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How is the Oregon 300 as a driving GPS?


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I am trying to decide between the Vista HCx, 60GSx, and the Oregon 300. Trying to justify spending the extra cash on the Oregon is becoming hard to do. That only way I can do this is if I load the city maps on it and use it as a driving GPS as well. Does anyone use the 300 in this way? How well does it work, and what features does it have (spoken street names, etc...)?

 

I have used the Garmin Nuvi's in the past and loved them. How would the 300 compare to them? Also since the Dakota series is coming out, on Amazon they are both listed for the same price of $350. Can anyone think of why I would go with the Dakota over the Oregon? Doesn't the Oregon have better features?

 

Thanks all!!!

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I have an Oregon 300. It routes fine but you need to buy routeable maps. It does not talk, only beeps for turns. In the car I use a Nuvi for the spoken prompts. The Oregon is awsome for geocaching and travel in the woods. :blink:

Edited by jbar
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All the handhelds do a poor job as street navigators, primarily because they only beep and do NOT speak. Add to that the fact that the City Navigator DVD cost as much as an entry Nuvi.

 

For those reasons, get a handheld plus a Nuvi, same money, much higher satisfaction.

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As the owner of all three mentioned units I will say that they do a good job of road navigation--many people shut off the voice prompts on their nuvi's etc as they quite often have a back seat driver with them already---the sounds are a little weak on the oregon and louder on the other two, however a turn screen appears before the turn to alert you visually of the required action--just my $0.02 worth--twisty

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The one point everyone misses with the nuvi+Oregon solution is that I find I'm forever reading waypoints and coordinates off the Oregon and typing them into the nuvi. If have all my waypoints/POIs on the Oregon I spend less time trying to autoroute to my next destination. I find that is just easier to use the Oregon for everything (and less work to maintain one set of software, maps, etc)

 

Oh yeah, and if I'm using the Oregon in the woods there isn't a nuvi sitting on my dash begging to be stolen!

Edited by g-o-cashers
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I use the Oregon for street navigation all the time. It works fine.

 

It does not have voice prompts but I am ok with that.

 

Having a second GPS for street navigation would add a layer of complexity to the trip. Have to load all the caches into two units. Or maybe only load parking coordinates into the Nuvi.

 

If you can only afford one unit, you will be fine with the Oregon.

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I use the Oregon for street navigation all the time. It works fine.

 

It does not have voice prompts but I am ok with that.

 

Having a second GPS for street navigation would add a layer of complexity to the trip. Have to load all the caches into two units. Or maybe only load parking coordinates into the Nuvi.

 

If you can only afford one unit, you will be fine with the Oregon.

 

Amen.

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Being an owner of both (colorado 400t and Nuvi 7xx) I don't think the handhelds do as good of a job for Turn by Turn even after you spend the 100.00 on the Navigator maps... Then again, I have not used mine much for that, I much prefer my Nuvi for Turn by Turns...

 

I think maybe it comes down to map size and screen readability at 55+ miles an hour...

 

My Nuvi, has a great big full color display thats very very readable as compared to the Colorado when in the vehicle... But to be fair to the Colorado, I do not have any type of mount for it either, it just sits on the seat or my lap... I just think its easier to read the Nuvi in the car and direct sunlight... No probs with the Colorado in the woods or fields...

 

With the plug-ins and the way Geocaching.coms maps push cords into a Garmin GPS, I don't see it as a second level of Complexity... Its like taking one more bite of a sandwich...

 

I will say that using the Street Navigator maps did come in handy over the weekend....

 

I went where I thought was the closest place to park to get to a cache and it was still four times further than the caches page led me to beleive...

 

After driving around aimlessly for a few minutes I switched from the TOPO map to the Navigator map and looked at all the surrounding streets and roads and found a better route to a place to park and walk...

 

Once there, we parked switched back to the Topo walked about a 1/8 of a mile or so almost in a straight line (up and down a few hills and through the woods) to the cache...

 

One of my easier finds... We still would have found it without the option of toggling the maps, but it made it quicker and easier, which I'm sure my father didn't mind...

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Street navigation on the Oregon is fine unless you just "Have" to have the voice prompts. The beeps are loud enough for me, even in the Jeep with the top down.

 

I have the 400t Oregon, and am currently using Metroguide 6 (converted to support on device routing using Metrowizzz) an it works great.

 

I'll agree with a few othe other posts. If just want a single device for all things - I highly recommend the Oregon. If you are in no hurry then you can wait around and see what the Dakota looks like but I don't see the screen issue as an issue at all. I love my Oregon.

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I use the Oregon for street navigation all the time. It works fine.

 

It does not have voice prompts but I am ok with that.

 

 

Me too. It routes just fine for my liking. I don't really want to spend money on two units. I hike, geocache, bike and drive.

 

It seems like a very usable road navigation unit.

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I am trying to decide between the Vista HCx, 60GSx, and the Oregon 300. Trying to justify spending the extra cash on the Oregon is becoming hard to do. That only way I can do this is if I load the city maps on it and use it as a driving GPS as well. Does anyone use the 300 in this way? How well does it work, and what features does it have (spoken street names, etc...)? ...

 

Handhelds do fine. They beep, you look at the screen it says "turn here". Not as good as "Turn Left on 1st Ave" spoken to you so you don't have to look.

 

The oregon with it's dim screen would require a power source so you can turn up the backlght and see. Once you dot hat it would do as well as any other hand held.

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I am trying to decide between the Vista HCx, 60GSx, and the Oregon 300. Trying to justify spending the extra cash on the Oregon is becoming hard to do. That only way I can do this is if I load the city maps on it and use it as a driving GPS as well. Does anyone use the 300 in this way? How well does it work, and what features does it have (spoken street names, etc...)?

 

I have used the Garmin Nuvi's in the past and loved them. How would the 300 compare to them? Also since the Dakota series is coming out, on Amazon they are both listed for the same price of $350. Can anyone think of why I would go with the Dakota over the Oregon? Doesn't the Oregon have better features?

 

Thanks all!!!

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=168470

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=176734

 

http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=6326

 

I love my Vista HCx, but I have cached with people using both other units and find them as accurate. I think it is a form factor on which you prefer.

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As the owner of all three mentioned units I will say that they do a good job of road navigation--many people shut off the voice prompts on their nuvi's etc as they quite often have a back seat driver with them already---the sounds are a little weak on the oregon and louder on the other two, however a turn screen appears before the turn to alert you visually of the required action--just my $0.02 worth--twisty

 

Hi,

Do you get a special turn screen before the turn on the Oregon? Like in the 60-series? Because that is something I have been missing in the Colorado. It is possible to find the turn screen in the Colorado but it does not popup automatically before each turn.

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As the owner of all three mentioned units I will say that they do a good job of road navigation--many people shut off the voice prompts on their nuvi's etc as they quite often have a back seat driver with them already---the sounds are a little weak on the oregon and louder on the other two, however a turn screen appears before the turn to alert you visually of the required action--just my $0.02 worth--twisty

 

Hi,

Do you get a special turn screen before the turn on the Oregon? Like in the 60-series? Because that is something I have been missing in the Colorado. It is possible to find the turn screen in the Colorado but it does not popup automatically before each turn.

 

No pop up, but it zooms right in on the turn as you approach, with you as the focus...which I actually prefer. It will then auto zoom out a little as you finish the turn. I think it is useful and looks kinda cool.

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It would be more useful if it would snap to the map screen from other screens when a turn approaches. If I have the trip computer up I have to close it and open the map to see the turn. It's beeping in other screens to let me know I need to turn but not showing me what the turn is?! Seems kinda odd. It would not be terribly hard to make a profile setting that would enable that snap-to-map feature for automotive use.

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That is one thing I like about the 60. It zooms to the turn screen when you get close. It also has 2 beep signals for driving the first lets you know there is an upcoming turn, and the 2nd when you get really close. Each signal is programable to make it even better. I have used voice instructing GPS's and I prefer the 60, of course that is just one mans opinion.

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It also has 2 beep signals for driving the first lets you know there is an upcoming turn, and the 2nd when you get really close. Each signal is programable to make it even better.

 

Does anyone know how to do this on an oregon 300? I always believed the distance between the 2nd beep and the actual turn was too short and would like to adjust them.

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The hubby uses the Oregon 300 all the time when he travels without me to be the Navigator. :( He has a suction mount that he carries with him and he can see the screen fine while driving. Then he switches from automotive mode to geocaching mode once he gets closer to the cache. He downloads City Navigator for the area in which he'll be traveling to save space on the SD drive.

 

Cache_Venturers

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