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Colorado 300 after 2.9 firmware update


bikercr

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I'm not sure if this was the case before the update, but I've noticed that the TOPO 2008 map in the Marine profile has a bright yellow background--more readable in low light than the usual green background. There's no way to set this color scheme up that I've found in the Geocaching or other profiles. In the Marine profile, ground cover appears different, more readable, than before, however shading seems to be absent whether or not it's turned on or off in setup. Is it possible to setup a yellow background color in any other profile? This seems to be something in the software that's preset and not modifiable.

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If you go to Setup>Map>Options>Advanced>Marine Chart Mode and set this to either Fishing or Nautical the background color of the Topo maps will change to a mustard yellow color. Personally, I don't like this mode with Topo because the water bodies have no color.

 

Note that you can also turn off Elevation Shading (Setup>Maps>Options>Advanced>Turn OFF Map Shading) which will make the background of the topos white. I used this setting in my HiViz outdoor profile which makes the map page much easier to read.

 

Edit: Gave the Oregon instructions in the original post, changed to make it work for the Colorado.

Edited by g-o-cashers
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Note that you can also turn off Elevation Shading (Setup>Maps>Advanced Map Setup>Shaded Relief>Do Not Show) which will make the background of the topos white. I used this setting in my HiViz outdoor profile which makes the map page much easier to read.
Do you suppose that these reviewers (click on review tab) did not know this trick? After considering the CO 300, I ultimately decided not because of outdoor visibility. These REI users are more like my intended use than the GC comments on this forum.

 

Thanks

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IMO..... The outdoor visibility difference between a CO and a 60 series is mostly due to the color scheme choices. With the map background set to white (how I have used mine since day 1), they are basically the same. I base this on lots of side by side comparisons. It gets confusing to people because Garmin has poorly chosen many colors on other screens and these can not be adjusted. The other problem is most of you are in the USA. Topo USA is really bad because of the relief shading colors, which until recently could not be turned off.

 

On the plus side, for car use, the CO is MUCH better as the backlight is a lot brighter than a 60 series when plugged into power.

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The ability to disable shaded relief wasn't available until the version 2.6 firmware which was released on 7/17. Any reviews before that time obviously were based on firmware which didn't have this feature.

Thanks for you incredible knowledge of this device. Your Colorado wiki is invaluable. I'm getting to know the Colorado and I really like it. There are a few frustrating aspects that I think may be ironed out with future updates. However, the screen is fantastic. It's visible in all lighting situations, but the best are full sunlight and dusk or nighttime with backlight. In between, it's a little dark but changing the map color or shading should help. I'll take your advice regarding a special profile for HiViz.

 

I'm very happy that so many people have trashed this unit in reviews (mostly with earlier firmware). This enabled me to buy a new Colorado 300 for the equivalent of $199--the deal of the century for such a state of the art GPSr. It was exactly what I was looking for--a replacement for my 60CSx with a larger screen, DEM-capable (with 3D), a quad helix antenna, a sturdy non-touch screen, and custom-made for paperless geocaching. I hope that Garmin keeps supporting it and isn't phasing it out along with future firmware updates.

 

Thanks!

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Topo USA is really bad because of the relief shading colors, which until recently could not be turned off.

 

I personally like the relief shading and elevation colors, except for the fact that it makes other map features nearly invisible. The worst example of this is the light grey lines of small streets at the 0.2-0.5 mi zoom level. Against a white background, they are barely visible. Against the greens/browns of Topo 2008, they are practically invisible. Turn on relief shading and they completely disappear. I don't know why somebody would choose such light colors for important map features.

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I'm not saying that I don't like shaded relief. I do and I wish I could get it here. The problem is that it makes people THINK that the display is worse than the older units. It is not the display, but the color choices and the higher resolution making lines very thin.

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I'm not saying that I don't like shaded relief. I do and I wish I could get it here. The problem is that it makes people THINK that the display is worse than the older units. It is not the display, but the color choices and the higher resolution making lines very thin.

 

I'm from Calgary, bought the SD topo with the DEM and love it, shaded relief makes a huge difference in the mountains.

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IMO..... The outdoor visibility difference between a CO and a 60 series is mostly due to the color scheme choices. With the map background set to white (how I have used mine since day 1), they are basically the same. I base this on lots of side by side comparisons. It gets confusing to people because Garmin has poorly chosen many colors on other screens and these can not be adjusted. The other problem is most of you are in the USA. Topo USA is really bad because of the relief shading colors, which until recently could not be turned off.
The problem is that it makes people THINK that the display is worse than the older units. It is not the display, but the color choices and the higher resolution making lines very thin.

Based on these two comments and of course GO$Rs always excellent info, I ordered a CO 300 from REI. Perhaps in a week I'll know. At least with REI I can return it, if needed.

 

I'll post back with my evaluation. Thanks for all the help.

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I'm from Calgary, bought the SD topo with the DEM and love it, shaded relief makes a huge difference in the mountains.

 

Yes, you can get those, but unfortunately they are overpriced and the road data is way out of date. I'm fairly confident we will see a Topo Canada DVD update within the next year that will give us shaded relief, up to date roads and a reasonable price.

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Topo USA is really bad because of the relief shading colors, which until recently could not be turned off.

 

I personally like the relief shading and elevation colors, except for the fact that it makes other map features nearly invisible. The worst example of this is the light grey lines of small streets at the 0.2-0.5 mi zoom level. Against a white background, they are barely visible. Against the greens/browns of Topo 2008, they are practically invisible. Turn on relief shading and they completely disappear. I don't know why somebody would choose such light colors for important map features.

 

Since I heard a few days ago about the TYP Files for maps I am playing around with it.

The links below show you samples (two different Zoom Levels, Swisstopo Map, small village in the mountains).

The left one is the "original".

The middle one is creatd by someone else.

The right one is my actual favorite.

Even Mapsource shows the same TYP's (third link).

 

http://balga.ch/colo300/TypeSample200.jpg

 

http://balga.ch/colo300/TypeSample80.jpg

 

http://balga.ch/colo300/TypeSampleMapsource.jpg

 

I guess that is possible with other topo maps too.

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I'm not saying that I don't like shaded relief. I do and I wish I could get it here. The problem is that it makes people THINK that the display is worse than the older units. It is not the display, but the color choices and the higher resolution making lines very thin.

 

I think we're in agreement here. If the choice of colors would have been better throughout the Colorado UI, it would be much more usable. I also agree that some map lines are just way too thin.

 

Balga, what is a TYP file and can it be edited on the Garmin brand maps? I like those preview images and can see some great potential.

Edited by DavidMac
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Balga, what is a TYP file and can it be edited on the Garmin brand maps? I like those preview images and can see some great potential.

 

It is a way to customize the appearance of the maps and yes, it will work with the Garmin branded maps.

 

http://cypherman1.googlepages.com/gentyp

 

Wow! That looks incredibly useful - a bit like CSS for Garmin maps. I'll have to investigate further.

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Balga, what is a TYP file and can it be edited on the Garmin brand maps? I like those preview images and can see some great potential.

 

Other entry points to TypFiles:

 

Online Editor

http://ati.land.cz/gps/typdecomp/editor.cgi

 

Another Editor:

http://www.maptk.dnsalias.com/

 

Sample Swisstopo (Family 703)

 

If a Map uses custom Types you will find a Type File in

C:\Garmin\FAM_703\I00002BF.TYP

 

Typ Files are per "Family"

 

And there is a Registr Entries for Mapsource pointing to the Type File:

 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Garmin\Mapsource\Families\FAMILY_703]

"ID"=hex:bf,02

"IDX"="C:\\Garmin\\FAM_703\\product.mdx"

"MDR"="C:\\Garmin\\FAM_703\\MDRMAP.img"

"TYP"="C:\\Garmin\\FAM_703\\I00002BF.TYP"

 

Probably it works to create a new Custom Type File for a Map family and register them for Mapsource.

 

It seems that the different tools create different "quality" of Typefiles.

 

Its your own risk to play around - with the Colorado I had no issues.

 

I heard that people with a 60 CSx it is no so straightforward.

 

There should be threads in other forums about that topic may be soneone can point to them.

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