Zumo User Forums

Unboxing. Now I understand higher price - luxury bag!

I am eyeing a replacement for my z590, and was planning an XT purchase in late summer. The XT2 now seems like the logical unit to research if I am chosing between the two.

While I've heard (on forms and in person) grumbling about the routing choices made by the XT, my pressing concern is how it will interface with Basecamp. I hadn't gotten into the weeds on that yet, but I figured now would be as good a time as any. I see references to Explore, but can I plug an XT (now the XT2) into the computer and drop my Basecamp info onto it, and vice versa?

If you have an XT I don’t really see any compelling reason to upgrade yet. The screen is not drastically bigger .. the brightness on the XT is fine and has never been an issue. Unless the XT2 is much quicker and has way better Bluetooth capability I just don’t see the point of this release

biglew55 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 12:50 pm I am eyeing a replacement for my z590, and was planning an XT purchase in late summer. The XT2 now seems like the logical unit to research if I am chosing between the two.

While I've heard (on forms and in person) grumbling about the routing choices made by the XT, my pressing concern is how it will interface with Basecamp. I hadn't gotten into the weeds on that yet, but I figured now would be as good a time as any. I see references to Explore, but can I plug an XT (now the XT2) into the computer and drop my Basecamp info onto it, and vice versa?

I'd wait and see if the XT2 has a significantly faster processor (not that the XT is slow). It is doubtful much will change concerning Basecamp, which works OK with my XT. Yes you can plug the XT in, but you also have two other options: email yourself the route exported from BC and use Garmin Drive to import it wirelessly to your XT, or pop the SD card out of the XT and mount it on your computer and drag the exported file to it. The three methods have various pros and cons depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

-dan

danham wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 5:29 pm Yes you can plug the XT in, but you also have two other options: email yourself the route exported from BC and use Garmin Drive to import it wirelessly to your XT, or pop the SD card out of the XT and mount it on your computer and drag the exported file to it. The three methods have various pros and cons depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

What about Garmin Explore and wireless sync? I’m using this way with XT, works great.

danham wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 5:29 pm

biglew55 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 12:50 pm I am eyeing a replacement for my z590, and was planning an XT purchase in late summer. The XT2 now seems like the logical unit to research if I am chosing between the two.

While I've heard (on forms and in person) grumbling about the routing choices made by the XT, my pressing concern is how it will interface with Basecamp. I hadn't gotten into the weeds on that yet, but I figured now would be as good a time as any. I see references to Explore, but can I plug an XT (now the XT2) into the computer and drop my Basecamp info onto it, and vice versa?

I'd wait and see if the XT2 has a significantly faster processor (not that the XT is slow). It is doubtful much will change concerning Basecamp, which works OK with my XT. Yes you can plug the XT in, but you also have two other options: email yourself the route exported from BC and use Garmin Drive to import it wirelessly to your XT, or pop the SD card out of the XT and mount it on your computer and drag the exported file to it. The three methods have various pros and cons depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

-dan

My trips tend to be more complex, with several routes, dozens of waypoints, and usually a few tracks too. I'm not overly confident that the explore option would be an option for these. If BC works when you plug in the unit and lets you drag and drop, I'd consider my fears of drama there alleviated.

Relying on my phone as an intermediary for moving my info to and from the GPS does not sound optimal for my normal usage. Maybe I'll prove myself wrong, but I'd had to be right and also stuck with a unit that is cumbersome to manage, just because it's shiny.

I have not used Explore, mostly because I don't see any reason to, but also because more experienced XT users have said it can screw up well-planned routes from Basecamp. Unless I'm missing something, there's no compelling reason to use Explore.

-dan

How you organize your routes, tracks, waypoints, and POIs all boils down to how you want to use the device. If you want to utilize custom icons for waypoints, then Explore is a necessary evil (otherwise you are stuck with a generic green box with a heart in it).

I wouldn't consider your fears of basecamp integration solved just because you can plug it in and transfer data. Waypoints and POIs are not connected to a specific "track" when you simply transfer a gpx file via basecamp, so turning off a track doesn't make the waypoints/POIs associated with that track turn off. So the XT operates vastly differently than any other Garmin product that handles tracks. This is the sole reason why I use Explore. It allows me to organize tracks and their associated waypoint/POIs into a collection and to make that collection visible on the map or to turn them off. It also supports the use of custom icons for those waypoints/POIs.

For me, the biggest improvement I've seen is the inclusion of USB-C connectivity, making the speed of data transfer much faster and making the connection match every other modern electronic device I use (Cardo Packtalk Edge, Garmin In-Reach Mini 2, GoPro Hero 8 Black, DJI Mini Pro 3 Drone and it's Remote) making it so I don't have to carry so many different types of cables to charge devices and transfer data.

Time will tell if any of the route handling updates are worth the price differential. I'm not too concerned about Ride Tracking as we wear Cardo Helmet communications devices and are in audio contact with each other. I suppose it could come in handy if your group gets spread way out and the headsets lose touch, or if some members break off to ride a hero section off road while others stick to easier sections of trail. However, it appears to rely on cell service, and many of the places I ride do not have any cell service.

It will be interesting to see what early adopters have to say about the device.

jfheath wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 5:08 am And if these problems no longer exist, why have they not fixed them for the many XT owners that have been complaining for the last 3 years.
And if they haven't - its not worth buying anyway.

Exactly my point.

Garmin says: "From the product support side we have been informed that the Zumo XT 2 will not work with the Zumo XT mount. However, we are aware and have seen numerous people saying it will work with it. At this time, we are sticking to the information that was provided to us from our engineering team. Unless something changes, we are still stating to customers that it will not work with the XT mount. We don't want customers doing this, because it's a loose connection on the XT mount (it wiggles around) We are trying to address this situation."

And this is on Garmin pages:

„zūmo XT Upgrading to a zūmo XT2

Current zūmo XT customers that are upgrading to the zūmo XT2 and are NOT using the Group Ride Radio, may use the zūmo XT mount and wiring. However, this configuration will limit how quickly the zūmo XT2 will charge. This is because the zūmo XT default power cable only provides 1.5A (7.5W). The power cables provided with the zūmo XT2 are rated for higher voltage/power (12V/24W) and are easier to install as they can be cut to length. Garmin recommends installing the mount and power cables provided with the zūmo XT2 for peak performance.”

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=y ... tab=topics