Colorado Fixed?

[Con7undrum]

I've seen a few condemning reviews of the Garmin Colorado series...but a lot of them seem to be continuations of threads that began when the unit first made its appearance.

 

Are they still having the same problems mentioned in so many of the other threads? Has the firmware fixed anything or are they still just as bad?

 

I've noticed two things:

1. The prices are dropping

2. I read on the forum that "Garmin doesn't even like their Colorado series" or something to that effect...this could be completely opinion based and have no real backing.

 

I'm concerned about sinking money into another handheld without longevity (if indeed, Garmin is mothballing their newer units).

 

Thoughts? Comments?

 

Hopefully I did enough research in the forum to avoid the "Use the Search button" posts.

 

Thanks!

[MtnHermit]

I got one last month, not perfect but a keeper.

 

Pros:

Good daylight visibility w/o backlight.

Excellent reception.

Accurate Tracks

Awesome display detail

Custom user profiles

In unit screenshots

Rock-n-Roller navigation

Customizable text sizes by class (4)

 

Cons

One track flavor, thin black line

Text entry isn't the fastest

 

The major outdoor retailers (REI, EMS) have dropped it, that does not bode well for a continuation of the product. New firmware seems to have stalled, but major bugs fixed.

[Con7undrum]

Is the Oregon that much of an improvement or is it questionable as well?

[+billwallace]

I just bought one. Its my first. It was either a Colorado or a GPSMap60CSX. I didn't want to spend for the Oregon. I really wanted the paperless caching feature of the Colorado but would have bought the 60CSx if I had seen it for those fantastic prices ($149) I've seen listed in these forums. I've only had it out a few times and so far I like it. The Rock'n'Roller works great. Paperess caching/benchmark - ++++++. I took it to a couple of nearby benchmarks and it was always within 10 ft and it was very repeatable. While I was researching I found some accuracy/track comparisons for the colorado (2.9 firmware) and oregon and 60Csx - I think they were at GPS Fix (www.gpsfix.net) or it's Wiki (garmincolorado.wikispaces.com) - but I can't seem to find them now.

 

gl

[+canoer76]

I've had the Colorado 300 for a few months and really like it - in fact it's what got me started Geocaching.

 

I've had the etrex Legend since 2004 and recently decided to upgrade - it's quite a step up. Mostly I've used the etrex for speed and time during long canoe races or for maps while hiking.

 

Here's what I like about the Colorado:

- Large color screen

- The rocker wheel is fast and easy to use

- Lots of memory plus it'll take an SD card

- Solid construction and a much sturdier mount (for bike handle-bar or in my canoe) than the etrex

- Elecronic compass

- Temperature and pressure sensors are pretty neat

- Picks up my heart rate chest strap and will also read a bike cadence sensor

- Adjustable brightness backlight

- User configurable menu

- Profiles let me retain settings for boating, driving, geocaching, etc without having to fiddle a lot before I go out

- I can download geocaches straight to it from the net and can see all the details that are on the net including hints, logs, etc and I can make notes about each cache straight on the unit.

- The GPS is accurate and the antenna very sensitive - performance is way better in trees than the etrex model.

 

The only thing I'd like to improve is the battery life but I haven't had any issues with it thus far - I've been using the rechargable Energizers. Garmin says it's good for 15 hours on one set of batteries. I used to get about 24 hours of continuous use with the etrex on a set of lithium AA's and very sparing use of the backlight in the dark.

 

Contrary to one of the cons listed above I've changed my track color from black to red and made the line little thicker.

 

Also, from what I could tell fiddling around with both the Colorado and the Oregon in the store the only difference between the two is that the Oregon has a touch screen, is a bit thinner, and more expensive. The size and touch screen weren't worth the extra money in my opinion.

 

Maybe there were problems when the units were first released but I've had no bugs at all. All the poor reviews I've read of the Colorado sound like they are from people who should have purchased something with features like a nuvi. If you want a rugged unit for outdoors type use the Colorado is my pick.

Edited January 26, 2009 by canoer76

[MtnHermit]

Contrary to one of the cons listed above I've changed my track color from black to red and made the line little thicker.

Inside the Colorado? If so how? Please share.

[+twolpert]

I've seen a few condemning reviews of the Garmin Colorado series...but a lot of them seem to be continuations of threads that began when the unit first made its appearance.

 

Are they still having the same problems mentioned in so many of the other threads? Has the firmware fixed anything or are they still just as bad?

I have a very early CO with SN in the 4xxx range, purchased last February. The firmware fixes have corrected almost all of the major software issues, including a lot of problems with caching features, as well as (as nearly as anybody can tell) the ugly "drift" problem.

 

There are still possible issues with water leakage. Garmin has corrected some of these (such as the undersized O-ring around the SD card slot) in later production runs. I am not sure about the seal around the battery compartment. On some early units, it has been known to "roll" out of the groove when opening/closing the unit. Since it's glued in, I suppose they may have corrected the problem, but there's no way to tell. And, of course, when you buy a unit you have no idea how long it's been on the shelf.

 

Given the frequent feature upgrades to OR firmware -- and the singular lack of such upgrades for the CO recently -- I think most of us have concluded that that you see is what you get. It's not going to get any better.

 

With those exceptions, the CO is (now) a solid unit. The paperless geocaching features are exceptional. The RnR interface is an acquired taste, but works very well for most things except text entry. I would not hesitate to recommend it if the price is right.

[+g-o-cashers]

Contrary to one of the cons listed above I've changed my track color from black to red and made the line little thicker.

Inside the Colorado? If so how? Please share.

Same here!

[+Tequila]

Is the Oregon that much of an improvement or is it questionable as well?

 

The difference is day and night.

[+Red90]

Is the Oregon that much of an improvement or is it questionable as well?

 

No, not really. The main differences:

 

1) Different input method. This makes inputting text easier on the Oregon, but other things are slower.

 

2) Different screen visibility. The Oregon is harder to see.

 

3) Somewhat different software design. "Most" of the same features are on both , but with different ways to do it. IMO, the Geocaching utility is nicer to use on the Colorado.

 

It is not "night and day" as the previous poster states. It is more a personal preference thing.

[+Tequila]

One has to wonder why REI no longer sells the Colorado. And one has to wonder why Garmin continues to improve the firmware for the Oregon and not the Colorado. And one has to wonder why Garmin never updated the Colorado with the Oregon's track manager. Or fixed the problem where the CO loses its backlight settings over a power cycle. etc.

 

To address the CO water leaking problem mentioned above, Garmin did issue a new back cover to some owners BUT also downgraded the battery compartment from IPX7 to IPX5, an admission that there is indeed a problem with some units. All three of my units leaked. Garmin told me that if there was a visible gap where the back cover meets the body of the unit, the water leakage was possible. In the case of my first unit (S/N xxxx4xxx) you could put a dime in the gap.

 

It would be very interesting to survey the community and see how many people have had to return their Colorado's for repair/replacement (and how many times - in my case 3) versus those with Oregons (in my case 0).

 

If they still carry the Colorado, I would recommend the OP go to Costco. They have an excellent returns policy. Buy one and see if you like it. If not, Costco will exchange it for an Oregon.

[MtnHermit]

Or fixed the problem where the CO loses its backlight settings over a power cycle.

You perceive the back light as a problem and I perceive it as a feature, no reason for a BL 90% of the time. My eTrex worked the same way, and I assume the GPSMAP series did also. Since no BL is required for daylight use, unlike a Nuvi or Oregon, it's a non-issue to me.

 

Your comment about REI is valid, I also believe the CO is "dead-ended" and unlikely to see more firmware updates. Just goes to show how a poor introduction can kill what is today a very solid product.

[+Crid]

If you press the power button between sunset and sunrise (ie. "night"), the backlight comes on at the lowest setting. Doing it during "day" doesn't switch it on.

 

Only the first time, but since you're then on the screen to change the backlight setting, it does mean you can see what you're doing. It's only a small thing, but I think it's actually quite neat.

 

I'm also impressed with the smart averaging that the Colorado seems to do. If I walk straight then take a 90 degree turn, it starts off cutting the corner (averaging the points), then as I continue walking it figures out what I've done and snaps back to the turn. I think this was added in a later firmware as I previously had problems with the Colorado cutting the corners (and don't get me started on the "drift" issues).

 

Overall I think the Colorado is a pretty good unit with the newer firmware. There are some baffling omissions (lack of waypoint averaging, for instance), but the paperless features are really useful if I'm doing a flying visit to an area and don't know in advance exactly which cache I am likely to want to go for.

Edited January 27, 2009 by Crid

[+Gushoneybun]

I love mine. Backlight set up is good I can turn it on when I want it on and its not left on wasting battery power when I do not want it. I recomend it but would love to play on an Oregon although not convinced by the touch screen approach?

[+geobernd]

With the latest Firmware I had zero issues so I would consider it stable.

 

IMHO the biggest advantage of the Colorado is the scroll wheel. Living in an area with several month of frigid temperatures and caching with sturdy gloves on this works much much better than any buttons or touch screen.

 

The IPX7 to IPX5 downgrade is an interesting issue - I wonder if that would warrant having Garmin replace the unit since it does not meet the specifications under which it was purchased..

[+Red90]

....BUT also downgraded the battery compartment from IPX7 to IPX5, an admission that there is indeed a problem with some units.

 

Where do you get this information?

 

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145...=11022#specsTab

Waterproof: yes (IPX7)

[+qlenfg]

Since the recent updates to the Colorado, I haven't run into any real issues other than the 'spell' search problem when looking up a certain cache. I did notice it sometimes takes it a minute to catch up to the location north and south wise when caching, but this could be a satellite / terrain issue as another brand of GPS we were using at the same time experienced a similar problem.

 

Overall I think they've fixed most of the issues and I love the interface and the paperless caching. I've found probably 135-140 caches with the Colorado in the same time frame I found 25-35 caches with a plain vanilla GPS. Not to mention the wife can actually find caches with it, which was hopeless when she had to hand-enter the coordinates and had us thousands of miles off more than once.

[+Tequila]

....BUT also downgraded the battery compartment from IPX7 to IPX5, an admission that there is indeed a problem with some units.

 

Where do you get this information?

 

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145...=11022#specsTab

Waterproof: yes (IPX7)

 

Garmin response received by a local cacher:

Water in the SD slot can damage the device, however, water in the battery compartment cannot enter the device unless there is some other underlying issue which we cannot assume there would be.

 

The unit is considered IPX7 and the battery compartment is considered IPX5 on the water proof scale. Neither this unit nor any of our other Outdoor devices are “waterproof” like a Timex watch or something of the like would be. Since the moisture in the battery compartment would not result in intrusion of water into the device I am not too concerned with it resulting in damage. Now, if the unit is exceeding its waterproof rating then we could expect for some damage to occur. As you can tell the engineers did not change the seal around the battery compartment given the information I just provided.

 

Feel free to contact Garmin for verification.

[flyjazz]

Never had a problem with my Colorado since purchasing it last year in March. I always thought I must have got lucky as it's never drifted,leaked,etc,. Some of the firmware updates over the last year were a bit hit and miss. The last chipset update improved the performance noticably and the unit works flawlessly today. It's very unfortunate that Garmin dropped the ball when they released this unit into the marketplace. I have no doubt that there will be further firmware releases in future that will make this a stellar unit worthy of the Garmin name.

Edited January 27, 2009 by flyjazz

[+Red90]

Garmin response received by a local cacher:

 

Yes, well... as you as well aware Garmin customer service will give 10 conflicting answers to the same question. It means nothing.

 

You need to realize there are 10s of thousands of these units out on the market and no undue amount of problems. I've spoken with GPS Central, the largest dealer in Canada and they state that after the first month, the number of returns is no higher than any other model they sell. The early returns can almost all be attributed to the immature firmware that came in those early days. If the Oregon came out first with that same firmware, I can guarantee, this whole discussion would be the other way around.

[+Tequila]

10's of thousands?????? I find it very hard to believe that Garmin sold 10's of thousands of Colorados. They might have exchanged 10's of thousands.

 

Please provide your reference point to back up this statement.

 

I would point out that the Oregon came out with about 2-3 months of the Colorado and it was long after the Oregon was introduced that Garmin fixed the drift problem with the Colorado. In spite of the fact the Oregon did not have the drift problem. So, attributing the Oregon stability to post Colorado introduction is a stretch.

 

A better explanation is it is a much better designed product. Between the time the CO was introduced and the OR was introduced, there was NOT enough time to redesign the unit to revert to micro-SD under the batteries and redesign the back cover. I would expect that the two models were in parallel development and the OR got the A-team

[+Red90]

The (very rare) drift problem was to do with the GPS receiver firmware. The problem existed in the etrex line before the Colorados came out and is really separate from the unit firmware. It has nothing to do with Garmin, but Mediatek.

 

The Oregons use a different receiver that has been clearly shown to have less sensitivity than the one used on the Colorado.

 

As the units stand today, they both work fine, with little differences.

[+Tequila]

The (very rare) drift problem was to do with the GPS receiver firmware. The problem existed in the etrex line before the Colorados came out and is really separate from the unit firmware. It has nothing to do with Garmin, but Mediatek.

 

The Oregons use a different receiver that has been clearly shown to have less sensitivity than the one used on the Colorado.

 

As the units stand today, they both work fine, with little differences.

 

So you are saying that Garmin was able to replace the OR's receiver as well as redesigning the back cover, and the microSD placement all in response to poor CO performance after the CO was introduced. Interesting. A lot of redesign in a very short time period.

 

You failed to mention your reference for the 10's of thousands of CO's in circulation.

[Braff-n-MandaRue]

And one has to wonder why Garmin continues to improve the firmware for the Oregon and not the Colorado.

 

I guess I may have somewhat of an ignorant question.

 

From a quick look on Garmin's website, it appears that the Colorado last received a firmware update on December 5, 2008. Just under two months ago.

 

How often should a receiver be getting firmware updates from a company to show that they are still supporting the product?

 

It's not an attack or anything, just a legitimate question I started wondering about after reading your statement.

[+Tequila]

And one has to wonder why Garmin continues to improve the firmware for the Oregon and not the Colorado.

 

I guess I may have somewhat of an ignorant question.

 

From a quick look on Garmin's website, it appears that the Colorado last received a firmware update on December 5, 2008. Just under two months ago.

 

How often should a receiver be getting firmware updates from a company to show that they are still supporting the product?

 

It's not an attack or anything, just a legitimate question I started wondering about after reading your statement.

 

In the early days of a new product, firmware update can be fairly frequent as there are more bugs to be worked out. As a product matures, the need for updates diminishes over time. I am not sure you can say there is a certain "schedule" nor can you infer product abandonment from the lack of a firmware update.

 

However, a more important flag is seeing a feature update/fix in a parallel product and not seeing it in the other product. It would appear that for some reason, Garmin has overlooked adding some key features (Track Manager) to the CO while ensuring that feature is rich in the Oregon.

 

I would also look for other signs such as product price discounted, product no longer carried by a large retailer and product placement on the Garmin website. Although Garmin tends to list their products alphabetically, I noticed the Oregon is featured ahead of the Colorado in the Mapping units. Another interesting point is their new golf product is based on the Oregon platform. I think it is safe to assume that Garmin will not be introducing a new CO like follow on.

[+red_rover42]

My relationship with my Colorado is a love hate one. When I first saw it in the store I thought the functionality of it was awesome. My enthusiasim has tapered a bit since using it for a few months now. Battery life is an issue. I have used lithium, alkaline and ni-cad. None seem to have enough juice to provide full power for more than a couple hours before getting the backlight warning. Another problem that occurs is that the compass pointer on all screens sometimes disappears. The compass works since the N, S, E, W rotate while moving, but no compass pointer appears. When this happens the distance function is no longer there either. The last cache I found I had to put away my new toy and break out my 50 bucker just to get where I was going. So, I love the functionality of paperless caching and hate the unfunctional (sometimes) compass pointer. My fifty bucker stays in the back pack. At least the coordinates were available in the Colorado so i could enter them into my manual GPS.

[+Paul_Aris]

I have had my Colorado 400T about a year now. I liked mine right from the start. I did not have a lot of the problems you read about. With each software update it even got better. Coming from an etrex Legend I could not be happier with my Colorado. I don't swim underwater with mine so I never threw it in a bathtube or pool just to see what would happen. I do however, put it in a ram mount on my snowmobile and go ride powder. There have been several times I had to brush the snow off of my dash just to find it. I have had to scrap ice off the screen before and then as the snow melts it has water all over it. Never an issue.

 

If you can get a good price on it there is no reason not to pull the trigger. Remember you still get the manufactures warranty if you buy new.

[+g-o-cashers]

My relationship with my Colorado is a love hate one. When I first saw it in the store I thought the functionality of it was awesome. My enthusiasim has tapered a bit since using it for a few months now. Battery life is an issue. I have used lithium, alkaline and ni-cad. None seem to have enough juice to provide full power for more than a couple hours before getting the backlight warning. Another problem that occurs is that the compass pointer on all screens sometimes disappears. The compass works since the N, S, E, W rotate while moving, but no compass pointer appears. When this happens the distance function is no longer there either. The last cache I found I had to put away my new toy and break out my 50 bucker just to get where I was going. So, I love the functionality of paperless caching and hate the unfunctional (sometimes) compass pointer. My fifty bucker stays in the back pack. At least the coordinates were available in the Colorado so i could enter them into my manual GPS.

 

Are you up to date with the lastest software?

 

Are you using good NiMH batteries (2700mAh) and a good charger? You should be getting 10-12 hours. Check out this link for battery/charger recommendations:

 

http://www.gpsfix.net/?p=199

 

If you have tried all of this you should see about returning your unit.