Garmin Oregon 550

[+W4G_SOTAGoat]

I have a could of questions on the Garmin Oregon 550...

 

1) How is the quality of the camera? I'd like to leave my high dollar phone in the truck and take the non-activated (911 only) Verizon phone out in the woods with me.

 

2) How many waypoints/caches can it load? I'd love to be able to load up the entire metro Atlanta area.

 

Thanks!

[+Cacheoholic]

The camera is ok as long as you have plenty of light.

 

Waypoints and caches are separate. 2000 waypoints. Maximum 5000 caches or maximum 200 GPX files, depends on how you load them. That means 5000 caches by using Pocket Queries or only 200 caches if you use the “Send to” button on the individual cache page. Unlimited number of caches can be loaded as POI’s, well almost unlimited because you are limited by available memory.

[+W4G_SOTAGoat]

So you send the entire GPX file to the unit instead of loading with a utility like GSAK?

[+Cacheoholic]

Either way works. No need to use a 3rd party program unless you want to alter, filter, customize, etc your Pocket Queries. Just extract the compressed Pocket Query into the GPS’s GPX folder so that both your .gpx and wpts.gpx files are in the GPX folder and you are good to go.

[+W4G_SOTAGoat]

Pretty slick. Do you have the orange or yellow model? I've heard the readability in sunlight can be an issue. May lean towards the Montana if true. What's your take on it?

[+Bear and Ragged]

I have the Oregon 300.

 

Screen brightness has improved. In BRIGHT sunlight you can struggle, but would probably struggle with most screen devices.

I have found that moving the screen so the sun crosses over it can help.

 

On the whole, not a problem. (Certainly not here in the not so sunny UK! )

Edited November 1, 2011 by Bear and Ragged

[+dfx]

On the newer 450 and 550 units, readability is quite excellent in direct sunlight. Actually, the brighter it is, the better (with no backlight required at all). As with all transflective displays, viewing angle is key. In shady and twilight conditions, the backlight comes in useful.

[+Cacheoholic]

Not sure about the orange or yellow. I’m color vision deficient but my 550 looks mostly olive and charcoal to me.

 

Readability in the sun is good because of the transflective background. It’s the overcast days that are the worst. I always run the backlight on high to compensate but that eats away at the battery power. The Montana display is amazing. It makes my nuvi display look dull (and anything else I have). The Montana is HUGH at first and takes a little while to get used to the size but I love that big fat bugger now!

[+W4G_SOTAGoat]

I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of outdoor accessories for the Montana, such as a Lanyard, backpack loop, and a carabiner clip.

[+PokerLuck]

The Oregon series is limited to 5000 caches, but the Montana can hold a lot more, on the order of 12,000:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=277279&view=findpost&p=4767653