New Oregon software, non-beta!

[+lookn4gz]

thanks for the tip. i couldn't find it anywhere. working better now

[+boda]

Strange that everyone reports easy upgrades on this update - and I have a brick.

 

I've been upgrading for the past year and not facing any of the issues reported in this forum. I was particulary concerned about the GPS locking up.

 

After downloading using Webupdater, I got the screen instructing me to disconnect and start the GPS. It did not start and would not reset. I could get into the mass storage mode, and tried various methods to reload the software - no luck.

 

Spent a lot of time this morning on the phone to Garmin - bottom line, my brick is on the way to Kansas.

 

I would like to comment on customer support: They (two Outdoor unit tech support folks and one software technician) were very knowledgeable, very courteous, very easy to work with, and I "enjoyed" the experience. One even called back later to see if I was able to solve the problem with the person he referred me to. Just thought I'd throw that in because they also take some hits.

[+GeekBoy.from.Illinois]

I tested this a little better this morning. It appears that the "Improved compass responsiveness in challenging GPS environments" changes may be the culprit.

 

I have my compass set to "Auto". I don't know exactly what causes it, but on some initial starts of the GPSr, the compass is enabled, and it seems to take an excessive amount of time to automatically disable it. If on the compass screen, the "Hold Level" message is displayed, and the compass heading is "locked". Eventually the compass will "auto off" and the pointer then resumes working as expected. I also verified that the "Auto on" for the compass does not hit until 90 seconds after movement stops (I did not test at slow speeds). While driving, the compass seemed to be working properly so I pulled to the side of the road and timed how long it took for the compass to turn itself back on. Next I power cycled the GPSr and within 3-5 seconds of my resuming movement (>3 mph) the compass did "Auto off" and the pointer worked as expected. Once again, it would not automatically trn the compass back on until 90 seconds after movement stopped. I know that in my initial power-on this morning the compass did not "auto off" even though I had driven >20mh for over a mile, plus >40mph for over a mile. At that point I manually turned the compass off and things resumed operations as expected. Now that I know that the first power-on after a "significant" period of power off, the compass does not appear to automatically turn off as expected...

OK, I applied the 3.12 beta update today and when I left work to come home tonight my GPSr compass was still misbehaving. The electronic compass didn't auto disable until around 90 seconds into my drive home, then everything started acting as expected. I still don't know what the event is to trigger this major delay in the compass turning off, but I think I have enough information to contact Garmin. That is on my agenda along with the waypoint manager losing the "close" button...

[+EraSeek]

Strange that everyone reports easy upgrades on this update - and I have a brick.

 

I've been upgrading for the past year and not facing any of the issues reported in this forum. I was particulary concerned about the GPS locking up.

 

After downloading using Webupdater, I got the screen instructing me to disconnect and start the GPS. It did not start and would not reset. I could get into the mass storage mode, and tried various methods to reload the software - no luck.

 

Spent a lot of time this morning on the phone to Garmin - bottom line, my brick is on the way to Kansas.

 

I would like to comment on customer support: They (two Outdoor unit tech support folks and one software technician) were very knowledgeable, very courteous, very easy to work with, and I "enjoyed" the experience. One even called back later to see if I was able to solve the problem with the person he referred me to. Just thought I'd throw that in because they also take some hits.

Did you take the SD card out first?

[+kentwoodkrew]

The waas problem is that it only gets a lock after a long time only sometimes and then loses it. The latest update did not help me

[+boda]

Strange that everyone reports easy upgrades on this update - and I have a brick.

 

I've been upgrading for the past year and not facing any of the issues reported in this forum. I was particulary concerned about the GPS locking up.

 

After downloading using Webupdater, I got the screen instructing me to disconnect and start the GPS. It did not start and would not reset. I could get into the mass storage mode, and tried various methods to reload the software - no luck.

 

Spent a lot of time this morning on the phone to Garmin - bottom line, my brick is on the way to Kansas.

 

I would like to comment on customer support: They (two Outdoor unit tech support folks and one software technician) were very knowledgeable, very courteous, very easy to work with, and I "enjoyed" the experience. One even called back later to see if I was able to solve the problem with the person he referred me to. Just thought I'd throw that in because they also take some hits.

Did you take the SD card out first?

 

No SD card installed.

[+splashy]

If the Oregon or Colorado is misbehaving, 1st thing = take out the Sd

If you can 'see' the oregon in your computer, you can load it the 3.01 software and install it.

 

Garmin should note, after the update, you disconnect the gps from the computer

Push the on button and WAIT UNTIL THE BLUE LINE IS GONE, this sometimes takes a while.

 

3.01 software at

 

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Versions#toc10

[+mightywarlock]

I Take it this software is not for the 550 family? I just got one last week and haven't put it through the paces yet.

 

I checked out the wiki and didnt see anything...

 

I am going to use my 550t today for some mega caching so we'll see how it works compared to everyones updated 400's

Edited August 1, 2009 by mightywarlock

[+Pat in Louisiana]

I installed the update and the "about" screen shows 3.10 but I can not find the "Waypoint Averaging" button.

Is there another step I missed?

[+redhawk44p]

Sorry wrong post.

Edited August 1, 2009 by redhawk44p

[+Pat in Louisiana]

I figured it out.

I had to go to "setup" then "main Menu" then touch the button for it to become active.

[+g-o-cashers]

I Take it this software is not for the 550 family? I just got one last week and haven't put it through the paces yet.

 

I checked out the wiki and didnt see anything...

 

I am going to use my 550t today for some mega caching so we'll see how it works compared to everyones updated 400's

 

This release is not for the x50 Oregon's, just the x00's

[+benh57]

Strange that everyone reports easy upgrades on this update - and I have a brick.

 

I've been upgrading for the past year and not facing any of the issues reported in this forum. I was particulary concerned about the GPS locking up.

 

After downloading using Webupdater, I got the screen instructing me to disconnect and start the GPS. It did not start and would not reset. I could get into the mass storage mode, and tried various methods to reload the software - no luck.

 

Spent a lot of time this morning on the phone to Garmin - bottom line, my brick is on the way to Kansas.

 

 

It's very difficult to permanently brick an Oregon. The Oregon wiki http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/ has downgrade instructions which actually work. I thought I had bricked mine a few updates ago, but was able to downgrade it after trying the steps for about an hour. (the timing can be tough!) If you try them once or twice and it doesn't work, it can just be bad timing. I literally tried it 10-15 times before my downgrade worked.

 

Granted, this was a few updates ago.

[+Split-Second]

I figured it out.

I had to go to "setup" then "main Menu" then touch the button for it to become active.

 

What's "waypoint averaging" ?

Does it help if you turn it on ? (searching geocaches)

 

[+Curioddity]

I went on a 48 mile bicycle caching ride yesterday with the new v. 3.10 firmware loaded into my Oregon 400t. Most of the caches I found were stragglers and DNFs from previous rides and I even stopped and 'tested' the Oregon on a couple that I had found but the GPSr had given me fits when I did.

 

I'm pleased to say that I noticed no problems with the new firmware and definitely noticed an improvement during marginal reception in both compass and map modes. The unit led me right to several caches that I was unable to find before. I also noticed a definite improvement in how the battery level bar graph works with my NiMH "Eneloop" cells which is a welcome change.

 

For the record, I upgraded from v. 2.8x. I'm not someone who has to have the latest and greatest beta firmware as long as what I have works OK, and the 2.8x version was working OK. But I went ahead and upgraded after I read that v. 3.10 was a final release and I'm very glad I did.

 

Pete

[+Pat in Louisiana]

 

What's "waypoint averaging" ?

Does it help if you turn it on ? (searching geocaches)

 

 

It is my understanding that the waypoint avaraging is a way of reducing the error associated with marking a waypoint. By taking multiple reading and determining an average location automaticly. I do not see any advantage with this while seeking a cache. Only placing one.

[+Curioddity]

I do not see any advantage with this while seeking a cache. Only placing one.

Correct. And saving a waypoint with averaging turned on takes a bit longer because it polls the satellite constellation several times.

 

This feature actually dates back to the Garmin GPS12 and maybe even earlier.

 

Pete

[+GA cacheman]

Ok. I just downloaded 3.10 and i cant find waypoint averageing or a man overboard button. what am i missing or doing wrong?

[+Jeep4two]

Ok. I just downloaded 3.10 and i cant find waypoint averageing or a man overboard button. what am i missing or doing wrong?

 

You'll need to go into setup for the profile that you want to use those features in - then setup your menu - those features are disabled by default - just select them and turn them on to get them in your menu. Then move them to the position that you want. This is profile specific so you'll need to turn them on for each profile that you want them in.

[+GA cacheman]

Ok. I just downloaded 3.10 and i cant find waypoint averageing or a man overboard button. what am i missing or doing wrong?

 

You'll need to go into setup for the profile that you want to use those features in - then setup your menu - those features are disabled by default - just select them and turn them on to get them in your menu. Then move them to the position that you want. This is profile specific so you'll need to turn them on for each profile that you want them in.

 

got it thanks!!

[+sprig68]

I may not be describing the issue correctly.

 

With 3.01, if the unit was powered off, when I plugged in the PC USB cable, the unit would appear to start up and then the screen would fade to black. This only started with 3.01. I have it set to Spanner mode so that it prompts me to go into Mass Storage mode or not.

 

With 3.10, plugging it in works correctly.

 

I installed 3.10 and mine is still doing what you describe above...Mine is the 400t

[+Bunganator]

How do I go about adding the customizable text to the startup screen? I found the notepad file, but I'm not sure what it should look like formatting wise. Screenshots of what people have done would be nice.

 

Also, is there a purpose to the Man Overboard aplication?

[+g-o-cashers]

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Basic+Operations#toc7

 

MOB is essentially a shortcut which marks a waypoint (called MOB) and begins navigation to that waypoint.

[+Bunganator]

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Basic+Operations#toc7

 

I've read through this, but after restarting my unit several times, I still can't get it to work. When I reconnect my receiver to my computer, I get a message that says "There might be a problem with some files on this device or disc. This can happen if you remove the device or disc before all files have been written to it." followed by an option to "Scan and Fix"

 

This only happens after I've saved the startup.txt file

[+EraSeek]

The waas problem is that it only gets a lock after a long time only sometimes and then loses it. The latest update did not help me

 

OK, yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I've been ignoring WAAS on my Oregon for some time. But, Yes, it is as funky as it was before. It cycles through possible WAAS numbers that contain no WAAS sat. When it hit a WAAS number that contains on of the two sats it will load up the corrections and then cycle on. Yes, it could use a fix.

[+kev-val]

I tested this a little better this morning. It appears that the "Improved compass responsiveness in challenging GPS environments" changes may be the culprit.

 

I have my compass set to "Auto". I don't know exactly what causes it, but on some initial starts of the GPSr, the compass is enabled, and it seems to take an excessive amount of time to automatically disable it. If on the compass screen, the "Hold Level" message is displayed, and the compass heading is "locked". Eventually the compass will "auto off" and the pointer then resumes working as expected. I also verified that the "Auto on" for the compass does not hit until 90 seconds after movement stops (I did not test at slow speeds). While driving, the compass seemed to be working properly so I pulled to the side of the road and timed how long it took for the compass to turn itself back on. Next I power cycled the GPSr and within 3-5 seconds of my resuming movement (>3 mph) the compass did "Auto off" and the pointer worked as expected. Once again, it would not automatically trn the compass back on until 90 seconds after movement stopped. I know that in my initial power-on this morning the compass did not "auto off" even though I had driven >20mh for over a mile, plus >40mph for over a mile. At that point I manually turned the compass off and things resumed operations as expected. Now that I know that the first power-on after a "significant" period of power off, the compass does not appear to automatically turn off as expected...

OK, I applied the 3.12 beta update today and when I left work to come home tonight my GPSr compass was still misbehaving. The electronic compass didn't auto disable until around 90 seconds into my drive home, then everything started acting as expected. I still don't know what the event is to trigger this major delay in the compass turning off, but I think I have enough information to contact Garmin. That is on my agenda along with the waypoint manager losing the "close" button...

 

 

I am also seeing this compass delay with the new 3.10 loaded to my oregon 400T.

Edited August 5, 2009 by kev-val

[+TeamGeoduck]

I have noticed that once I upgraded to 3.10 (from the last alpha firmware) the compass and distance to the cache go bonkers over heavy tree cover on hilly terrain. It would jump from 15' to 45' to 65' to 34' and all around. I live in flat Florida, but did the upgrade well visiting and caching in Hilly Washington state. I am not 100% if I am just not used the way GPSrs behaves in hilly terrain with dense tree cover or my GPSr is just lazy and likes flat terrain, but it seemed to get worse after the upgrade. My 60csx was jumpy but not crazy bonkers jumpy. I wonder how the Oregon will act once I am back caching in FL?

[+northsnowshoe]

I have noticed that once I upgraded to 3.10 (from the last alpha firmware) the compass and distance to the cache go bonkers over heavy tree cover on hilly terrain. It would jump from 15' to 45' to 65' to 34' and all around. I live in flat Florida, but did the upgrade well visiting and caching in Hilly Washington state. I am not 100% if I am just not used the way GPSrs behaves in hilly terrain with dense tree cover or my GPSr is just lazy and likes flat terrain, but it seemed to get worse after the upgrade. My 60csx was jumpy but not crazy bonkers jumpy. I wonder how the Oregon will act once I am back caching in FL?

My Oregon 300 with 3.10 update has the same problem. When out geocaching, even under light tree cover, the compass and distance to cache jump all over the place. Hope Garmin can fix this problem soon or I'm going to sell the Oregon and get a Lowrance Endura.

[+binzi]

Running firmware 3.10 I do experience the following problems:

 

- the "time of day" field runs two hours late. It e.g. shows 6:30 p.m. when it actually is 8:30 p.m. This didn't happen with any previous release

 

- after installing a new additional map on the SD card the Oregon will sometimes start to crash during bootup. If so, the problem remains until I connect the Oregon to the PC, boot it up, and rename or delete the map file

 

- once all of a sudden it would stop showing the caches of one of my gpx files which was on the SD card for like two days and working fine. Problem was resolved by opening the gpx file, adding and deleting a space and then saving the file

 

- I too do experience the problem where the compass will jump all over the place

 

Unfortunately 3.12 seems to have some major bugs and some other problems that already had been solved in previous releases.

 

Bottom line: Since I really do enjoy some new features of 3.10 and at least for me this version suffices for geocaching, I'll probably stick to it for now...

[+binzi]

some additional information to the "time of day"-problem. This happens when I set the time zone to automatic. When I choose the correct time zone it will show the correct time. However, as soon as I switch back to automatic it will run two hours late again.

[+Tequila]

some additional information to the "time of day"-problem. This happens when I set the time zone to automatic. When I choose the correct time zone it will show the correct time. However, as soon as I switch back to automatic it will run two hours late again.

 

Does this happen consistently or intermittently? I am not seeing the issue with my unit.

[+binzi]

The time issue started to appear today. Yesterday everything was still fine. Today it just won't go back to the right time...

 

Update: Just met a friend who also owns an Oregon running on 3.10. We were standing right next to each other receiving the exact same satellites. Both Oregons were set to time zone automatic. His does show the correct time. Mine however does still run 2 hours late.... Restarting the unit or changing the time zone to some value and then back to automatic does not solve this issue...

Edited August 6, 2009 by binzi

[+g-o-cashers]

Does the unit have satellite lock when the time is off?

[+binzi]

yes I did have a perfect satellite lock resulting in an accuracy of 4 meters....

[+g-o-cashers]

Do you have a file called gmaptz.img in your \Garmin directory or could it have been corrupted as you were moving around/deleting .img files because of the other issues? Mine is 591,360 bytes.

[+binzi]

Thx g-o-cashers! My gmaptz.img was actually missing...

 

Probably my fault since after the crash caused by adding new maps I deleted all maps on the Oregon and added them one-by-one to see which one caused the crash. Luckily I had an initial backup and was now able to restore the original gmaptz.img. Phew.

 

At least I do now know what gmaptz.img is good for (tz = time zone ).

 

I'm still a bit curious why the time was running two hours late instead of just one hour (which would be my difference to GMT+0

 

Thx again. One issue down. At least two to go

[+jefro]

I have noticed that once I upgraded to 3.10 (from the last alpha firmware) the compass and distance to the cache go bonkers over heavy tree cover on hilly terrain. It would jump from 15' to 45' to 65' to 34' and all around. I live in flat Florida, but did the upgrade well visiting and caching in Hilly Washington state. I am not 100% if I am just not used the way GPSrs behaves in hilly terrain with dense tree cover or my GPSr is just lazy and likes flat terrain, but it seemed to get worse after the upgrade. My 60csx was jumpy but not crazy bonkers jumpy. I wonder how the Oregon will act once I am back caching in FL?

My Oregon 300 with 3.10 update has the same problem. When out geocaching, even under light tree cover, the compass and distance to cache jump all over the place. Hope Garmin can fix this problem soon or I'm going to sell the Oregon and get a Lowrance Endura.

 

I'm having the same problem as well.

When approaching a geocache, I'm steered in various different directions before it finally settles down after a few mins, if at all. Also, my pointer also remains motionless at times during this process. It will not show me moving at all.

 

3.10