[g-o-cashers]

The Garmin Oregon Wiki has been up for a week or two now but I'm hoping tomorrow things will really start to take shape. I should have a unit in my hands in the morning and will hopefully have some first impressions up by midday. I'll try to update this space at least once a day for the first week or two as I'm doing my initial field testing and comparison to the Colorado and 60csx. There are instructions on the page about how to get RSS feeds and email updates for this page (or the entire wiki). Eventually I'll collect everything into a review and build a FAQ and Issues List similar to the Garmin Colorado Wiki.

I'm not sure exactly how the Oregon wiki will evolve. Depending on how similar the Oregon is to the Colorado I may combine the Colorado and Oregon wiki's to make maintenance easier for the common stuff.

If people have suggestions let me know on what is helpful and what isn't. And please feel free to contribute to the wiki -- like the Colorado wiki I'll keep this one open for contributions as well.

GO$Rs

[storm180]

Where did you order your oregon from?

[g-o-cashers]

GPSNOW.com

[MtnHermit]

Excellent!!!

Hope to see some photos too. Curious about the microSD. I read earlier speculation that it might be under the batteries, al la 60/76. My hope its upright al la Vista/Legend.

[freeday]

Great job!!!!

What i want to know - Does the garmin oregon no longer has the hardware issues of the garmin colorado?

hardware:
* lost power supply on having vibrations for a longer time (there were some guys - including me, who had the problems with mtb aand a gpsmap60csx - the colorado had the same construction)-> http://www.naviboard...ead.php?t=26889
* missing electrolytic capacitor to eleminate electronic peaks and to get a longer batterie runtime
* backlight should be lighter - with the car-adapter the backlight is fine - (should also be without caradapter)
* IPX7-Problem (closing the case, the seal might move a little and water gets inside) - the cover of the 60csx was much better
* Batteriecover cannot be opened if the unit is wet (raining conditions-> cover slippery) or under cold conditions
* no possibility to tighten a safety line (to prevent loosing the unit - e.g. driving a mtb)
* muddy water can pass the cover (not the batteries inside) - and afterwards it is not easy to remove the cover without getting water and mud to the batteries
* the electronic parts inside are not shielded against vibrations with wax or similar
* there is no mtb-mounting on the market that works for the colorado without loosing the unit on a rough trail - oregon?
* missing rubber around the unit against impact on the colorado - oregon?
* the silver cover on the colorado was to glare under bright sun - a black cover would be better - what about the oregon?

software:
is the firmware different to the colorado?
what about a sat-screen?

This post has been edited by freeday: 14 July 2008 - 09:59 PM

[Crid]

g-o-cashers, on Jul 14 2008, 07:04 PM, said:

I should have a unit in my hands in the morning and will hopefully have some first impressions up by midday.

I'd be particularly to hear whether it's using the same GPS chipset (and firmware) as the HCX range and Colorado, and whether it experiences the same accuracy problems.

(I'm not considering "upgrading", but I think it would be useful information for anybody thinking of doing so).

[fujitsu]

Hi there!

A simple question. Does anyone know anything about the chipset it is use in the new Oregon?

Thanks
AA

[g-o-cashers]

One of the first things I'll check is whether the Oregon runs the same GPS software as the CO. If it is version 2.6 and the gcd file looks like the same as the Colorado I'm going to assume it is the same chipset. Short of opening up the OR I'm not sure if there is any better way to do this.

I'll be running some side-by-side tests with the CO and OR over the next few days. That should give me a pretty good feel if the OR experiences the location errors (drift) that the CO does.

GO$Rs

[freeday]

some pictures about "how to open and close the batterie-cover" would be also great.

thank you g-o-cashers !!!

[g-o-cashers]

Yup, I've got the camera today. I'll try to post some pictures of the exterior and how the battery/micro SD configuration looks.

GO$Rs

[jotne]

freeday, on Jul 15 2008, 02:36 PM, said:

some pictures about "how to open and close the batterie-cover" would be also great.

From the picture of the unit, te back looks like the same as Colorado. Same mounting, same cover.

My question is: How much memory are there in 400t (From Garmin home page, memory: yes)
I may order a 400t to use in Europe, only to get much more internal memory

This post has been edited by jotne: 15 July 2008 - 05:28 AM

[HHL]

jotne, on Jul 15 2008, 03:25 PM, said:

…
I may order a 400t to use in Europe, only to get much more internal memory

the european 400ts will have a 1:100000 topo europe.*

frohes jagen

*source: www.navifuture.de

[g-o-cashers]

It's here.

http://garminoregon....rst+impressions

GO$Rs

[Redwoods Mtn Biker]

How bright is the screen?

[Jhwk]

my, that was quick! Keep up the good work!

[kcmose]

I'm liking what I see already! I'm ready to order one. I'm betting that Garmin went to school over some of the issues on the Colorado (I'm a gambler).

[knowschad]

jotne, on Jul 15 2008, 05:25 AM, said:

From the picture of the unit, te back looks like the same as Colorado. Same mounting, same cover.

No external antenna, however. I wonder how much, if any, difference that will make.

[g-o-cashers]

Redwoods Mtn Biker, on Jul 15 2008, 10:47 AM, said:

How bright is the screen?

It is similar to the CO. I need to play more outside, but it does remember backlight settings across power cycles. The screen does seem to collect a lot of finger prints.

Something tells me that this does have a different GPS chipset. GPS software version is different, no GCD file like the CO and it lost reception when I came inside, but MUCH more testing is needed.

GO$Rs

[g-o-cashers]

Internal memory is 3.72GB, same as my CO 400t. Looks like the same map image for Topo although there is something new called "gmaptz.img". Maybe something for timezones?

GO$Rs

[fourbeer]

Does the screen "lock" so you can put it in your pocket while it is turned on?

How much available memory does the 400t have?

[g-o-cashers]

fourbeer, on Jul 15 2008, 11:07 AM, said:

Does the screen "lock" so you can put it in your pocket while it is turned on?

How much available memory does the 400t have?

It does have a screen lock. 400t has about 1GB free.

GO$Rs

[Leffunk]

Just a word of appreciation for the fantastic job g-o-cashers is doing in providing us this information so quickly about the Oregon.

Thanks !

Looking forward to learn more about your experiences with this new device

Leffunk

[g-o-cashers]

I've just posted a few screen shots (now that I know how to do it!).

You'll see some differences between the CO and OR, much of it is to deal with the touch screen interface others (like the reset tool) seem to be new features that I hope to see on the Colorado at some point.

The track manager has some interesting stuff that I'll try to put up later today as well.

I'm going to upgrade to 2.2 and see if I can figure out anything about the chipset being used.

GO$Rs

[campingfarmer]

I really like the looks of the coordinates and text entry screens. This will be much easier.

[g-o-cashers]

The Oregon does have automatic TZ setting. The img file must have the TZ map and as you move through the TZ must be set accordingly. Under Time Zone there is an automatic setting which when set removes the daylight savings option and seemed to correctly set me to eastern daylight savings time.

GO$Rs

[yogazoo]

Looks like it has a lanyard attachment!! Yayy!!

[g-o-cashers]

More screen shots and photos, much of it based on the geocaching mode:

http://garminoregon....mpressions#toc6

It does appear to have a lanyard attachment on the bottom. I've yet to get a lanyard through the small hole but the hole does go all the way through. This is very good.

GO$Rs

This post has been edited by g-o-cashers: 15 July 2008 - 09:30 AM

[jcc123]

As I have said many time on this forum, touch screens are the future. However, I'm certainly going to wait for version 2 of the Oregon. It clearly needs some additional work. For example, the overall unit could have a thinner profile since we don't need all that plastic. The screen can be made a bit bigger and get closer to the edge of the device like the iPod Touch or iPhone. Also, the processor could be faster so that moving maps won't be such a chore. Lastly, the helix antenna could be redesigned to fit in this unit. Perhaps horizontally instead of vertically?

[Didjerrydo]

[quote name='jcc123' date='Jul 15 2008, 09:34 AM' post='3558937']
As I have said many time on this forum, touch screens are the future. However, I'm certainly going to wait for version 2 of the Oregon. It clearly needs some additional work. For example, the overall unit could have a thinner profile since we don't need all that plastic. The screen can be made a bit bigger and get closer to the edge of the device like the iPod Touch or iPhone. Also, the processor could be faster so that moving maps won't be such a chore. Lastly, the helix antenna could be redesigned to fit in this unit. Perhaps horizontally instead of vertically?
[/quot

Does the OR actually have a clock that keeps the correct time..even if it's turned off?

[Timpat]

Dbl post

This post has been edited by Timpat: 15 July 2008 - 10:15 AM

[Timpat]

Scott, nice work getting the site up so quickly and for doing the initial testing!

Question on the Track Manager. Can you 'Show On Map' more than one saved track as we can on the 60C/Sx series? And I wonder since the OR now has the Track Manager function, do you feel our COs will see this in a firmware update? Or is the CO hardware limited in some way to get it?

[yogazoo]

Waypoint averaging?

Night mode?

"Save Always" barometer?

[fourbeer]

I hope we see some of the firmware differences make it over to the Colorado.

When you set a profile you are also told the current profile
Automatic time zone setting
Track management is for real
Geocaches now show up on the Recent Finds list.
Screen brightness remembered across power cycles.
etc....

By the way GO$, what happened to your Colorado? It looks cracked.

[g-o-cashers]

yogazoo, on Jul 15 2008, 02:16 PM, said:

Waypoint averaging?

Night mode?

"Save Always" barometer?

No
No
Yes

[g-o-cashers]

Timpat, on Jul 15 2008, 02:14 PM, said:

Scott, nice work getting the site up so quickly and for doing the initial testing!

Question on the Track Manager. Can you 'Show On Map' more than one saved track as we can on the 60C/Sx series? And I wonder since the OR now has the Track Manager function, do you feel our COs will see this in a firmware update? Or is the CO hardware limited in some way to get it?

Yes multiple tracks, and they can have different colors as of 2.2! I hope that the Track Manager makes it over to the CO. I predict it will, it seems like it would be purely a software function.

On the Current track you have options to:
- Save Track
- Save Portion
- View Map
- Elevation Plot

On each saved track you have the options to:
- View Map
- Elevation Plot
- Hide/Show on Map
- Set Color (16 choices)
- Copy Reversed (creates a reversed copy of the track)
- Delete

When you View on Map you have the option to Go to the track (or Tracback if it is the Current track, like the CO). When saving you have the ability to name the track but no ability to rename once you've created it. Each saved track seems to show up as a GPX file in [drive]:\Garmin\GPX

I haven't figured out Save Portion yet. If you select this option you are basically given a bunch of segments to save and you pick a first and last segment to include. It's not clear what a segment is but it looks like it roughly corresponds to when I power cycled the unit.

I'll be putting up screen shots in a few minutes for this feature.

GO$Rs

[g-o-cashers]

fourbeer, on Jul 15 2008, 02:20 PM, said:

By the way GO$, what happened to your Colorado? It looks cracked.

It just slipped out of my hand one day when it was wet and rainy. It landed on a big old piece of New England granite.

Like bagels and toast, GPS's never land on the side you want them to.

GO$Rs

[BTBAM]

So if I already have CN on my micro sd card, can I just switch this into the Oregon?

[kcmose]

Leffunk, on Jul 15 2008, 08:15 AM, said:

Just a word of appreciation for the fantastic job g-o-cashers is doing in providing us this information so quickly about the Oregon.

Thanks !

Looking forward to learn more about your experiences with this new device

Leffunk

Yes, Ditto! Thanks for you putting the Oregon through its paces.

[CacheNCarryMA]

g-o-cashers, on Jul 15 2008, 01:29 PM, said:

It does appear to have a lanyard attachment on the bottom. I've yet to get a lanyard through the small hole but the hole does go all the way through. This is very good.

GO$Rs

Try using a dental floss threader (available in drugstores next to the floss or from your dentist) to get the lanyard through the tiny hole. These are used to thread dental floss through the gaps in braces.

This post has been edited by CacheNCarryMA: 15 July 2008 - 11:07 AM

[ventura_kids]

How about a screen shot of the arrow page?
Can you set the accuracy on the arrow page, along with the distance to go?

[WeimyDog]

How well do touch screens work in the cold/ wet/ dirty/ ect.?

[Barrikady]

GO$Rs,

Many thanks for all of your tireless work on the Colorado, and now also on the Oregon.

Barrikady

This post has been edited by Barrikady: 15 July 2008 - 12:08 PM

[medevacdoc]

Thanks g-o-casher for testing these units and providing feedback on them. YOU ROCK!!!!!!

[g-o-cashers]

ventura_kids, on Jul 15 2008, 03:16 PM, said:

How about a screen shot of the arrow page?
Can you set the accuracy on the arrow page, along with the distance to go?

I'm assuming you are referring to the Compass page? If so, it looks almost identical to the Colorado screen shots. I don't have time to put one up now but I think Garmin's site might have a picture. Not sure what you mean by accuracy. Maybe calibration? If so, calibration needs to be done through the Setup menu - you can't do it from the Compass page directly.

The later is IMHO a significant flaw with the Colorado and even more so with the Oregon user interface. If I want to configuration anything associated with the map, compass, odometer, altimeter, etc. then I should be able to do it all from that tool's page. The CO lets you do some of that (i.e map selection on the map page) the OR doesn't let you do any of it -- you always have to exit the tool, goto Main->Setup select the tool you want to configure make the change and go back. Unless, of course, I just haven't found it yet -- still learning!

GO$Rs

[g-o-cashers]

CacheNCarryMA, on Jul 15 2008, 03:06 PM, said:

Try using a dental floss threader (available in drugstores next to the floss or from your dentist) to get the lanyard through the tiny hole. These are used to thread dental floss through the gaps in braces.

Great idea CnC, my daughter's got some of these!

GO$Rs

[rkelso]

g-o-cashers, on Jul 15 2008, 12:23 PM, said:

ventura_kids, on Jul 15 2008, 03:16 PM, said:

How about a screen shot of the arrow page?
Can you set the accuracy on the arrow page, along with the distance to go?

I'm assuming you are referring to the Compass page? If so, it looks almost identical to the Colorado screen shots. I don't have time to put one up now but I think Garmin's site might have a picture. Not sure what you mean by accuracy. Maybe calibration? If so, calibration needs to be done through the Setup menu - you can't do it from the Compass page directly.

The later is IMHO a significant flaw with the Colorado and even more so with the Oregon user interface. If I want to configuration anything associated with the map, compass, odometer, altimeter, etc. then I should be able to do it all from that tool's page. The CO lets you do some of that (i.e map selection on the map page) the OR doesn't let you do any of it -- you always have to exit the tool, goto Main->Setup select the tool you want to configure make the change and go back. Unless, of course, I just haven't found it yet -- still learning!

GO$Rs

I think he meant showing GPS accuracy as a data field, maybe on the compass page?

[teamdw]

g-o-casher thank you for testing these units and providing feedback on them.

When you get a chance can you do a side by side pic of the CO and the OR out side under direct sun light with the backlight all the way up an all the way down

Thanks again for your honest and unbiased testing for these units.

[yogazoo]

"I don't think the Oregon is as bright at the Colorado outdoors under direct sunlight at any backlight setting. The touch screen is not as reflective as the Colorado's."

This, my friends, could be what keeps me from getting one. The Colorado was already tough enough to see, man if the Oregon is worse... I dunno.

[g-o-cashers]

BTBAM, on Jul 15 2008, 02:58 PM, said:

So if I already have CN on my micro sd card, can I just switch this into the Oregon?

CN is licensed to a specific unit. You'll need to buy a new license for the OR.

WeimyDog, on Jul 15 2008, 03:27 PM, said:

How well do touch screens work in the cold/ wet/ dirty/ ect.?

For me, that is a big question too. The OR feels very solid, I really like the construction and think that Garmin did a much better job than the CO. Looking at the physical design I would say that this unit will stand a much better chance of keeping water out. The seal is very solid and the cover over the USB port is very good.

However, time will tell how the screen does in the dirt, rain, ice and snow. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use this with gloves on. 60-70% of it, yes, but some of the finer touch screen selections would be difficult.

GO$Rs

[rkelso]

Have you tried selecting a waypoint from the map and deleting it? I'm wondering if this will crash the OR too, or if it is a step or two ahead of the CO in that regard.