capt caper

Were having issues as well with the tracks... we lost some while trying to save them. And wouldn't save them as well. I did find the setting in tracking setup for export wasn't set to gpx.. Still not sure until tomorrow when I have time to run record some tracking and try to save them. now I know..it's v3.40 How do you roll back?

Yes.. we chose "want to calibrate" then "do you know the correct elevation" then entered it.. Auto Calibrate was still on. Not sure if Auto should be off and if that would help. it was still off at the end of hike. The total descent and total ascent was the same footage ( numbers) as my Montana 680 but the elevation data was and always is about 300 ft different then my Montana. I checked the Montana against my Garmin Drivesmart 61S and it is the same as well as mapping programs for the correct elevation at the trail heads. Her Oregon is always off.

I hope this fix takes care of our altitude It's always higher by 3 or 4 hundred feet then the actual elevation.

True.. the gps can take a while (30 min or more) to load the data from the satellites. From what I remember reading there are 3 data streams it uses to build a fix. One loads fast and the others load slower. It all depends on how long you've not used it or if you've moved around between turn on/offs. There are lot's of study's out there on the web that deal with WAAS and Glonass used together etc. Try finding some to see if changing the settings will help your style,etc. With my Montana 680 I use Glonass/GPS with WAAS on and have gotten the best results overall. In the mountains with tree cover and gorges I normally like to go. So much better then previous units I've had over the years since 1998 from Garmin.

Anyone who spends alot of time in the woods year round etc...will find a dedicated GPS the rule of law. Our new Oregon 700 with glonass,wifi,live tracking is so awesome..also the Montana 680 I have with Glonass.. amazing accuracy and tracking. I've got tracks back to 1998 from the first Garmin 48 I owned.. and I've owned many since.. Only recently have I had the tracks so clean etc because of glonass..with WAAS on. Things have change alot for GPSR'S since alot of articles were written about the accuracy,etc. I can't wait until Garmin comes out with a Montana type (larger) like the Oregon 700 material,etc. have.

You'll like the 750.. we have the 700 since last August... glonass is the cat's meow and we have had no issues.. used it all winter in all kinds of below zero temps all day long hiking with no battery failure or run downs... we use the Black Panasonic rechargeable... keeps perfect accuracy just hanging off a pack in the woods ravines mountains do live in..

i'm reallllly not concerned about waas. apparently a few other people have already realized why waas was a great sales pitch, but not much more. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=328303 keep in mind 'accuracy' is only going to matter if the person who placed the cache had a decent positional fix. i've found a LOT of them do not. It makes a huge difference. I've been geocaching for many many years. I've used a dozen different standalone devices, I've used a dozen smartphones. I run a mapping project where I receive a thousand tracklogs a year. The difference in accuracy of location finding is substantial with WAAS on compared to off. I agree... Waas was developed for Aviation.. and is more accurate used right.. at least for me in the USA..I use my units now with Glonass and Waas on at the same time.. and find exceptional accuracy with it compared to other many other gpsr's and Garmins with non Waas..that I've owned over the years..since 1996 actually..

Get a Garmin with Glonass...my wife has the Oregon 700... it's been a great unit... rugged as heck... I've seen Utube videos were they thru the Oregon to the ground a few times and still was solid....receives excellent signals all day just hanging off the pack in trees mountain ravines,etc.... same for my Montana 680...big difference over pre-glonass Montana is a. bit bigger but a few ounces don't phase me.. easier on my ole eyes..

If you search the web for information about altimeters,etc. you'll find alot of info on how hard it is to get accurate long term results.. too many factors change data fast. This is different then ground accuracy... elevation accuracy is not and never will be as accurate at any given time and place as ground accuracy.. It's just the nature of the beast.. it is very technical to achieve elevation pressure etc accuracy.

I find the Monterra camera not as good as my samsung s5 even.. blur's right out when doing videos and exposer's aren't great... don't use it anymore.. take either the phone or tg 820

Hopefully the camera is good as you say in the Oregon 750. I only have used the camera in the Monterra and assumed it would be the same in the Oregon. The Monterrais pretty bad compared to my tg-820 Olympus.. especially the video ... doesn't have a great processor.

The camera isn't that great... a poor 8 meg is one thing..bad sensors as well. You can get the Micro SD Card and send the maps to there via Mapsource or BaseCamp....Buy the 700..get free maps..or find a Topo from Garmin that isn't locked. I have an 2008 and a 24k that isn't locked.. comes that way... the 2008 is just as good as the newer ones really. I've compared them all.. heck I have them all.. even the newest Topo that comes with the 700 or 610T...

Best is newbees asking about gpsr's use a gpsr for a while to see and feel the difference... Those of us who have used both phones and gpsr's seriously for all around outdoor use ..also auto .. seem to lean towards dedicated gpsr's.. I have many phones..and many gpsr's... I leave the phone in the car... don't want to trash it out in the mountains and woods.. the apps and maps are so hoaky...I'm serious with gpsr's.. from saving or making files planning routes and actual use.. we hiked yesterday and my friends phone went dead from cold,etc. Garmin makes a rugged easy to use accurate gpsr's.. I know it will get me down from a long trip into the wilderness and mountain summits. None of Gamrins handhelds have let me down since 1997 when I bought my first Garmin GPS 48... Have had many since. Oh.. I still have the tracks saved since then too. Used an external antenna for all of them running the gps all day. But with Glonass in my Montana 610 and Oregon 700 and Monterra don't need it..amazing reception under tree cover and in canyons.. just in a pouch hanging off the pack.

A Montana 7x0 series (similar to the Oregon series) would be pretty cool. Hans Maybe they will do it soon. I had thought it was too close to the release of the 610/680, but that was August 2015, so maybe it has been long enough. ... following on: the 610/680 series has the old fashioned form factor with its bulky edges. The Montana 7x0 series might be more look like the newer Oregons and the Monterra. That means: flat screen for better handling with gestures, etc. pp. Hans Edit: typos I was hoping for the same... Montana like the Oregon 700....would love that....we have a 700 as well.. They have so many out there a plain 610 probably doesn't sell well.. I don't believe it's the apps so much... I mean...they still have the 600's out there in many configurations..and the last so long.. not like phones that trash out fast.. then there is the refurbished ones.. They should of made just one model.. with a camera..not try to have one plain Jane..as well. When they came out with the Glonass line of Montana's they knew the growth in phones,etc. I had both 600 and 610 the 610 crashed out..I mean hardware failure..bought a Monterra and love the bright screen on it over the Montana's.

I wonder if they are dropping the Montana for something new... Seems they are on sale every where... New 610's for $309 at GPSCITY

I'm all set.. I think the update to 2.7 did it...

I don't get the lines when downloading saved tracks..even the named ones in my Monterra.. just this Oregon 700.. And I see that the saved track is connected...to the line..to the last turn on or use location.. I'll work more with it since it's new.. but I never get this with the Monterra and my Montana that I had I believe. Again we clear the trip and current track data before the hike and after it's got its fix..I check the Trip computer and it shows that it has cleared but again after downloading the track (saved at the end of the hike,etc.) it has lines coming to it from the previous fix say at home or whatever..

I was hoping 2.7 would fix our issue in the 700. When we start the day we reset all trip and track data... and at the end of the day save the track. When downloaded into BC it always show a straight line from the last turn on.. What are we doing wrong?

Here is some reading for you. Barometric Pressure and Altimeters Modern GPS receivers (GPSr) often include a barometric altimeter. Barometric pressure is essentially a measurement of the weight of the air above a given point. When a high pressure weather system is in the area, barometric goes up because the air is more dense or heavier - this is what pushes the rain clouds away. Low barometric pressure usually means more clouds. Barometric pressure is typically reported in inches of Mercury (e.g., 29.92 inHg) or in millibars (e.g., 1013.25 millibars). A barometric altimeter is tool that measures the amount of air pressure at that location. A GPSr with a barometric altimeter can provide more accurate elevation data (sometimes within 10 feet or so) than it can obtain from using the GPS satellites alone (sometimes within 100 feet or so - yes, elevation accuracy from satellites kinda sucks, and it gets worse as your elevation increases because you're closer to the satellites making it harder to determine your distance from them). A GPSr with a barometric altimeter knows that if the pressure decreases, that there is less air above it. Thus one of two things has occurred - either the GPSr has moved to a higher elevation OR the natural barometric pressure for that location has decreased due to weather changes. The problem is that the GPSr doesn't know which has occurred. Altimeter Calibration To get accurate elevation readings, the GPSr must be calibrated so it can equate a pressure reading to an elevation. There are four ways to calibrate the GPSr barometric altimeter: 1. Enter the KNOWN elevation when your barometric pressure is unknown. 2. Use the GPS-calculated elevation when your barometric pressure is unknown. 3. Enter the ADJUSTED barometric pressure when your elevation is unknown. 4. Let the GPS-calculated elevation help auto-calibrate the barometric altimeter over time. Method #1 tells the GPSr that the currently measured barometric pressure in the GPSr is what should be expected for that exact elevation. Method #2 does the same thing, except that it uses the rather inaccurate (+/- a couple hundred feet) GPS-calculated elevation. Method #3 allows the GPSr to determine the current, accurate elevation by determining the difference between the measured pressure in the unit and the sea-level adjusted pressure you provide. Once the GPSr has a good idea of what the accurate elevation is for the internally measured pressure, changes in pressure can more accurately be represented as increases or decreases in elevation. For example, a pressure change of .01 inch of mercury as measured by the internal barometer equates to ~10 feet of elevation change. But, your GPSr assumes that the the only thing that changes pressure is it moving higher or lower - it ignores the fact that weather also affects pressure. Thus, if the atmospheric pressure around you changes, your elevation accuracy will suddenly be out of whack. This means you should only calibrate your altimeter using pressure or elevation if you want increased accuracy over short periods of time (shorter if the weather/pressure changes) and if you'll remain within a small geographic area (because changing locations is more likely to result in an atmospheric pressure change). So which calibration method is best? Methods #1 (known elevation) or #3 (known pressure) arguably provide the same level of accuracy, though using a known elevation is typically better because it is a finer value than the measures used for barometric pressure. Either way, the calibration values should only be entered outdoors, out of the wind (which can arguably affect barometer readings), and once your GPSr has been on, immobile, and well established for some time. All GPS altimeters require good GPS reception AND accurate pressure readings. Using the GPS altimeter in your car or indoors will not result in high accuracy - and could result in VERY poor accuracy (e.g., 1000's of feet off). Letting the GPS auto-calibrate the altimeter is BY FAR the easiest - and by far the most accurate over long periods of time or distance or weather. This method uses the GPS-computed elevation to hone in on a 'best-guess' elevation and then uses the altimeter to help maintain accuracy and consistency of the displayed elevation over time. Most units recalibrate every 15 minutes using this method. Once your GPS location is well established, the accuracy of auto-calibrated altimeter readings are only slightly less accurate than manually calibrated readings. The advantage of auto-calibration is that you can be assured that natural pressure changes are not distorting elevation readings over time. In short, there really are very few advantages to manual calibration over auto calibration. Perhaps the only notable advantages are increased accuracy within a short period of time after proper calibration and that most manually calibrated GPSr units can provide high accuracy almost immediately after turning them on - you don't have to wait for the unit to establish your position before getting a highly accurate elevation reading (e.g., the unit can read the barometric pressure much faster than it can triangulate your position). If you calibrate your GPS altimeter with known pressure or known elevation, you must turn off "Auto-calibrate" function in your GPS otherwise it will ditch your entered value and go back to the best-guess GPS elevation in a matter of minutes. Most units prompt you to turn this off after manual calibration. But be sure to turn this function back on later otherwise the reported elevations will likely be WAY off because the pressure will likely have changed. Some tips on using pressure calibration If you choose to calibrate using a known pressure value, be sure to use sea-level adjusted pressure readings(sometimes referred to as ASL, MSL, or elevation adjusted). You can get these from local weather reports and from airport METARreports. METAR reports for your local airport are available here - just find the numbers after the A and put a decimal point in the middle. For example, my local airport METAR contains A3035, so my current sea-level adjusted pressure is 30.35 - or 30.35 inches of mercury. METAR and weather station pressure values are typically accurate for perhaps 100 miles from the reporting station/airport (naturally less if the weather is changing). Your GPSr expects an elevation adjusted pressure. The pressure can typically be entered in inches of Mercury (inHg) or in millibars. If you're using a home weather kit, barometer, or get the pressure from another GPS system or weather station data feed, these will typically NOT report elevation or sea-level adjusted pressures. Using these values will cause great inaccuracies - higher inaccuracies the higher your elevation. Because one inch of change in mercury represents ~1000 feet of elevation, if you live at 5000 feet elevation, your elevation adjusted pressure might be 30.10 inches, but a barometer would probably show a local (unadjusted) pressure of 25.10 inches. If you enter 25.10 inches into your GPS, elevations shown on your GPS will be off by 5000 feet!!! Some tips on using elevation calibration The optimal method for calibrating using a known elevation is to use an elevation benchmark. Go tohttp://www.geocaching.com/mark/ and enter your zip code and try to find a benchmark you could use (U.S. only). Be sure to look for one that has recently been found in good shape (has a smiley face icon) and that has an adjusted (e.g., very accurate) elevation (check the description for "Altitude is ADJUSTED"). Benchmark elevations are VERY accurate - usually within a few 1/10s of an inch - pretty remarkable considering most were placed in the 20's and 30's. Because the GPS unit itself is only accurate to within 10 or so feet of elevation at very best, you may be just as well off using a good topographic map or even Google Earth to determine your location's elevation for calibration. One good method is to use a benchmark initially then use that to determine your home's elevation - then use this elevation to calibrate your unit each time you leave home. Be sure to measure an elevation outdoors - taking it inside or calibrating inside will ruin your accuracy. GPS altimeters and aircraft altimeters It is important to note that airplane altimeters and GPS altimeters may vary a lot except when on the ground. One reason is that the airplane altimeter uses the pressure at some nearby airport to provide a basis by which the elevation is determined. This is why pilots are constantly updating the pressure setting on their altimeter - not only to ensure accuracy for when they land or fly over local terrain, but also so that their pressure setting is the same as every other plane's in the immediate vicinity. When you're flying at 15,000 feet, the pressure will be significantly lower than at the airport below because there is less air above you than the airport (just like the local, unadjusted pressure at Denver is much lower - ~5 inches of mercury lower - than at sea level). But you want all airplanes in the immediate area to have one uniform pressure setting in their altimeters - otherwise you could risk collisions. One plane flying at an indicated altitude of 15,000 feet with a pressure setting of 29.75 and another plane with an indicated altitude of 14,000 feet but a pressure setting of 30.52 will be MUCH closer in ACTUAL altitude than 1000 feet. Planes flying above 18,000 feet tend to fly faster and thus use a standard pressure setting of 29.92 so that all planes up there are reporting the same indicated altitude and don't have to update their pressure settings every few minutes as the pressure at the ground changes below them. Because of this standard setting, a plane flying at 35,000 feet with a standard pressure setting of 29.92 might actually be flying much higher or much lower than 35,000 feet above sea level. All that pilots care about is that what they think is a certain altitude is the same as what everyone around them thinks. They only care about really accurate altitude when landing. If you take a GPS on your flight (make sure it's OK with your airline before using it in-flight!), you'll notice that the GPS elevation and the reported airplane altitude may vary a lot. Also note that GPS elevation accuracies decrease slightly as you gain elevation. Oh, and be sure to disable your GPSr barometric altimeter on a pressurized plane or the results will be, well, WAY off. This post has been edited by apollosmith: 03 January 2010 - 05:27 PM

I believe we will never get an exact elevation any where anyhow....It's the nature of the beast. Seems the only way to get correct is to have known readings at points and recalibrate often at those points. I've tried many things..and read plenty... it's common in just 45 minutes the barometer can change say .01 vary slightly due to weather very fast. Throwing off your readings by 50 ft. I've left auto on and re-calibrated known elevation at the trail head and had mixed results. I think just using gps elevation will be off more. Auto uses gps and the barometer to come up with a figure. But it needs to settle in at the turn on I think. But the best way so far for me is to turn it on then leave it for about 15 minutes running. Reset track,trip data and then go on your way. It calibrates fast..seems about 10 mins or so. I have glonass/gps/waas settings and I think that helps.

My Oregon 7x0 performs significantly better than my Oregon 6x0 when not under clear sky and perfect conditions. I Her milage is always way off the written booked milage and my Monterras milage. Her trip computer keeps resetting to default screen as well. Even when we lock the data fields after customizing it. Odd. I reset it and will try it again.

Just so others know if the Oregon was in Glonass/GPS/WAAS mode it would be much more accurate in all aspects then the others. I've compared these settings to non Glonass/GPS/WAAS tracks I've saved since 1998... You mentioned the drifts..with Glonass/GPS/WAAS on the drifts are minimal to say the least. GLONASS on is not always more accurate. The improvements in accuracy since 1998 are rooted more in GPS chip advancements. See this comparison and analysis done to test the accuracy of GLONASS. It confirms my anecdotes with regards to GLONASS but I have yet to formally test them. Like most things, the Russians like to copy the rest of the worlds technologies. But they seem to lack a desire to perfect them. In GPS as in airplanes. If it weren't for the tariffs, there may not be any devices with GLONASS implementation on the market today. GLONASS TEST LINK TO PDF I read that report along time ago. And many others as well. But I can assure you that in comparing my tracks over the years Glonass/GPS/WAAS at least in my Monterra is much more accurate.. Why did Oregon change antennas? They used a inferiour gps for that article? Also my tracks are in tree cover and in the mountains so that may make the differnce.. as well. So you can't go by one test done by some guys in a football field with an inferiour gps. My wifes oregon 600T records so bad now after a few months I'm trading it in for her to a 700 and hope it works better. I'm still amazed at my Monterra and how it performs over the many gpsr's I've owned including the Montana 600 and 610. I would like to see that test with the Oregon 700 in Glonass/GPS/WAAS mode..compared with the others in non glonass,gps,waas mode.

Just so others know if the Oregon was in Glonass/GPS/WAAS mode it would be much more accurate in all aspects then the others. I've compared these settings to non Glonass/GPS/WAAS tracks I've saved since 1998... You mentioned the drifts..with Glonass/GPS/WAAS on the drifts are minimal to say the least. have you tried recording that same trail with only gps vs glonass vs waas , on the same device, or are you referring to "new" devices each time? i compare the same trail each time i get a new device and see very little difference between them, going back a decade or so. New devices on same trail I think you mean...I recorded with a Montana 600 60CX 72s over the years on same trails. I have many tracks going back in time saved. All had external antennas on top of a hiking pack. With this Monterra I use it seems no external antenna is needed for a excellant track...it sits in the same pouch on the chest strap. Amazing. I have a glonass/gps combo antenna I tried on top of the pack and found no difference really so I took it off. Amazing. I didn't mean to side track this topic..it is interesting ..I just wanted to point out to newbee's that if you use Glonass in these newer units you can expect better data then non Glonass. If he ran the tests above with one of them in the Glonass/GPS/WAAS you'll find the results would be in favor of the Glonass/gps/waas settings. Being Glonass is new I wanted to share my tests showing how the tracks data etc are far better all around with Glonass/GPS/Waas. Set the gps to record ever 2 seconds and wow...so right on in Canyons and when stationary.

Just so others know if the Oregon was in Glonass/GPS/WAAS mode it would be much more accurate in all aspects then the others. I've compared these settings to non Glonass/GPS/WAAS tracks I've saved since 1998... You mentioned the drifts..with Glonass/GPS/WAAS on the drifts are minimal to say the least.

We have a Oregon 600T and Monterra T and both work so nice...both have Glonass which is the best now to use..I've used it over many places I've been before with other Garmins over the years and the tracks show much better lock and true paths... amazing units...fast and accurate. Rugged as well. Batteries last 2 days or more constantly on. Sleep mode between looking at the screen.