Got my 450 today

[+jeepdelfuego]

I finally replaced my stolen Oregon 300 with an Oregon 450. I already had my marine, topo, custom maps, and pocket queries with 5k geocaches ready to go on a SD card. So, it was not a pain getting started again. I'm hoping to go out and do some geocaching today. So far, I don't see a difference between a 300 and a450, except for the 5k limit for geocaches.

[+ecanderson]

I finally replaced my stolen Oregon 300 with an Oregon 450. I already had my marine, topo, custom maps, and pocket queries with 5k geocaches ready to go on a SD card. So, it was not a pain getting started again. I'm hoping to go out and do some geocaching today. So far, I don't see a difference between a 300 and a450, except for the 5k limit for geocaches.

Get it outdoors and start working with it, and if your memory of using your 300 is fairly sharp, you'll see a couple of differences pretty quickly.

[+jeepdelfuego]

I finally replaced my stolen Oregon 300 with an Oregon 450. I already had my marine, topo, custom maps, and pocket queries with 5k geocaches ready to go on a SD card. So, it was not a pain getting started again. I'm hoping to go out and do some geocaching today. So far, I don't see a difference between a 300 and a450, except for the 5k limit for geocaches.

Get it outdoors and start working with it, and if your memory of using your 300 is fairly sharp, you'll see a couple of differences pretty quickly.

 

Okay. I guess the screen is a bit brighter. Actually, it almost seems like the resolution was bumped up. There is some advertising on my GPS now too. I noticed that when my City Navigator NT2010 is enabled (I used the same map on my Oregon 300), I see icons for Carls Jr., Staples, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, Walgreens, and others when I'm zoomed in about 300 ft, or so. I'm not sure if that will be useful. But, it is there.

 

I remember never seeing (the screen) a difference between my Oregon 300 and my wife's Oregon 200. But, now that I sat my 450 next to her 200, I do see a difference. Whatever Garmin did to the screen on the Oregon 450 was definitely for the better! To be honest though, I never had any complaints about our Oregon 200, or Oregon 300 screens. If it was ever hard to see the screen, I would just automatically tilt the unit until the screen was legible (clear).

 

If anyone is interested, I'll post any new improvements that I notice here.

[+Triple Crown]

I finally replaced my stolen Oregon 300 with an Oregon 450. I already had my marine, topo, custom maps, and pocket queries with 5k geocaches ready to go on a SD card. So, it was not a pain getting started again. I'm hoping to go out and do some geocaching today. So far, I don't see a difference between a 300 and a450, except for the 5k limit for geocaches.

Get it outdoors and start working with it, and if your memory of using your 300 is fairly sharp, you'll see a couple of differences pretty quickly.

 

Okay. I guess the screen is a bit brighter. Actually, it almost seems like the resolution was bumped up. There is some advertising on my GPS now too. I noticed that when my City Navigator NT2010 is enabled (I used the same map on my Oregon 300), I see icons for Carls Jr., Staples, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, Walgreens, and others when I'm zoomed in about 300 ft, or so. I'm not sure if that will be useful. But, it is there.

 

 

That's not advertising, it's your POI's.

[+Chrysalides]

If anyone is interested, I'll post any new improvements that I notice here.

I'm interested.

 

By the way, you know you can do screen captures on the Oregon, right? Go to setup, enable screen capture. Tap the power button to capture the screen. Screens stored as JPEG in \Garmin\scrn of your Garmin drive. When you power off, it reverts back to screen capture disabled.

 

I was going to mention the POIs, but Triple Crown beat me to it.

[+jeepdelfuego]

If anyone is interested, I'll post any new improvements that I notice here.

I'm interested.

 

By the way, you know you can do screen captures on the Oregon, right? Go to setup, enable screen capture. Tap the power button to capture the screen. Screens stored as JPEG in \Garmin\scrn of your Garmin drive. When you power off, it reverts back to screen capture disabled.

 

I was going to mention the POIs, but Triple Crown beat me to it.

 

I finally got a chance to really use it today and the screen is definitely brighter. I usually have my GPS hanging from the bikini top strap in my Jeep. Today, the sun was blaring on the screen and it was much brighter than on my old Oregon 300, or my wife's Oregon 200! I can't see why anyone would buy anything other than this unit right now. Calibrating the 3D compass requires a few more steps. But, it does work very well after that. I'm not much into using the electronic compass because I never seem to have a need for a compass. Besides I always carry an old Army compass with me.

 

As for everything else, the 450 works just like all other Oregon's, and Dakota's. I love the touchscreen and the paperless geocaching.

 

If there are any specific screen captures that you want to see, let me know.

[+akSCOOBY]

I just got mines on Saturday after deciding the iphone app just wasn't cutting it. Loving it so far however the SD card in mines seems to be faulty, at least I hope it is the card and not the GPS.

 

Sometimes the maps (Discoverer GB) load up no probs, other times there is no sign of them. Plug into the PC and sometimes it comes up with two removable drives and other times one... or comes up with a message that the drive needs formated but then cant do it.

 

Put SD card into a card reader and it seems to work ok which has me worried it is the GPS, however another SD card appears each time ok in the GPS but unfortunately it is too small to copy the maps onto.

 

Anyone else had simmilar problems?

 

Also what batteries are you using? My old Nimh ones are clearly past it (I hope) as they only lasted 2 hours. I put a set of Alkalines in which faired better but only perhaps 5-6 hours. Just thinking about high capacity nimh one a set of eneloops

[+jeepdelfuego]

I just got mines on Saturday after deciding the iphone app just wasn't cutting it. Loving it so far however the SD card in mines seems to be faulty, at least I hope it is the card and not the GPS.

 

Sometimes the maps (Discoverer GB) load up no probs, other times there is no sign of them. Plug into the PC and sometimes it comes up with two removable drives and other times one... or comes up with a message that the drive needs formated but then cant do it.

 

Put SD card into a card reader and it seems to work ok which has me worried it is the GPS, however another SD card appears each time ok in the GPS but unfortunately it is too small to copy the maps onto.

 

Anyone else had simmilar problems?

 

Also what batteries are you using? My old Nimh ones are clearly past it (I hope) as they only lasted 2 hours. I put a set of Alkalines in which faired better but only perhaps 5-6 hours. Just thinking about high capacity nimh one a set of eneloops

 

I came across that issue with one of my friends Oregon 200. We re-formatted the SD card while in the unit and the problem went away. The batteries I am using are the garden variety Energizer rechargeables that I bought at Walmart.

 

I'm thinking of giving BirdEye a try. But, it makes me mad that I would have to buy two subscriptions in order to use it with my wife's GPS and mine. Garmin doesn't seem to give us a break with their map products.

[+akSCOOBY]

Cant format it from the PC via the Orgegon, just get an error message saying format failed.

 

I can however format it direct when using a card reader so starting to suspect it is the GPS Still does not work after doing that though.