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WoodenShoe

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Everything posted by WoodenShoe

  1. YES! I am seeing improvements, but Garmin has lots to correct yet! But it would be nice to get an upgrade that did not cause new bugs! Ya I know its a beta! At least Garmin is working on it..even if its at a snails pace!
  2. I too use a Ram suction mount, the Garmin mount, in my opinion is of poor quality and falls off often (at least mine and a few others did). I combined some parts of the Garmin mount with a Ram Suction mount I had for my 76S and made a great mount. My cousin has the complete Ram mount and finds the supplied cradle for the Colorado to be more difficult to use than the holder for the Garmin unit, but solid. I have the bike adapter from Ram also but as yet have not used it. Under my profile at geocaching.com in gallery I have some pictures of what I did...wish I could buy just the clip from Garmin and make some more adapters. The combo works nice.
  3. I have the Colorado 300 and I'm happy with it. I had a 76S before and the Colorado holds a lock much better, as do most of the new units and its paperless (almost) caching is great. I have City Nav NT 2008 loaded on my 4GB SDHC card and aside from some corrections that Garmin is working on, I have few problems with the unit. I also would ignore anyone complaining that has only used this unit for a short time (no offense)....its just that it takes time to get used to the unit and learn its ins and outs and in their defense, early on Garmin had a some hardware problems also but they appear to be solved. Check out g-o-cashers site for more info. http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/
  4. http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/ if you look under FAQ in General Information or just go to. http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/General+Information This info was compiled by g-o-cashers. Read under G4.) What are the differences between the Colorado 300 and Colorado 400(t,i,c)? Hope this helps...as Garmin does not note the extra memory difference in the units, maybe because this was a moving target for a while. We are still waiting for another firmware update for the colorado series..but mine is working fine for the most part and I have fun caching again with this unit...enjoy. Woodenshoe
  5. My 300 also froze twice once on startup hang and once when it was on and I walked through a building and it lost the signal...it was still working and I thought it was tracking...but no response from RR wheel or soft buttons, or power button..took batteries out for both to regain control. I 2.51 loaded also.
  6. nicolo I had my RAM-B-166-U come loose also but while adjusting it, on a trip that went from 28F to 55F out and in a thunderstorm, while headed for Florida. The window on the inside got real damp and when I grabbed the mount to adjust it, it did come loose. I did not try to remount it at 70mph in traffic, so I waited till the next stop and dried off the windshield and remounted it. Other than that. it has not come loose. One of the other similar Ram mounts for the Colorado has a smaller suction cup and a small knurled knob to adjust it with, I think that was a RAP-B-166-2U. On that one the smaller suction disk and small adjusting knob would not interest me, although it may suit others fine. The Garmin did not hold on a ten minute test on a Formica counter top (a harder place to get a good suction). The Ram stayed till I released it an hour later. I just feel the Garmin Auto mounts suction cup is a poor design, or at least the one I got was not ready for prime time. I never needed to wet the suction cup, I just wipe off any debris with a paper towel or cloth and lock it down.
  7. nicolo I had my RAM-B-166-U come loose also but while adjusting it, on a trip that went from 28F to 50F out and in a thunderstorm driving thru Atlanta Ga. The window on the inside got real damp and when I grabbed the mount to adjust it, it did come loose. I could not remount it at 70mph in traffic so I waited till the next stop and dried off the windshield and remounted it. Other than that. it has not come loose. One of the other similar Ram mounts for the Colorado has a smaller suction cup and a small knurled knob to adjust it with I think that was a RAP-B-166-2U. On that one the smaller suction disk and small adjusting knob would not interest me, although it may suit others fine. The Garmin did not hold on a ten minute test on a Formica counter top (a harder place to get a good suction). The Ram stayed till I released it an hour later. I just feel the garmin Auto mounts suction cup is a poor design, or at least the one I got was not ready for prime time.
  8. I have a similar problem with my cover, its a bit tight although as noted in nicolo's post it has loosened up some. I also used a small amount of silicone grease on the o ring around the battery compartment. Don't remove the o ring its not necessary. Just put a small amount of the silicone on it. You can pick it up form some hardware stores or a place that handles bearings, like Motion Ind. Plumbing shops carry it for o rings also. Vaseline (petroleum jelly )is not a good substitute as it can cause an O ring to expand. I also had a start up (only once like you did) just cycling the power (removing the batteries) fixed it. If this happens on a regular basis you should contact Garmin.
  9. GO$Rs I could not agree more on doing a multi. With the Colorado its is a real pain in the... I have created a WP for this and edited the cords but its time consuming, or if its just a two stage, I just write down the cords (there goes paperless) and watch the Data field on the geocaching screen that has Locations Long/Lat on it till it matches the new cords and most of the time a can walk right to the cache. One other thing that was a waste of time was putting the profile selection on the shortcuts...I thought that wold be a nice way to switch profiles without as much button pushing....bad idea.... switching to most profiles switches the shortcuts and takes the profile selection out of shortcuts. Being able to switch between off route and autorouting mode sure would help when in the WP screen though. Garmin needs to fix this!!
  10. Location (Lat/lon) can be selected as one of the data fields displayed on the lower right or left of the screen. I do this when doing a multi cache once in a while, instead of doing a WP and go to. It keeps me on the geocache screen. While on the map screen left soft button (options) then Change Data Fields, then select the data field (right or left) with the roller rocker and then enter, scroll to Location (lat/lon) and select by pressing enter on the RR wheel. Good hunting
  11. Don't feel bad jws2go, it worked for about two hours for me too the first day. The second time out it fell three times. Its a good thing Garmin builds the Colorado better than the Auto mount. I used the RAM-B-166U mount (I used it for my 76S) and removed the 76S cradle. Then I made up the two parts to adapt the nice clip from the Garmin mount to the Ram Base and ended up with a great solution. Click on WoodenShoe and go to my profile and the pictures are in the my Gallery. The Ram mount I ordered from expressmounts.com about 4 months ago along with a bicycle u clamp adapter (have not tried that yet) Good luck...maybe we should try for a class action suit I even managed to impress my cousin homebru with it. He has not ordered any parts yet though. http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/7663cd...e611d6ae992.jpg
  12. I'm sorry I did not respond sooner, I had no camera with and was doing some twins baby sitting, (Both son in laws lost a grandparent this week) I cant post pictures (no browse to link) but the pictures are under my Profile link at Geocaching.com under Gallery. I'm not sure what I need to do to post pictures here...there is no browse to for that listed for me yet. (a min post rule?)
  13. jws2go your experience is far different from mine with the garmin Auto (dismount) mount. It is, in my opinion, a piece of junk. One, it has only one ball end to realy flex like the Ram mount I have it could use two and the suction cup is just Poor...works if you put glue on it . I had my Colorado fall off the window three times. Twice it fell from the window to the dash once to the floor (this was in one afternoon)....thanks Garmin. I ended up taking my Ram mount from my 76S and using the ball socket/clip from the Garmin Auto mount (removing the 4 screws) and making a 1/4" thick Plexiglas piece and then another diamond shaped piece to match the Ram mount diamond shaped end that bolted to the Ram cradle and now I have a great mount that sticks in heat or cold and does NOT fall off! This is much more useful than the Garmin mount as it is far easier to position and is better than the Ram mount Cradle for the Colorado series. It takes far less room and is real easy to hook and unhook the GPS. I used it this way for over a month now and would like to send the parts back to Garmin that I have left (the suction cup that does not hold) the base that does not swivel and is to short to go from the windshield and end up in a good viewing position and trade for another clip (less the rest of the auto mount suction cup parts). If anyone is interested I can post a few pictures later.
  14. Mine has done some really nutty things while stopping for lunch or a cache close to an exit while on a route from Florida to Michigan...It wanted me to get off the expressway after one cache/fuel stop then on the next exit on 75 go south on 75 and then back on at the next ramp and head north on 75. It did a few other real strange things also while on a routes if I deviated making a rest stop doing a similar thing. Most of the time it would straighten out if I just ignored it but a few times it needed a shutdown and restart the route to behave on the Colorado 300.
  15. yogazoo: I find that annoying also. It would be nice to have a choice to keep panning in the format you are in (that is stay in track up for panning or go to North up for panning). I, for one would want to stay in track up, not reorient my self when panning....personal preference I guess and not a deal breaker...but as you say annoying!
  16. Anders, I think he wanted to do side by side without back lighting on. Your web album is with back lighting on at full was it not? I thought I remembered, when asked that you did not have a photo of the units without back lighting because you did not have enough sunlight at the time, and or could not get the right angle on several screens in the sun to get a accurate picture? Most comments on the 76/60 in comparison to the Colorado series with no back lighting that I have read in the forum said slightly less bright on the Colorado without the back light on. Some of this could be the background on the Colorado Bob
  17. When my unit arrives from gpscity I will have to see if I can find or set up a 240 X 400 picture of a wooden shoe then again I think I like the idea of an all white or light colored background also! The others novelty will wear off fast if it gets in the way of the display! Bob
  18. Thanks for the post g-o-cashers, for taking the time to compile this list. A central place will be nice for posting. Bob
  19. Anders: As I have commented before, the over head view of maps with the street names is a must..not an "it would be a nice feature" to have. I have 2008CN USA NT on order with the Colorado 300 and the Auto Nav. kit. I don't care if it comes from the factory with an auto default to off for less detail as long as I can change it. This is a feature that I use often at around 800 ft resolution. You mentioned that to you you felt that it caused to much clutter but for me thats what I think of the 3D view...I would prefer to see the unit display as my 76S did with just the lines with street names...in color of course as my 76S lacked that. Thanks again for your time and information...I hope that Garmin is considering a fix for this! PS I agree on the laptop in the Auto. I used my 15" laptop in the Astro van (first hooked to the 76S and later to MS Streets puck) and even in a large van (on a swivel mount) its a bit to bulky for me too. I will be looking at the new Garmin 5000 series for auto travel but I'd like to see it offered with a few less "extras" on it and a better price point but its just announced so I will wait a while on that one. I do like the larger screen size and touch screen. But for now the Colorado 300 will have to serve for both geocaching and auto. Bob
  20. If you ck the posts, once you load CN you will notice that the street names do not show up in CN as of the latest updates on Garmin's site. We hope this will be fixed. You cant average a point for higher accuracy when setting up a geocache at this time. The caches do not display at this time on the map (Garmin is we hope working on a fix and there is a workaround for this). Check the forums...they have a few issues...its normal for start up on a new unit. We hope that fixes will be implemented for these problems, and they will come out in soon. Garmin has been good at responding tho not fast enough for some of us. Its to bad beta testing did not bring out more of the problems before launch. But if you look here http://www.gpsinformation.org/allory/new.htm you will see they have been busy of late with updating. I think the unit has lots of potential and I hope they will listen as they have in the past and address the concerns, one of the latest is panning and having the unit go from track up to north up...minor in some respects...but if I'm using track up I would want the unit to pan that way (say if I'm facing south) not having the unit switch to north up and have to change my orientation to figure out where I want to go, its doable but WHY? Personal preference I guess but it seams strange to have to change your orientation when you set the unit for track up and then have to switch thinking to north up, each to his own though. Id want the option to Keep it the way I have it set NOT change as this takes time for the unit to do and then change back. Enjoy..Garmin could have a real winner here if they address the problems and can correct them.
  21. Manatee I could not agree more on the street names...when I make a service call I know the general area and don't need to use autorouting to get somewhere (it takes time to enter esp with the rock and roller set up). I can just set the zoom on 800 feet or so and see the street names come up. A map without street names is nothing more than a bunch of lines that tell me little. I wonder who's bright idea it was to not allow them to be listed. To be able to shut them off would be fine but no names, no sale on this unit for me! Bob
  22. Looks like the extra time its taking to fill my order may give me a chance to cancel my order. I am used to startup problems with units but there are a few issues that may not be fixed, either because they can't with firmware or not enough incentive on Garmin's part to do so (as in not enough complaints to warrant a fix). The lack of street names, if not fixed on CN is a deal breaker. I plan to use this unit like my old 76S for some road trips, along with geocaching. I already would like to kill the 3d effect on the road screen. I would rather have just the streets show as on a standard map (like the 60 or 76 series). The screen brightness may be another unfixable problem. The lack of being able to average a point for geocaching is just not acceptable. If fixes are in the works, I will let the order stand but if not I will just cancel my order. I may try calling Garmin and see if I can get a little light shed on some of the problems. The unit has potential but...I have quite a list of concerns so far. If I was not headed out on a trip next month I would just wait it out till late May to order. Thanks again to all for your posts. I hope Garmin will be able to make this into a good unit...no unit will be perfect for all of us. Bob
  23. Thanks apersson for all your info on the new Colorado. I would be looking for a firmware fix to turn off the compass also. For one I don't use it geocaching with my 76s most of the time, it just uses battery power and as long as I'm moving the unit keeps its orientation just fine. If I need it I can turn it on with the 76 series or use a pocket compass. Also StarBrand thanks for pointing out a potential problem with the SDHC card. If that card was not filled beyond 2GB it might work and then fail if it had over 2GB on it. If rwsmith could let us know how full the card was and what brand and rating 2,4,6 the SDHC was it might shed a bit more light on this subject but it is only one ck at this point. If anyone else has a SDHC card that they can ck with it would help. But at this point I would go with the garmin tech for now. My 300 is on order but I dont have a SCHC card to ck it with just a 2GB card. I will order one later when there is enough accurate info. Again thanks all for your info.
  24. YBLee I noticed a few others in the forums have ordered from OFFROUTE (I have not yet) and I did not see any complaints. So I was looking for the best price on the colorado 300 & Map Source NT 2008 DVD. The difference was only 25.00 so not that big of a deal...and it looks like they will match the price at GPS City anyway. I intend to add the road kit (power cord and mount) and GPS City was less on that. I use the GPS for road navagation and Geocaching also but will buy a road unit when the Nuvi 5000 gets a bit less expensive or just buy the new Nuvi 260W. Others complain about using a hand held on the road...ya its not ideal...a larger screen is better and voice is a big +. But I used my 76S for doing service calls for quite a while and it works just fine but no autorouting on that unit. I have a RAM suction mount in the left corner of the windshield and thats just about eye height on the Astro and the 76 blocks very little view as the pillar is right there anyway so it worked for me. GPS City expects the 300 on the 16th...we will see. I plan to order when they are in stock, I just would like to have a new unit before my trip to Florida. I would wait till the 400t is out but that may be playing things to close (Feb 13th or so + shipping) the topo's are nice but I can always order them if I really find I cant live with out them, tho the 400 sounds like it may have extra memory for the topo's. I plan to leave for down south the 27th. Good Hunting!!
  25. YBLee you might ck as GPS City shows the Colorado as a PREORDER...as in not in stock. Same thing at OFFROUTE and its a better price there...I may have to settle for the 300 as that is available soon at OFFROUTE (on or before Jan. 19th) The 400t is (on or before Feb 13). Id like to pick one up before I head to Florida for some warm weather and caching. Looks like either will do better than my old 76S.
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