReach will store but the beginning of the track hadn't been simplified in any obvious way so maybe I haven't filled the store yet?

0 twolpert over 6 years ago

The business about not recording track points when you are not moving is a feature, not a bug. Once the unit detects that you have stopped, it increases both the sending and logging intervals to 4 hours. This conserves battery by disabling the GPS radio (which would be continuously on with a logging interval of 1 second) while you are stopped. It periodically (no idea how often) wakes up and checks to see if you have resumed moving. I assume that these decisions are based on position change between checks, but I don't know what the threshold distance is.

Like you, I would blame the gaps in logging on inability to get or maintain a fix for some period of time. It really does not make sense to log a track point every second if you have no fix (what would you log?) or if the fix has such a large EPE as to be virtually meaningless.

Note that the inReach devices may be more sensitive to adverse conditions (for example, that bluff blocking 180 degrees of the sky view) than a handheld GPS unit. (Probably not worse than a phone, though). Battery conservation is important in the iR design. Even at short logging intervals when the GPS receiver is always on, I'm not sure how much CPU the unit is willing to use to obtain an accurate fix in the presence of both multi-path interference (from the cliff face) and lower than normal satellite availability (because the cliff blocks a large portion of the sky). I'm purely speculating there, though.

0 Lifetimerider over 6 years ago

I have regularly tracked a whole day every second and the resulting GPX file was about 2.5MB or less. That was a good 400kms riding my motorbike all day and did not turn tracking off at all all day.
Since the upgrade to Earthmate however (the app for ios). They stuffed it up and the app adds straight lines all over the place and doubles the kms travelled (in one word, useless). But that is the app only.
The device has 6.5MB usable space and when you turn tracking off and back on, it wipes the memory, so you need to sync before.
I have also used the syncing app for the Mac via USB, works OK in this latest version but previous versions were useless.
I tried to sync using other means (without syncing to their web site) in the same way you can sync other Garmins but it doesn't work on this device.
I currently have a support call open for the app which they have stuffed up in the latest update

0 esandman over 5 years ago

Hmm. Any news on this one? I'd like to know...