Jump to content

New Garmin Oregon 600 Series


Recommended Posts

Also I noticed that when I approach a cache that is on the side of the road, the arrow isn't as responsive as it could be to let me know which direction to walk. I have to depend on the distance going up or down to see which way I need to go next. If I switch over to compass, it doesn't look like it is even seeing the current cache. I know that with the 60CSx, as the distance counts down and gets under 50 feet the arrow will point in the direction of the cache. Im not sure if its a setting I don't have set right or what it could be.

 

I have had the same experience with the compass. In any kind of tree cover, it is worthless. I have pretty much given up trying to use the compass very much, and, like you, just watch the numbers counting down. That brings up the question: If the unit knows its position relative to the destination, it should be able to display the compass accurately.

 

And a question I have wondered about: If my $15 cheapie compass can always display directions accurately, regardless of tree cover, why can't the GPS receivers use the same method, but converted to an electronic format? I assume the answer is because they rely on GPS signals rather than magnetic fields, but why can't they use either or both?

 

I also agree with you: The 6xx units have less reliable compasses than my older 62. I sure hope they can improve the situation with a software update!

 

I have had compass issues too when close to the cache. In my other Garmin units, when I changed batteries, I had to recalibrate to get the electronic compass to work properly. I plug my 650t into power in the Jeep and thought maybe it messes up the electronic compass every time it charges.

 

BTW: Is there a way to turn of the electronic compass like I could do on my 60?

Link to comment

And a question I have wondered about: If my $15 cheapie compass can always display directions accurately, regardless of tree cover, why can't the GPS receivers use the same method, but converted to an electronic format? I assume the answer is because they rely on GPS signals rather than magnetic fields, but why can't they use either or both?

It is because your location is jumping around. the direction of the cache to where the GPS thinks you are located is changing. The compass itself is working fine.

Link to comment

Has anyone experimented with the Bluetooth connectivity of the 600 yet. I was looking online and a bluetooth dongle for a computer is fairly inexpensive and Im curious as to whether the caches can be sent to and retrieved from the unit via Bluetooth.

 

Still, no one has figured out whether the count down distance can be changed to display 1/100ths like the 60CSx did?

 

BTW, grabbed a few sets of the eneloops to see how they work. Got tired of seeing the warning about there not being enough power to see the backlight. I did change as many settings as possible to conserve power. Its amazing how fast a minute goes by and the screen turns off when you are looking for a cache. But a simple button push brings it back on.

Edited by Berta, Nick and Zoey
Link to comment

I'm having a problem with edited waypoints.

 

The unit works fine with data from GPX files and leads me straight to the right place, within the limitations of prevailing conditions of accuracy, obviously.

 

However, if I am doing a puzzle or multi cache, the waypoints I enter to find the cache are way out when I try to use them. I do it by creating a new waypoint with the user button, and then editing it to the exact coordinates I want. If I try to navigate to the waypoint and compare with navigation using my phone, I'm finding the Oregon is showing me a location about 350 feet away from the correct one. I checked this by manually editing coordinates to match those of a cache I had found in the middle of a bridge. The Oregon was pointing me about 350 feet away from the cache in the middle of the river below.

 

Is there something I am doing wrong?

 

I'm really disappointed, because having spent loads of money on the 600 and given away my old Etrex Legend in part exchange, I now seem to be faced with the prospect of buying another cheaper GPS just to use for entering waypoints.

 

BTW, this has happened on several occasions now. Each time I have checked the coordinates several times to make sure I did not make an error while inputting them.

Edited by Tehuti
Link to comment

Some people claim the 600 is working perfect, others have many different problems, one issue is a bad accuracy ,another jumping and not being stable.

The problem is the Gps, not the user and hopefully they resolve these issues in the next firmware update.

 

The wiki claims about 40 issues on the moment.

http://garminoregon6xx.wikispaces.com/Common+Issues

Edited by splashy
Link to comment

Just an observation, but from where I see it, theres a lot of armchair testers waiting for the owners to tell their experiences with their newly purchased 600's. Being one of those owners, I have questions that I cant find answers to. But with a 'limited' amount of owners it may take a long long time before everyone, including me gets their questions answered. Im fairly happy with the unit, with the one exception of the lack of direction when close to the find, and for all I know, it could be just a setting, that needs to be changed. Yet, not knowing the unit very well. time will tell if its a keeper.

 

Over 1300 posts on this thread, and 1100+ were posted before the release of the unit.

Edited by Berta, Nick and Zoey
Link to comment

Hi folks! Does the frame on the left hand side creak on your Oregon 600? There was a similar problem with the new 62 series.

Is it a argument for replacing the unit? I think it's quite annoying.

 

Nop, my unit do not creak on any side, but I really have to press hard back cover of the battery so I could close it.. :/

 

Addressing the "squeak". Mine had it and it was quite annoyingly loud. It turns out that the screws in the casing were overtightened. Here's how to solve the squeaking issue.

 

1) Take the battery cover off

2) Identify which side the squeak is on

3) Use a T6 star screwdriver and slightly loosen the screw on the side with the squeak until you don't notice the squeak any longer (1/8 of a turn should be enough

4) Now while constantly squeezing the unit, tighten the screw until you begin hearing the squeak and back off ever so slightly

 

There is an o-ring between the two shell halves of the unit which will remain sealed and waterproof if you only slightly loosen the screw. 1/8 of a turn should be enough to stop the squeak. The units with the squeak have had the screws overtightened.

Edited by yogazoo
Link to comment

Well V 3.10 is there

 

Oregon 6x0 series, firmware 3.10 (20/08/13)

 

Changes made from version 2.90 to 3.10:

 

Added support for VIRB Remote. Setup > Main Menu to add. See TrailTech for more information.

Improved 3-axis compass performance

Improved guidance text on the map when using certain maps

Fixed an issue with the geocaching quick filter in languages other than English

Fixed a possibility of certain geocaches not appearing on the map immediately after turning on the device

 

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6157

Link to comment

Well V 3.10 is there

 

Oregon 6x0 series, firmware 3.10 (20/08/13)

 

Changes made from version 2.90 to 3.10:

 

Added support for VIRB Remote. Setup > Main Menu to add. See TrailTech for more information.

Improved 3-axis compass performance

Improved guidance text on the map when using certain maps

Fixed an issue with the geocaching quick filter in languages other than English

Fixed a possibility of certain geocaches not appearing on the map immediately after turning on the device

 

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6157

 

It'll be interesting to see if the compass improvements have solved the problems geocachers have been reporting where it does anything but point the was to a cache! But disappointing to see that the many crashes reported in the wiki do not seem to have been cured. The wiki also points out that the Montana still has many crash bugs that are not being addressed.

 

If this is Garmin's new marketing strategy (to announce a new GPS with killer features, bring it to the market months late and full of bugs, then ignore the problems while announcing their next killer device) then I'll stick with my Oregon 400 as at least I've grown used to its bugs!

 

Chris

Link to comment

I believe the 3.10 upgrade has made a huge improvement in the compass. Until the upgrade, I had about given up even trying to use the compass, especially under tree cover. I even bought a cheapie regular compass as a substitute. On many occasions, the Distance to Destination would be correctly counting down, but the compass would be pointing the exact opposite direction!

 

After applying the upgrade, I took the unit out for an extended hike. The compass now seems rock solid and no longer jumps around every which way like it did before. Even if I hold the unit upside down at my side while walking, when raising it back up, it is still locked on target. That is a much appreciated change!

 

I tested it under light and moderate tree cover and it worked flawlessly. I haven't tried it under heavy cover yet.

 

Based on what I have seen today, what was for me the biggest single flaw of the 600 series, has been fixed. Thanks, Garmin!

Link to comment

I believe the 3.10 upgrade has made a huge improvement in the compass. Until the upgrade, I had about given up even trying to use the compass, especially under tree cover. I even bought a cheapie regular compass as a substitute. On many occasions, the Distance to Destination would be correctly counting down, but the compass would be pointing the exact opposite direction!

 

After applying the upgrade, I took the unit out for an extended hike. The compass now seems rock solid and no longer jumps around every which way like it did before. Even if I hold the unit upside down at my side while walking, when raising it back up, it is still locked on target. That is a much appreciated change!

 

I tested it under light and moderate tree cover and it worked flawlessly. I haven't tried it under heavy cover yet.

 

Based on what I have seen today, what was for me the biggest single flaw of the 600 series, has been fixed. Thanks, Garmin!

Great, thanks for the update. The compass has been quite irritating and I'll be taking mine out into dense tree cover this weekend. Hope it all works well.

Link to comment

Based on what I have seen today, what was for me the biggest single flaw of the 600 series, has been fixed. Thanks, Garmin!

 

For me, the biggest flaw in my 650t has been the horrible accuracy, even with firmware version 3.10.

 

Yesterday I was hiking in a narrow, heavily forested canyon. Such an area creates reception challenges for sure, but the performance of the Oregon was atrocious compared to my fenix. These screenshots show a comparison of my Oregon 650t track (blue) with my fenix track (green):

 

0ni8.th.png

im9.th.png

Link to comment

 

For me, the biggest flaw in my 650t has been the horrible accuracy, even with firmware version 3.10.

 

Yesterday I was hiking in a narrow, heavily forested canyon. Such an area creates reception challenges for sure, but the performance of the Oregon was atrocious compared to my fenix. These screenshots show a comparison of my Oregon 650t track (blue) with my fenix track (green):

 

 

Yikes, those are shocking comparisons. I have an Oregon 600, with the latest firmware, and my tracks have, in general, been accurate.

 

Disclosure: I haven't used the Oregon under heavily forested terrain. I have used the Oregon 600 in an urban area which has tall buildings (San Francisco), and if I am walking adjacent to a tall building, the tracks have not been accurate.

Link to comment

I've been GPSing trails for a long time now and my 650 is the best GPS I've ever had for GTPSing trails. I have been very impressed with its accuracy. I've had it for about 3 months and have yet to have ANY accuracy issues with it. I used it out in CO earlier in the month in the mountians, canyons and tree cover. No problem at all. GPSed several trails and got great tracks that matched right up with GoogleEarth. When I am GPSing something, I set it to glnoss and WAAS. I thing glnoss is a huge help in challenging circustances (well it did not help in the I70 tunnels).

 

On the other hand, I had a really bad experience with Garmin today. I bought a new subscription to nuMaps for my 650 and it is not working. I called support. The guy told me since I bought it from Amazon, he could not help me. Said I would have to buy a new subscription. He refused to transfer me to a manager and hung up on me when I kept insisting I wanted to talk to a manager.

Link to comment

My Oregon 650 has been the most accurate GPS in my arsenal as well. I frequently GPS benchmarks with several different units and the Oregon is consistently the most accurate in terms of XY accuracy. Many benchmarks are in tree cover and canyon country as well. Sure, as commercial GPS units go, there are moments of jumps and reinstatement but overall the best I've used.

Link to comment

Found the video about the quality of the screen and the device, impressive to see! :)

 

 

Maybe I don't need my screen protector after all.

Maybe the folks who made this video just got lucky.

 

I used my Oregon 650 on a trip to the Catskills earlier this week, and was going after a cache hidden under a bridge. I had it hooked to a belt loop using the carabiner that comes with it. I was clambering up some rocks, and the GPS must have bumped up against one of the aforementioned rocks. The next time I looked at it, here's what I saw:

 

Oregon%2520650%2520scratches.jpg

 

Those are deep scratches.

 

I contacted Garmin by e-mail, and they've offered to replace the unit for $110 (guess such scratches aren't covered by the warranty). They would normally replace it with a refurbished unit, but they don't have any refurbished samples available yet, so I'll get a brand new unit. Looks as if I'll be going back to my trusty 550t for the time being.

 

--Larry

 

I did the exact same thing with my etrex. Now I never put my GPS facing outward when I latch it onto a beltloop or otherwise if I am going to be swinging around rocks or metal bridges.

 

I suspect this is going to be a common GPS injury. :(

 

After I did this bought a screen protector and a scratch buff kit (look up Novus plastic polish). I was able to get the scratch out mostly so you can't see much under the screen protector.

 

Shaun

Link to comment

A Zagg Screen Protector would have probably prevented that. If the Zagg Screen protector was damaged then Zagg would replace it free of charge.

If Zagg made one that fit the odd shape of the front of the Oregon 6xx, which is all glass (the entire surface of which, IMHO, needs protected), I would buy one in a heartbeat. The only screen protector listed on the Zagg site for any Oregon is labelled "Garmin Oregon Series Screen Protector." That can and does fit my Oregon 550t, it won't fit my Oregon 650.

 

--Larry

Link to comment

A Zagg Screen Protector would have probably prevented that. If the Zagg Screen protector was damaged then Zagg would replace it free of charge.

If Zagg made one that fit the odd shape of the front of the Oregon 6xx, which is all glass (the entire surface of which, IMHO, needs protected), I would buy one in a heartbeat. The only screen protector listed on the Zagg site for any Oregon is labelled "Garmin Oregon Series Screen Protector." That can and does fit my Oregon 550t, it won't fit my Oregon 650.

 

--Larry

You can buy one for some other device that is larger than your 600 screen and cut it to fit yourself. I have bought several Zagg screen protectors off of ebay for discontinued smart phones and have cut them down to size to fit my Oregon 450, various LED gauges, and other devices. Some of them I have been able to buy off of ebay for a little as $3.00.

 

Zagg makes one for the Garmin Nuvi 50LM which is a 5" screen for $14.99 which is the same price as the one that is made for the Oregon earlier series.

Edited by eaparks
Link to comment

A Zagg Screen Protector would have probably prevented that. If the Zagg Screen protector was damaged then Zagg would replace it free of charge.

If Zagg made one that fit the odd shape of the front of the Oregon 6xx, which is all glass (the entire surface of which, IMHO, needs protected), I would buy one in a heartbeat. The only screen protector listed on the Zagg site for any Oregon is labelled "Garmin Oregon Series Screen Protector." That can and does fit my Oregon 550t, it won't fit my Oregon 650.

 

--Larry

You can buy one for some other device that is larger than your 600 screen and cut it to fit yourself. I have bought several Zagg screen protectors off of ebay for discontinued smart phones and have cut them down to size to fit my Oregon 450, various LED gauges, and other devices. Some of them I have been able to buy off of ebay for a little as $3.00.

Please see my previous post on the subject of cutting my own screen protector. Not something I want to get involved with; still waiting for Zagg to offer one that fits out of the box.

 

--Larry

Link to comment

First major problem. I seem to have gotten a short in the unit where it plugs in. I plug it in, it goes into mass storage mode and a slight wiggle of the cord and the unit beeps, turns on and shows a plug in the corner like it's charging and I get an error message about how it's the wrong plug for the accessory? Looks like this will be getting exchanged already. :sunsure:

Link to comment

First major problem. I seem to have gotten a short in the unit where it plugs in. I plug it in, it goes into mass storage mode and a slight wiggle of the cord and the unit beeps, turns on and shows a plug in the corner like it's charging and I get an error message about how it's the wrong plug for the accessory? Looks like this will be getting exchanged already. :sunsure:

 

Have you tried a different cable?

Link to comment

First major problem. I seem to have gotten a short in the unit where it plugs in. I plug it in, it goes into mass storage mode and a slight wiggle of the cord and the unit beeps, turns on and shows a plug in the corner like it's charging and I get an error message about how it's the wrong plug for the accessory? Looks like this will be getting exchanged already. :sunsure:

 

Have you tried a different cable?

Yes, I had a similar cable from a cell and it does the same. Slight wiggle, contact breaks and it switches modes.

Link to comment

Just updated firmware to 3.1, having noticed the spinning compass whilst on our otherwise fabulous Dorset holiday a couple of weeks ago.

 

We'll be caching some time over the next four days, both at home in Cheshire and down in Harefield, so we'll see how the new firmware gets on.

 

Good luck to everyone with their new Oregons.

Link to comment

Just bought the Oregon 600 in uk for £369.99 from Go Outdoors Norwich. Are using it for Geocaching instead of my Samsung Galaxy Ace. Very impressed with the first few uses we have had so far.

Hi Fish&Dogs, if you're not aware, GO Outdoors price match- the cheapest I can find the 600 for is £271.19 (277.78 with postage) at Handtech. Give Go and ring, or pop in store, and you should get back £101.43 off them :D Edited by Caching Compasses
Link to comment

Just bought the Oregon 600 in uk for £369.99 from Go Outdoors Norwich. Are using it for Geocaching instead of my Samsung Galaxy Ace. Very impressed with the first few uses we have had so far.

Hi Fish&Dogs, if you're not aware, GO Outdoors price match- the cheapest I can find the 600 for is £271.19 (277.78 with postage) at Handtech. Give Go and ring, or pop in store, and you should get back £101.43 off them :D

 

Or probably not... the Go Outdoors price includes the full GB OS maps while Handtec's doesn't!

 

Chris

Link to comment

I discovered today that, contrary to its name, the Oregon 650t does not do very well in the rain! The problem I encountered was that the rain on the touchscreen was constantly causing various functions to be activated. I had the unit mounted to my bike handlebars, and the screen backlight, which is set to timeout in 30 seconds, stayed on continuously from the pressure of the rain on the screen.

 

On several occasions, I found it almost impossible to use the screen as the rain on the surface was causing it to do all sorts of crazy stuff. But, one good thing came of this: I finally tried changing the Touch Sensitivity from "High" (apparently the default) to "Normal". BIG improvement! Making that change seems to have made a big difference, and hopefully I won't despise the touchscreen quite so much now.

 

I can highly recommend trying the sensitivity setting change: Setup / Accessibility / Touch Sensitivity.

Link to comment

The problem I encountered was that the rain on the touchscreen was constantly causing various functions to be activated. I had the unit mounted to my bike handlebars, and the screen backlight, which is set to timeout in 30 seconds, stayed on continuously from the pressure of the rain on the screen.

 

Hi ! Funny, I did exactly the same observation this week end : I also did a rainy trip with my 650 on my handlebar and I had also an heratic behaviour : very difficult to "clic" on an icon, self changing pages... To be confirmed on a deeper test.

Since I have this device (~1 month now) I'm quite happy with it, a lot of good points. I had until now an Edge 705 but I changed for a bigger screen an a more powerfull processor (moving a map was very slow with the Edge)

Like many guys, I did a track compare with these two devices on my handlebar and I'm a little bit desapointed about Oregon accuracy : not better than my old Edge, often worse. I was expecting something more accurate with Waas/Egnos integration but no progress on this side for me (v3.10). Linked to this, my GPX track file is not as "clean" as it was with my Edge. I tried several settings (recording auto, based on time, based on distance) but I did'nt found a way to have a clean and accurate track.

Nothing important, I still happy with this device.

Link to comment

I can't get the auto zoom to work on my 650t when I am headed for a cache. Is there information on this issure somewhere in this thread?

I'm assuming your 650t is set to use Direct Routing as the "Route Activity" when you're approaching a cache. Auto Zoom zooms in the map when you're approaching a change in direction, such as at an intersection, so you can see the details better, then zoom back out afterwards. With Direct Routing, the unit is pointing you directly at your destination, therefore there's no auto zooming.

 

--Larry

Link to comment

I discovered today that, contrary to its name, the Oregon 650t does not do very well in the rain! The problem I encountered was that the rain on the touchscreen was constantly causing various functions to be activated. I had the unit mounted to my bike handlebars, and the screen backlight, which is set to timeout in 30 seconds, stayed on continuously from the pressure of the rain on the screen.

 

On several occasions, I found it almost impossible to use the screen as the rain on the surface was causing it to do all sorts of crazy stuff. But, one good thing came of this: I finally tried changing the Touch Sensitivity from "High" (apparently the default) to "Normal". BIG improvement! Making that change seems to have made a big difference, and hopefully I won't despise the touchscreen quite so much now.

 

I can highly recommend trying the sensitivity setting change: Setup / Accessibility / Touch Sensitivity.

 

Why does the name Oregon mean it works in the rain?

 

All touch screens have that issue with raindrops. The screen doesn't know the difference between your finger and a raindrop.

Link to comment

I admit that I'm one of the "armchair" watchers on this topic watching the new Oregon users go about their new units. I have decided to stick with my current 450 as they dropped to $170 and I picked up a new unit as a backup last week. Its bugs are minor and it is rugged and can withstand all conditions. The accuracy has been good and the trackback has never failed me yet and for what I use it for its perfect. Good luck to all of the new 600 series users, the feedback has been excellent.

Link to comment

Got a problem loading caches to my 600.

I use Gsak to send waypoint (geocaches) to my Origan. I looks like it send it suksesfully to the device.

When i unplug the unit and start it up it tells me "no geocaches.

What to do

 

The most common cause of this on the 600 series is that your caches are far from your current location. The units will only show caches up to 100 miles away or something like that. When you have the find screen up click on the options menu on the lower right and select search near and then pick a waypoint or location that is near your geocaches. They should show up.

Link to comment

Got a problem loading caches to my 600.

I use Gsak to send waypoint (geocaches) to my Origan. I looks like it send it suksesfully to the device.

When i unplug the unit and start it up it tells me "no geocaches.

What to do

 

The most common cause of this on the 600 series is that your caches are far from your current location. The units will only show caches up to 100 miles away or something like that. When you have the find screen up click on the options menu on the lower right and select search near and then pick a waypoint or location that is near your geocaches. They should show up.

 

Does anyone know if there is away around this 100mile limit? That is one of the most annoying things for me. I have used the Oregon 400t since the day it came out, and it did not have the 100mile limit, so it kinda sucks not being able to route to caches farther than 100miles away. I know I can look up a place and then hunt around for the cache Im looking for, but when you have 1000's of caches loaded this is just a pain. Especially since you can not even pull up a cache using the search option. :(

 

Mean Kitty

Link to comment

Bug free is something else, but I wonder why people insist a Gps with about 60 issues and freezing or shutting off all the time is a normal way of presenting a new model on the market.

If this would happen on your tablet or smartphone you would bring it straight away back to the seller.

 

Exactly. And those devices are FAR more complicated than a dedicated GPS unit that serves only ONE purpose. The people who excuse all these bugs as "normal" only encourage GPS companies to release pure crap with the ideal than they'll "fix it later"...maybe... :rolleyes:

Edited by sviking
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...