racergoose

Run Vista on my laptop, and it's a huge memory hog. Thanks for the update on XP.

Was highly critical of my Oregon 200, both posting here and to Garmin, for accuracy, acquisition and rotation of the screen when stopped or slowing. Acquisition is now virtually immediate; rotation has ceased to be an issue. Most interestingly is the apparent accuracy. Getting WAAS on all sats. except for 51; Nuvi 650/Oregon lat/long used to vary by .023 to .050. Now, consistently they are within .002. Just verified at airport, and the Oregon was +.001/.000 compared with published coordinates. Pretty pleased with this update and the unit.

The 24k topo of CO has trails, forest roads, closed roads but routable and has been very helpful. Would be surprised if additional trails, etc., have been added. Entering waypoints on mapquest has greatly expanded the utilization of the 24k topo.

I always carry at least one compass, but I should learn to be more explicit. The biggest complaint about the 200 with the garmin 24k topo is that the indicator arrow on the map, when I am moving slowly, moves erratically. Referring to my magentic compass becomes difficult, along with the 200, particularly at night or during a snowstorm, when general bearings are not readily apparent. It happened earlier this year, when I was bringing a lost hiker back to a camp, and burdened with her equipment. It works wonderfully well, but the continual stopping and slipping in the snowbound black timber, then back out with the flashlights etc. you get my drift.

Appreciate your replies. The compass on the Oregon 200 becomes unreliable below 1.5mph and begins an erratic and unpredicatable pattern. Underway its fine

[ HELP me here please. I have been told by a computer geek that enabling the compass is simple

Good advice, but I am beyond the return date. Always carry a compass, but the utility of the 200 therefore lacks

Love the utility, and have the SD card with topo and mapping capability, works superbly in CO. But without the compass feature, the display wanders dramatically when at a standstill; the terrain does not always permit moving fast enough to enable the gps compass, particularly in inclement weather on rough terrain. Any suggestions?

Thanks, both of you. SW, if when you get the chance I would really appreciate your report!

Garmin told me to stick with the 4GB, preferably the 2Gb for the Oregon 200. I have an older version of Topo on my 4GB card and would like to add CNNA and keep all the data on one card. Does the 8GB work satisfactorily? Any special parameters for the card if it does function?

By no means do I dam* the mapmaker. It is simply an observation of a river having a bend misplaced by a significant amount in a metropolitan area. My understanding of map construction is limited, to be sure. There is no bridge, but rather I was referring to the fact that the Platte can be walked across easily, runoff permitting. Rather, I am attempting to determine whether I should upgrade my existing topo and the feature, benefit ratio. Upon checking the base map, the bend is properly placed, so the 02 topo is inaccurate for this feature, but, assuming the 08 topo is the foundation for the base map, some correction has taken place. So it would appear that upgrading would be advisable, now I just have to determine whether to go with the 24k or the 100k. Also I will call garmin to determine if I can overlay the topo upon CN. 100 yard datum error concerns me, as per my original post. If I can see 100 yards there simply is no concern, to you or me. When visibilty is measured in a matter of feet, different story. Thanks for your help.

I am well aware of the GPSFile Depot maps and friends have utilized them to their satisfaction. They, like my older version of topo, continually walks me across the Platte River every day when I am 100 yds from it. I will happily pay for the content if it serves me well. The "Above the Timber topos" are very interesting and had no previous knowledge of them. How accurate are they compared to your 24k maps?

Currently have a garmin oregon 200 with US topo version 3.02 (2002) installed and would greatly appreciate input. Will be primarily using the unit for extensive hiking in the Colorado mountains. Returns to camp at night are common as is the occasional storm bringing fog, snow and the occasional (and dreaded) whiteout. * Is the 2008 topo appreciably better, with its relief shading than my version? Any other benefits to it? The USGS maps have not significantly changed. *CN has many of the roads, now trails, currently on its latest version and these are routable, and of great use. Can I overlay the topo onto CN? *Are the 24k routable maps of great use? I have not seen them and is their accuracy/map better than the 100k? I carry maps and compass, of course, but this is my first extensive usage (reliance) of a gps for backcountry and want to know how reliable it is. The accuracy of the garmin 3.02 topo regarding certain geographic features is certainly questionable, as are the USGS maps. My Nuvi with CN has been superb in locating roads and am considering just adding CN to the unit. All and any input is very much appreciated!