Garmin Oregon 650T

[Redhawke]

We are trying to decide which GPS to purchase for geocaching. We are looking at the Garmin Oregon 650T as our top choice but we continue to read unfavorable reviews on this and other web sites. The seamless integration of data packs seems to be perfect but the warnings of this unit being way off the mark when reaching a cache site is disturbing.

 

We prefer to stay with the Garmin line and would like to know if you guys could give us a bit of direction as to which unit would perform best all around. Data transfers, being on target, battery life, over all performance while geocaching and of course longevity of the unit itself. We are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the choices out there to say the least.

Thanks for any light you can shine on this subject.

[+Mineral2]

The Oregon 600 series should be fine. I haven't heard many complaints recently, so the kinks are getting worked out. So, let's talk about the 50 and the t.

 

Do you need a camera on your GPS? If no, save some money and go with a 600 over a 650. That's the only difference between the two.

 

Topo maps: the topo maps that come with the "t" units are ok, but not great. Many users find that they end up downloading more detailed maps anyway. You could save some money and download free maps from www.gpsfiledepot.com and other sources, going with a non-t unit (650 or 600 instead of 650t or 600t).

 

All GPSs can potentially be "way off the mark" when locating a geocache. Of course, the definition of "way off the mark" varies from person to person, and can be anywhere from miles inaccuracy to just a few feet. On average, given a clear view of the sky and connections to lots of satellites, your GPS has an error radius of about 10 feet, which is pretty good considering when you get to within 30 feet of a cache, you should really put the GPS down and start looking with your eyes. Of course, if you're in a deep canyon or among skyscrapers in a big city, you might have a reduced signal and get a larger error range.

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that a geocache placed with an inaccurate device will, itself, have coordinates posted that are not true to the location. So even if your GPS is spot on, the geocache listing may not be directly on top of the cache. So, don't fret over centimeter-level accuracy.

 

The oregon 600 series (all four models) are fine GPS's. So are the older Oregon 450-550 series at about half the cost. But if you're willing to invest in the latest GPS technology, you can't really go wrong here.

[+sv_ted]

I have an Oregon 650 which replaced my old Oregon 450. I am very happy with the 650 but it is important to keep in mind the "Garmin Experience". These devices are very complex and your experience with them will depend on how you use them. For me, I am willing to adjust how I do things to avoid the bugs in the Garmin software. Others are not and you will find their complaints on the web. Even with my adjustments I still have occasional lockups and crashes with my 650. I also had these with my Oregon 450 so I have accepted these as part of the Garmin Experience. From what I read other makers of GPS's are not any better. It is helpful to keep track of the problems others are having with the unit you choose so you can avoid the circumstances that result in those problems. Garmin does update their software periodically to fix bugs but does not get them all and many times introduces new ones. Wait a week or two before updating to see how others are doing with any new firmware.

 

I got the 650 because I wanted the camera to take pictures of caches. The 650 also comes with more memory than the 600 which allows more maps and geocaches to be loaded before having to resort to a memory card. I did not get the 650t because I can get better topo maps elsewhere for free. Look around on the web.

 

Using any new tool requires practice to get the most out of it. Your new GPS will be the same.

 

Good luck

[+geodarts]

I just got back from caching with my Oregon 600, the first time I have gotten on a mountain bike with it and rode a trail to find several caches. I really liked its display and it was perhaps even a little quicker or easier than my iphone caching app, which is saying a lot because I really like the app. It got through the day with just the rechargeable pack and it got me where I needed to go. It is very responsive and I have never had it lock up or crash.

 

Sometimes, the iphone or 62s seems to get me closer to where I need to go, but it's usually just a matter of feet, and by then I am looking for the cache. So far, the 600 is my favorite handheld

 

I did not get the camera because I generally will have another camera with me. Often if it is just the iphone, but that takes much better pictures than any gpsr camera I have seen. And I need something to do with all the photo apps I use.

 

If I were to be in the market for a new gpsr, I would also consider the 64 series. I thought I had lost the 62s on a trail (thus the Oregon), but found it after several tries over several weeks. It started right up. And it has always seemed to be spot on. The buttons are sometimes handier than touch screens, but the Oregon's look and feel is hard to beat.

Edited February 22, 2014 by geodarts

[Redhawke]

Thanks guys, very interesting information and real world look at the use of the GPSr for geocaching. After reading these ideas we are really interested in the GPSMAP 64s. It looks more like something we are use to using. We already have Map Create USA Topo version 6 software so we dont really need the st version. We will wait a bit to see how they perform when they come out later this month.

 

Thanks again.

[+Chopperdog45]

I just replaced my old eTrex Legend with an Oregon 600. I bought mine new from REI because we are members there and get 10% dividends each year, so that's a quick $40 right there. I decided against getting the t model because I downloaded my topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com, and they work great for me. I didn't feel that I needed to get the 650 model because I don't need a camera on my GPSr, as my personal preference is to use my Canon to take pics while I'm hiking anyway. (Another hobby of mine...)

 

I just went out today with my fiancé, and we hit a few urban spots just to introduce her to geocaching, and my 600 worked great. Accuracy was great, ease of use is fantastic. I love the touch screen! I can't wait until we can go up to Blue Ridge and do some hiking/geocaching within the next couple weeks or so and see how it works on the trail.

[thiggins99]

I just replaced my old eTrex Legend with an Oregon 600. I bought mine new from REI because we are members there and get 10% dividends each year, so that's a quick $40 right there. I decided against getting the t model because I downloaded my topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com, and they work great for me. I didn't feel that I needed to get the 650 model because I don't need a camera on my GPSr, as my personal preference is to use my Canon to take pics while I'm hiking anyway. (Another hobby of mine...)

 

I just went out today with my fiancé, and we hit a few urban spots just to introduce her to geocaching, and my 600 worked great. Accuracy was great, ease of use is fantastic. I love the touch screen! I can't wait until we can go up to Blue Ridge and do some hiking/geocaching within the next couple weeks or so and see how it works on the trail.

 

Do you know what version of firmware you're running? If you like the way it's running, I would consider not upgrading to the latest version (3.80), as many people are having issues with it (me included).

[+OlderNDirt49]

Hi all!

 

After doing a lot a research and finally making a 4 hour round trip to put one of these in my hands, I made the plunge today for the Oregon 650t. Yes, there are a number of concerns/problems referenced here and elsewhere, but am willing to take the chance on, what should be a vast upgrade over my original venture into the sport with a now failing Nuvi 500.

 

I can't wait until it arrives Thursday and then I can start pestering the board with lots of questions.

[+Mineral2]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

[+OlderNDirt49]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

 

The only one they had was their display and wouldn't budge on price. Also had a discount direct from Garmin and they express shipped (2 days). Now if it would just start warming up here in Nebraska, I would be ready to go.

 

I would also be interested in how other Oregon 6xx owners are loading that plethora of geocaches on their units.

[+Triple Crown]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

 

The only one they had was their display and wouldn't budge on price. Also had a discount direct from Garmin and they express shipped (2 days). Now if it would just start warming up here in Nebraska, I would be ready to go.

 

I would also be interested in how other Oregon 6xx owners are loading that plethora of geocaches on their units.

 

I load my 650 using GSAK and always use the GGZ file type. It's supposed to index & sort faster. I normally have about 15,000 caches onboard.

[+Mineral2]

Is GSAK currently the only way to create a GGZ file?

[+HHL]

Is GSAK currently the only way to create a GGZ file?

 

No.

http://geoget.ararat.cz/doku.php/ggzgen

 

Hans

[+OlderNDirt49]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

 

The only one they had was their display and wouldn't budge on price. Also had a discount direct from Garmin and they express shipped (2 days). Now if it would just start warming up here in Nebraska, I would be ready to go.

 

I would also be interested in how other Oregon 6xx owners are loading that plethora of geocaches on their units.

 

I load my 650 using GSAK and always use the GGZ file type. It's supposed to index & sort faster. I normally have about 15,000 caches onboard.

 

I had been using GSAK in the past, looked, didn't see the Oregon 600 series available as an option to send to GPS nor did I see anything about GGZ files through the export option. Does GSAK have to be updated to the new version 8 to get the GGZ file option?

[+Mineral2]

Is GSAK currently the only way to create a GGZ file?

 

No.

http://geoget.ararat.cz/doku.php/ggzgen

 

Hans

Still, no universal tool out there for non-window$ users.

[+sv_ted]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

 

The only one they had was their display and wouldn't budge on price. Also had a discount direct from Garmin and they express shipped (2 days). Now if it would just start warming up here in Nebraska, I would be ready to go.

 

I would also be interested in how other Oregon 6xx owners are loading that plethora of geocaches on their units.

 

I load my 650 using GSAK and always use the GGZ file type. It's supposed to index & sort faster. I normally have about 15,000 caches onboard.

 

I had been using GSAK in the past, looked, didn't see the Oregon 600 series available as an option to send to GPS nor did I see anything about GGZ files through the export option. Does GSAK have to be updated to the new version 8 to get the GGZ file option?

 

I use GSAK8 and the GGZ file type is the standard for cache export for my Oregon 650. I don't use GGZ because I like to view the caches on my 650 using Basecamp and it does not support GGZ. What's with that Garmin?

[+Triple Crown]

If you drove 4 hours to test one, why didn't you just buy it while you were out?

 

The only one they had was their display and wouldn't budge on price. Also had a discount direct from Garmin and they express shipped (2 days). Now if it would just start warming up here in Nebraska, I would be ready to go.

 

I would also be interested in how other Oregon 6xx owners are loading that plethora of geocaches on their units.

 

I load my 650 using GSAK and always use the GGZ file type. It's supposed to index & sort faster. I normally have about 15,000 caches onboard.

 

I had been using GSAK in the past, looked, didn't see the Oregon 600 series available as an option to send to GPS nor did I see anything about GGZ files through the export option. Does GSAK have to be updated to the new version 8 to get the GGZ file option?

 

I use the GarminExport Macro to send the caches to my 650. You can select either GPX or GGZ.

[+OlderNDirt49]

I tried the Garmin Export Macro and it worked for GPX files, but the option to change to GGZ was greyed out. Wondering if updating GSAK to the new version 8 will be needed which I have no problem paying for the update if that fixes it.

 

Also wondering: My 650t came with software version 2.70 and I have read a lot about possible problems when updating to the current 3.80 and recommending not to update to that. Is there any choice to update to an earlier version (like 3.60) rather then going straight to 3.80? The only option I got was to download and install version 3.80.

[+geodarts]

Is there any choice to update to an earlier version (like 3.60) rather then going straight to 3.80? The only option I got was to download and install version 3.80.

 

The Oregon 6.xx wiki has links to previous all firmware versions . I have never had a problem with 3.80 although I do not have any custom icons that some have found problematic.

[+OlderNDirt49]

Thanks, geodarts. All I have done is added geocaches, albeit GPX files through GSAK (Oh! The shame! LOL!), so probably not gonna hurt to update and if there is a problem, I am still in the 30 day return period.

[+Chief301]

I had a chance to handle a 650 at Cabela's last weekend and I gotta say, when my 550 gives up the ghost (not anytime soon, I don't think), the 650 is going to be pretty high on my list of possible replacements. I've used an old Etrex Legend in the past and got annoyed with the tiny joystick interface. I also tried out a 64 but the button interface didn't impress me. However, the slick new touch screen on the 650 did. Much more responsive than the 550, behaves exactly like a modern smartphone. Very smooth.

 

Now to just wait for the price to work its way down 😉

[+New Jersey TJ]

 

Do you need a camera on your GPS? If no, save some money and go with a 600 over a 650. That's the only difference between the two.

 

 

There are actually several differences between the 600 and 650:

 

1 - The 650 has a camera.

2 - The 650 includes the Nimh battery pack, which is not included with the 600.

3 - The 650 has 4 GB memory whereas the 600 has 1.7GB memory.