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Getting Started With Tracking and Logging on an inReach Mini

The inReach® Mini satellite communicator has the ability to track your location. A detailed track log can be saved to the inReach handheld and tracking points can be sent via satellite to your LiveTrack™ page or MapShare™ page for friends and family to view.

IMPORTANT: With the Safety1 and Essential plans, there is an additional cost per point (varies by currency) using the Send Interval. As an example, if your Send Interval is set to 10 minutes and you had tracking on for 1 hour, you could be charged for 7 track points (this includes a starting track point). For more details, see - Understanding Charges for Tracking on inReach Safety and Essential Plans.

Difference Between Log Interval and Send Interval

Before you start tracking with your inReach handheld it is best to understand the purpose of Log and Send Intervals under the Track settings. For a detailed explanation of Track Settings, see - Track Settings Explained on Garmin inReach Handhelds.

Keep in mind that the battery life is impacted by how frequently the inReach Mini logs or sends tracking. For more information, see Related.

Log Interval

Log interval determines how often the inReach records your GPS position.


Changing Log Interval

IMPORTANT: Log points collected by the inReach are NOT sent to your LiveTrack or MapShare page or account via satellite communication.

  1. Press OK to open the menu.

  2. Select Setup.

  3. Select Tracking.

  4. Select Log Interval.

  5. Select the desired Log Interval setting.


Send Interval

The Send Interval determines how often your inReach Mini handheld will send track points with your current GPS position, elevation, speed, and heading to your LiveTrack or MapShare page.


Changing the Send Interval

  1. Press OK to open the menu.

  2. Select Setup.

  3. Select Tracking.

  4. Select Send Interval.

  5. Select the desired Send Interval setting.

The most frequent Send Interval is 10 minutes for Safety,1 Essential, Recreation,2 and Standard plans, and 2 minutes for the Expedition3 and Premium plans.


Starting and Stopping Tracking

The inReach Mini handheld does not track or log by default (unless the Auto Track setting is enabled). Tracking and logging must be started and stopped manually.


Starting Tracking

  1. Press OK while viewing the home page:
    Time, Date, and Battery Displayed on Home Page

  2. Select Start Tracking.

Your inReach Mini handheld will now display the log and send intervals on the screen, and begin tracking.


Stopping Tracking

  1. Press OK while viewing the home page:
    Time, Date, and Battery Displayed on Home Page

  2. Select Stop Tracking.

Your inReach Mini handheld will now stop logging and/or sending track points.


Clearing the Track Log

When you are actively tracking with the inReach Mini handheld, you may need to clear the log if you started your track too soon or want to clear your log history.


Clearing Track Log

  1. Scroll to the Tracking page:

    inReach Mini Tracking Page

  2. Press OK to see the current tracking intervals and start tracking.

  3. Press OK again to reach the tracking menu.

  4. Select Clear Log.

  5. Select Yes.

  6. Select Stop Tracking.


How Track Logs Are Saved

The inReach Mini handheld records a single dynamic track that overwrites automatically when additional space is needed to continue adding track points.

Typically, up to 10,000 track points may be recorded, depending on available storage space. Waypoints, routes, and other items saved on the device may reduce the maximum number of track points that can be stored.

However, if the amount of data stored on the device (messages, track points, contacts, etc.) is kept at a minimum, it is entirely possible to be able to record much more.

As an example, if the device is set to record at a 1-second interval, you may be able to get around 12 hours worth of tracking (resulting in about 43,000 points). This is very much an estimation though, as defining a consistent limit for the track log storage in terms of points can be difficult with the differences in other data being stored, and how the track log data is compressed and stored too.


"Wait for GPS" on Location and Compass Page

When using the Location and Compass pages on the inReach Mini handheld it is common to see a "Wait for GPS" message until a satellite connection is acquired. After approximately 5 minutes of use, to conserve battery life, the screen will revert to the Home page and the satellite connection will be dropped (unless tracking is running).

To maintain a constant satellite fix on the Location or Compass pages while tracking is running, a 30 second or less Log Interval should be used.

To maintain a constant satellite fix without running tracking, page timeout can be disabled for the Location and Compass pages.


Disable Page Timeout on Location or Compass Page

The inReach Mini should be on firmware version 3.60 or later to use this feature. The page timeout setting is adjusted separately for the Location and Compass pages.

NOTE: Disabling page timeout and maintaining a constant satellite fix can have significant effects on the battery life of the inReach Mini.

  1. Scroll to either the Location or Compass page:

    inReach Mini Location Page inReach Mini Compass Page

  2. Press OK.

  3. Select Disable Page Timeout.

The inReach Mini handheld will now stay on the Location or Compass page indefinitely while maintaining a satellite connection until the page is manually changed.

1 The Safety subscription plan is no longer available for purchase. The Safety plan has been replaced by the Essential plan.

2 The Recreation subscription plan is no longer available for purchase. The Recreation plan has been replaced by the Standard plan.

3 The Expedition subscription plan is no longer available for purchase. The Expedition plan has been replaced by the Premium plan.

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