Garmin Colorado 400t

[askretzinger]

I've been all over the internet trying to read reviews about the Garmin Colorado 400t. I'm trying to decide if I should buy one but I'm not sure of a few things and I can't get any details. I'm hoping people here could possibly help me with some of these questions:

 

1. Does it have a mac interface?

 

2. Would I need to purchase the geocaching software seperately? How does it work? What features does it have?

 

3. Would I have to buy turn by turn navigation seperately?

 

4. What are the positives and negatives of geocaching with this model from geocacher's opinions

[+splashy]

1 goto the garmin site and find the Mac programs

2 you need to become a member (pay) or load caches one by one without hints

3 not with the Topo map

4

 

The Colorado came on the marked and had all the problems you can think off, so Garmin more or less took them all back and were replaced by new or refurbished models, later they showed up again cheap priced at Costco, the people who still have one seem happy, but I'm sure many just lay somewhere.

If you buy one be sure it's not one of the start models, if you buying via graig or ebay be sure you can send it back

[+Red90]

They are great. Splashy is overstating things...by a huge amount.

 

Of the many people I know who bought one near the beginning, nobody ever needed to return one. The problems were almost solely due to software. There were no early hardware problems. The software was fixed a very long time ago and they work well and are reliable.

[+splashy]

As I said "the people who still have one seem happy" and to be honest, if it work it's a very nice Gps.

[askretzinger]

so I would have to upgrade to get the hints? Is that the same on every GPS?

 

What features does the interface on the Colorado allow you to use? Does it allow you to read the cache description, logs, etc? Do you need another device to log which caches you've found?

Edited November 2, 2010 by askretzinger

[+northernpenguin]

so I would have to upgrade to get the hints? Is that the same on every GPS?

 

What features does the interface on the Colorado allow you to use? Does it allow you to read the cache description, logs, etc? Do you need another device to log which caches you've found?

 

The Colorado supports full geocache descriptions with hints right out of the box.

 

What you would need to spend money on is the Groundspeak Premium Membership to get those details from the site. Another recommendation is to load the Colorado using a program like GSAK which is available for a very small fee.

 

You can mark caches as found on the Colorado, and send those field notes to Geocaching.com - but you will need a computer to do the actual sending to Geocaching.com, as the Colorado does not have the capability to connect directly to the site like an iPhone does (expected, as the Colorado does not have cellular or Wifi built in, and nor does it need those features)

 

For the Topo question

The preloaded topo maps do not perform routing, but if you purchase the newer Topo maps from Garmin, like Topo Canada v4, it will happily auto-route using those maps.

 

I have owned a Colorado since very early on, and I am still using it, happily.

[+Red90]

For the Topo question

The preloaded topo maps do not perform routing, but if you purchase the newer Topo maps from Garmin, like Topo Canada v4, it will happily auto-route using those maps.

 

To clarify.... None of the Garmin Topo maps for the USA autoroute except the 1:24000 series. Most Garmin Topo maps for other countries autoroute.

 

There are some free routeable map option available.

[+fegan]

I've had a Colorado 400t since March 2008...works great, love the paperless geocaching. Since the base TOPO map doesn't auto-route, I added City Navigator North America. I replaced my Windows computer with a Mac about six months ago...works great. I still use GSAK in a virtual machine...and I can connect the Colorado to the Mac or the virtual Windows computer...no trouble transferring caches, waypoints or POIs (I haven't updated my maps since moving to the Mac).

 

Yes, the earliest release of the Colorado had a lot of missing features...Garmin quickly fixed the major ones and up until about six months ago they were still adding new features. Sadly, it's now discontinued and I'm not a huge fan of the Oregon...so if mine were to break I would be looking for another Colorado to replace it.

[+Edison.Starfire]

Most units have some teething pains. From what I've heard they are good units. For the price they are hard to pass up. Mac support is nice too and Garmin stays on top of things with good support.

[+baloo&bd]

I've been all over the internet trying to read reviews about the Garmin Colorado 400t. I'm trying to decide if I should buy one but I'm not sure of a few things and I can't get any details. I'm hoping people here could possibly help me with some of these questions:

 

1. Does it have a mac interface?

 

2. Would I need to purchase the geocaching software seperately? How does it work? What features does it have?

 

3. Would I have to buy turn by turn navigation seperately?

 

4. What are the positives and negatives of geocaching with this model from geocacher's opinions

 

1. We use a computer, so not sure.

 

2. No you would not have to and can cache right out of box with full hints and descriptions however getting GSAK will make your life much easier with this or any other GPS. It can be used free but well worth the $20 (I think that is what it is now) to register.

 

3. Yes and no. There are solutions that are free and public domain. Easy enough to learn but not exactly plug and play.

 

4. Rock solid. I had no problem with mine until AFTER they were discontinued and it was due to something I did software-wise. They did a free exchange, my only cost was shipping it to them. There is no better customer service you will find other than Garmin.

 

Contrary to a previous post, they were not pulled due to problems, Garmin comes out with new units on a regular basis and, if the unit is found to greatly overlap with a new unit, real or planned, they will pull the old unit as it is not as profitable for both units to be out and just more confusing for customers. Some they even put out updates for after discontinuing (Not the case with the Colorado) and they do offer tech support long after a unit is discontinued from the line.

 

The Colorado was not problematic from a hardware point of view. They did have one rather buggy firmware upgrade that they were very quick to correct. Bottom line, you will not be making a mistake buying this unit, especially with the deals that are out there now.

Edited November 3, 2010 by baloo&bd

[+jundtie797]

I also am thinking about buying a Colorado 400t. I am new to Geocaching, and have been using my iPhone (started with a 3GS and now a 4) and I am wanting to get a decent GPS, without breaking the bank, but to have a lot of features that the iphone app does.

 

I was looking at a 60csx, then a Oregon 450, and now the Colorado, but I cant decide. The main thing that I would like is the ability to have all the paperless options (notes, hints, etc....). Whatever I buy I will want to add the City Navigator to it. I've never used a true GPS before, so this will be a first. I'm afraid if I buy something that I wont like it and be stuck with it.

 

Any thoughts??

 

Thanks,

CJ

[+splashy]

If you started with an iphone, it might be wise to borrow a 'normal' gps before, because it is VERY different and your expectations might be too high.

 

This is based on my use of Colorado/Oregon and Android Samsung Galaxy.

[+jajma]

I've been all over the internet trying to read reviews about the Garmin Colorado 400t. I'm trying to decide if I should buy one but I'm not sure of a few things and I can't get any details. I'm hoping people here could possibly help me with some of these questions:

 

1. Does it have a mac interface?

 

2. Would I need to purchase the geocaching software seperately? How does it work? What features does it have?

 

3. Would I have to buy turn by turn navigation seperately?

 

4. What are the positives and negatives of geocaching with this model from geocacher's opinions

I have had one for about 2 years. The road nav. sd card was about $100 and works pretty well. As for caching, it has been very good for me. Nothing extra to add for geocaching. I like the rock and roller wheel, especially in winter with gloved hands. Use your index finger second knuckle to press buttons with gloves on. Not sure about the MAC part. The only negative I can see is it is discontinued, however, it is good as it is as long as software is up to date.

[+northernpenguin]

 

1. Does it have a mac interface?

 

 

The unit appears as a "mass storage device" so pretty much ANY modern operating system - Windows, MacOS, Linux can easily access it. I seem to recall there is MapSource for MacOS so that should work with it. I don't own a Mac so I can't tell you 100% for sure.

[+normandcat]

I have two Colorado 400t devices. The first one was purchased right after they were released.

 

The reason for two? The first one completely failed the day before a big Geocaching event and I found another one at a local store.

 

They have both been back to the factory for a refurbished replacement. They have either stopped receiving satellites or the USB port has gone bad. Twice on one and I think three times on the other (I've lost track)...

 

That said, I've loved the accuracy of the Colorado. It really has been outstanding.

 

The down side? There hasn't been a firmware update in almost a year. Even though they have basically the same radio for transferring data between units as the Oregon, they never updated the firmware to support the new "Chirp". I wish there was a GPS as accurate as the Colorado with the touch screen of the Oregon.

 

Just my two cents...

-Dwight

[+geodarts]

I was a very happy Colorado owner. As a premium member it was easy to load gpx files straight to the unit - I rarely used GSAK unless it was to edit the coordinates in a particular file. I loved the display and was used to the rock n' roller wheel. I loved its flexibility. Its accuracy was great. Uploading field notes made logging easy on the pc. The Wherigo support was nice, although there are some issues with the way garmin implemented it. The paperless functions were easy to use - although with long cache descriptions (letterboxes, earthcaches) or pages where graphics were important I generally went with geosphere on the iphone.

 

I put this in the past tense because my unit died. I replaced the unit under warranty once when the usb port failed. But a few weeks ago the unit would not boot and the computer would not recognize it. It was out of the Garmin warranty but I had a Square Trade warranty. They could not fix it so I got my money back and got a 62s instead, which I have been happy with.

 

There are good prices on the Colorado, but I would think about a supplemental warranty and a Zagg screen protector.

Edited November 5, 2010 by mulvaney

[+northernpenguin]

I have two Colorado 400t devices. The first one was purchased right after they were released.

 

The reason for two? The first one completely failed the day before a big Geocaching event and I found another one at a local store.

 

They have both been back to the factory for a refurbished replacement. They have either stopped receiving satellites or the USB port has gone bad. Twice on one and I think three times on the other (I've lost track)...

 

That said, I've loved the accuracy of the Colorado. It really has been outstanding.

 

The down side? There hasn't been a firmware update in almost a year. Even though they have basically the same radio for transferring data between units as the Oregon, they never updated the firmware to support the new "Chirp". I wish there was a GPS as accurate as the Colorado with the touch screen of the Oregon.

 

Just my two cents...

-Dwight

 

Just an FYI Garmin released a "new" firmware today - 3.50 which appears to rebrand 3.42 beta as stable

[+jundtie797]

If you started with an iphone, it might be wise to borrow a 'normal' gps before, because it is VERY different and your expectations might be too high.

 

This is based on my use of Colorado/Oregon and Android Samsung Galaxy.

 

You are correct!! They are very different, and it looks like I need an engineering degree to figure them out. I played with a GPSMAP 62 at REI today, and man it's nice, but it's too much for me. Instead I bought a Magellan explorist GC. This has almost everything I want. You cannot load turn ny turn maps, but I can live with that. I'm going to kick the tires on it this weekend and see how much I like it. If not, per the salesperson, I can always return it if I am not happy.

 

We shall see how it goes.....

 

Thanks!

[+normandcat]

Just an FYI Garmin released a "new" firmware today - 3.50 which appears to rebrand 3.42 beta as stable

 

Yea... I noticed that it was released after writing my post. I checked just before I posted so I know it was minutes after I checked...

[+G & C]

I owned a Colorado 400 before it got stolen and I moved on to the Oregon 550. I really liked the Colorado a lot, and the only reason I didn't buy another was because of the deal I got on the Oregon. Very accurate, easy to use, a little slow on the data input with that wheel, but that's not a big deal very often. Good screen, well laid out dashboard stuff and paperless geocaching. Tough to beat.

 

Apparently someone else liked it too, because they stole it!

[+baloo&bd]

nevermind

Edited November 6, 2010 by baloo&bd

[+Snow Days]

I've been all over the internet trying to read reviews about the Garmin Colorado 400t. I'm trying to decide if I should buy one but I'm not sure of a few things and I can't get any details. I'm hoping people here could possibly help me with some of these questions:

 

1. Does it have a mac interface?

 

2. Would I need to purchase the geocaching software seperately? How does it work? What features does it have?

 

3. Would I have to buy turn by turn navigation seperately?

 

4. What are the positives and negatives of geocaching with this model from geocacher's opinions

 

i have a mac os x and I bought a Garmin Colorado 400t. The software that comes with it is able to be used with mac. you can download basecamp from the garmin site. This is my first GPS, and I am not great on the computer, but finding it very difficult to get started.

[+Snow Days]

I've had a Colorado 400t since March 2008...works great, love the paperless geocaching. Since the base TOPO map doesn't auto-route, I added City Navigator North America. I replaced my Windows computer with a Mac about six months ago...works great. I still use GSAK in a virtual machine...and I can connect the Colorado to the Mac or the virtual Windows computer...no trouble transferring caches, waypoints or POIs (I haven't updated my maps since moving to the Mac).

 

Yes, the earliest release of the Colorado had a lot of missing features...Garmin quickly fixed the major ones and up until about six months ago they were still adding new features. Sadly, it's now discontinued and I'm not a huge fan of the Oregon...so if mine were to break I would be looking for another Colorado to replace it.

 

what is GSAK? Are you using BaseCamp? I am spending too much time trying to figure this all out. want to get out and play!! I also have a mac and colorado 400t. Any tips would be great. Enjoy!

[+Red90]

As you are a premium member.. make a pocket query and copy the GPX files to the unit under the Garmin/GPX/ folder. That is all you need to do to go caching. No programs are required.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Red90