[azdesertfather]

OK, for those of you who have bought a newer GPS and are ready to pitch it because the thing eats batters like there is no tomorrow, here's a thread to give tips back and forth on which models do better on battery life and just in general how to get the most bang for your battery.

A lot of people have started picking up the Garmin Colorado 400t & Oregon 400t. They are nice for the most part (I ended up deciding the Colorado 400t was the best unit out there to meet my needs), but if you're not careful, they are battery hogs. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Some other helpful hints I found online:

There are some things to check to make sure you are reducing power consumption.

TIPS FOR THE COLORADO 400t:
* Minimize backlight usage and make sure it is set to turn off automatically
* Turn off the electronic compass
* Disable WAAS/EGNOS
* Set tracklog to auto or off
* Use the odometer or compass page instead of the map page or 3D View
* Set your orientation to North Up instead of Track Up or Automotive if you do use the map page
* Set the battery type set for the right type of battery (NiMH, Alkaline, Lithium)
* Remove the SD card if you are not using it
* Make sure you are running the latest Software (there were some significant improvements).
* Don't use brand new NiMH batteries (or cycle new batteries a few times before using them)


TIPS FOR THE OREGON 400t:
* Minimize backlight strength and set it to turn off automatically (Setup>Display>Backlight Timeout>30 Seconds)
* Disable the electronic compass (Setup>Heading>Compass>Off)
* Disable WAAS/EGNOS (Setup>System>GPS>Normal)
* Set tracklog to auto or off (Setup>Tracks>Track Log>Do Not Record)
* Use the odometer or compass page instead of the map page or 3D View
* Set your orientation to North Up instead of Track Up or Automotive if you do use the map page
* Set the battery type set for the right type of battery (NiMH, Alkaline, Lithium)
* Remove the SD card if you are not using it
* Make sure you are running the latest Software
* Don't use brand new NiMH batteries (or cycle new batteries a few times before using them)

[azdesertfather]

Also, here's an excellent article I lifted from gpsfix.net:

Battery Life Comparison: Garmin Colorado, Oregon and 60CSx
in GPSMAP 60CSx, Garmin Colorado, Garmin Oregon
Nov. 21, 2008

With every new generation of GPS receivers it seems like battery life takes a hit as the displays get bigger and CPUs get faster. The Oregon and Colorado haven’t been immune to this decline in battery life and many owners have complained about how frequently they have to replace batteries. By running some controlled tests I’ve been able to compare battery life on these three handheld GPS units and provide some tips on how to extend your battery life.

First, I only used NiMH batteries in my tests. Garmin recommends 2500mAh NiMH batteries or higher for use in the Colorado and Oregon and for most people this will be the natural choice given the expense of using Lithium or Alkaline batteries in these power hungry devices. I used PowerEx 2700mAh NiMH batteries and a Maha MH-C9000 charger to guarantee that I was using properly charged and conditioned batteries. The Maha charger was also useful for measuring battery charge and discharge during each test.

The only variable I changed during my testing was the GPS backlight setting - I tested with backlight at 100%, 50% and off. The rest of the test conditions and settings on the GPSs were as follows:

* WAAS disabled
* Compass disabled
* Automatic backlight shutoff disabled
* SD data card installed
* Tests conducted with the satellite page displayed
* Tracklog set to auto or collect every 30 seconds
* Satellite reception for duration of test although units were stationary
* Temperature was maintained around 20C (68F-70F).
* 60CSx: Power saver mode disabled
* Colorado: Backlight limiting disabled (i.e. backlight stays on until the unit shuts off)

The test simply involved loading each GPS with freshly charged batteries and letting it sit with a view of the sky until it shut off. Using the tracklog I determined how long the unit ran before shutting down. The graph below depicts battery life for the three units for each backlight setting.

In an attempt to normalize the results I also used the charge delivered to the batteries minus the remaining charge after the test to calculate how much power each unit consumed and converted that to an average current draw. The second graph displays the current drawn by each unit so that if you are using different capacity batteries you can determine your run time by dividing battery capacity (mAh) by this value.

The results of the tests were different than I had expected. I had assumed that the 60CSx would be far better than the Oregon which, in turn, would be marginally better than the Colorado. This turned out to be true for cases where the backlight was turned off, the 60CSx came in with 28 hour run times compared to 21 hours and 17.5 hours on the Oregon and Colorado respectively. Keep in mind the 60CSx is actually readable with the backlight turned off, I don’t think I’ve ever used my Colorado or Oregon with the backlight entirely off.

Surprisingly with the backlight turned up to 100% the 60CSx was worse than both the Oregon and Colorado. The 60CSx managed only about 11.5 hours of run time whereas the Oregon was close to 13 hours and the Colorado was over 14 hours. The fact that the Oregon didn’t run as long can be attributed to the backlight being somewhat brighter than the Colorado’s under the max setting. The bad news for Oregon and Colorado owners is that this will probably be more typical of your battery life. If you are willing to use the automatic backlight shutoff feature you will see somewhat better results.

At the 50% backlight setting the Oregon did a little better than both the 60CSx and Colorado but the results are similar for all three units.

How well does this translate into field use? The biggest factor that this test does not take into account is how movement and interacting with the device affects battery life. If you are calculating routes and navigating while viewing the map or 3D-view pages there is going to be more load on the CPU. Some old measurements on the Colorado suggest this might reduce battery life as much as 20%.

Other factors to consider:

* NiMH batteries are particularly poor in below freezing temperatures.
* If you can’t avoid cold temperatures look to Lithium batteries which provide better run time, better performance in temperatures below freezing and weigh about 30% less.
* Avoid lower capacity (less than 2100mAh), worn out or improperly charged NiMH batteries. Invest in a good charger like the Maha MH-C9000 or La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower.
* Use of compass or WAAS reduces run time by about 20% and 5% respectively (based on Colorado)
* Use of the automatic backlight shutoff feature or reducing your backlight usage will improve battery life, although on the Oregon and Colorado you’ll probably find that you need the backlight set at 50% or more.
* If you use your GPS in the car invest in an automotive kit which will power the unit using your car’s power adapter saving the battery during those long rides.

As long as you are willing to invest in decent NiMH batteries and a good charger all three models will provide nearly 12 hours of continuous operation on a single set of batteries no matter which backlight settings you choose. Throwing in an extra set will cover you for the weekend. Backcountry hikers might want to consider the 60CSx given the extra 8-10 hours of run time at low backlight settings.

Versions: Colorado 2.7/GPS 2.8; Oregon 2.6/GPS 2.55; GPSMAP 60CSx 3.6

[joe bartels]

NiMH in the summer and Lithium in the winter is true. I've tested that myself.

[azdesertfather]

Good point. Joe also mentioned to me that when the WAAS setting is off that the entire route is off about 30 feet to one side or another. When hiking on mountains that can be a huge difference in elevation. For most of you, that's not worth it for just a 5% in battery life savings (according to testing with the WAAS feature, see article above).

The biggest things I've learned are to turn off the compass (until you need it...above testing says this alone gives you back 20% in battery life), turn off the backlight (until you need to look at the screen), and don't leave the screen on the map (especially 3D map) unless needed. If map is needed, try to use the "north up" setting instead of the "track up" setting, as even that is a battery hog. If you haven't checked for software updates, BTW, do that...since there have been some improvements in this area with software updates.

[big_load]

Good info, although the recommended settings shouldn't surprise anyone. That's how I set up my 60CS.

[TwoWeims]

Although I have not done a thorough scientific analysis, I would recommend the Garmin Rinos. I have a pair of 530HCx's.
They have a very large 8.4V, 2400mAh Li Ion rechargeable battery. I have used them now for about six months.
In practical use, running the GPS with the compass on and occasionally talking on the radio set at 2.5 Watts, I have never been below 70% battery life after ~4-6 hours of use.
If you stay off the radio I imagine it would last a very long time.

[nonot]

The compass and backlight eat batteries. WAAS, changing to the non map screen, I haven't noticed much of a change.

To do a good comparison, people should list the capacity of their rechargables. Everything is sold out there from 700mah to 3000mah for the same AA NIMH rechargable, often for very little difference in price.

I usually get 2 full days of hiking on 1 pair of 2500-2600mAH NIMH AA rechargables

[azbackpackr]

I have the 60Cx and use lithium. I know, I should get the battery charger and use the rechargeables, but haven't gotten around to it.

[Grasshopper]

The compass and backlight eat batteries.

Regarding the Compass in our GPS, how often do we ever actually use this GPS Compass to navigate? Like nonot says, an enabled GPS compass is a big contributor to lower battery life. Unless, we have lost satellite reception for navigating or using our GPS Trac Screen "TracBack" option (what it's called in Garmins, it may be called something else in other makes), I think most of the time we are navigating via our GPS which is receiving satellite reception to the GPS map screen triangle (this triangle which is showing us where we are located on our GPS map screen). I suggest you consider disabling your GPS compass to save battery life IF you really don't use it. Your manual will tell you how to disable/enable it for your particular GPS make and model, but if you own a Garmin 60CSx and would like to try it to see how disabling it really does extend your battery life, then try this (just don't forget how to enable it again) ..

[Pathfinder Aaron]

Not really related to extending your battery life through settings, but another option regardless. I use my solio Classic solar charger strapped to the top of my pack, and hooked up to my gps unit. When it's sunny out, I can run the GPS unit on external power without any battery usage at all, then use the batteries when it's cloudy or night. Sure, you have a cord running over your shoulder, but I don't mind. I keep two straps of velcro wrapped around my right shoulder strap for retention of the cable so it's not whipping around as I hike. It doesn't bother me, but some people, it might. I keep two batteries on me, which stay pretty much charged all the time since I really don't do a lot of night hiking, and when I'm resting around camp and not out exploring, I'll prop the solio up in the sun, and keep my batteries at full so they're ready any time I need em.

[Pathfinder Aaron]

Good settings advice too everyone. Thanks for the knowledge.

[Jim Lyding]

I've found that using rechargeable batteries helps as well for some reason. I was using the garden-variety AA batteries sold by Costco in a huge sleeve, but my 400t ate them up. Rechargeable batteries never seem to give out if they're fully-charged before a 1-day hike.

[Moovyoaz]

In my VistaHCX I've had excellent results with hybrid Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries.
http://www.eneloop.info/

Sanyo claims the following benefits for their Eneloops vs regular NiMH rechargeable batteries:
Very low self discharge rate (15%/yr vs 1%/day for regular NiMH; this means they can be charged and stored until needed.
Sanyo sells them pre-charged, so one doesn't have to charge them before their first use.
Lower internal resistance, meaning higher voltage reaching equipment that uses high currents (such as digital cameras).

Another hybrid rechargeable I use is Hybrio from Uniross (Everlast):
http://www.hybriousa.com/

Both work well, and seem to last close to, if not as long, as regular batteries, and always longer than other rechargeables.
Fry's Electronics sells both (unless they're out, which is common) for 30-50 more than NiMH rechargeable batteries.
Both companies claim they can be recharged more than 500 times. Considering that, and their performance in a GPS, make them a great value vs other options.

There's an excellent review of hybrid rechargeable batteries at
http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html.

[nonot]

I think the real key is recharging the NIMH's the day before the hike. I usually had to do this because I would procrastinate to charge them until the day before, but I changed to start charging them after coming home. Now after a few hikes where I used batteries charged 1-2 weeks prior, I was having mediocre performance (i.e. 4 hrs out of one set, 11 hrs the next, then 7 hrs, etc.) Now I always top off every one the day (night) before I leave and am getting consistent 16-20 hrs each.

[Moovyoaz]

In response to nonot:
Which is why you should try the hybrids; you can charge when you're through using them, then forget about it.
They're ready when you are. Plus they last longer.

[kingsnake]

Question: I have some routes pre-loaded in my GPS for the next 10 days. However, I probably need to replace the batteries before I do my next hike. (I've got abot 20 hours on AAs in my 60CSx.) Can I replace the batteries without losing the loaded data?

[Sredfield]

Yes.

[kingsnake]

Thanx!

[mnlumberjack]

Lots of good information in this battery subject.

On most GPS devices with Electronic Compass, if you turn the compass off, you still have a reliable compass that works by calculating position and direction from the satellites. This compass is a little slower, it's slightly prone to errors when not receiving a strong signal and it will stop working when you are not in motion.

For batterys, I use a high quality, 2500maH LiON AA rechargable and after several recharge cycles, I have found them to outlast at least 10 sets of non-rechargeable batterys. So from a cost standpoint, it's a significant savings.

All of the modern day GPS devices use a memory technology known as Flash memory for internal data storage and management. Flash memory does not require power to keep it alive and will not be affected when batterys die or are being changed.

If you don't have one yet, a GPS device is one of the most important accessories a hiker can have in his/her inventory. I never hit the trails without mine.