HikeArizona.COM

Garmin has released a newer technology replacement model for their Oregon 450. This newer technology receiver is called the Garmin Oregon 6xx.

This forum topic is issued for ongoing discussions related to this newer technology Oregon 6xx receiver.

tibber wrote:Thx Hank for the update. A few of us will look forward to your testing of this:

Their solution (yet to be verified by me) is the following Tracks Menu setup changes: Record Method = Time, Interval = 3 seconds with the Auto Archive option set to When Full;

Until recently joining this world wide Garmin Oregon 6xx forum user group, I don't think I had a very good idea of all the various user needs and demands on Garmin for providing an "all-in-one" unit that performs exceptionally accurately for all activity needs/uses: everything from hiking, marine, biking, motorcycling, fitness, running, automotive, geochaching, to what is referred to in Scotland as walking .

I have no pity for Garmin as they are making money "hand-over-fist" and what else could there be to do in Kansas but to dedicate ones life to a Garmin career , but I do now believe that I have a better understanding why the Garmin default factory settings (for the various recreation profile choices) just won't always fit our unique activity needs for exactness. Thus, why we need to be more flexible in learning more about our selected activity profile menu setting, changes, results, and adjust our unique needs accordingly ;)

I won't be able to really tryout and report back on this above noted and recommended Tracks Menu setup changes for hiking until after returning from my next hiking trip on ~6/17. Maybe Dave 1 or anyone else who now owns and hikes with an Oregon 6xx could sooner tryout and report back?

Edit addition (new info just received): "the Oregon will auto archive your track when (or before) it reaches its limit, so you should never lose any data or have it discarded. I also set my tracks to record by time, but I have it set for every 5 seconds, not 3. If you do the math (and assume the 10,000 max point limit), you should come up with 13.889 hours worth of track recording. I've never gone out hiking that long -- even with an included lunch break of up to an hour -- so I feel pretty comfortable with that figure, and when I load my tracks into BaseCamp to look at them, they're about as accurate as my 60CSx used to be (especially on close-spaced switchbacks). If the difference between 3 and 5 seconds for capturing track points is important to you, then by all means choose the 3 second interval. Either way, you still won't lose data."

Grasshopper wrote:I have a better understanding why the Garmin default factory settings (for the various recreation profile choices) just won't always fit our unique activity needs for exactness. Thus, why we need to be more flexible in learning more about our selected activity profile menu setting, changes, results, and adjust our unique needs accordingly

Possibly why my first two GPS's were more accurate on the trip computer? (Both were considered Marine units.)

Not knowing anything about any trip computer issues way back then, I simply bought them because they had the highest accuracy at the time. While I'm speaking specifically as to lat/long here, and whether by coincidence or not, the trip computer just happened to be more accurate even using default settings.

Grasshopper wrote:I won't be able to really tryout and report back on this above noted and recommended Tracks Menu setup changes (Record Method = Time and Interval = 3 or 5 seconds) for hiking until after returning from my next hiking trip on ~6/17.

On my Oregon 600 (FW version 3.9) "track setup options", I have now started using the Record Method = Time and Interval = 5 seconds. This was tested out on my Oregon 600 on my recent 4-5 Mogollon Rim hikes and I believe it's going to be a good solution for achieving a closer matched Computer Odometer distance with a closer and correctly matched Current Track distance to view while hiking. I tried the 3 seconds option vs the 5 second option and I prefer the 5 second as this option (for my type of hiking) does not drop quite as many track points and makes for less time consuming track clean-up on HAZ- Route Manager or in Garmin BaseCamp for later posting on HAZ.

The only concerns with this "Record Method = Time" is I’m finding it very necessary to always remember to turn off/pause the current track when stopping for personal breaks, snack breaks, and lunch breaks, and then always remembering to turn the track back on when starting to move again. I have also noticed that when uploading my cleaned-up routes onto our HAZ upload screen, then syncing the elevation, that the AEG changes to be on the high side (an increase of approx +200ft for my hikes from 3 to 6 miles in length). If on HAZ I don't sync the route elevation prior-to route posting then submit, it looks to me like the AEG is more accurate.

I still need more in-the-field hike testing on this above noted AEG concern to confirm, but overall I do now recommend the tracks setup "change from" Record Method = Auto and Interval = Normal or More Often "change to" Record Method = Time and Interval = 5 seconds.

Grasshopper wrote:Record Method = Time and Interval = 5 seconds.

To keep the points within reason, on longer hikes I usually stick with every 10 seconds.

In reference to...

Grasshopper wrote:The only concerns with this "Record Method = Time" is I’m finding it very necessary to always remember to turn off/pause the current track when stopping for personal breaks, snack breaks, and lunch breaks, and then always remembering to turn the track back on when starting to move again.

Same here, but I've been forgetting to turn it back on once I start moving again. So I'm now experimenting by recording by Distance. Since of late I've been traveling roughly 25-35 feet every 10 seconds I'll start my experiment by recording a point every 25 feet. I figure as long as I don't stop in an area where the signal is bouncing more than 25 feet it should work ok. We'll see...

However it turns out as far as trip computer accuracy, I continue to be pretty aggressive when reducing waypoint count before posting a track here on HAZ. I'm doing that because lately I've had significant slow-down issues when working on tracks with upwards of 4,000 points... to the point the browser appears to have locked up sometimes for 10-20 seconds or more. While the twirling circle on a Mac may be more colorful than the hourglass was on the PC, it doesn't make me feel any less frustrated when it happens. :-({|=