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Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"Nice user interface but"
Pros: -Touch screen makes entering and managing waypoints much easier.
-The car navigation screen is much larger and easier to read.
-The topo maps have the ability to be shaded in 3D for better situational awareness.
-The geocaching feature is superb.Cons: -Poor screen quality in medium light. Screen has almost no reflectivity and therefore under all but the brightest conditions, it is difficult to see without using the backlight.
Summary: I have done an extensive evaluation of the Oregon 300. Here are my comments.
-Because of the screen readability problem, only expect 8-10 hrs life.
The Good:
-Touch screen makes entering and managing waypoints much easier.
-The car navigation screen is much larger and easier to read.
-The topo maps have the ability to be shaded in 3D for better situational awareness.
-The geocaching feature is superb. You have all the notes, logs, and hints right on the GPS while searching for caches. You can even record notes in the field (easy on touch keyboard) and then auto upload to geocaching.com.
-heart rate monitor and cadence options are available.
-Profiles -finally. You can customize the multitude of displays and options and then effortlessly switch between them depending on your operating environment.
-Screen Capture - cool feature, but not sure I would use it much.
-Image Viewer. Resolution is okay, not great. This could be a useful thing to have though because you could scan a route description or detailed map, and then load it into the GPS for reference.
-Time Zones update automatically, or can be set manually.
-Backgrounds (desktops) can be changed to whatever you want.
-Wireless sharing of waypoints and tracks.
-WhereIGo Player for interactive game cartridges.
-Touch screen user interface is very easy to use and quite intuitive although some frequently used features are buried deep on some pages.
The Bad:
-First and foremost is the poor screen quality in medium light. The screen has almost no reflectivity and therefore under all but the brightest conditions, it is difficult to see without using the backlight at about 75% brightness.
-Because of the screen readability problem described above, and the need to use the backlight in most situations means the battery draw is significant and you can expect to only get about 8-10 hours battery life with normal use. Garmin says 16 but that is likely with backlight at 50% and timing out after 15 sec and using "battery save" which completely powers off the screen until you touch it. The HCx will usually go 25-30 hours by comparison because it almost never needs a backlight.
-There is no welcome screen. You lose it, you better have your name etched onto the back.
-The GPS cannot be used at all when connected to the computer. Also it powers off everytime you disconnect. (The HCx offers the option of staying on.)
-Basemap is not as distinct as on HCx. Water is shown in white and is difficult to discern from the cream colored land. However when in Automobile mode, water shows up blue?? (HCx shows all water in BLUE! Duh)
-No capability to measure distances or project waypoints using the map. (I use this feature frequently on the HCx to determine distance between 2 points, or to set a course.)
-Trip Reset is all or nothing. HCx allowed you to choose what you wanted to reset. On the Oregon everything gets reset (Except the odometer. There is no reset for that unless you restore to factory default.
-Track is only shown in Black. The HCx allowed you to change the color of the track.
-The alarm tone is very quiet and is virtually useless for me. No way to change it. (Also they eliminated the choices for what tone you wanted to hear for upcoming turns. Tones are either on or off.)
-Can't change the speed at which the compass turns off. The default speed is too fast. That means when you are walking at 2-3mph, the map jumps all around because the compass isn't stabilized. (The HCx allows you to change what speed at which the GPS references the satellites for directional info vs. Compass. I have mine set for 0.5 mph. That way it works when I am stopped and the compass is stable.)
-When viewing the Elevation profile, there are only 2 data fields. I usually set them to elev gained and lost. But then ironically, I can't see what altitude I am currently at. (The HCx has 2 fields at the top and always shows either altitude or baro pressure at the bottom.)
-Another major downgrade on the elevation profile feature is that when reviewing a profile there is no way to jump to that point on the map page. (On the HCx as you review a profile, it shows altitude, distance along the track. If you press enter, it takes you to the map page at precisely the point that you were looking at. E.g. When I am looking at the track from Mt. Baker hike, I can see precisely where I stopped to rest. When reviewing the profile, I could go to that spot on the profile hit enter and mark a waypoint at the exact spot we stopped. (Could save your life in a white out.) The Oregon has no such capability. That really sucks.)
-Heart rate displays only your heart rate. No max, no zone timers etc. Furthermore this GPS is NOT compatible with Garmin connect. ***? Stupid.
-The unit retains the features for Area Calculation and best times for hunting and fishing. Why? I don't know. I have never used either one of those features.
Where to buy
Garmin Oregon 300 - GPS receiver:
$343.00 - $499.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$352.41 | Yes |
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$399.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$343.00 | Yes |
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$399.99 | Yes |
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$499.99 | Yes |
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