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New Garmin Oregon 600 Series


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Any updates on 650 shipping dates?

 

All this discussion and evaluation is driving me mad! zomg.gif

 

same here ! I just emailed LL Bean and here is what I got:

 

"I have double checked with our Product Department and the backorder date for the Garmin Oregon 600 GPS is 5/19/13. Once we receive our shipment from the vendor, and your order is filled, we will send you an email confirmation."

 

blah :sad:

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]All I'm doing is going to the My Collection button on the bottom Left of the screen, then the Edit button on the top right, then the + button on the bottom left to get the New Waypoint screen. zoom, pan, tap the crosshairs to mark and then the next button to add the Name, description and symbol, then the save button saves it to the cloud.

Well - I logged into someone else's computer and launched Basecamp, logged into myGarmin and enabled cloud storage. Made one waypoint and synced.

 

Now on my iPad in Basecamp I can see and edit that one waypoint. But I don't have the plus sign you mentioned for adding others. And I can only "sort of" edit that one existing waypoint -- it will only let me change the name, symbol, description - not the coords.

 

This is not really an Oregon600 question/problem, but I'd like to see what BCM can do before I get one.

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Well - I logged into someone else's computer and launched Basecamp, logged into myGarmin and enabled cloud storage. Made one waypoint and synced.

 

Now on my iPad in Basecamp I can see and edit that one waypoint. But I don't have the plus sign you mentioned for adding others. And I can only "sort of" edit that one existing waypoint -- it will only let me change the name, symbol, description - not the coords.

 

This is not really an Oregon600 question/problem, but I'd like to see what BCM can do before I get one.

 

My Collection -> Edit -> '+' (down at the bottom). It's a bit counter-intuitive compared to some iOS apps. That will let you add waypoints from the phone.

 

But the only way to move tracks/routes/geocaches around is to add them to myGarmin via Basecamp on a desktop/laptop, or pull it from the 600 itself. Basecamp Mobile really is just a glorified copier/viewer between myGarmin and the Oregon 600 at this point. If you don't use myGarmin to store information, it doesn't have any features you might want.

 

I did a quick one-track comparison between the 450 and 600 today when taking a walk during lunch:

- Both were set to track at "Normal" frequency, with the tracking type set to "Auto".

- The 600 had Auto Pause and GLONASS on, but settings were otherwise identical.

- The basemap isn't entirely accurate, so it looks like I'm in the street when I'm not.

450vs600_track.jpg

 

The 600 had a noticeably cleaner line for the most part. However, it did show a couple problems with the Auto Pause feature when at walking speeds or indoors:

- I had a loss of tracking in places because of Auto Pause. Specifically working my way through some dense trees.

- When it loses tracking, it will create a jump in the track to the next point it does capture. It seems to take a fair distance (50-100 ft) to start tracking again.

 

Not a good thing. When out in the sticks, I'll probably leave it off. Especially when I want to donate the data to projects like Northwest Trails. Could be more useful when cycling/driving though. Has no real problems there.

 

As for the sun readability, I've captured a couple shots (downscaled to save some size) showing the difference in glare and day readability. These first two shots show the same route (Tiger Mountain near I-90 in Washington). The first shot is in shade, the second in direct sun. The type of angle to get an "ideal" view is slightly different for each, which made it hard to get a good shot showing them both in a "typical" setting at the same time. The general idea is that while you can get very, very close results in direct sun at certain angles with both... the 600 pulls away easily because you can get good visibility at many more angles than you can with the 450. You just have to be careful with reflections, just like the eTrex 20/30 models.

 

450vs600_shade.jpg

450vs600_sun.jpg

 

These next two show a bit more of the difference in the type of glare you get with each screen. Same position in both shots, just with the two devices swapped. It's clear that the 600 is more readable in both positions, while the 450 is so badly washed out in one that I probably didn't even need to censor the coordinates in the shot, and about all you can really make out is the GPS accuracy, and the close button on the satellite screen. It does do better in the other position, away from direct glare, but even putting the 600 in the bad position, it is still more readable than the 450. In part due to the removal of the resistive touch layer, but also in part due to much better color choice in the UI that boosts contrast in many areas of the menu system.

 

450vs600_glare1.jpg

450vs600_glare2.jpg

 

And just because... an example of some of the crazy things you can do with the main screen. The various "apps" are not only stored in a drawer, but they can be moved onto multiple pages of the main screen as well. This setup which I kinda like uses 3 main pages for recreational use (hiking/camping). One page to access track-related features, and the Sun/Moon tool. One page for the default tools because they are genuinely useful. And one more page for setup and other tools more in that vein.

 

Note that each page actually uses a different dashboard along the top. Extremely customizable. Pretty much everywhere there is a dashboard, you can change it, and use any of the available dashboards. One thing I do miss from the 450 is that you could set the map screen to show 2 small data fields. The 600 doesn't allow for that. It's either 4 small or 1 big. But you can hide the dashboard on the map screen, which at least is a compromise for the missing option of 2 small data fields.

 

600_trackmain.jpg

600_main.jpg

600_settingsmain.jpg

 

And just because I don't think yogazoo has posted this one yet... the new Sun/Moon position feature which I'd find useful if the compass was not cooperating for some reason. It'd be even better if I could view the positions on the compass screen directly like the Explorist. It is such a simple idea that helps counter-balance issues with compass calibration in case I'm genuinely lost.

 

600_sunposition.jpg

 

I might try to make a video, but I'll need to actually prep for that. It wasn't something I had time to slap together over the weekend. It'd also be useful to know what things folks actually want to see in action that only a video can help show off.

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Ah, got it - counter-intuitive is the right word, so much so that I misunderstood coggins' perfectly clear explanation originally. Thanks.

 

Erm... Basecamp Mobile doesn't access location services either? When I go to add a waypoint it assumes I'm in the middle of CONUS...

 

It looks like Garmin has finally out-done DeLorme on non-functionality AND incomprehensibility.

 

Quite an accomplishment! :lol:

Edited by user13371
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Ah, got it - counter-intuitive is the right word, so much so that I misunderstood coggins' perfectly clear explanation originally. Thanks.

 

It looks like Garmin has finally out-done DeLorme on for inexplicable software :lol:

I checked another Garmin Cloud account and deleted all data from it, you need as least 1 waypoint on the cloud to be able to add waypoints, so this confirms your earlier experience.

 

You'll need Garmin Pilot if you want a real app

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garmin-pilot/id340917615?mt=8

 

Free 30 day demo.

Edited by coggins
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Glosmass does NOT make the gps more accurate.

 

Why do you say that?

 

Others have reported that having twice as many satellites to see gives a more accurate fix when you only have a restricted view of the sky - such as when you are in a deep valley or between tall buildings. And there is also a suggestion that GLONASS gives better coverage in Northern latitudes as it is designed to give a better coverage in Russia!

 

Chris

My take is that the more satellites you can chose from, the better the GDOP will be(even in wide open spaces).

 

Dilution of precision

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I used an Oregon 450 for about a year and that was about three years ago. Ever since I've used a Montana. It's nice seeing the 600 through the eyes of someone who can compare and contrast the two.

 

Coggins, as far as unit software, is your take the same as mine? It appears very polished and mature given Garmin's track record. Aside from a few personal nit-picks and desires, the software behaves like a unit that's been out for years already. Bottom line, I don't feel like a beta tester this time round'.

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Hey guys, I've been lurking on this thread for a couple months and just registered. Thanks for all the info. I have my eyes on the new Oregon series; it will be my first dedicated GPS since the Garmin Nuvi 350 I bought for my car 7 years ago. I'm leaving on a long trip to the middle of nowhere and am hoping to get my hands on one before I go. I apologize for the scatter shot of questions below, I know they are all over the place :)

 

I want to be able to track my trip and share it kind of like I have seen on Garmin Adventures. I guess that means setting up one track and leaving it on for the entire trip? Could this potentially work over a 2 week trip?

 

As far as the 600 vs the 600t, I noticed the 600t has only 300MB of internal space compared to 1.5GB on the 600 -- presumably because the space is chewed up by the 100k topographical map. My question is does the space really matter? I have a 32GB microSD I'll be using with it. I want to load a lot of birds eye satellite map and a driving navigation map.

 

My third question is in regard to the topographical map. Is it worthwhile or does anyone that uses such things end up buying the 24k maps? I heard if you get the topo preloaded it comes with some shaders or 3D info that is cool.

 

I like the idea of having a camera included so I don't have to carry a separate device for that. I'm really happy with the 8 megapixel camera on my iPhone5 and I saw the 650 has 8 megapixels as well. Any idea if that correlates to similar picture output? Or are there other factors such as focal length, zoom, etc that would put the Garmin's camera well behind in quality of photographs?

 

Where can I get a screen protector for the 600 series? I saw someone mention Zagg earlier.

 

Finally, if I got a 600 model instead of 650, I noticed it does not include the rechargeable battery pack or AC adapter. I saw on Garmin's site you can purchase the battery pack separately but have not seen the AC adapter being offered. Anyone know about that?

 

Thanks so much. I have preorders in at multiple places in hopes that one of them beats the other to release, because I'm on a limited time frame before I leave. I'll settle for the 600 or 600t but I think I really want the 650 or 650t (depending on whether topo maps are worth it).

Edited by bulletproof.
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One of the annoyances I have with the eTrex 20 (and likely most of Garmins paperless units) is that in order to do a projection, you have to save the geocache as a waypoint, and then project from that.

For that reason I use my smartphone to do projections and then plug that info in as "Next Stage" so that I can continue to use the geocaching dashboard.

 

I always wondered why a projection couldn't be done from the active "geocache" (since it has the same coordinate data) and then the result would become "Next Stage" automatically.

 

By some stroke of luck, does the 600 do projections in a more intuitive manner, or is it still being done the old way?

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Just thinking of the reliably is it worthwhile getting an extra years Warranty and does anyone believe the prices will come down after a few months based on historical trends on the older devices?

Also just checking which would be the options for buying from Australia?

Edited by mtrax
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I used an Oregon 450 for about a year and that was about three years ago. Ever since I've used a Montana. It's nice seeing the 600 through the eyes of someone who can compare and contrast the two.

 

Coggins, as far as unit software, is your take the same as mine? It appears very polished and mature given Garmin's track record. Aside from a few personal nit-picks and desires, the software behaves like a unit that's been out for years already. Bottom line, I don't feel like a beta tester this time round'.

my main 2 handhelds have been the O450 & M650t, think I'll be retiring the O450 in this round. I think Garmin "got the memo" and is on the right track with this series.
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I want to be able to track my trip and share it kind of like I have seen on Garmin Adventures. I guess that means setting up one track and leaving it on for the entire trip? Could this potentially work over a 2 week trip?

 

You can add multiple tracks to an adventure, but you can also record it as a single track. Do whatever makes the most sense to you.

 

As far as the 600 vs the 600t, I noticed the 600t has only 300MB of internal space compared to 1.5GB on the 600 -- presumably because the space is chewed up by the 100k topographical map. My question is does the space really matter? I have a 32GB microSD I'll be using with it. I want to load a lot of birds eye satellite map and a driving navigation map.

 

My third question is in regard to the topographical map. Is it worthwhile or does anyone that uses such things end up buying the 24k maps? I heard if you get the topo preloaded it comes with some shaders or 3D info that is cool.

 

If you are getting a 32GB card, you can fit everything you intend to use on it. There's a tile limit of 4000, and I don't think that has been raised with the 600 series. You'll hit that limit before you hit the limit in a 32GB card.

 

The 100k vs 24k topo maps question is something I wrestle with as well. It seems like a fairly subjective thing. With the 100k maps, you get some level of topo coverage over the whole country. The 24k maps give you more detail, at the cost of extra storage. When on the ground, the extra detail is useful. The 24k maps also have routable roads and trails which could be useful in some cases.

 

One big downside to getting the 100k maps built-in is that you can only use them with Basecamp when the device is plugged in. And they aren't routable, which makes it a bit harder to build up routes in Basecamp (when the trails are there, the major parks being a bit more reliable).

 

Apparently Garmin just released v5 of their 100k Topo maps. Not entirely sure what is different yet, but I suspect these are the 100k Topos on the 600t/650t. One thing to consider is that the DVD can be had for roughly the same price as upgrading to a 't' model, and can be more easily used in Basecamp. Something to consider.

 

For myself, I can pretty much get away with the free topo data. Mostly one thing I want to have access to is elevation profiles on the device for planned trips so I can get an idea of what to expect. On the 450, I'd need either Garmin's 24k/100k topo data to do it. On the 600, it will actually calculate the elevation profile for the track on the fly if it doesn't have it embedded already, even if there is no DEM data available. It won't display the average grade though, which I find pretty useful during planning. I'm almost tempted to get the 100k Topo DVD just so I can have the DEM data and shading on the device if I really want the shading, and use free 24k Topos for everything else.

 

I like the idea of having a camera included so I don't have to carry a separate device for that. I'm really happy with the 8 megapixel camera on my iPhone5 and I saw the 650 has 8 megapixels as well. Any idea if that correlates to similar picture output? Or are there other factors such as focal length, zoom, etc that would put the Garmin's camera well behind in quality of photographs?

 

That is a definite benefit, especially if it means you don't need to risk your iPhone as often. As for quality, it's very hard to tell based on MP specs alone. Camera sensors need as much light as possible to avoid noise. You can get more light by making the sensor bigger (DSLR sensors are much bigger for a reason), and you can use more advanced (expensive) technology to capture more light per pixel. If you add more pixels to a sensor without changing anything else, you get more resolution, but you also add more noise which lowers image quality.

 

It's just impossible to say how good the sensor in the Garmin will be compared to other devices without getting them in hand. But because the device is ruggedized, I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone 5 is better. Ruggedizing the lens usually sacrifices a bit of image quality. How much is hard to tell.

 

This is something that needs a couple sample shots posted to really get a good idea of what to expect.

 

Finally, if I got a 600 model instead of 650, I noticed it does not include the rechargeable battery pack or AC adapter. I saw on Garmin's site you can purchase the battery pack separately but have not seen the AC adapter being offered. Anyone know about that?

 

The AC adapter is just an AC -> USB power brick. Exactly what it outputs, not sure. No 650s seem to have reached anyone yet. If you get the 600, I'm not really sure what the benefit of the Garmin battery pack is beyond being able to charge them in the unit itself. For the price of the battery pack, I can get a set of 8 Eneloops, or 4 Eneloop Pro/XXs. The Eneloop XXs will get longer run time in the Oregon than the Garmin pack as well.

Edited by Kolenka
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Oregon 6x0 (WebUpdater) software version 2.60 as of April 19, 2013 ---> http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6157

 

° Improved map manipulation: Better zooming, rotating and panning

° Improved Track Manager: Adds Track Sorting, Searching and Track Information

° Improved Track Settings: Allows for prompted data reset and trip recording control

° Improved Geocaching Filters: Applies filtering to the map and dashboards

° Improved Favorites dashboard: Adds editing capability directly into dashboard

° Improved Page Loop functionality: Allows for faster paging

° General visual and stability improvements

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Although it does seem like if you have a strong enough lock with GPS alone, it will refuse to lock to the GLONASS satellites.

 

That's most probably a battery saving feature. Why bother turning on the radio for GLONASS when you already have a perfect PDoP? Sounds like a good thing to me, well done Garmin!

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If you are getting a 32GB card, you can fit everything you intend to use on it. There's a tile limit of 4000, and I don't think that has been raised with the 600 series. You'll hit that limit before you hit the limit in a 32GB card.

 

The 24k maps also have routable roads and trails which could be useful in some cases.

 

Hi Kolenka, thanks for the great info. Can you tell me a little more about the Birds Eye tile limit? What does 4000 tiles roughly translate to in square miles (if I'm thinking of this correctly)?

 

Also, since the 24k topos have routable roads, is it advisable to get 24k topos in lieu of the navigation map if I will be using the Oregon 650 for car navigation? I'm thinking maybe that gets me both better topos and driving directions versus only driving directions...

 

By the way, I spoke with GPS City today. They said the 650/650t are looking like they will start shipping April 26th through April 30th, although their website still shows May 3rd as the estimated release date. If you haven't pre-ordered, they said there are still spots available based on the quantity they have coming in. Amazon is giving me a release date of May 6 through May 21st for the 650t. I wonder if REI and GPS City are prioritized as distribution partners ahead of retailers like Amazon?

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By the way, I spoke with GPS City today. They said the 650/650t are looking like they will start shipping April 26th through April 30th, although their website still shows May 3rd as the estimated release date. If you haven't pre-ordered, they said there are still spots available based on the quantity they have coming in. Amazon is giving me a release date of May 6 through May 21st for the 650t. I wonder if REI and GPS City are prioritized as distribution partners ahead of retailers like Amazon?

 

Possibly, but I also suspect that GPS City (and maybe even REI) can ship a lot sooner after they initially receive them. Smaller = more nimble.

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Hi Kolenka, thanks for the great info. Can you tell me a little more about the Birds Eye tile limit? What does 4000 tiles roughly translate to in square miles (if I'm thinking of this correctly)?

 

Also, since the 24k topos have routable roads, is it advisable to get 24k topos in lieu of the navigation map if I will be using the Oregon 650 for car navigation? I'm thinking maybe that gets me both better topos and driving directions versus only driving directions...

 

The tile limit actually applies to the vector maps. The vector data is still split up into tiles. And as an example, each of the 24k DVDs seems to contain about 1800 tiles of data. I don't know how many tiles make up the US 100k Topo DVD though. I'm not familiar with the limits of the Birds Eye topo data either. The upside is that the data is fairly small, but it doesn't zoom all that well if pixelation bothers you. No matter what you get, trail data from gpsfiledepot such as My Trails and Northwest Trails are going to be much more accurate than the Garmin or Birds Eye data. But larger places seem to be fine (like Yellowstone).

 

Keep in mind that the 24k maps are from 2008/2009. So road-wise, they aren't nearly as up to date as a City Navigator map. But the CN maps don't have any topology information which is more useful when out on foot.

 

Again, it isn't a terribly easy decision. The 24k data is going to be much nicer on foot than 100k data, but you can get 24k data from gpsfiledepot if the elevation data and shading aren't important (or routable maps in major parks). There's a couple ways to do it:

- Use OSM data for routable roads, or get a CN map. Depends on how much you like the Navteq data.

 

And:

- Use free 24k data from gpsfiledepot for Topo information. The wider your travel area, the harder it will be to have consistent maps if you don't like what they offer. There's only a couple topo map folks there that have US-wide coverage with their data. Some do try to replicate Garmin's style though, and others try to be very different. It'd be worth grabbing a copy of Basecamp from Garmin's website and loading a few of the free maps if you haven't already.

- Or, use free 24k data paired with Garmin's 100k data if elevation data is important when planning trips.

- Or, get the 24k maps from Garmin if elevation/routing are both important.

- And ... overlay something like My Trails and Northwest Trails to fill gaps in the trail data from any of the 3 sources.

 

Personally, I like the elevation data and routing, but the pricing is a bit of a concern to me. My usual stomping grounds cross 2 of the 24k DVDs, and I wouldn't mind going back to Colorado a few times. It's a bit of a question in my mind that is: are the conveniences of the extra elevation/routing data worth the cash? The most complete trail data is not routable. And the elevation data is mostly useful during planning so that I can get an idea of what I'm in for before I start hiking. I currently convert all my routes in Basecamp to tracks as they work better if I want to detour/etc while hiking. I can restart following the track in the middle and it doesn't flip out.

Edited by Kolenka
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Mysteriously Amazon's notification has changed to:

 

Delivery estimate: We need a little more time to provide you with a good estimate. We'll notify you via e-mail as soon as we have an estimated delivery date.

 

When I ordered my Canon 6D I got this same message, for a camera they had listed as In Stock, but for some logistical reason were dragging their feet a few extra days. Not sure if it is valid to read anything into it, but the change from "We do not have this item", to "We need a little more time", looks slightly hopeful.

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The tile limit actually applies to the vector maps. The vector data is still split up into tiles. And as an example, each of the 24k DVDs seems to contain about 1800 tiles of data. I don't know how many tiles make up the US 100k Topo DVD though. I'm not familiar with the limits of the Birds Eye topo data either. The upside is that the data is fairly small, but it doesn't zoom all that well if pixelation bothers you. No matter what you get, trail data from gpsfiledepot such as My Trails and Northwest Trails are going to be much more accurate than the Garmin or Birds Eye data. But larger places seem to be fine (like Yellowstone).

 

Thanks Kolenka, that is helpful. If a 24k DVD is 1800 tiles of data, then 4000 sounds like plenty of coverage, especially considering the 24k DVDs are based on region and usually cover a few states.

 

I guess the City Navigation would be a no brainer if lifetime updates were included in the handheld devices. Not sure why they would offer that for lower end car only units but not the more expensive models.

 

Thanks again. Hopefully GPS City or Amazon comes through with my order no later than the first week of May. :unsure:

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Thanks Kolenka, that is helpful. If a 24k DVD is 1800 tiles of data, then 4000 sounds like plenty of coverage, especially considering the 24k DVDs are based on region and usually cover a few states.

 

I guess the City Navigation would be a no brainer if lifetime updates were included in the handheld devices. Not sure why they would offer that for lower end car only units but not the more expensive models.

 

Yeah, the number of tiles relates to the size of the data set, usually. For say, a 200MB version of 24k maps for Washington state, there are fairly few tiles. Maybe 100-200 of them. But for the Garmin 24k maps which have a lot more data to support the elevation map and routable roads, that same state has 300-400 tiles. So you can actually cram more free 24k maps than you can the Garmin ones.

 

Before considering the City Navigation maps, I'd try the Open Street Map routable maps. They should be more recent than what is in the 24k topos, but they are also routable. And they are free. They may be good enough for your needs.

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So, how many map tiles will this thing allow in a single map? Can it fit ALL of Garmin's US TOPO on the unit and have it ALL available at any time for field access without having to rename files? Having multiple map files on a micro SD card that require a computer to access/move/rename doesn't count.

 

Both my old 60CSX (hard 2025 map tile limit) and my returned Montana 600 (approx 4000 map tile limit, per Garmin) couldn't do it.

Edited by sviking
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Please confirm whether the Garmin Oregon 600 can charge batteries such as Eneloops?

Or is it really limited to charging the Garmin custom battery pack?

This would really be handy e.g. in car with the oh-so-needed USB charging that is now supported by Oregon 6X0.

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So, how many map tiles will this thing allow in a single map? Can it fit ALL of Garmin's US TOPO on the unit and have it ALL available at any time for field access without having to rename files? Having multiple map files on a micro SD card that require a computer to access/move/rename doesn't count.

 

Both my old 60CSX (hard 2025 map tile limit) and my returned Montana 600 (approx 4000 map tile limit, per Garmin) couldn't do it.

 

On my Oregon 550, I had all of the Garmin TOPO 100k on it. I created the map in 3 sections and renamed the img files. (TOPOEast.img, TOPOCentral.img, TOPOWest.img) Copied the East file to the memory on the gps, and the two other files onto the micro sd card, along with all of the NA City Navigator map.

 

No problem viewing any of the maps.

I don't think the O600 series will be any different.

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On my Oregon 550, I had all of the Garmin TOPO 100k on it. I created the map in 3 sections and renamed the img files. (TOPOEast.img, TOPOCentral.img, TOPOWest.img) Copied the East file to the memory on the gps, and the two other files onto the micro sd card, along with all of the NA City Navigator map.

 

No problem viewing any of the maps.

I don't think the O600 series will be any different.

 

And, you're absolutely sure you didn't have any missing areas? Awfully strange that my newer Montana couldn't do it without moving/renaming files around on the card, which required the use of a computer.

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I have all of the 100k as one file. It came that way on a 450t and I have moved that file to two subsequent devices.

 

That's completely different from having it on DVD. The tiles on the pre-installed TOPO are much larger so you won't ever hit the tile number limit.

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My order with GPS City for the 650t just changed from shipping the first week of May to now May 20th. Amazon still has it listed as May 7 through May 21. For the 600t, GPS City has it listed for release on May 6. Looks like more delays!

 

On the bright side, I do have a 600t in my hand as of lunch time today (ordered last Saturday night from REI). I don't know how REI is so far ahead of Amazon and GPS City, at least with the 600 and 600t, but who am I to complain? :)

 

I kind of wanted the 650t so I would have the camera included, but I may just make do with the 600t. At least it is here in time for my trip, and if I really want to take nice pictures I would need a separate camera anyway for that. Plus the $70 I save can be used for the Birds Eye subscription and some Eneloop XX batteries.

 

Anyone know if you can insert non-geotagged photos into your Garmin Adventures? I guess I'll just have to remember about where I was when I took the photo.

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Anyone know if you can insert non-geotagged photos into your Garmin Adventures? I guess I'll just have to remember about where I was when I took the photo.

Set the clock in you camera to match your GPS and record a track while taking your photos. Import both the track and the photos into BaseCamp and BaseCamp will geotag your photos.
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I was tired of waiting for my L.L. Bean order of the bare Oregon 600. Walked into REI yesterday and (after some searching!) bought the 600t. I've had various GPSes but have never been a power user. My family has started hiking frequently and we've wanted to do more Geocaching. The Oregon 600 seemed like the intuitive choice for a bunch of iPhone users with the capacitive touch screen. I wanted to share my impressions because I'm less impressed overall than the experienced users who have been posting. Probably I'm comparing it to other technology rather than past GPSes.

 

I definitely had some issues getting setup from scratch. Nothing new to longtime users but not a great "out of box" experience.

  1. Why does Garmin need 8 different apps? Seems like everything should be in Basecamp.
  2. Don't forget to re-format the microSD card as FAT32. The Basecamp and MapInstall apps should detect exFAT formatted cards and warn about this.
  3. Birdseye images are tedious. Manual selection and absurdly slow to download seems like Garmin doesn't want you to actually use it.
  4. On the Mac having to eject the drives and quickly unplug the unit before they re-appear is annoying.

As for the unit itself... mine creaks in the rubber grip when I gently squeeze the non-button side in portrait. For something "rugged" that's disconcerting. I also picked up the Garmin retractable lanyard... it's a very small string when compared to the included carabiner/clip!. Do people really trust that with a Montana?

 

The screen is good, great even. I wasn't sure what to expect from the "240 x 400" specifications. Definitely notice no anti-aliasing in the fonts but very usable. It's been overcast here in Sunny Southern California so no sunlight tests yet. I definitely notice reflections and glare on the screen. May be spoiled by iPhone 5's bonded screen.

 

Using two Duracell "Ultra Power" Alkaline batteries I used the unit about 1 hour last night with the screen on full brightness. I purposely left it on last night to run the battery down. Ended up about half. Unfortunately the battery meter is fluctuating between 1 and 3 bars occasionally, which causes a "low battery mode" warning to pop up repeatedly. I do have the battery type set to "Alkaline" in the Setup menu. I suspect the Garmin battery pack or Lithium AAs would behave better. Still good I can use Alkaline AAs in a pinch.

 

I was very interested in Bluetooth support. The Oregon uses Bluetooth 4.0 so you don't pair. Other BT4 peripherals (Polar H7 heart rate strap, Pogo Connect stylus) simply show up in the appropriate app after a one-time discovery process. The Oregon requires you to tap "Share Wirelessly" to activate Bluetooth. I suppose this saves power but the whole point of BT4 is low power mode. It may also be that the Oregon has to scan for new data files when it disconnects (?). I'd prefer the option for BT always on for simplicity.

 

This is where my expectations and reality are very far apart. There's no technical reason I need a computer to pull down .gpx files. Garmin's gone part of the way with the Basecamp Mobile app and "Garmin Cloud", but they've missed a few things. I have no way to upload a .gpx to the Oregon or "Garmin Cloud" from iOS. I should be able to download on my phone (via Safari, Dropbox, whatever) and open in Basecamp Mobile. Then I could transfer it to the Oregon (or Cloud). I'm surprised the OpenCaching.com site/app doesn't support upload to the "Garmin Cloud" already.

 

Furthermore the GeoCaching.com app should allow me to download .gpx files. Currently it just navigates to them. This is possible (if painful) via the non-mobile website. Downloading .gpx files and iPhone 5 screen support (!) would make the GeoCaching.com app more useful to me.

 

OK, got off on a bit of a rant there. I see computer-less geocaching as an important step for the hobby and well within reach. It is a requirement for my wife to ever load caches.

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I definitely had some issues getting setup from scratch. Nothing new to longtime users but not a great "out of box" experience.

  1. Why does Garmin need 8 different apps? Seems like everything should be in Basecamp.
  2. Don't forget to re-format the microSD card as FAT32. The Basecamp and MapInstall apps should detect exFAT formatted cards and warn about this.
  3. Birdseye images are tedious. Manual selection and absurdly slow to download seems like Garmin doesn't want you to actually use it.
  4. On the Mac having to eject the drives and quickly unplug the unit before they re-appear is annoying.

 

It actually in some ways makes sense to launch a separate app to run an installer or updater. Garmin just didn't do a good job hiding the apps (and integrating MapInstaller so you can launch it from BaseCamp). Last thing you want is Basecamp crashing during a firmware update, or halfway through copying maps. Making them separate means that your simpler code that needs to be reliable is isolated from your more complex code which is more likely to cause problems. It would be nice if they didn't pollute the Applications folder with 3 apps though on a Mac.

 

They probably should warn, but it isn't bulletproof when Basecamp/MapInstall don't really care how your SD card is mounted to display and access it. Last thing I want is having Basecamp throw a fit because of an ExFAT SD card I inserted into my laptop while Basecamp was open.

 

I find Birdseye a bit tedious as well, but I don't really use them because they don't offer much over the free 24k maps, and are in some ways less readable. Satellite images in a forest are not terribly helpful either. Not enough landmarks.

 

The eject bug is that, a bug. None of the previous models I've used have that bug. And it is something I also brought up in the thread. So it is new, Mac-only, and only affects devices with an SD-card inserted. Woo.

 

The screen is good, great even. I wasn't sure what to expect from the "240 x 400" specifications. Definitely notice no anti-aliasing in the fonts but very usable. It's been overcast here in Sunny Southern California so no sunlight tests yet. I definitely notice reflections and glare on the screen. May be spoiled by iPhone 5's bonded screen.

 

But realize that the Oregon's are rated for submersion. That requires extra material which can cause problems. And the Oregon does better in sunlight with no backlight on than the iPhone 5 could ever hope to do, which is another trade-off.

 

The iPhone 5 is a reflection magnet as well, but uses the backlight to overcome it. While the Oregon is trying to reflect light through the LCD. Makes things a bit more complicated, but it is where the extra usable battery life comes from.

 

Using two Duracell "Ultra Power" Alkaline batteries I used the unit about 1 hour last night with the screen on full brightness. I purposely left it on last night to run the battery down. Ended up about half. Unfortunately the battery meter is fluctuating between 1 and 3 bars occasionally, which causes a "low battery mode" warning to pop up repeatedly. I do have the battery type set to "Alkaline" in the Setup menu. I suspect the Garmin battery pack or Lithium AAs would behave better. Still good I can use Alkaline AAs in a pinch.

 

Yup, the Alkaline meter is usually the worst one, my 450 does the same thing. I'm trying to get off of Alkalines for the second time (first time I didn't use LSD NiMH batteries, and my usage pattern was eating batteries as a result).

 

I was very interested in Bluetooth support. The Oregon uses Bluetooth 4.0 so you don't pair. Other BT4 peripherals (Polar H7 heart rate strap, Pogo Connect stylus) simply show up in the appropriate app after a one-time discovery process. The Oregon requires you to tap "Share Wirelessly" to activate Bluetooth. I suppose this saves power but the whole point of BT4 is low power mode. It may also be that the Oregon has to scan for new data files when it disconnects (?). I'd prefer the option for BT always on for simplicity.

 

The real problem is that the Oregon 600s only use BT for file transfer to Basecamp Mobile. Nothing else. Everything else uses ANT+. Not sure if copying data between Oregons is built on top of ANT or something else, but it isn't BT there either.

 

This is where my expectations and reality are very far apart. There's no technical reason I need a computer to pull down .gpx files. Garmin's gone part of the way with the Basecamp Mobile app and "Garmin Cloud", but they've missed a few things. I have no way to upload a .gpx to the Oregon or "Garmin Cloud" from iOS. I should be able to download on my phone (via Safari, Dropbox, whatever) and open in Basecamp Mobile. Then I could transfer it to the Oregon (or Cloud). I'm surprised the OpenCaching.com site/app doesn't support upload to the "Garmin Cloud" already.

 

This is one of my complaints as well, and mentioned a couple times in the thread. You aren't alone here. :)

 

I mostly get by at this point because I do my planning in Basecamp.

 

EDIT: Since you have the 600t, do you know if it comes with the v5 100k Topos released in January?

Edited by Kolenka
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Does anyone know if the Zagg Oregon 550 screen protector will fit the Oregon 600 series? According the Garmin, the screen sizes appear to be identical.

 

It will cover the screen, but it won't completely cover the glass front of the 600, which is larger and a different shape.

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The difference in the build in memory must make some type of difference.

Can anyone explain?

 

650 - 3.5 GB

600 - 1.5 GB

 

Can someone post some photos from the 650?

It would be nice to have a more detailed evaluation of the quality and feature of the camera.

Edited by caf_geo
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The difference in the build in memory must make some type of difference.

Can anyone explain?

 

650 - 3.5 GB

600 - 1.5 GB

 

Can someone post some photos from the 650?

It would be nice to have a more detailed evaluation of the quality and feature of the camera.

As far as I know, the 650's have yet to be released, everyone is still waiting.

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