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GPSMAP 64 series


DENelson83

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Just came across this on Garmin's blog:

 

http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/01/garmin-introduces-gpsmap-64-series-updating-popular-outdoor-handheld.html

 

Expands on the 62 series by pre-loading a quarter-million geocaches, adding more built-in memory, adding the ability to store 3000 more waypoints, and adding GLONASS reception.

 

I'm surprised this wasn't announced at CES. I also wished Garmin would have added the ability to download satellite data via the internet or through a connection with the iPhone. I thought we were going to go down that direction because Garmin added that feature to its newest watch for running (forgot the model number off the top of my head).

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Just came across this on Garmin's blog:

 

http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/01/garmin-introduces-gpsmap-64-series-updating-popular-outdoor-handheld.html

 

Expands on the 62 series by pre-loading a quarter-million geocaches, adding more built-in memory, adding the ability to store 3000 more waypoints, and adding GLONASS reception.

 

I'm surprised this wasn't announced at CES. I also wished Garmin would have added the ability to download satellite data via the internet or through a connection with the iPhone. I thought we were going to go down that direction because Garmin added that feature to its newest watch for running (forgot the model number off the top of my head).

 

It was announced at the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show. Less mass market consumer stuff and more outdoorsy stuff there compared to CES. But still, they announced the Oregon 600 at CES last year if I am not mistaken.

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Interesting the talk of email and text access from the iPhone. I assume the Oregon 6xx series does not have this?

 

The Oregon 6xx series has Bluetooth which will also be used by the 64 to connect the GPS to an iPhone. Watch for the ability to receive notifications on the 6xx in future firmware/software updates. That said, I'm thinking the 64 will be pretty bug free since it looks like the software build will be just an extension of the 62 series.

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Anyone have experience with the GPSMAP 64? I really like the look of this model but have a hard time bringing myself to spend $300. That being said, when I buy something, I want to buy quality.

The GPSMAP 64 has not yet been released for sale. It is expected to be available in late January or February.

 

HERE IS the Garmin GPSMAP 64 introductory document

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Anyone have experience with the GPSMAP 64? I really like the look of this model but have a hard time bringing myself to spend $300. That being said, when I buy something, I want to buy quality.

The GPSMAP 64 has not yet been released for sale. It is expected to be available in late January or February.

 

HERE IS the Garmin GPSMAP 64 introductory document

 

Ahhhh. Gotcha. I saw the thread but thought it was just getting an update. When I went to the website a few days ago I saw it up there not even seeing that it was new.

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Looks like the battery life advantage for the GPSmap units (60/62 series) is no longer. According to the specs on garmin's website, the 64s is rated to 16 hours just as the Oregons.

 

The 64s and Oregon 600 are priced the same, so it's just down to your preference of touch screen or buttons.

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A couple of observations :

 

The case appears to be identical to the 62 which has had so many problems.

 

How many of us would still be using the 60 CSx ( or Meridian Platinum )if it was paperless.....I would have never bought the Oregon 450 or 62S. Having used the 62S for awhile now why would I buy a 64.....an extra 1/2 foot of accuracy ( maybe ) with Glonass ?

Ability to load a million caches is intriguing but PQ's are limited to 1000 caches.....my 62 holds thousands and with PQ's and GSAK it just takes seconds to load caches.

 

I admit I'm a Quad / Button man so I could get sucked in but for those looking to upgrade I'd jump on the next $199 62S sale before they pull the line.

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Anyone have experience with the GPSMAP 64? I really like the look of this model but have a hard time bringing myself to spend $300. That being said, when I buy something, I want to buy quality.

The GPSMAP 64 has not yet been released for sale. It is expected to be available in late January or February.

 

HERE IS the Garmin GPSMAP 64 introductory document

 

Your basic press release. That's at Yahoo Finance, I found the same one at the Wall Street Journal. This is surely the end for that Geocaching website of theirs. You see the Geocaching.com logo prominently displayed on the screen, and it comes preloaded with 250,000 Geocaching.com caches. CYA. :ph34r:

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A couple of observations :

 

why would I buy a 64.....an extra 1/2 foot of accuracy ( maybe ) with Glonass ?

I will just address this one point. A quick peak at your profile indicates you live in Louisiana. Where you live, you are correct, not much improvement.

 

Outside of Seattle, where I live, there are lots of steep hills and ravines that block and mute the GPS satellite signal and can easily cause larger positional errors. The extra satellites coupled with there position focused on northern latitudes can easily cause a significant increase in the number of satellites picked up and will therefore cause a much higher increase in accuracy in otherwise poor conditions.

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The extra satellites coupled with there position focused on northern latitudes can easily cause a significant increase in the number of satellites picked up and will therefore cause a much higher increase in accuracy in otherwise poor conditions.

 

While true and all that, generally speaking, you should really rely primary on sight, to determine your actual bearings, not your GPS. GPS is just a tool. It's handy, that's goes without saying, but if you have no idea about where you are, where you are heading, which direction etc, it would be safer to take a stroll in the local park. A quick fix isn't that important really.

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As a mostly satisfied 62s user, I find the new 64 a bit disappointing. I had been looking forward to see what they would do as an upgrade, but this is completely underwhelming.

 

The same case, same screen size, probably the actual same screen but I haven't checked on that yet. Overall, it is just meh. I had been waiting for a new one of these, but now that it has arrived, I see no compelling reason to leave the 62s at all. If you haven't already bought one, I'd rush out and get a 62s while you can at the discounted price and pass on this one.

 

What really ticks me off is L.L. Bean already has the 64, but still isn't stocking the Monterra.

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Your basic press release. That's at Yahoo Finance, I found the same one at the Wall Street Journal. This is surely the end for that Geocaching website of theirs. You see the Geocaching.com logo prominently displayed on the screen, and it comes preloaded with 250,000 Geocaching.com caches. CYA. :ph34r:

 

Perhaps that is another difference between the 64 series and the Oregon 600+ units. The sales page on the Garmin site for the Oregon states that you can download every cache on opencaching.com. The filters in the unit allow you to select caches based upon "awesomeness" (an opencaching feature). The sales page on the 64 series simply states that it comes preloaded with caches from geocaching.com. I wonder if you will be able to filter for awesomeness on the 64 units.

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As a mostly satisfied 62s user, I find the new 64 a bit disappointing. I had been looking forward to see what they would do as an upgrade, but this is completely underwhelming.

 

The same case, same screen size, probably the actual same screen but I haven't checked on that yet. Overall, it is just meh. I had been waiting for a new one of these, but now that it has arrived, I see no compelling reason to leave the 62s at all. If you haven't already bought one, I'd rush out and get a 62s while you can at the discounted price and pass on this one.

 

What really ticks me off is L.L. Bean already has the 64, but still isn't stocking the Monterra.

 

Amen....there isn't much bang for the buck.

The 62S has evolved into the best unit I've ever used and it would take a LOT to markedly improve it.....the 64 is indeed underwhelming.

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A couple of observations :

 

why would I buy a 64.....an extra 1/2 foot of accuracy ( maybe ) with Glonass ?

I will just address this one point. A quick peak at your profile indicates you live in Louisiana. Where you live, you are correct, not much improvement.

 

Outside of Seattle, where I live, there are lots of steep hills and ravines that block and mute the GPS satellite signal and can easily cause larger positional errors. The extra satellites coupled with there position focused on northern latitudes can easily cause a significant increase in the number of satellites picked up and will therefore cause a much higher increase in accuracy in otherwise poor conditions.

 

While I live in La we cache everywhere. We cached around Seattle not long ago and cached U.S. Hwy 2 from Seattle all the way through N. Dakota. Canyons, mountains, etc the 62 is spot on. Only place I had reception problems was in a volcanic crack by Mono-Lake, CA....I could only see about 18 inches of sky....once the crack opened a bit I was dead on again. The issue is its going to be hard to improve significantly on the 62. Someone mentioned the screen....the 62 is nice and bright and if you try and make it bigger you could end up with a brick like the Montana. Technology is like that...for awhile you improve in leaps and bounds but before long changes become miniscule.

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Most of the changes are likely to be under the hood. The 64s has a larger memory capacity than the 62s, but beyond the visible specs listed, it likely also has a faster processor, newer OS/software interface. I'm not sure how live tracking works, but it's potentially cool if the NSA hasn't put a back-door on it to keep tabs on you.

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No camera anymore? Well the one on my 62sc is not very good anyway. The only thing I dont like about my 62sc is the 16 hr battery life. I would like the Glonass though, not that I have needed it yet. The other new features I have no interest in. Seems like they are lacking on ideas for new units. I could use features like the Spot or Delmore Inreach or ACR resqulink added to my gps unit, but those are not geocaching features I know. Live tracking is interesting though.

Edited by Forkeye
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Most of the changes are likely to be under the hood. The 64s has a larger memory capacity than the 62s, but beyond the visible specs listed, it likely also has a faster processor, newer OS/software interface. I'm not sure how live tracking works, but it's potentially cool if the NSA hasn't put a back-door on it to keep tabs on you.

 

And you don't think the NSA knows that you had typed up that post? The NSA already have the means to keep a tab on you. If you have a cellphone, then you've already made their lives much easier.

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A couple of observations :

 

why would I buy a 64.....an extra 1/2 foot of accuracy ( maybe ) with Glonass ?

I will just address this one point. A quick peak at your profile indicates you live in Louisiana. Where you live, you are correct, not much improvement.

 

Outside of Seattle, where I live, there are lots of steep hills and ravines that block and mute the GPS satellite signal and can easily cause larger positional errors. The extra satellites coupled with there position focused on northern latitudes can easily cause a significant increase in the number of satellites picked up and will therefore cause a much higher increase in accuracy in otherwise poor conditions.

 

While I live in La we cache everywhere. We cached around Seattle not long ago and cached U.S. Hwy 2 from Seattle all the way through N. Dakota. Canyons, mountains, etc the 62 is spot on. Only place I had reception problems was in a volcanic crack by Mono-Lake, CA....I could only see about 18 inches of sky....once the crack opened a bit I was dead on again. The issue is its going to be hard to improve significantly on the 62. Someone mentioned the screen....the 62 is nice and bright and if you try and make it bigger you could end up with a brick like the Montana. Technology is like that...for awhile you improve in leaps and bounds but before long changes become miniscule.

Good to know the 62s are that spot on. I am currently looking to upgrade from a 60C. While I really like that GPS it is physically dying so an upgrade will happen one way or another. I have been hiking in many areas locally where everyone (in a group of 20) suddenly noticed a marked drop in accuracy (serious drift in a narrow valley) and it seems to happen every time we are in similar valleys, Steep sided high ridge to the south.

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The extra satellites coupled with there position focused on northern latitudes can easily cause a significant increase in the number of satellites picked up and will therefore cause a much higher increase in accuracy in otherwise poor conditions.

 

While true and all that, generally speaking, you should really rely primary on sight, to determine your actual bearings, not your GPS. GPS is just a tool. It's handy, that's goes without saying, but if you have no idea about where you are, where you are heading, which direction etc, it would be safer to take a stroll in the local park. A quick fix isn't that important really.

I agree with you completely... However I use my GPS to go Geocaching with FAR more then trying to navigate. In the areas I am usually caching in I know where I am. A lot of time it is is one of many very steeply sided east - west trending valley with a river at the base. It really would be very unlikely for me to suddenly get turned around and start walking the wrong direction. I do however have plenty of times when I have a very poor satellite constellation and as a result I have 200 foot accuracy on a steep vegetated hill slope that is not that easy to navigate across. In those cases the added accuracy can significantly reduce the area I have to search. the advantage would be quicker fixes in poor conditions and likely more accurate fixes in any comparable time. (How they actually work remains to be seen).

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No camera anymore? Well the one on my 62sc is not very good anyway. The only thing I dont like about my 62sc is the 16 hr battery life. I would like the Glonass though, not that I have needed it yet. The other new features I have no interest in. Seems like they are lacking on ideas for new units. I could use features like the Spot or Delmore Inreach or ACR resqulink added to my gps unit, but those are not geocaching features I know. Live tracking is interesting though.

I agree with you regarding the 62sc's battery life and as far as GLONASS goes, I'm not sure it makes much of a difference here in North America. I've read many posts on this forum regarding GLONASS and it seems to make a difference in Europe. I've also activated it on my eTrex's and locating caches seems to be pretty much the same experience with or without it.

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The thing I like about Glonass is just the fact that there are more satellites available for your unit to pick up, not that I have ever needed more. Just would like to have it, but not for another $400 and a year of software updates! My 62sc works just as well as my Etex 30 does with Glonass. Someone commented that the 62sc has a faster cpu than the 62s once, hence 4 hrs less battery life, but I have not compared them ever. Maybe the 64 battery life is for the same reason. Battery saver mode is a nice feature, too bad the Etrex didn't get that, maybe it could have run 30 hrs on a set.

Edited by Forkeye
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http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/gpsmap-64s.html says early February here at one of my dealers, so I would guess some time in Feb.14

Why are there different battery settings on these units? What happens when you switch battery type? My 62sc came with Nexcell 2000Ah NiMHs and a charger and once I set the battery type to Lithium by mistake and they were dead in 1/2 hr.I don't have to change battery type on anything else I own if I change battery type.

Edited by Forkeye
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Forkeye,

with Sanyo Eneloops 2500mAh, eTrex run about 35-40 hours if:

1.turn off the backlight,

2. switch off GLONASS (which is an energy burner), and

3. use data page instead of map page (map's redrawing needs mogę energy than data).

 

With the Sanyo Eneloop 2500 my 62S units have never run out in a day of caching, 10-12 hours ?

I set the backlight at full bright and 1 minute but because I'm constantly poking it the backlight stays on almost all the time. My Oregon 450 lasted about 8-10 hr with the Eneloops.

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Anyone care to guess when the GPSMAP 64 will actually be available?

 

LL Bean says 'available February 13'. Seems like Garmin ought to be able to do better than that . . . :wacko:

 

When was the last time the first conceived ship date for a Garmin product held true? Maybe this will be the first but don't hold your breath.

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I'm now seeing some sites have pushed back to an anticipated availability of March 2nd.

 

I own a 62st and couldn't be happier, but can't help looking at the next step.

Upsides: 16x the onboard memory (faster?); 2.5x the waypoint capacity; smart notification and live tracking (Although I don't see using this a lot, might this allow the same peace of mind for my family as carrying a SPOT device on my solo wilderness trips?)

Downsides: 20% shorter battery life, it seems; no increase in what seems like a very limited 200 routes and tracks (And, why is this? I'm constantly deleting and copying track sets from BaseCamp for each trip to stay under this number)

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Upsides: 16x the onboard memory (faster?); 2.5x the waypoint capacity; smart notification and live tracking (Although I don't see using this a lot, might this allow the same peace of mind for my family as carrying a SPOT device on my solo wilderness trips?)

 

It does not talk to the satellite phone network like a Spot. It has bluetooth to talk to your smartphone. If you have cell service, you can simply phone. As well, a tracking app for the phone is simple and free. The plus is that you can transfer data back and forth from the phone to the GPS.

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Upsides: 16x the onboard memory (faster?); 2.5x the waypoint capacity; smart notification and live tracking (Although I don't see using this a lot, might this allow the same peace of mind for my family as carrying a SPOT device on my solo wilderness trips?)

 

It does not talk to the satellite phone network like a Spot. It has bluetooth to talk to your smartphone. If you have cell service, you can simply phone. As well, a tracking app for the phone is simple and free. The plus is that you can transfer data back and forth from the phone to the GPS.

So, maybe I misinterpreted the text found here: "Additionally, the 64s and 64st models are compatible with the BaseCamp mobile app for data transfer, and the Garmin Connect™ mobile app, for features such as LiveTrack. With LiveTrack, users can pair their device with the app, and invite friends and family to follow their activity in real time. This provides peace of mind, especially if users are alone." ???

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Upsides: 16x the onboard memory (faster?); 2.5x the waypoint capacity; smart notification and live tracking (Although I don't see using this a lot, might this allow the same peace of mind for my family as carrying a SPOT device on my solo wilderness trips?)

 

It does not talk to the satellite phone network like a Spot. It has bluetooth to talk to your smartphone. If you have cell service, you can simply phone. As well, a tracking app for the phone is simple and free. The plus is that you can transfer data back and forth from the phone to the GPS.

So, maybe I misinterpreted the text found here: "Additionally, the 64s and 64st models are compatible with the BaseCamp mobile app for data transfer, and the Garmin Connect™ mobile app, for features such as LiveTrack. With LiveTrack, users can pair their device with the app, and invite friends and family to follow their activity in real time. This provides peace of mind, especially if users are alone." ???

 

LiveTrack connects your GPS device to your cell phone. The position data is gathered by the GPS device and transmitted via Bluetooth to your cell phone. Your cell phone then transmits the information using your cell phone's data plan to the internet where people can view it. Some of the newer Forerunner watches already do this. You should be able to also transmit your heart rate data if it works anything like on the Forerunners. The chief benefit of using LiveTrack vs. an app on your phone is that your phone's GPS receiver can remain off so your phone's battery doesn't drain as fast.

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