bluegill5 Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I'm getting a new gps, and have narrowed it down to the oregon300 or the 60csx. My main uses will be geocaching, hiking, and biking. I want the the touchscreen of the oregon, but am not so sure if it will do so good with caching. If anyone has an oregon can you help me understand how close it will get me to the cache?(under trees, dense canopy,ect) Oh, and can someone tell me if the oregon300,400t,200,ect get the same accuacy or are they different depending on price?? THANKS!! Quote Link to comment
+Ratsneve Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 (edited) I'm getting a new gps, and have narrowed it down to the oregon300 or the 60csx. My main uses will be geocaching, hiking, and biking. I want the the touchscreen of the oregon, but am not so sure if it will do so good with caching. If anyone has an oregon can you help me understand how close it will get me to the cache?(under trees, dense canopy,ect) Oh, and can someone tell me if the oregon300,400t,200,ect get the same accuacy or are they different depending on price?? THANKS!! From what you describe wanting I would pick the Oregon. The 60CSx isn't touchscreen and doesn't do paperless geocaching (at least not as eaily as the Oregon). The 60CSx may do a notch better as far as accuracy goes BUT I doubt this loss if any will hurt you much. Others may chime in or not. It seems to me that any GPSr can have its good days and bad days depending on the GPSs constellation, terrain, trees, building, and moisture in the air. I may be wrong but I don't think you will find anyone here who will say they can walk right up to every cache with a 60CSx but can never do that with an Oregon, i.e., the Oregon's accuracy is good enough (assuming the unit is working properly). You may or may not be aware that the Oregon screen is larger then the 60CSx but it is harder to see in general because of the touchscreen and marginal backlighting. If you HAD to fall back on one or the other I think today it is a tough call and one that I won't make for you. Go see and hold and use and think about each one before you buy either. And go to a retailer who has knowledgable sales people who can help answer questions of both units. If you can't do that then hang around here for a couple weeks reading recent posts, asking more questions, and thinking. Edited September 1, 2008 by Ratsneve Quote Link to comment
bluegill5 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 (edited) Thanks, ive really been leaning towards the oregon. I Know the 60csx is one of the most popular units beacause it's tried and true, and the oregon's still got some bugs. I just need enough people to tell me the oregon is what i need. (but i will go to bestbuy,gander mtn, and see if they have them to try.) Edited September 1, 2008 by bluegill5 Quote Link to comment
sanramonhunter Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I can't vouch for the other activities because I only use it for geocaching, but the oregon is much nicer than the 60csx. I previously had a 60csx and it's a great device. The Oregon blows it away for caching, mostly because of the paperless function. But given the price difference you really can't go wrong with either one. Quote Link to comment
+TexasGringo Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Don't lose your receipt... Quote Link to comment
+Fan4 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Blows me away that they'd invest the $ to develop these slick new devices (CO, OR) and allow the accuracy to regress. I've noticed a lot written about this, is it as bad as it sounds? Quote Link to comment
naenee Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Consider checking this thread - there seems to be quite a bit discussion there regarding Oregon accuracy. Good luck Quote Link to comment
bluegill5 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Thanks, has anyone cached with the oregon? If so how good was it as far as accuracy goes? (That is one of my main priorities) Quote Link to comment
+boda Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I bought an Oregon 400t Saturday and cached with it for a limited time on Sunday. We did mostly urban caching but some were under the trees. Our caching partner was using a MAP60CSx. First, I was impressed with the accuracy. The two GPSr were right on the money. I read of accuracy problems, and also some reviews that said recent updates solved most of them. After a limited test, I feel this is accurate. We were always very close on distance, and generally I had fewer flip-flops on the compass arrow. Let's face it, when I've gone out with other cachers where we are using the same model GPS, no one had the same reading as to the distance-from-the-cache. Again, it was a limited test, but I was very happy with the results. Another thing you read about is the screen brightness. If you intend to use the Oregon for biking, you might want to read up on some of the comments in the Wiki site mentioned above. It may not be suitable for that .(I don't bike, so I don't know.) As to geocaching, I had no problems with brightness. I bought the Oregon at REI. Before I bought it, I insisted they let me take it out in the So. California bright noon-day sun. When I got outside, I could not believe the "unacceptable" comments. It was NOT as bright as other units, but it was definitely readable and presented me with no visibilty problems. Then I tapped the screen and the backlight came on - and I went in and purchased the unit. I have a PDA that is known for being usable in sunlight. The Oregon was far superior. These comments are my opinion, and others may differ. I can understand why. Suffice it to say, I'm happy with it so far. I also agree with the favorable comments above concerning the geocaching attributes. Quote Link to comment
+flarbear Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Thanks, ive really been leaning towards the oregon. I Know the 60csx is one of the most popular units beacause it's tried and true, and the oregon's still got some bugs. I just need enough people to tell me the oregon is what i need. (but i will go to bestbuy,gander mtn, and see if they have them to try.) Ideally, if you can, it would be best to get to an REI to try them out. The staff would be much more knowledgeable about the device than bestbuy (not sure about gander mtn), and they have an unlimited return policy. Unfortunately the closest stores to where you are seem to be in Houston, some 80 miles away. :-( Personally I've never tried or been with someone who used a 60csx, but I have used a CO extensively and been just happy with its accuracy for geocaching. Now I'm using an OR and it seems a little better, but the paperless geocaching with the OR is just fantastic. In my opinion the coordinates on caches can be off by so much that the accuracy of your own unit is not that critical. In my group we have a CO, and OR, and a Nuvi 660 and we all end up within 10 feet of the cache and the "where would someone hide a cache around here" factor is 5x as important as GPS accuracy once we reach that stage... I do know that my CO rarely got a signal indoors when I've been in my apartment, but the OR gets a signal fairly easily. It might only be 3/5 bars and it may take a bit longer, but it eventually gets the signal. Quote Link to comment
+flarbear Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 (edited) Another reason to get it at REI - if it is not on sale then you get 10% back at the end of the year (in store credit) so it is like it is always on a 10% sale. It costs $20 for a lifetime membership to get this privilege, but you'd get $50 dividend for buying the OR 300 there so it is more like the device is $450 there right now ($470 if you aren't a member yet). Edited September 1, 2008 by flarbear Quote Link to comment
bluegill5 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 kinda a newd question but ive never used "REI"? so you can try it out and send it back or what? Also, if i cant get to Houston can it be done on the REI website? Thanks Quote Link to comment
+boda Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 (edited) kinda a newd question but ive never used "REI"? so you can try it out and send it back or what? Also, if i cant get to Houston can it be done on the REI website? Thanks REI is a retail store with a very liberal exchange policy. They just offer "Satisfaction Guaranteed" rather than buy it to try it out. You can buy over the website, but you are subject to shipping, etc. The other nice thing - at this time - about REI and other retailers, is that the price is the same for the Oregan. That will probably change. I always hesitated to buy at store prices when everything was so cheap online. At this time, the prices seem to be the same, so the 10% back and liberal return policy became much more important. edit for spelling Edited September 1, 2008 by boda Quote Link to comment
bluegill5 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Oh, ok sounds like a good idea,ill try and do that. (anybody else that uses oregon,your oppinions would be great.) Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 While I don't find screen visibility to be a big issue for hiking or geocaching, where you can easily tilt the OR for the best viewing angle, having it at a fixed angle for biking is a different issue entirely. Having said that, I really like the Oregon. Tough choice. BTW, there is at least one other person on the forum that disagrees with me about the biking usability issue. Maybe he/she will chime in. Quote Link to comment
bluegill5 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 Thanks,when i said biking, thats the least thing that i do. (order from most time spent to least.) caching,hiking,biking (2-5 a month) Quote Link to comment
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