Garmin 2610, "bread crumb" feature?

[GB]

I thought the Garmin 2610 has a "bread crumb" feature which allows you to record your route, to be recalled and used at a later time.

if this feature is available, how do I activate it? store and retrieve it?
I can't seem to find it in the owner's manual..

[Snapper]

My 2610 is about 1.5 yrs old. The orginal software on the unit (don't remember the version numbers) either didn't have the BC feature or it was not user friendly. Downloaded the free software upgrade, seem like 1/2-3/4 of a year ago, and it has a great BC feature.

hit "menu", "options", then select the "tracking" tab. then you can turn the BC feature "on", "off" or "clear" the BC... Can't set distance btwn bread crumbs so mine usually runs out of crumbs and loops to the beginning somewhere between 200-300 miles. You can see crumbs right on the screen, or on the PC. Still need to trace over crumbs to set a route though.

Anyone figure out how to manual space the bread crumbs to get more miles out of the BC feature?

[rideLD]

The 2610 does have a limited tracking feature that tracks 2000 track points. Which is about 100 miles of twisty roads or 500 miles of interstate highway. As Snapper said you go "MENU-> OPTIONS-> TRACK LOG" to clear it or turn it on and off. Once the limited track log is full it will wrap around and you will loose the begining of your journey. To upload to you computer just connect your 2610 and click on "Receive from GPS" then check the box that says TRACKS the hit the button. I love the 2610 and think it is the easiest and best GPS to use on a bike. I love the being able to load the maps for the entire north America on a 2 Gig CF card. The downside is that it has a very small track log. I now carry a second GPS on long trips just to record my track logs. All the GPS's that do a good job of recording track logs either have limited memory or take the garmin propritary memory. That is why I still prefer my 2610.

[GB]

Thanks! You mean the BC feature cannot be "played" back on the GPS itself? So, If want to repeat that route another day, I can't just call it up? I have to load it to my PC?

[Snapper]

No, you can't "playback" the breadcrumbs, but you can see them as dots on the screen... you can effectively follow the dots just by looking at the screen, when you approach intersections, to tell you where to turn. Or you can create a route over the breadcrumbs on the unit itself (cumbersome, it is much easier to do using the routing tool on the pc), then you'll get the voice and screen prompts.

(I use mine like this all the time.... join group rides, record the group's best/secret routes, and create a library of great rides )

[BurnieM]

The SP2610 has;
2000 point tracklog
No saved tracklogs
No ability to 'trackback'

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by BurnieM

The SP2610 has;
2000 point tracklog
No saved tracklogs
No ability to 'trackback'

Not quite that cut and dried, but basically accurate.

You can save a tracklog, on your PC, then load it back as a route.

You can follow your track out, and go back the same way. Or just use autoroute to get back.

Jim

[CrackerJim]

I've got a garmin gps with mapsource. I was wondering how to convert a tracklog into a route as you mentioned. I'll sniff around on mapsource this next week but if you remember what menu to look in etc would be helpful.

Thanks,

Jim

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by CrackerJim

I've got a garmin gps with mapsource. I was wondering how to convert a tracklog into a route as you mentioned. I'll sniff around on mapsource this next week but if you remember what menu to look in etc would be helpful.

Thanks,

Jim

Bring up the track log on the screen, highlight the parts of the route you want to save, then File, save as, .gbs file.

It works for me.

Jim

[CrackerJim]

Thanks, I appreciate the help. I'm new to gps on the computer (had an older garmin walk about model sometime back).

So that file extension denotes a route to the gps and software?

Down the road, I'm going to learn to add features to existing maps etc so will end up knowing the varous file types but right now, I don't know sheeeet!

Thanks again,

Jim

[eap]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Bring up the track log on the screen, highlight the parts of the route you want to save, then File, save as, .gbs file.

It works for me.

Jim

??Jim - are sure that's correct, doesn't work for me, unless I use the the "Route Tool" and trace over the route OR use the "Waypoints Tool" and set new waypoints along the track.

Both ways can be tricky because your autorouting preferences can create unwanted detours that have to be corrected.... In my experience, tracks uploaded from the GPS are automically saved as .gbs files, so are routes and so are waypoints. sure would be nice to have a "convert tracks to route ability".

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by eap

??Jim - are sure that's correct, doesn't work for me, unless I use the the "Route Tool" and trace over the route OR use the "Waypoints Tool" and set new waypoints along the track.

Both ways can be tricky because your autorouting preferences can create unwanted detours that have to be corrected.... In my experience, tracks uploaded from the GPS are automically saved as .gbs files, so are routes and so are waypoints. sure would be nice to have a "convert tracks to route ability".

Ed,

I'll play with it tonight and write out the steps I use.

I know it works because I have done it before.

Jim

[Trevor S]

Originally Posted by BurnieM

The SP2610 has;
2000 point tracklog
No saved tracklogs
No ability to 'trackback'

Which is anethema IMO... even my ancient Garmin Etrex had 10 saved logs and about that amount of points. I could not survive these days without the unlimited tracks to SD feature in my Magellan, albeit I would like it to handle the tracking like my old Etrex.

[cRAsH]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Ed,

I'll play with it tonight and write out the steps I use.

I know it works because I have done it before.

Jim

Jim, did you ever figure this out?

[leahyz]

Originally Posted by cRAsH

Jim, did you ever figure this out?

Well, I'm no JVB, but I do own a 2610.

I would upload the track from the GPS and then take that track and create a route from it in one of 2 ways.

1) Using the routing tools. Create a start and End Waypoint at the start and end of the section you want with the waypoint tools. Create a route from start to end using autoroting (best to set preferences to "avoid highways", and "shortest route") Then use the arrow tool to click and then drag the route so that it follows the roads you actually rode on. (click the route, release, then click again and drag to "rubber-band the route"). Or you could start at the start and pick roads using the route tool until you got to the end with viapoints. Either way is fairly easy and should only take a few minutes to do.

2) (Note: I have not done this exactly). Upload the route and save as a Garmin gdb v2 file (under save as) and then use WinGDB to convert the track to a route. It's a 3rd party software that can do the conversions. Search the forum and you'll find a link to download (free). I have done it the other way - taking a route and making a track from it, but it does work both ways, however I have not tried it.