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What they don't tell you is that the BaseCamp screen shots they show on the website and instruction manual are based on maps that must be purchased separately. There is plenty of info out there on this GPS. Even though you just paid for a GPS with built in topo maps. I'm only going to mention one thing and if you do not plan on connecting your GPS to a computer you can skip this review. If you go online and download the free Garmin BaseCamp software you will think you are getting a nice piece of software to plan your next trip outdoors. So if you pay the extra $100 for a GPS with built in topo maps like the 400t you will have to pay another $100 if you wish to make your GPS useful when connected to a computer. To my amazement Garmin customer support told me to return the GPS and buy a cheaper one then buy the map separately so I can view it both on my computer and GPS.
There are several much less expensive devices out there that can do this. Can you imagine you go hiking, you're off in the weeds somewhere, so you'd like to orient the GPS with your trail-of-breadcrumbs to figure out where you are relative to where you've been. If you want a device that can actually help you navigate, this is not GPS for you. Yesterday while hiking in the desert, it died despite having a fresh set of NiMH batteries in it.
I will mention three of them here:1) The compass does not work. (Apparently the newer Montana's screen is not readable in direct sunlight, which is a complete showstopper).Unfortunately I did not hike for several months after receiving the Colorado, but once I started using it, I became increasingly frustrated with its completely unacceptable limitations. Or maybe look at a waypoint, look at the horizon, and say, aha, it's about 2 miles thataway. Google "Garmin Colorado compass" if you don't believe me.2) Elevation must be re-calibrated every time you use the device.
But no, every time you use the Colorado you must either get NOAA barometer data, or you must know your current elevation before you can use the elevation feature. Wouldn't you think that's one of the FIRST things you'd want to be able to do with a GPS. Well guess what. There is NO WAY to do this with the Colorado 400t, because the internal compass does not work. I have been doing a lot of back-country hiking the past several years, and last year, after doing some research, bought a Garmin Colorado 400t.
Inexplicably, the Colorado, which can see a dozen or more satellites and therefore should be able to pinpoint its location in three-dimensional space quite easily, is unable to determine its own vertical position. What's even more insane is that IT HAS TOPO DATA PRE-LOADED, so it could just ask you "hey man, are you on the ground right now." and use that to calibrate its barometric altimeter. Dumb, dumb, dumb.3) It eats through batteries. If you get a day's use out of a pair of AA batteries, you're doing pretty good. But if you start walking again, you're toast. WTF. I was ready to throw the damn thing into the stream.I wish more of the Amazon reviewers had mentioned these shortcomings.
First you have to calibrate the thing by walking around in a circle two times, then you have to hold the thing perfectly level, and maybe, just maybe, the built in compass will agree with a magnetic compass. So not only is the compass calibration procedure unreliable, if you move it loses its calibration. Basically, all this device is really good at is recording a GPS track of your hike or bike ride so you can later upload the data to Google Earth. I never should have bought this thing and I wish I could return it.Do not buy.
This product has been great straight out of the box. Great for geocaching. Poor quality and customer service from Magellan drove me to Garmin, and I'm glad I made the switch.
I navigated back on my own and the unit said the truck was 5.3 miles to the northeast. Unit works well and the rock n roller wheel is handy. All other attempts to navigate back to a waypoint worked well, just this once it was inaccurate. While elk hunting in Arizona I set a waypoint at the truck, then entered the forest. Tried to navigate back to the truck, but the unit was sending me in the wrong direction. The only other issue is that it eats AA batteries like crazy. Will have to investigate rechargeable batteries to correct this issue.
Also had some accuracy problems when using it while snowshoeing in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area in Colorado. I tried to find any additional user information from Garmin and nothing in book form is currently available. Will be testing it out again in the Rockies in a few weeks and see if accuracy in the mountains has gotten better. Not sure exactly what it contains but it is the only aftermarket product that contains more info than what's in the user manual.
The backlight is also great in poor lighting conditions. Also have noticed some issues with accuracy on this unit initially while doing some geocaching with my son locally. Had problems getting the thing to stabilize and quit bouncing around. Was very happy initially with the unit when it arrived but quickly found out that the included user manual is pretty much worthless. I did find out that the built in thermometer not very accurate displaying the ambient air temperature probably due to the insulating effect of the GPS body. I have become more familiar with its features and have done some communicating with Garmin support, have uploaded the 24K Topo series maps and upgraded the operating system software to the the new beta version and it seems to be a little more accurate.
I like many of the features, like being able to add or remove shortcuts from the main screen and only have the ones you really need displayed. The battery life is great with 2700ma NiMH batteries and I have not had any problems with viewing the display in bright sunlight.
The bottom line I guess the best way to learn about this beast is just keep playing with it until someone puts together a decent manual. I did find out about a company called Bennett Marine Video that has a DVD's for almost every GPS unit and one specifically for the Colorado 300 and 400 series GPS.
I would highly recommend investing in a screen protector. It would not lock onto the trail I was supposed to be following and I ended up totally losing the trail.
This was a bit more than an inconvience when you are hiking in 5 to 10 feet of snow and cannot see the trail. It's cheap insurance and they are easily replaced.
Will update this review once I finish my next wilderness trek and see how the accuracy does with the new maps and updated software.
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