Oregon 400t

[+Tahoe1849er]

I am sure all of you who own a 400t have concerns over the screen brightness outdoors. Works great indoors. Has anyone heard of a fix or is Garmin reccomending anything for a fix? Is there anything possible in the fuiture? I am considering returning mine for something that one can see outdoors, any suggestions?

[+Triple Crown]

I am sure all of you who own a 400t have concerns over the screen brightness outdoors. Works great indoors. Has anyone heard of a fix or is Garmin reccomending anything for a fix? Is there anything possible in the fuiture? I am considering returning mine for something that one can see outdoors, any suggestions?

 

The 550 series is a little better and the 450 series should have the same improved screen.

[+boda]

I am sure all of you who own a 400t have concerns over the screen brightness outdoors. Works great indoors. Has anyone heard of a fix or is Garmin reccomending anything for a fix? Is there anything possible in the fuiture? I am considering returning mine for something that one can see outdoors, any suggestions?

Triple Crown has some good recomendations.

 

I, however, do not have concerns over the screen brightness.

[+Chrysalides]

I am sure all of you who own a 400t have concerns over the screen brightness outdoors. Works great indoors. Has anyone heard of a fix or is Garmin reccomending anything for a fix? Is there anything possible in the fuiture? I am considering returning mine for something that one can see outdoors, any suggestions?

The 450/550 is supposed to improve on the screen (I've seen side by side photos of 550 and 400, and there appears to be some improvement). The Dakota should be brighter too, as the screen is of lower resolution (lower pixel density).

 

I have an Oregon 300. I changed the background to be white, and it improved the brightness. I've also yet to find myself in a situation where I cannot see the screen at all outdoors.

 

And then there is this...

[+evilmonkey454]

I got to tell you before I bought my Oregon I almost was not going to because everyone was complaining about the screen brightness. When I held it next to a vista hcx and a 60cx Yes it was a little dimmer but not unreadable I don't see why this is such a issue for everyone.I now have had mine almost a year and I still love it.I know this does not answer the question But I've heard this complaint so much I had to comment.

 

KEEP ON CACHING

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

The Dakota, IMHO, is brighter than any of the Oregon units. A fix is doubtful, since it is mostly a hardware limitation.

[+jackrock]

I got the 550 and was reading all the complaints about screen brightness. I found how to change the map background to white to improve visibility in bright light but I am finding that I often forget to switch to that profile. I really don't have any issues with reading it. It could be brighter, but I can say the same for every GPSr I've seen.

 

Anyway, before returning it, I would try the white background first to see if you like it.

[+Tahoe1849er]

THANKS to all, I'll try the white background idea and for everyone Garmin support got back to me on this question and said there is no fix but reccommended the 550T. I think they know they blew it. Thanks again.

[+GeoRVers]

I got the 400t for Christmas and am satisfied with the screen.

[+g-o-cashers]

Some of these tips help make the screen more readable (not by changing brightness, by changing color schemes)

 

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Miscellaneous#toc7

[+Tahoe1849er]

Some of these tips help make the screen more readable (not by changing brightness, by changing color schemes)

 

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Miscellaneous#toc7

 

Hi, I really appreciate your reply and have tried changing the background color schemes on the Oregon. Yes it does help a little. Is it enough to keep the Oregon, I am not sure at this point. I have owned a couple of different GPSr and find that the screen reading in sunlight seems to be an issue globally. It is unfortunate the the entire industry can't figure this out. Hnadheld GPS users are typically outdoors and the industry does not factor that in when creating their new devices.

 

Thanks again for you reply, I hope other users out there will notify the manufacture of the GPSr of their choice of their displessure with screen brightness while outdoors.

[+baja_Traveler]

I don't really have a problem with mine - other than the recommendations already given (I've never heard of setting the map background to white, and don't see how to do it), Get some 2900 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries and set the Backlight Timeout to "Stays On". I can run the GPS all day and still have battery reserve using this system.