Trying to understand XT setup.

[KingRat]

Thanks. I hadn't seen the 3 dots.

it is the 'remembered' places in the history that I want to keep cleared out.

I have not got beyond the stage of putting in ONE post code and going to it yet. These have mounted up and as I don't know where the postcode is, as in it is a meaningless string of letters and numbers, as opposed to a 'place' I need to clear them out after getting there, so I don't end up going to the wrong one.

I haven't got any 'favourites' yet. That is a long way down the line for me. Like with the 3 dots, my eyes don't see everything on the screen unless it is pointed out to me. You can't expect me to just see it and find it, whatever it might be. My eyes, or possibly my brain, doesn't necessarily recognise what it is seeing, which is while the 3 dots were there, I hadn't actually seen them - even if my eyes had scanned over them, they hadn't registered. This is why I find any screen stuff really difficult.

[jfheath]

Quick question - for any future responses. Do you normally have your XT in landscape orientation (wide like a TV screen) or portrait (tall like the page in a book).

I ask because the buttons to press that people are talking about will be in a different location depending on how you hold your XT. I always have mine in Landscape - and I rarely write anything to cater for people that have it in portrait. Inconsiderate of me really !

[KingRat]

Landscape format only.
Thanks.

[Peobody]

I haven't got any 'favourites' yet.

This is surprising. AFAIK, every waypoint you create on the XT, or that gets transferred to the XT as part of a route, is stored as a "Favourite" (AKA "Saved" to those of us in the U.S.).

[jfheath]

History

History is accessed by tapping:

• Main Menu -> Where To -> History

I believe that in the USA this is Main Menu -> Where To -> Recent

To clear History, click the spanner, top left and select Clear

Favourites
Favourites is called 'Saved' in the USA.

Favourites are accessed in a similar way to History:

• Main Menu -> Where To -> Favourites

Favourites contains all of the Waypoints that you have created or that you have used in a route. If it is empty, then you haven't created any Waypoints yet. That is understandable.
I have emphasised the term Waypoints because a Waypoint is not just any route point. It has to be specially created and saved (stored) before it can be added to a route.

Waypoints can be created by

• using the flag tool in Basecamp
• Tapping the zumo map screen to place a flag, naming it and saving it
• importing a gpx file that contains waypoints
• Acessing a database (eg from Basecamp or eg from FourSquare) that contains 1000s of known locations

You can manage perfectly well without using Wayoints / Favourites / Saved Locations. I find that I use them more frequently now because the XT does not change the name of waypoints like it tends to do for other points in a route.

To clear Favourites - once you have the list of favourites displayed, tap the spanner in the top left corner. You can clear all, or select just a few to clear. A new XT comes with three motorcycle / Garmin favourites pre-installed. Deleting those was the first thing that I did ! However, having at least one favourite stored is a good idea - otherwise the XT cannot find them to import if you start using the SD card for your routes.

[Peobody]

History

History is accessed by tapping:

• Main Menu -> Where To -> History

I believe that in the USA this is Main Menu -> Where To -> Recent

Thanks @jfheath. I learned something, again.

[KingRat]

I have been quiet for a while because I have been working away. I am now going to try to pick up where I left off, but I am probably back to square one, having forgotten everything I thought I had learned. I am no further on with getting a mobile phone that talks to the internet, so all that side of the Zumo, and anything to do with connecting it to a computer, is beyond what I shall be able to do. First off I need to relearn where things live. I have bought a new road atlas, just in case.

[jfheath]

Welcome back @KingRat - I wondered where you had gone. I thought it was something that we had said !!

So if you do not use a phone or a computer, how do you use your XT ?

• Just set a destination to create a route ?
• Or do you create your routes by making route point just using the XT screen ?
• Have you not got that far yet ?

[KingRat]

I don't know how to make a route of more than one place. I have got as far as putting in a post code, that is my sum total of knowledge of how to use it. I have tried to change the screen with the buttons on (letters and numbers) so I can see them all at once, but some of them are blanked out when I try to put a post code in. I am actually rather disappointed with the thing, it is not what I expected having read how well other people think of them. One or two guys I have ridden with raved about theirs and I got drawn in...

[jfheath]

Ok - In that case, you will find a lot of the comments on here make absolutely no sense to you ! I'll see what I can do to help.

My XT is away for replacement at present. But two things spring to mind.

When entering a postcode, the XT has a list of valid postcodes, and it will not allow you to enter an invalid one. So if you press 'B' as the first letter of the postcode and if there are valid no postcodes that begin with BZ, BQ, BX, then the Z, Q and X keys will be blanked out.

I don't think that the post code requires spaces to be entered.

On the keyboard, you may see a globe symbol. If there is, then tap it. It will switch the keyboard layout to a different style. So you can toggle between showing a full keyboard with smaller keys and a half keyboard with larger keys.

If there isn't a globe, then you may need to select the keybaord styles that you want from (I think) Settings -> Keyboard

look for the keyboards in the same language but with options for larger and for smaller keys. Select both.
That should give the the additional 'globe' key on your keyboard to allow you to swtich from one to the other.

Edit - I have put information about this facility in the Zumo 590/595 section Here . I believe that it is the same for the XT

Or just select the smaller keys and not the other. That will give you the full size keyboard with smaller keys.
Sitting at home I want the full size keyboard. On the bike with gloves on, I want the larger keys.

My XT is away, and my 590 is in bits until the glue sets.