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Garmin Colorado FAQ and Issues List


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I haven't read every post in this thread to see if someone has mentioned the idea of having an alternative character entry option other than the current Rock&Roll function of having to spin the wheel back and forth? Would it be a simple software modification to have a screen with all the characters laid out like the Etrex Lengend CX where you would simply use the CO R&R to move around the screen and select the desired character by pushing the center button? I find the ring around the center button easy to use when panning across the screen and cannot see why it would not be possible.

 

That would be a GREAT feature!

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Reproducible Bug Report:

 

View a cache, view the description then view the hints. Now, mark the cache Not Found and view another cache. Go back to view the Not Found cache, view logs and now View Hints is no longer an option.

 

I tried changing the cache to Not Attempted, etc., but the hint never came back.

 

Edit: Using 2.51 Beta

 

This does seem to be a bug. I was able to reproduce it this morning. Reboot doesn't seem to fix the issue, I'm guessing that renaming the gpx file would solve the problem but that doesn't help much in the field. Your only option in the field might be a master reset if you really need a hint.

 

I'm pretty sure that the hint came back when you marked the cache as unattempted in previous releases, this must have been introduced in 2.4 or 2.51.

 

I'll update the Issues List and mention to Garmin the next time I call Tech Support.

 

GO$Rs

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Same thing on mine. But why would you need to reread the hint after you found it? where do you put in the field notes at? I can not seem to figure out where to put those in at? I can not seem to find that on mine.

 

The issue arises if you mistakenly mark a cache as found and then mark the cache as unattempted. You've now lost the hint. It could also happen during a multi cache if you mark the cache as found when you find the first stage.

 

Field notes are created when you "Log attempt" on a cache. The CO puts a single line entry in [drive]:\Garmin\geocache_visits.txt containing the GCID, timestamp and type of note (ie. found, DNF).

 

GO$Rs

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Same thing on mine. But why would you need to reread the hint after you found it? where do you put in the field notes at? I can not seem to figure out where to put those in at? I can not seem to find that on mine.

 

In my example this happens when marking it as a DNF and then I went back later to try again and could not see the hint.

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The other day while navigating to a cache in geocaching mode the map screen shifted to "North Up" mode. I always have it on "Track Up" mode and I had to go to the map setup to change it back. To be clear I was not using the "Go To Location" option. I used Shortcuts, Geocaching, selected a cache, and started to follow the arrow on the map screen.

 

I'm curious, is there a certain button or button combination that I inadvertantly pushed that caused this to happen? Or is this a bug? I see a similar kind of issue in the "FAQ/Issues list but not this specifically.

 

Thanks.

 

Colorado 300, Firmware Version 2.4

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I've been searching through the forums for any word of the problem I have been having and I cannot find anything so I will mention it here.

 

I just got my Colorado 400t 2 weeks ago and have been out twice with it and it has done this both times. It seems that I can only get about 2 hours of use out of a fresh set of batteries and the darn thing keeps shutting off all by itself without any warning at all.

 

I've updated all the software to the latest/greatest. Is this a bug, or do I have a bad unit?

Hi, Regarding the shut down issues. Both of my 300's have done the same thing. In a chat with Tech. Support we downloaded Beta 2.51 and it seems to have solved the unscheduled shut down issue. Battery life is yet another and constant headache.

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I know this has been mentioned somewhere, but I can't find it. Is there any way to make the CO show time to the second so that it doubles as an atomic clock for setting other timepieces?

 

On the odometer page you can select Time of Day (including seconds) to be one of the larger data fields at the bottom.

 

GO$Rs

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The other day while navigating to a cache in geocaching mode the map screen shifted to "North Up" mode. I always have it on "Track Up" mode and I had to go to the map setup to change it back. To be clear I was not using the "Go To Location" option. I used Shortcuts, Geocaching, selected a cache, and started to follow the arrow on the map screen.

 

I'm curious, is there a certain button or button combination that I inadvertantly pushed that caused this to happen? Or is this a bug? I see a similar kind of issue in the "FAQ/Issues list but not this specifically.

 

Thanks.

 

Colorado 300, Firmware Version 2.4

 

I haven't heard of this particular one but given the number bugs in this area it doesn't surprise me. If you can reproduce it post the steps to get there.

 

GO$Rs

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Since I got my RAM mount and remembered where I left the automotive power cord, I decided to try them out on the way home from work.

 

If I recall correctly, with the 2.4 firmware you had to go into the display settings and tell it to leave the backlight on to have a constant display with the automotive power cable. With the 2.51 firmware, when you power the unit on, the backlight stays on no matter what the previous setting.

 

If they would just make the brightness setting stay set between power-ups, all would be good.

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I put a fresh set of eneloops in and have had my 300 sitting for 2.5 hours and I am down to 2 bars. Last night I recharged some 2500 Energizers and went caching this morning, and after an hour my battery meter was at half. Do I have a faulty unit? This was first time I had this replacement unit on battery power for an extended time period. My last unit seemed to perform better....and yes I have the battery type set.

 

Thanks!

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I put a fresh set of eneloops in and have had my 300 sitting for 2.5 hours and I am down to 2 bars. Last night I recharged some 2500 Energizers and went caching this morning, and after an hour my battery meter was at half. Do I have a faulty unit? This was first time I had this replacement unit on battery power for an extended time period. My last unit seemed to perform better....and yes I have the battery type set.

 

Thanks!

 

Do you have the compass/WAAS turned off? Assuming you have the same settings as your previous unit and you are using the same batteries I would say return it. Most people seem to get 8-10hr on a 2500mAh batteries.

 

GO$Rs

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I put a fresh set of eneloops in and have had my 300 sitting for 2.5 hours and I am down to 2 bars. Last night I recharged some 2500 Energizers and went caching this morning, and after an hour my battery meter was at half. Do I have a faulty unit? This was first time I had this replacement unit on battery power for an extended time period. My last unit seemed to perform better....and yes I have the battery type set.

Thanks!

I'm wondering if you've perused any of the battery topics that have been bobbing to the surface during the

last 4 mo.? Half, if not more of the battery issues have been solved by dumping the 'half fast' quick

chargers in the recycling and investing in either the Maha, or LaCrosse chargers from :

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/charger...-c-147_468.html

What ever that new yellow one is, it doesn't look all that promising, the aforementioned two are

"Tried and True"!

 

Norm

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I put a fresh set of eneloops in and have had my 300 sitting for 2.5 hours and I am down to 2 bars. Last night I recharged some 2500 Energizers and went caching this morning, and after an hour my battery meter was at half. Do I have a faulty unit? This was first time I had this replacement unit on battery power for an extended time period. My last unit seemed to perform better....and yes I have the battery type set.

 

Thanks!

 

Do you have the compass/WAAS turned off? Assuming you have the same settings as your previous unit and you are using the same batteries I would say return it. Most people seem to get 8-10hr on a 2500mAh batteries.

 

GO$Rs

 

Perhaps I spoke too soon....the batteries lasted about 8.5 hours. The compass was off most of the time and WASS was off all of the time, but I did use CN some driving around. Those two bars I mentioned earler were present for quite some time. I am running my little test again. I am at 1.5 hours and have only lost 1 bar. I am not sure how to measure the voltage or I would.

And yes, I have been reading the many posts, but the Groundspeak search function leaves something to be desired.

If most people are seeing 8-10 hours, then I suppose I am OK. I thought Eneloop was a good brand. They were only 2000 mah batteries. I might just be being paranoid because of all the aforementioned posts..... :blink:

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If most people are seeing 8-10 hours, then I suppose I am OK. I thought Eneloop was a good brand. They were only 2000 mah batteries. I might just be being paranoid because of all the aforementioned posts..... :blink:

 

Evshro & son,

 

I think 2000 mAh is currently about the limit for low-self-discharge NiMH type batteries. I believe the ones that have 2500 or 2700 capacity are the normal NiMH batteries (self-discharge in about a month or so...). Personally, I prefer being able to leave my devices laying around for a while with the batteries in them without having to worry that the batteries went dead or lost a significant amount of their life, even though the downside is that you don't get quite the starting capacity after a full charge.

 

George

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Ev&s :

Please also realize that new batteries don't function to full potential till they've had a fairly

substantial number of cycles on them, regular NIMH, not the low discharge need 8 or more.

I'm not sure about the new low discharge (like the Enloops) but they may have similar

properties. One of the nice features of the Maha 9000 is it can be set up to cycle through

up to 12 charge/discharge events and give a running tally of discharge capacity.

But man it takes nearly a week to go through the process from break-in to 12 cycles per set

of four batteries. That is if you keep the charge/discharge rates down so you don't fry 'em.

 

Norm

Edited by RRLover
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But man it takes nearly a week to go through the process from break-in to 12 cycles per set

of four batteries. That is if you keep the charge/discharge rates down so you don't fry 'em.

 

Norm

For something like this, you would need at least two of the high quality charging units, like the Maha, or the Lacrosse.

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Well, here I am about 12 hours later with one tiny red bar left. I was using the 2500 Energizer batteries that I have had for about a year and have been used often. Thanks for the all the tips. Perhaps I will run out and get a new charger. I currently use the one that came w/ my energizer batteries that charges in 15 minutes, but also continues to charge after the 15 min. if you leave them in.

Also, I am not sure how to turn the compass off.....I just assumed if there was no arrow it was off, but the screen was active while I was walking around with it, so I am guessing it was on the whole time as well.

Like I said, I think I was being paranoid now.

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Okay I started looking through this thread but it is a bit long so if this has already been asked sorry.

Is there a setting that will keep the Colorado ON after disconnecting it from the PC?

 

The CO always powers off after disconnect from a PC if it is in USB storage mode (ie. to transfer waypoints, tracks, etc).

 

If the CO is connected to the PC in "Spanner" mode you will have the option to leave the CO powered on.

 

GO$Rs

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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I was changing time zones and noticed when you change time zones it only changes for the profile you are in. So if you go to another time zone, you have to change the time zone in each profile. It should only have to be changed in one.

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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I was changing time zones and noticed when you change time zones it only changes for the profile you are in. So if you go to another time zone, you have to change the time zone in each profile. It should only have to be changed in one.

Don't really agree with that. There are those of us who cross time zones with some regularity. Its nice to have a profile that is setup for the home time zone and one for the away time zone. For me its a feature, not a bug.

 

JD

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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I was changing time zones and noticed when you change time zones it only changes for the profile you are in. So if you go to another time zone, you have to change the time zone in each profile. It should only have to be changed in one.

Don't really agree with that. There are those of us who cross time zones with some regularity. Its nice to have a profile that is setup for the home time zone and one for the away time zone. For me its a feature, not a bug.

 

JD

 

I would think that would be a very small percentage of the users. Iwould think the vast majority of the users would not want to have to go through and change multiple profiles everytime you cross a time zone.

 

I guess what would be the best solution would be to allow you to select which items are sticky with the profile and which one is changed universial.

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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I was changing time zones and noticed when you change time zones it only changes for the profile you are in. So if you go to another time zone, you have to change the time zone in each profile. It should only have to be changed in one.

Don't really agree with that. There are those of us who cross time zones with some regularity. Its nice to have a profile that is setup for the home time zone and one for the away time zone. For me its a feature, not a bug.

 

JD

 

I would think that would be a very small percentage of the users. Iwould think the vast majority of the users would not want to have to go through and change multiple profiles everytime you cross a time zone.

 

I guess what would be the best solution would be to allow you to select which items are sticky with the profile and which one is changed universial.

 

There are some options that are global that shouldn't be such as which maps are selected, the compass mode (off or auto), and probably some others. In my opinion there shouldn't be any options that are global, they should all be able to be set independently for each profile. However for some options such as battery type, language, time zone and maybe some others it would be nice to have a popup that asks if you want to make the change for all profiles or just the active profile.

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I think 2000 mAh is currently about the limit for low-self-discharge NiMH type batteries.

I haven't done any testing on them, but I did pick up some 2100 mAh low-self-discharge batteries at Frys the other day. They seem to be performing as well as the eneloops. I think the brand is Hybrio.

 

--Marky

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There are some options that are global that shouldn't be such as which maps are selected, the compass mode (off or auto), and probably some others. In my opinion there shouldn't be any options that are global, they should all be able to be set independently for each profile. However for some options such as battery type, language, time zone and maybe some others it would be nice to have a popup that asks if you want to make the change for all profiles or just the active profile.

That sounds like a good idea. I think the idea behind profiles is so you can have different settings for different activities and geographical areas so a lot of things shouldn 't be global, but yes, I agree, there are some that should be and others that should give you the option of global activation or not.

 

JD

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Thomas Distributing.

 

I would recommend 2700mAh PowerEx (Maha) batteries.

 

BTW, I think this whole business of Garmin telling people that their Colorado won't work unless you have high capacity NiMH batteries is bogus. Where does it say that in any of their specs?

 

Either Garmin needs to let people know that this as part of the product specification (so they know they'll have to spend an additional $40-$50 on batteries and a good charger), fix the problem in software if possible or replace the units if they are defective.

 

GO$Rs

 

Yes, this is true. So far I have expended about 100 Dollars on batteries, charger, etc. I re-read 10 times the specs, and I could not find anything talking about that: Need to expend extra money on batteries!'

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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I was changing time zones and noticed when you change time zones it only changes for the profile you are in. So if you go to another time zone, you have to change the time zone in each profile. It should only have to be changed in one.

Don't really agree with that. There are those of us who cross time zones with some regularity. Its nice to have a profile that is setup for the home time zone and one for the away time zone. For me its a feature, not a bug.

 

JD

 

I would like the unit to be on the same time zone and as you cross into a new time zone it should POP-UP and as if you want to update your TIME ZONE to the current ZONE!!!!

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I've been playing with my new Colorado 400t for the last week and I just love it. The manual is useless and I have been trying for the last week to get into the FAQ and issues here in this thread.

 

All I get is an error page. Is there another way to get to that file? Do I have to register with Wikispaces to access it?

 

While I'm here asking questions, is there a way to delete a cache or to "reset" found caches so they show on my list again?

 

Thanks everyone!

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Wonder if you could use one of those old suction cup phone pickup devices and a small amplifier to boost the sound level in the car?

 

I dont think this will work as those need a standard magnetic driven speaker and the Colorado uses a pizeo speaker which will not registed on the pickup coil.

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Another new feature I'd like to see added to the Colorado would be a low-power logging mode.

 

For example, often when I'm hiking on a marked path I don't actually need to use the GPS, but I still like to keep it on to log my route - mostly just for geeky interest (geotagging, google earth, etc...). But the Colorado goes through batteries much faster than my old 60CS.

 

I'd love a function that would shut off the screen and put the Colorado into a battery-saver mode, where it does nothing other than simply log everything into the tracks file.

 

Any chance of adding this to the feature request list on the faq?

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I'd love a function that would shut off the screen and put the Colorado into a battery-saver mode, where it does nothing other than simply log everything into the tracks file.

 

Any chance of adding this to the feature request list on the faq?

 

This is something every handheld should have, but I've never seen it.

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I have so many questions about my Colorado 400t and I'm sure the information on garmincolorado.wikispaces.com will answer them all...

 

I just can't get into it. I have been trying for three weeks now and am about to go crazy. The message I receive is " Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage".

 

I've tried clicking the link in this forum, typing the address manually, trying wikispaces.com to attempt to search for Garmin (I got to the main wikispaces pages a couple of times - out of probably 200 attempts), I've tried late at night, early in the morning, repeatedly, I've said nice things to wikispaces and I've said some bad things. It just doesn't like me.

 

I'm running XP with IE and don't seem to have a problem getting any other websites.

 

I also added wikispaces.com to my allow list in internet tools.

 

Suggestions anyone? I love my Colorado but Garmin's manual is terrible!

 

Thanks!

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