Garmin Oregon series discontinued?????

[+gpsblake]

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/handheld-hiking-gps/ - No Oregon's or Etrex 25/35 listed either as current. 

 

Also heard this on the Geo-Gearheads podcast that the Oregon's of all models were discontinued.

 

Interesting, i thought the Oregon's were their best selling model for geocaching. (or just fewer and fewer people are using a dedicated GPSr) 

[+kunarion]

I had not seen an announcement, but it seems so.  Some web sites haven't been updated with the info.

 

Here's a Garmin page of discontinued models:  https://ph.garmin.com/mobile/products/discontinued/?cat=handhelds

[+Mineral2]

I'm willing to bet that Garmin has run out of stock of the Oregon 7x0 as production was discontinued, but they have not built up enough stock to release the next iteration of the line due to material shortages incurred during the pandemic. If they don't drop an Oregon 800 this winter, either for the Christmas rush or in January at CES, then we'll see it next summer.

[+DragonsWest]

The Oregons had their run.  They were average to pretty good.  Once you had their quirks well understood you worked around them and kept trekking and caching along.

 

I've moved on to a Montana 700 (these older eyes.)  It's pretty much an Oregon in a bigger, heavier case, but with 3, count em 3 batteries rather than 2.  You can still run AA NiMH cells in the optional back (strongly recommended.)  Brightness, ruggedness (I've dropped mine a couple times and slipped on a slope and it hit the dirt, rocks, branches any number of times, still works) and overall useability is on par.

 

I wrote what eventually amounted to a review in another thread, so I should go get that and post it as its own thread.

[+Mineral2]

23 minutes ago, DragonsWest said:

It's pretty much an Oregon in a bigger, heavier case,

That right there is significant, especially for us hikers who relish any reduction in the weight and bulk of our gear. I would be surprised if Garmin is abandoning a smaller form touch screen device altogether. As I said before, it's possible that they have exhausted their stock of the previous oregon line but have not built up a stock of the replacement to release one yet. After all, the pandemic has led to a shortage in microchips affecting electronics in a wide range of products.

[+DragonsWest]

23 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

That right there is significant, especially for us hikers who relish any reduction in the weight and bulk of our gear. I would be surprised if Garmin is abandoning a smaller form touch screen device altogether. As I said before, it's possible that they have exhausted their stock of the previous oregon line but have not built up a stock of the replacement to release one yet. After all, the pandemic has led to a shortage in microchips affecting electronics in a wide range of products.

 

It could be they are conceding the form factor to mobile phones.  The one thing the Montana offers that Apple, et al, do not is a LARGE phone for people who want more real estate to gaze upon.

[+Mineral2]

8 minutes ago, DragonsWest said:

 

It could be they are conceding the form factor to mobile phones.  The one thing the Montana offers that Apple, et al, do not is a LARGE phone for people who want more real estate to gaze upon.

It seems like the Montana was designed with some kind of motorized use in mind - ATVs, ORVs, etc. and that seems evident in the new powered mount that they included with it in addition to the larger screen. I expect a new pocket-sized version of that to come out sometime in the near future that caters to non-motorized outdoor enthusiasts. Something that will fit in a pocket/clip to a pack and not be cumbersome on a bike or kayak or canoe. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine that the outdoor community heavily favors buttons over touch screens to justify eliminating the Oregon's niche altogether.

[+DragonsWest]

21 hours ago, Mineral2 said:

It seems like the Montana was designed with some kind of motorized use in mind - ATVs, ORVs, etc. and that seems evident in the new powered mount that they included with it in addition to the larger screen. I expect a new pocket-sized version of that to come out sometime in the near future that caters to non-motorized outdoor enthusiasts. Something that will fit in a pocket/clip to a pack and not be cumbersome on a bike or kayak or canoe. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine that the outdoor community heavily favors buttons over touch screens to justify eliminating the Oregon's niche altogether.

The rubber exterior on the Oregon wore through and I have seen buttons on the GPSMap series lose their labels and wear through.  I expect I'll see the same with the Montana in a few years.  This is why we have self adhesive innertube patches.

[+Zach&JuliePatchouli]

Hello.

 

We are looking at getting an older Garmin Oregon model 450 or 550.  We have a Montana but see that it isn't compatible with the Wherigo caches.  Looking at some refurbished models on eBay.  I see because they are older models that work with the Wherigo caches so that they aren't readily available in most box stores.  So looking at the used market.  I've found some that have said that they have updated them to the latest Garmin software.  Then I got to thinking.  If the later models being sold now aren't compatible with the Wherigo caches . . . would updating the software basically nullify that functionality of the Wherigo.  I was tempted to snag a Oregon 450 on eBay that had a USB cord and the choice of a regional topo map.  But then I thought that it might have changed the Wherigo ability with running on that newer software.  Does anybody know?  I am interested in doing some local Wherigo caches placed by a local cacher.  But I'm not wanting to make the purchase til I know it will work.  Don't want to be stuck with 2 Garmins and then find out that neither will be compatible with finding Wherigo caches!  Thanks for any help.  

[+Atlas Cached]

The Oregon x00/x50 and Colorado x00 are all capable of running Wherigo cartridges. But they do not always work perfectly.

 

I prefer to use software on my phone to run Wherigo cartridges.

 

Could this be an option for you?

[+Zach&JuliePatchouli]

We both have Iphones.  I did download the Wherigo app.  We haven't tried it yet.  We thought maybe that it just is information about the Wherigo caches.  Didn't know much about it but heard about 'cartriges' and needed a Garmin or pocket PC.  We hadn't heard about using the Iphones instead of a Colorado/Oregon Garmin to find them.  We will check it out this weekend and see if it works.  There's a local Wherigo cache series about statues that we hope to test it out with then.  We may not have to go with another Garmin if that's the case. 

 

From what we've read we see a similarity between the Wherigo interaction with the app as kind of similar to the new Adventure caches?  Kind of sensing when your device is near and opening the next part of the cache quest up.  We've done the Adventure caches and enjoyed those.  

 

*Crossing fingers*  Thanks for that information.

[+Mineral2]

6 hours ago, Zach&JuliePatchouli said:

From what we've read we see a similarity between the Wherigo interaction with the app as kind of similar to the new Adventure caches?  Kind of sensing when your device is near and opening the next part of the cache quest up.  We've done the Adventure caches and enjoyed those.  

Yes, there is some similarity. Though Wherigo can be played completely offline whereas Adventure Labs require an internet connection. Also, Wherigo is so much more than just geofencing a location and answering questions. It is fundamentally a game within itself. Cartridges can be programmed so that you go to a location and find objects that open other locations. There can be "walls" programmed in to make a virtual maze to solve. There are reverse caches in which the location is hidden, but the cartridge will tell you your location to the final coordinates at any time. Wherigo has been somewhat abandoned by Groundspeak, but there is so much potential. Unfortunately, it requires some programming knowledge if you want to make a more advanced game with your cartridge.

[+CAVinoGal]

On 3/17/2022 at 10:53 AM, Zach&JuliePatchouli said:

Didn't know much about it but heard about 'cartriges' and needed a Garmin or pocket PC. 

A pocket pc is the equivalent of a phone with an app that will play the Wherigo cartidges.  It is a different experience, for sure!  We had some veteran cachers guide us through our first Wherigo  when we first started geocaching in 2017.  SOme of the cartidges we have tried worked very well, and others were very clunky or didn't work at all.  Be sure to allow time to work through the game.  They can be alot of fun!

[+lee737]

On 8/23/2021 at 11:19 AM, gpsblake said:

Interesting, i thought the Oregon's were their best selling model for geocaching. (or just fewer and fewer people are using a dedicated GPSr) 

I've just checked Garmins page, the only current models shown are Montana 700 (with communicator?), GPSMap and eTrex. Oregons/older Montanas are shown on 'previous models' page. Hopefully they'll still make something along the lines of the standard Oregon/Montana range in the years to come. I fear the handheld GPS may disappear altogether as smartphones kill their market....  

I saw a new Montana in the flesh the other week, it looks like a small tablet.... I have a Montana, but have been thinking of going back to the Oregon for the smaller size.....

[+Mineral2]

Keep on waiting. I'm hoping the delay is related to the chip shortage. Garmin hasn't been releasing much in the way of new hardware in the last two years.

[+Atlas Cached]

I like your optimism. 

 

Of course, most (if not all) Garmin products are made in Taiwan, which is under increased threat of annexation from China in recent years. 

[+ivss_xx]

And here we are in 2024 still waiting for a new Oregon... The rubber on the on/off button on my Oregon 700 just disintegrated, after good 7 years of use

[richlv]

I've gone through 4 or 5 Oregons over the years, moving up the series numbers. Some fell on hard surfaces, some got smashed in crashes, one fell out a motorcycle holder and I never found it despite walking along the highway for hours.

 

Unfortunately, I lost my current Oregon 750 yesterday. It fell out of the bicycle holder, and the screen is all smashed.

Having a new Oregon with USB-C and 5th gen GPS would be... close to the perfect device.

 

Sometimes companies might not get user feedback and make product choices based on some internal misunderstanding - will email Garmin and ask about Oregon-revival.

A small chance, but maybe that's all they need

[+Mineral2]

I really like their new case redesigns including the Montana 700. I was really hopeful and optimistic that we'd see something similar in a smaller form in an Oregon 800 or a brand new touch screen line-up. I'm bummed because both of my buttons have developed cracks/holes over them and while it's still useable, it's no longer waterproof.

[Overland1]

I still have and use a Garmin Oregon 750t; it works well, although the "lifetime" maps are no longer supported by Garmin. I have marked and saved a bunch of waypoints over the years, including every campsite we have (RV) camped in since we started in 2017. 

 

I would like to transfer all that data to some sort of program/application for posterity, but not sure it can be done. 

Edited September 30 by Overland1

[+lee737]

41 minutes ago, Overland1 said:

 

 

I would like to transfer all that data to some sort of program/application for posterity, but not sure it can be done. 

 

You can save a copy of the Garmin/GPX folder from the device onto your computer - all of your saved WPs are in there.... its worth doing. Mine went into my pocket unlocked once, came out with everything deleted....

[robertlipe]

With any computing device, you should have backups. Doubly so when it's a portable that you can easily lose, drop, dunk, or drive over it.

Lee737's correct. Your data is plain ole GPX. GPX is one of the best supported file formats in the industry and GPSBabel will probably help get it into those that can't read GPX.

IMO, Garmin's adoption of GPX really is one of our (the GPX creators & maintainers) success stories. Your data isn't held in a propiretary file format; you can (usually) just drag and drop the files into whatever eats GPX files and get to a happy place, unlike the terrible old days of Mapsource's era of reverse engineering binary formats to promote interoperability.

[+Mineral2]

On 9/30/2024 at 3:38 PM, Overland1 said:

I still have and use a Garmin Oregon 750t; it works well, although the "lifetime" maps are no longer supported by Garmin. I have marked and saved a bunch of waypoints over the years, including every campsite we have (RV) camped in since we started in 2017. 

 

I would like to transfer all that data to some sort of program/application for posterity, but not sure it can be done. 

Basecamp is still available as a program to organize and manage your GPS data. 

Your lifetime maps may not be supported, but with the exception of roads for driving, maps don't need to be updated very often. Trails are *mostly* set in stone and terrain doesn't change much on the human time scale. But if you do want updated maps regularly, Open Street Maps are free to use.