BikeBill

I was just checking that with my 600. If I swipe my finger completely across the screen so it pans to a new 'page' it takes about a second to re-draw. By the time I can say 'a thousand one' it's refreshed. Much faster than my pokey 60CSx. I have the map speed set to fast vs. normal.

Keep in mind that the 600 series also has GLONASS. Though it might not make the unit more accurate in many conditions, in woods or canyons the extra satellites can give you a faster lock on your coord's. I would have been glad to put up with a stubby quad helix antenna sticking out of my 600 for a little more accuracy (like the 60/62/64 series) but it seems to get within 11-12 feet as is.

Thanks everyone! That worked. I noticed that the free GPSFileDepot state topo maps seem to be the same 24K scale as the Garmin maps. The elevation line spacing is just the same when looking at identical areas. It's nice to have the shading and routing on the Garmin maps, though.

Sometimes I tell them I'm Geocaching, especially if it's a LEO (which has happened a few times) or the land owner. Sometimes I tell them I'm on a scavenger hunt which more or less truthful and requires less of an explanation. This is usually accepted without further questions, as everyone has heard of scavenger hunts. Sometimes they've offered to help look!

I’m a very recent owner of an Oregon 600 after caching with a GPSMAP 60CSx for years. I was concerned about buggy software, too, but after using the 600 almost daily for nearly two weeks it hasn’t had a single hiccup that I didn’t cause myself. I’m sure most any GPS has some bugs but so far so good. Regarding going for a ‘t’ model: I opted out of that because I hadn’t heard much good about the 100K maps that came with those models. Instead I loaded up free state topo maps from GPSFileDepot that were very good. I since got a set of Garmin Northeast 24K maps because they are routable and show shaded relief, but the free maps also seem to be 24K scale and are excellent. Something to think about. As you may know, the 600 series is newer than the rest of the Oregons and has significant improvements, like the ability to load a virtually unlimited number of caches. I’m sure you’ll get lots of great advice here. Good luck!

Got the DVD today. I just done loading the maps onto a 16GB Micro SD card. That took a long time, mostly for the map building process. I'd guess about two hours. The NE maps took up about 3.5 GB of the card so I had lots of room. The detail is good but the free topo maps from GPSFileDepot look nearly as detailed. At first I was concerned that I didn't see shaded relief on the map view but I suppose that just shows up on the 3D view, where it does show. That and the ability to do routing will hopefully make these worthwhile.

Thanks, Coach! I use GPSFileDepot topo maps but hadn't looked at these trail maps. I haven't tried map overlays before but it looks fairly straightforward. I ordered the Garmin 24K Topo maps on DVD yesterday so I'll get to try them out.

Coachstahly said: << I highly recommend one of the maps on the site already mentioned. It's the transparent overlay of trails and it doesn't take up much space.>> I'm not positive as to which you are referring to. Could you narrow it down for me? Thanks.

I recently purchased an Oregon 600 which I've been very pleased with. I didn't go for the 't' option as I hadn't heard too many good things about the 100K maps that came on it. I loaded the 600 with state topo maps from GPSFileDepot and they have been working well for me so far, though they don't seem to show many trails and aren't routable. I was thinking of purchasing a set of the 24K Garmin Topo maps. What I need to decide on is whether I want to get the Northeast maps on SD card or on DVD. The DVD would cost about $18 more but cover five more states - and they are states I sometimes visit (I didn't know that Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana were part of the Northeast, but if Garmin thinks they are I'm fine with it). So I wondered if there is any difference between the SD and DVD 24K topo map versions other than the states that are covered. Would there be a problem loading the whole DVD onto a micro SD card and putting it in the Oregon? Can these maps only be loaded on one GPS ever? Should I just stick with the free maps? Opinions welcomed!

Well, I finally got off my indecisive butt and ordered a new GPS. It was really a difficult decision because they are both excellent units with their own good features but I went for the Oregon 600. I don't need a camera as I travel with an iPhone 5 and I'll get my topo maps elsewhere so I didn't need an 'i' model or a 650. One of the things that finally pushed me over the edge was the Garmin 600 wiki. I saw a posting by a regional cacher I know. He was complaining about how one of the firmware upgrades was giving him trouble with his 650. So I emailed him and asked for a recommendation. He said hands down he'd go with a 600 and the touch screen. So I figured if he liked it that much despite buggy firmware, I'd try a 600. That and I was concerned about button wear on the 64. Hopefully I'll be happy with the Oregon. Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

<< It, as far as I know, only covers most of Canada, and northern US, not the full continental US. >> If that is the case (and since Basscat5 caches in Michigan) Glonass may be to his benefit, especially if he's caching in heavily wooded areas. Glonass is supposed to help with satellite lock under tree cover. It's definitely on my want list for my next GPS. I was under the impression that Glonass had nearly full worldwide coverage. I'm sure someone here will chime in with up-to-date information, Hey, if you don't like it, turn it off.

Geodarts: Is your 62 a newer model? After searching the site a bit, I saw complaints about the 62's keypad wear when they were first released. I wonder if they made changes later on to help with the issue.

Psychaesthetic: I'm pretty sure you can log finds in the 6xx. You can log it as found, not found or needs maintenance. You can see the manual at http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/Oregon_6xx_OM_EN.pdf Look at page 6. Also, when I was fooling with it at REI, I thought I came across that feature. Additionally, you can add comments and a rating. I'm leaning toward the 600 at this point. The button wear issue of the 60/62 worries me as it might have carried over to the 64.

MtnMutt said <<Have you gone out with a group of Cachers who have both units in that group? Listen to what each thinks is good/Bad about both.>> The small group of cachers I go out with have mainly Etrex's with a Magellan or two thrown in. None have either of these models. I was trying to get a larger group opinion here, which mostly has shown that it's a close call.

After a little research, I agree that the processor being ARM architecture isn't a liability. They are used all over to this day. I looked up the above processor and here's it's data document: http://html.alldatasheet.com/html-pdf/294041/STMICROELECTRONICS/STA2065/1944/1/STA2065.html It's apparently a GPSr specific chip. Something I don't like is the 2009 date at the bottom of the page. Edit: Here's another data sheet (Rev 5) with a 2013 date on it: http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/389/CD00242715-312112.pdf

I have a refurbished Garmin 60CSx and want to replace it. Do the 62 and 64 series suffer from the same keypad button wear that the 60 series does? My original 60CSx wore the labels off of several buttons and the refurbished unit, which I just got in November, is already showing wear on the 'in' and 'out' buttons. The black out layer wears off and the white of the letters is exposed, leaving the letters illegible. If this is a problem with the newer units, I may go with an Oregon. I just wanted to get some input from you folks that are using the newer units. I know there aren't many 64's out there yet but there are bunches of 62's. Since they redesigned the buttons from the 60 series, how are they holding up?

Now we know why there can be a lag on map drawing.

Does anyone know which of these two models has the faster processor?

I took a 45 minute drive to the nearest REI today. I checked on the computer first and saw they had both models in stock. When I got there, the closest display model was a 600t and there was no 64 (or 62 for that matter) to be seen. So I talked to a salesman who said the 64 was new and he didn't think they had them yet, but when I told him the web site said they were in stock he went hunting in back and came up with one. He took it out of the box, handed it to me and went off in search of batteries. So I got to look at the two models side by side (Like I said, the Oregon was a 600t, but close enough). The guy took ages to come back with batteries so in the meantime I plugged the 64s into a USB connector on the display board and fired it up. The 64 has a good feel - just like my 60CSx, of course. I like the way they redesigned the buttons and the back. The 600 also feels good in the hand but that was hindered by two zip-ties and the sharp ends kept poking me (plus the ties interfered with the screen). The difference in size is noticeable but not drastic; that wouldn't be a deal-breaker. Also, the screen size of the 600 is noticeably bigger but barely - again, not a deal-breaker. More important, the screen resolution of the 600 was definitely sharper and brighter. This was probably exacerbated by the fact that the 600 had topo maps on it with all their skinny little lines while all the 64s had loaded was the base map. I really like the ability of the 600 to zoom in and out with my fingers. A much nicer process than pushing buttons. The other touch screen functions were responsive, too. On the other hand, the 64 pulled in a bunch of satellites right there in the store. The salesman recommended the 64 for geocaching because of it's superior antenna. So the bottom line is that after handling both, I know where Kolenka is coming from! They are both nice units with their own strong points. I think I'm leaning toward the 64s but not by much. My rule of thumb: When I can't decide between two products, always go with the less expensive one. Why couldn't Garmin have priced one of these $25 higher than the other!

I saw those reviews, too. One wonders if there was a bad unit or two out there or the problem was user error. Not everyone that posts reviews has high technological literacy and might not know how to setup/use the device properly. Maybe he was trying it out under power lines or other interference. Also, the people that review are often those that are upset with the product for whatever reason. The people that are happy with the unit aren't always motivated to review.

I have an REI about 40 minutes away that has both units in stock. Whether they have display units, I don't know. It also seems that I can get a few bucks off by joining their club. Every time I read the details of the 600 I think I want it. Then I read about the features of the 64s and I want that! It seems the 600 has the nicer, bigger display, a good touch interface and is a smaller, lighter unit. It seems to be designed specifically with Geocaching in mind. The 64 has the better antenna system (lots of tree cover around here), will link with my iPhone for texts and emails and comes with a free year of Birdseye satellite imaging. Plus it has more internal memory. I think I'm leaning toward the 64. If only I could be sure the labels wouldn't wear off the keys so easily!

I have to add that I'm not as much of a cyclist these days as my handle would indicate. I still take the Geo-Bike out sometimes for rails to trails, etc., but most of my caching is on shoe leather. I do have a handlebar mount for the 60CSx so I can always use that (It's a freshly refurbished unit) for the bike. Your comments are backing up what I thought - that this is a close call. That's why I appreciate any additional information.

I have gotten to the point that I want to demote my venerable Garmin 60CSx to back-up status and get a GPSr with contemporary technology. I have two capable but flawed $400 candidates on the top of my list - both obvious ones - the Garmin 64S and the Oregon 600. I considered a $200 62S but really want GLONAS at this point plus the extra memory for caches. A while ago I was sure I wanted the Oregon 600 but they seen to be afflicted with chronic firmware bugs. And now we have the 64 series, which I’m sure also has bugs but so far it seems not to be too badly afflicted. I don’t feel wedded to the buttons of my 60CSx; in fact, I use an iPhone and a Nexus 7 regularly so I’m used to a touch screen. I don’t think the similarity in controls of the 64S to my old 60CSx would be a factor. Plus the darn button labels wear off eventually. So what do you guys think? Does one model stand decidedly above the other or is it a coin toss?

I did a test run today with the new/used netbook. I found myself about 15 miles from home and was a couple miles from a new cache that I had yet to load in my GPS. So I fired up the netbook, tethered it to the iPhone and found the cache on the Geocaching map page. I could have transferred the .gpx file right to the Garmin via the cache page, but that makes the cache show up as its GC number instead of its name. So I moved the cache to GSAK and then loaded it on the GPS. It all took a few minutes, but was less aggravating than inputting the coords into the GPS manually. I’m pleased! Found the cache, too. Bamboozle - I'm somewhat of a rookie with GSAK and only run a single database. I can see the advantage to having multiple databases like you do, though. Good tip!

User13371 said: << Maybe THAT's a subject for a thread of its own, instead of derailing BikingBill's netbook discussion. >> Hijack all you want! I'm finding this an interesting discussion. For example, I never heard of the Mobilelite device.