Garmin Colorado FAQ and Issues List

[+ly2big]

Go out and buy a Triton. You'll be happy with your Colorado after that

Never ever had I a Magellan.

Give me one for 10% of its retail price, and you will hear my LOUD "thanks, NO!"

Edited February 4, 2008 by ly2big

[+Marky]

Final note:

I can't remember any other case in my life, when a new product has caused so much dissapointment

That's almost the opposite from me. I can't remember when a new handheld GPS has caused so much excitement for me. It has me out caching again, after not having cached much in the past few months (average was down to around 1 or 2 caches a month). Of course, like I've mentioned elsewhere, I haven't had any of the battery issues others have had, and haven't had any of the losing time issues. I guess I got one of the good units. I'll be the first to say that the GPS doesn't do everything I want it to do right now, but I've seen every concern I've had acknowledged by Garmin and feel confident that these will be addressed eventually. For now, I have a work around for every thing I want to do with the GPS and am just out having fun with it.

 

After playing with the demo units at this past weekend's Garmin/Groundspeak event, I am looking forward to the next upgrade because there are some good performance improvements made with respect to startup times and geocache load times.

 

Heck, I like the unit so much, I even bought a second one for my wife.

 

--Marky

[+Timpat]

Marky, I feel a lot the way you do. Can I ask one question? What is your impression of the various screens for brightness and readability, wthout any backlighting? I find I need some degree of backlighting in most outdoor conditions, other than bright sunshine (and in the NE, I haven't had many sunny days), especially on my map screen viewing Topo 2008. Maybe I have some incorrect setting. I even created a pure white background .jpg and put it in my Profiles folder to display thinking it would lighten things up. It does for some screens but not with Topo or City Select mapping. With backlighting all is great!

[+Marky]

Heh, here in California, when I'm out caching it's almost always in bright sunlight so I've been able to go without the backlighting on all my daytime caching experiences so far. Since my GPS doesn't suffer from poor NiMH performance that affects some units, I'm not afraid to use full backlighting if I need it.

 

--Marky

[+Geo Fan]

 

I am going to move my location to see if the list of caches changes depending upon where you are located.

 

Running Software v2.3/GPS Software v2.6.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case. I know WRT to waypoints this is how the 60cs(x) works, and I've verified that the Colorado works the same way for waypoints (but not geocaches). There's some limit on the number of waypoints placed in the nearest waypoints list based on number or distance. The only way to see all waypoints is to search by name. The problem on the Colorado is you have to input one letter to start that search, which makes it impossible to see all waypoints without filtering (unless you know that it is a character not used in any waypoint name).

 

What worried me was an earlier post which indicated it wasn't just the geocaches furthest from the current location that were missing. That would be bug.

 

GO$Rs

 

Aprroximately 25 miles away from Home Coords, and rechecked Cache List. Again, 244 caches showed up in the list. So changing locations seemed to have no affect on number of caches viewable in the list.

[ohoi]

The Topo Pro maps in Norway are divided and sold in 20 maps:

 

Topo Pro cd 1 - Stavanger

Topo Pro cd 2 - Kristiandsand

-

-

Topo Pro cd 20 ....

 

When I download 9 or more norwegian topo pro maps to my Colorado 300 (sd card) the GPS perfoms a auto shutoff when I select Map/Options/Select Map.

 

Other experiance exact the same problem. For those who understand norwegian see:

http://www.gps.no/mbbs2/forums/thread-view...004&posts=3

 

It seems to be a limit in numbers of maps that the GPS can handle. After what I can see this a serious matter in the firmware. I have used the latest firmware and different kinds of 2 gb SD cards.

[+g-o-cashers]

Thanks I added it to the issues list.

[+GO CACHN]

Heh, here in California, when I'm out caching it's almost always in bright sunlight so I've been able to go without the backlighting on all my daytime caching experiences so far. Since my GPS doesn't suffer from poor NiMH performance that affects some units, I'm not afraid to use full backlighting if I need it.

 

--Marky

Hey Marky it was a great event in San Jose. I was very impressed with the new Colorado. I had to buy one. love all the fetures in one unit.

[+ly2big]

 

Heck, I like the unit so much, I even bought a second one for my wife.

--Marky

 

Good for you ! Glad you like your new gadget.

 

I am curious - what GPS model you have used before, Marky ???

 

Maybe I'm to spoiled by my trusty GPSMAP60CSx.

But I deeply believe that Colorado has long way to go to reach the convenience, flexibility, screen readability and battery life of 60CSx.

 

Just removing the battery compartment lid - is a pain in the neck. And specially if would have to do it every 1.5 hours.....

 

IMHO, that thing alone, in combination with a incredibly short battery life, will be a deal-breaker for many.

Edited February 4, 2008 by ly2big

[+GO CACHN]

myself I was using the Garmin Vista (not color) before so this is a whole new world for me.

[+nicolo]

...

Final note:

I can't remember any other case in my life, when a new product has caused so much dissapointment

...

Based on pics of you in your profile gallery I think that I can ask this question in response : "What, you never bought an 8-track tape?!!!"

 

Edited February 4, 2008 by nicolo

[+Marky]

I am curious - what GPS model you have used before, Marky ???

I've been a Magellan user up until this point. My latest was an eXplorist 600 for the last couple of years.

Just removing the battery compartment lid - is a pain in the neck. And specially if would have to do it every 1.5 hours.....

 

IMHO, that thing alone, in combination with a incredibly short battery life, will be a deal-breaker for many.

Incredibly short battery life? I use Eneloop 2000mAh batteries and I get around 8 hours on full backlighting, which means when I use my default setting of turning off the backlight after 30 seconds I get much longer. Is that "incredibly short" to you? I think that any units that aren't getting this kind of performance should be returned, because I think something is wrong with them.

[dopoka]

I only use Lithium batteries for snowshoeing and mountaineering because I am usually operating at 0-25F. My first set of Energizer Lithiums lasted 27 hours mostly operating in the teens. This is slightly better than my 60CSX battery performance.

[+Red90]

Maybe I'm to spoiled by my trusty GPSMAP60CSx.

But I deeply believe that Colorado has long way to go to reach the convenience, flexibility, screen readability and battery life of 60CSx.

 

Just removing the battery compartment lid - is a pain in the neck. And specially if would have to do it every 1.5 hours.....

 

IMHO, that thing alone, in combination with a incredibly short battery life, will be a deal-breaker for many.

 

???? The screen is a thousand times better than a 60csx. Removing the battery is simple.

 

Some people don't like change.

[tgfoyl1472]

Maybe I'm to spoiled by my trusty GPSMAP60CSx.

But I deeply believe that Colorado has long way to go to reach the convenience, flexibility, screen readability and battery life of 60CSx.

 

Just removing the battery compartment lid - is a pain in the neck. And specially if would have to do it every 1.5 hours.....

 

IMHO, that thing alone, in combination with a incredibly short battery life, will be a deal-breaker for many.

 

???? The screen is a thousand times better than a 60csx. Removing the battery is simple.

 

Some people don't like change.

 

Hi, when you say the screen is better I assume you are referring to the resolution, right? I do know the resolution is better but apparently it is harder to see without the backlight on. If that's true then the 60csx does have an advantage. I have a 60csx but I want to upgrade to the Colorado. However, if I am going to have to keep the backlight on at all times with the exception of sunny days (I live in Seattle so definitely I will be using the backlight quite a bit) is going to cost me a fortune in batteries

[+nicolo]

Maybe I'm to spoiled by my trusty GPSMAP60CSx.

But I deeply believe that Colorado has long way to go to reach the convenience, flexibility, screen readability and battery life of 60CSx.

 

Just removing the battery compartment lid - is a pain in the neck. And specially if would have to do it every 1.5 hours.....

 

IMHO, that thing alone, in combination with a incredibly short battery life, will be a deal-breaker for many.

 

???? The screen is a thousand times better than a 60csx. Removing the battery is simple.

 

Some people don't like change.

 

Hi, when you say the screen is better I assume you are referring to the resolution, right? I do know the resolution is better but apparently it is harder to see without the backlight on. If that's true then the 60csx does have an advantage. I have a 60csx but I want to upgrade to the Colorado. However, if I am going to have to keep the backlight on at all times with the exception of sunny days (I live in Seattle so definitely I will be using the backlight quite a bit) is going to cost me a fortune in batteries

Pssst ... use rechargeables!

Edited February 5, 2008 by nicolo

[+apersson850]

I've been out once now, with the Colorado and the 60 CSx at the same time, one in each hand.

There was some sunlight that day, so I never had any backlight on. I could determine that from some angles, the displays looked similar on both units. When there was any difference, the 60 CSx was better. But the map rendering (Friluftskartan) is better on the Colorado, so the net result was that the map screen was easier to read on the Colorado than on the 60 CSx. Other screens, like trip computer, were easier to read on the 60 CSx, since there is no rendering advantage for the Colorado in these cases. On the contrary, rather, with the old-fashioned 7-segment-like font the Colorado shares with units like the Zumo and the StreetPilot c550.

 

None of the units could beat the readability of the monochrome Forerunner 301 on the data screens. But that one doesn't have any map, of course.

 

When backlight improves the situation, it's often not required to use full power, so you can save some juice there.

[+Red90]

Hi, when you say the screen is better I assume you are referring to the resolution, right? I do know the resolution is better but apparently it is harder to see without the backlight on. If that's true then the 60csx does have an advantage. I have a 60csx but I want to upgrade to the Colorado. However, if I am going to have to keep the backlight on at all times with the exception of sunny days (I live in Seattle so definitely I will be using the backlight quite a bit) is going to cost me a fortune in batteries

 

No, it is much better all around. Much nicer to read and look at. Much brighter backlight.

 

I use the backlight on with 60cx all the time as well. It does not affect battery life much as it only comes on for a brief period after pushing a button.

[+g-o-cashers]

 

No, it is much better all around. Much nicer to read and look at. Much brighter backlight.

 

I use the backlight on with 60cx all the time as well. It does not affect battery life much as it only comes on for a brief period after pushing a button.

 

I would agree that with backlight up full the CO is much better than my 60cs. But under most other conditions, particularly bright sun I find that the CO is very sensitive to reflections and the direction at which I view the screen. Backlight doesn't help any under bright sun and I find that the reduced reflectivity at certain angles makes it very hard to read unless I'm holding it just right.

 

Here's an interesting footnote. Both my 9 and 11 year old have used my 60cs quite a bit. When they both looked at the Colorado (independently) for the first time they both said, "Why is this so dim?". I never asked and that was their very first impression (as was mine). I took my 60cs out this past weekend and after getting used to the CO over the past few weeks I was amazed at how bright the 60cs screen is.

 

I keep hoping that Garmin comes up with something here (like a brightness control at the expense of battery life), light colored backgrounds, or maybe a glare reducing screen protector, but it will be a compromise -- better resolution at the expense of brightness under certain conditions.

 

This thread has sort of been lost, but it had some good discussion about screen brightness on the CO vs. 60cs(x).

 

GO$Rs

[+Marky]

I keep hoping that Garmin comes up with something here (like a brightness control at the expense of battery life), light colored backgrounds, or maybe a glare reducing screen protector, but it will be a compromise -- better resolution at the expense of brightness under certain conditions.

I think the last sentence says it all. I don't think there's a whole lot that can be done in firmware to make the screen more readable (or at least, not a whole lot). It's just one of those tradeoffs. Maybe because I never had a 60CSx, I don't have it to compare against, and I'm pretty happy with the Colorado screen resolution and readability.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

The air temperature does go below 50° as evidenced in this screenshot:

 

 

This was taken with the cover off sitting in a dry spot on my deck. The cover was off to make sure the electronics in the unit were not elevating the temperature. I tried the same test later in the day with the cover on and this is the result:

 

 

It looks like the thermometer works after all, although it does take quite some time for the unit to register the actual temperature.

[+g-o-cashers]

It must vary by unit because I've had mine outside in sub 20F weather for hours and it has never registered below 50F.

 

What are other people seeing? Maybe I just have a bad thermometer.

 

GO$Rs

[+BiT]

Indoor temp: 75 CO: 73 (setting on desktop for 20 hours)

Outdoor temp: 38 CO: 39 (setting outside for 40 minutes)

 

Where is the sensor on the CO?

 

Also, does anybody have a better teather option for the CO than the carabiner while being held in your hand? I cannot bend the strap back enough to wrap the carabiner around my fingers. Plus the darn thing is a SOB to get on and off of the back of the CO. I like having the added security of have the CO teathered to my hand or wrist while running, going over rugged terrain, or over water (since it doesn't float).

[+g-o-cashers]

Thanks, that's a good sign. I'll have to do some more testing with the thermometer.

 

As for your question what I did was steal the lanyard from my 60cs, put it through the slot on the biner clip and removed the biner (although you could leave it on). Here's a picture of how it is attached:

 

 

In order to get the biner clip on and off a little easier I but some vasoline on the rails where it slides onto the back of the CO.

 

GO$Rs

[+BiT]

Dare, I didn't keep the lanyard. I'll check at my local big box stores.

[+ryan3295]

Anybody else notice how bright the backlight goes when first connected to your computer?

[GarminRules]

Hello, the FAQ is very helpful, but I have some questions that I cannot find addressed. I am interested in the Colorado for hiking, not for GO$'ing. Most of my questions pertain to the 3D view which is not often discussed.

 

I am assuming that the DEM data is part of the built in base map. From the FAQ:

 

300 - coarse grained DEM data

400t - medium grained DEM data

 

When you say course/medium DEM data, what is the actual resolution as in distance in meters between elevation data points? (10m is typically considered high resolution)

 

Would taking a 300 and installing Topo 2008 load in the medium grained DEM data?

 

Does the DEM data allow ANY maps (including home-made) to be shown in 3D View with shaded relief?

 

Can the 3D view be zoomed, panned, rotated, and/or tilted?

 

Can 3D view be used during navigation (Does the 3D view show your position and active route and refresh on-screen as the GPS is moving)?

[+myotis]

Sorry if this has been answered already. I checked the FAQ page and it is not addressed.

 

How does the Colorado handle transparent custom maps like the ones at http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/

 

I've made all kinds of these and I want to get a Colorado after some more of the issues are fixed, but not if it won't handle the maps.

 

What I would like to do is load city navigator on a card, and then load my transparent topo and trail maps into internal memory. Will I then be able to turn off the built in topos, see City Navigator with the transparent topo and trail maps?

 

I regularly update my maps. So it would be much easier to be able to have the custom maps in internal memory and City Navigator on the card. Then I only have to reload the custom maps.

 

In the 60CSX, when I have my topo and trail maps loaded, screen draw is significantly slower when I scrolling. How does the Colorado do on screen draw?

 

Also how do the symbols show up? Many things like springs, just show up as a dot on the 60CSX, how do they show on the Colorado?

 

I've also heard that you don't get shading with the custom maps. Is that correct? If so, has anyone heard anything about the ability of adding the DEM data to the custom maps?

 

Thanks all.

[+g-o-cashers]

I am assuming that the DEM data is part of the built in base map. From the FAQ:

 

300 - coarse grained DEM data

400t - medium grained DEM data

 

When you say course/medium DEM data, what is the actual resolution as in distance in meters between elevation data points? (10m is typically considered high resolution)

 

 

I think we are still trying to understand exactly how this works but here's how I understand it so far.

 

300 - medium grained DEM data worldwide

400t - course grained DEM worldwide, medium grained DEM for Americas, fine grained DEM for US

 

I don't know what the resolution is for these is, just a relative comparison.

 

Would taking a 300 and installing Topo 2008 load in the medium grained DEM data?

 

You would get the fine grained DEM included in Topo2008 (same as the 400t)

 

Does the DEM data allow ANY maps (including home-made) to be shown in 3D View with shaded relief?

 

Any is a strong term but people have claimed, for example, that when City Nav is loaded that the DEM is used to provide shaded relief on these maps. I believe people have also tested successfully with home grown map data and the shading works if you have the underlying map layer with DEM turned on.

 

Can the 3D view be zoomed, panned, rotated, and/or tilted?

 

Rotating the rock 'n roller seems to elevate+zoom away and lower+zoom in the perspective relative to your location on the ground. Pressing left and right rotates around your location and pressing up and down moves the perspective forward and backward relative to your current location.

 

Can 3D view be used during navigation (Does the 3D view show your position and active route and refresh on-screen as the GPS is moving)?

 

Yes, it updates dynamically. The only thing you can see on the map is your position and the pink goto line (ie. no tracks, waypoints, POIs, etc). I don't have City Nav in so I'm not sure if you see the active route but I'm guessing you would if you can see the goto line with the Topos.

 

GO$Rs

[rwsmith123]

The basemap for the 400t is in two parts:

Worldwide map that contains borders of countries and some large cities, also contains some DEM.

Americas basemap with major highways and interstates, also contains DEM info.

 

The basemap for the 300 is probably in 4 parts:

Worldwide map that contains borders of countries and some large cities, also contains some DEM.

Americas, Pacific, and Atlantic basemaps with major highways and interstates and DEM.

 

The 400t contains US Topo 2008 which contains detailed street maps and DEM.

 

The unit will use the most detailed info it can when there is multiple data for the same area (when zoomed in all the way). So a US model 400t used in europe with no additional maps loaded would show no streets, not even highways, and an extremely course DEM.

 

I don't know what the distance is between elevation points in the DEM data but this will give some insight:

The total size of the worldwide map is 88k (yes, k as in kilo), the approx size of the DEM data it contains is 19k.

The total size of the americas basemap is 47Meg, approx size of the DEM data it contains is 14Meg.

The total size of US Topo 2008 is 2.7Gig, approx size of the DEM data it contains is 1.6Gig.

[+Vaucluse]

The basemap for the 300 is probably in 4 parts:

Worldwide map that contains borders of countries and some large cities, also contains some DEM.

Americas, Pacific, and Atlantic basemaps with major highways and interstates and DEM.

 

I think there is no difference in the basemap of the receivers. I'm using a american version of Colorado 300 here in Germany, Europe and the basemap shows all highways, some important streets and towns. The DEM Map shows a very beautyful and detailed view of the topographic situatuion.

 

As far as I could compare it with european Colorado's (only via Screenshots) there is absolutely no difference in the basemap between european and american C.

 

I think the differences are only to find in different packages and printed manuals (only quick start). This concerns only the 300er Versions. The 400t makes no sense in Europe (only exception: Planning trips to US for walking and shopping)

[rwsmith123]

The basemap for the 300 is probably in 4 parts:

Worldwide map that contains borders of countries and some large cities, also contains some DEM.

Americas, Pacific, and Atlantic basemaps with major highways and interstates and DEM.

 

I think there is no difference in the basemap of the receivers. I'm using a american version of Colorado 300 here in Germany, Europe and the basemap shows all highways, some important streets and towns. The DEM Map shows a very beautyful and detailed view of the topographic situatuion.

 

As far as I could compare it with european Colorado's (only via Screenshots) there is absolutely no difference in the basemap between european and american C.

 

I think the differences are only to find in different packages and printed manuals (only quick start). This concerns only the 300er Versions. The 400t makes no sense in Europe (only exception: Planning trips to US for walking and shopping)

 

My point was that there is a difference in the basemap between the 300 and 400t.

[+g-o-cashers]

Sorry if this has been answered already. I checked the FAQ page and it is not addressed.

 

How does the Colorado handle transparent custom maps like the ones at http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/

 

 

If you pick one I'll give it a try. I happened to be using a Belize base map from mapcenter and it doesn't seem to be transparent but I thought I had seen other examples on the forum of this working.

 

GO$Rs

[+myotis]

Sorry if this has been answered already. I checked the FAQ page and it is not addressed.

 

How does the Colorado handle transparent custom maps like the ones at http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/

 

 

If you pick one I'll give it a try. I happened to be using a Belize base map from mapcenter and it doesn't seem to be transparent but I thought I had seen other examples on the forum of this working.

 

GO$Rs

 

Thanks!

 

Here are a couple of mine a topo and trail:

 

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?id=2549

 

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?id=2547

 

Here would be a good area to look around:

 

N38 58.534 W90 28.095

 

Here is a location of a spring if you could see what it looks like:

 

N38 59.774 W90 29.153

 

I forgot to also ask about typ files. Have you tried using them? I use one to make the trails show as a thin red line. The dashed line for trails is extremly hard to see. The thin red line makes them show up clearly in the 60CSX

[+IndyJpr]

I forgot to also ask about typ files. Have you tried using them? I use one to make the trails show as a thin red line. The dashed line for trails is extremly hard to see. The thin red line makes them show up clearly in the 60CSX

Custom types work - here is a map with custom lines and points:

 

 

This map was overlayed on Topo 2008 on a 400t - hence the hill shading...

[+g-o-cashers]

 

Thanks!

 

Here are a couple of mine a topo and trail:

 

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?id=2549

 

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?id=2547

 

Here would be a good area to look around:

 

N38 58.534 W90 28.095

 

Here is a location of a spring if you could see what it looks like:

 

N38 59.774 W90 29.153

 

Unfortunately I managed to corrupt my 400t as I was running this experiment so I didn't get all the way through. Here are some images I did get before things died.

 

Notice that when both Topo and your custom maps are displayed the DEM shading shows but I also see the contour lines from Topo2008 and your topo which seems to be different what IndyJpr has seen.

 

I have a somewhat modified version of the maps on my 400t so that might have been causing this behavior. That was what I was trying to determine when my GPS died.

 

I did check the area of the spring it just seems to show up as a dot. I didn't capture a screen shot before it died.

 

GO$Rs

[+Marky]

Notice that when both Topo and your custom maps are displayed the DEM shading shows but I also see the contour lines from Topo2008 and your topo which seems to be different what IndyJpr has seen.

That was rather ugly looking. I haven't seen that happen on my unit. I'll be curious as to why that happens.

 

--Marky

[Moun10Bike]

That was rather ugly looking. I haven't seen that happen on my unit. I'll be curious as to why that happens.

 

--Marky

 

Chances are the custom maps that IndyJpr is running are not transparent, while the ones g-o-cashers is running are. When transparent, vector data from the underlying map can show through. Raster data like the DEM shows through with or without transparency.

[yogazoo]

New issue! Or at least I haven't seen a report.

 

The text size option does nothing! Granted the only time you see street names is when your routing however, when you are routing, the Text Size option does absolutly nothing. At least on my unit (Colorado 300). Anyone else notice this?

[+BiT]

Just noticed something, when you are in the screen list of waypoints, geocaches, or POIs a red pointer appears very briefly, say about 1 second. Then it seems to randomly cycle between the red pointer and the cardinal directions. How do you get the red pointer to stay or stay longer?

 

 

vs.

 

[+apersson850]

Move. To get the direction arrow to point in the correct direction, the unit has to know your direction of movement. If you are at a standstill, it will show the cardinal letters instead. But occasionally, due to position drift, it will think you moved, so the arrow shows up.

 

Not that I've tried that, but at least in theory, if you have the magnetic compass enabled and calibrated, it should be enough to hold the unit level to get the arrows. If they do show the arrows based on magnetically derived directions, that is.

 

The text size option does do something to the waypoint labels, at least.

[+BiT]

I tried moving and still don't get the red pointer back again. I've also tried with the compass on and off.

[+g-o-cashers]

I tried moving and still don't get the red pointer back again. I've also tried with the compass on and off.

 

I think this is in the FAQ but from what I remember turning the compass on doesn't bring up the little arrows -- you have to be just about running (I'm guessing 4-5mph) in order for them to turn on.

 

GO$Rs

[+Marky]

I think this is in the FAQ but from what I remember turning the compass on doesn't bring up the little arrows -- you have to be just about running (I'm guessing 4-5mph) in order for them to turn on.

It's a pretty brisk walk to get them to appear. I think they should appear at a casual walking speed, say 2 mph, and it would be even nicer if it was settable per profile. You can add that to the nice to have list.

[+BiT]

Okay, mine don't appear at a walking pace, I have to be going in a car at about 20 mph.

[+BiT]

I've also notice that when I'm in City Nav. 2008 NT and I build a route to a waypoint by road and I then turn City Nav. off and turn topo maps on, there is no turn chime. However, the turn arrows still appear on the map and the message turn alert still appears at the top of the screen.

[+Marky]

I've also notice that when I'm in City Nav. 2008 NT and I build a route to a waypoint by road and I then turn City Nav. off and turn topo maps on, there is no turn chime. However, the turn arrows still appear on the map and the message turn alert still appears at the top of the screen.

That's probably to be expected, since you have City Nav turned off, it doesn't have the data to understand intersections, etc. Just a guess.

[+BiT]

Yea, but all the other data was there, the turn arrows and the message turn alert at the top of the screen.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

My compass won't stay calibrated. When the batteries drop to one green bar, the compass goes wacky. After putting new batteries in and calibrating it, I usually need to calibrate it again before trusting it for directions.

[+g-o-cashers]

My compass won't stay calibrated. When the batteries drop to one green bar, the compass goes wacky. After putting new batteries in and calibrating it, I usually need to calibrate it again before trusting it for directions.

 

You shouldn't have to calibrate at low battery but I'm guessing that is just part of the overall power management problems of the Colorado. As for recal between battery switches, that's how it works. Any time you change batteries, move a long distance or let the unit sit for a long time you have recalibrate per the Garmin manual. This is similar to how the 60cs works.

 

GO$Rs