48 Tracks - General Information

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The Zumo XT is able to help you to follow a Track

A track looks just like a route when it is drawn on the Zumo screen. A track can be compared to a paper map with your carefully planned route marked with a yellow highlighter. You don’t have to follow it, it isn’t going to change or talk to you, but it always displays your intended course. All the SatNav has to do is to keep the map on the correct page and point out your current position with its motorcycle icon.

How to make a track

There are a number of ways
  • Create a route in Basecamp and convert it to a track.
  • Use the track log from a route that you have ridden (eg from a Zumo)
  • Draw a track using short straight lines to follow an intended course. eg Garmin Explore (May 2021).

Using a Track on the Zumo XT

  • Many tracks can be loaded and displayed. V6.10 increased the number beyond 15.
  • You can load one track for ‘navigation’ on the Zumo XT
  • Colour and visibilty can be set for each track. Width can be set for all displayed tracks (ie not individually).
  • A track will never recalculate, but no directions are given - it is just a line on a map ...
  • ... except - if you deviate, the XT will show a dotted line which indicates the direction to the nearest point on the plotted route, and the display can be configured to show the straight line distance.

Tracks transferred to Internal Memory do not need to be imported. Those transferred to SD card do.

Navigating with the aid of a Track


The two Zumo XT screen images below are captured 1-2 minutes apart, and show the intended track as a solid magenta line .


The two screen images below show the XT screen after I have deviated from the track. The captions tell the story.


If you start to navigate a track and haven’t yet reached the start, the XT will show the dirction and distance tot he start as a dotted straight line in a similar way to these two screen shots.

Display Tracks and Routes together


This is something that many of us use already. Use Basecamp to plot the route. When happy with it, create a track from the route in Basecamp. Transfer both of them to the XT.


Load the track, show it on the map and load the route. You won’t be able to see the track at first, because the route is drawn on top. However, should the Zumo decide to recalculate the route at any time for whatever reason, the track will stay put. The Zumo may well come up with the same route if you have placed your routing points sensibly, but if not, the changes will be immediately apparent on the screen.


This is a handy technique for getting used to the circumstances when the Zumo decides to recalculate.


The technique for showing Track and Route on the same Zumo XT screen is described in the next pages.

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The information on these pages has been acquired from personal experience of using and testing the behaviour of Basecamp and my Zumo XT. I have no links with Garmin, and these pages should not be regarded as instructions. They are presented for interest only. The contents of these pages must not be shared, copied, transmitted, redistributed or re-published in any form without my permission. (C) JHeath 2021.