New Garmin Oregon features for Track navigators

There is a new beta software release for Garmin Oregon receivers. It has some nice features for those who navigate using tracks.

Oregon beta update

Garmin's description of new features includes this excerpt:

With the latest beta firmware for Oregon devices (with or without a camera), your device can provide a better navigation experience than before. We’ve added automatic detection of high- and low-points using elevation stored in the saved track. These points are added to the map and listed on the active route page. If you have significant landmarks, campsites, trailheads, restrooms, or other points saved as waypoints, our new track navigation includes all waypoints located along the track and lists them on the active route page. Listing these waypoints alongside high and low points combines the clarity of saved tracks with the landmarks of traditional routes. Data fields can be selected to provide the distance to, time en route, arrival time, or name of the next point (high point, low point, or waypoint) or destination.

For treks with the added vertical challenge, our new future plot feature not only shows an elevation profile of the adventure so far, but also what is ahead. When navigating saved tracks that include elevation data in the track points, the future plot is added in blue to the historic elevation profile in green. This elevation profile can now be added to the trip computer, compass page, or map page using the new Elevation Plot dashboard.​

Sounds like Garmin listens to hikers for features they need/want. Perhaps they will start listening to motorcyclists and put features we want (60/76)into the Zumo.

Somehow I don't see that happening as the Zumo is just a slightly modified automotive unit. I used my dad's Zumo 660 recently and found it an extremely limiting experience -- I'd never spend the money on one.

Any reason you wouldn't just use an Oregon instead?

The ultimate unit would, of course, be something with a big, bright screen (like the GPSMap 640) and the Oregon's software. But for whatever reason Garmin doesn't seem to be interested in building such a GPS unit.

As for the new track navigation features -- good news. Thanks for posting. One of the things I love about the Oregon is that Garmin keeps updating its feature set, mostly in ways that are actually useful.

--mark

While you may desire a half foot of display crowding your bars, I have a feeling most people actually don't. Sure, it's great for watching the weather or avoiding sand bars in yer 40 FT cabin cruiser but I sure as hell don't need that on a bike. The Zumo with the Oregon's software and great battery life would do me just fine.

Got the new software on my Oregon this evening - wow, those new features are great!

These are new options in the compass screen - you can select 4 different types of dashboards, shown below.



Definitely worth getting this update!

For the record, the GPSMap 640 is only about half an inch wider than the Zumo 660. But it has a much higher-resolution screen, which means it can (in theory at least) display a lot more map detail.

My point was that a motorcycle-specific unit with a bright, hi-res display and the Oregon's software would be a winner, but it doesn't exist and doesn't seem likely. Meanwhile, the Oregon is a great unit as is, and you're in no danger of crowding your bars with it.

--mark

I would just like the big screen of a Zumo with the features of the 60/76 for my small Adv bike (TE610) and motorhome. For now 60/76 for dirt which is the 99.99% choice for Dual Sport riders. I have never had a customer with an Oregon or Colorado. LA-B-V may have, I will ask.

I just happened to get an Oregon 300 a couple of weeks ago. I have been a GPSMap 60C user for years. I have been wanting more memory, faster and stronger reception, and the power button on the 60C was getting flaky.

For me, I am very pleased with the new features in this firmware release. I'm sure I will still use autorouting in most situations on the road where I want to find a route to something. However, in situations where I want to follow an exact route, I now have a great option. I can still do route planning at home with MapSource, throw in some important waypoints, then convert the route to a track with WinGDB3.

What was wrong with navigating tracks (until now) was the absence of intermediate points and your current relation to them. Now it is all better.

I had been losing confidence in Garmin for several years (since the 60 series). Because of this release for the Oregon and also their support of the obscure but fascinating world of APRS (in Colorado and Oregon), I now believe there are signs of intelligent life on planet Garmin.

It gets better all the time - here's some of the Garmin Trail Tech description of the new track features:

If you have significant landmarks, campsites, trailheads, restrooms, or other points saved as waypoints, our new track navigation includes all waypoints located along the track and lists them on the active route page. Listing these waypoints alongside high and low points combines the clarity of saved tracks with the landmarks of traditional routes.

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Here's a link to the whole description.

Edit - just noticed this was pointed out in the original post but it is worth repeating... for those of us with short memory and attention spans. :)

Wait.... What were we talking about?

yes.... errr no....... uhhhhh what? :eek1

I'm not too sure but this is what I've found in my own Oregon so far - if you do a "Where To" and select a track, then select "Trackback", then in the "Active Route" screen you get this kind of display:



This screen seems to show as distinct points the various waypoints it finds - in this case "Start Point' is 19.51 meters from my current location in the house here, 002 is probably what I marked as a point to represent my home, for navigation purposes at some time in the past. No idea exactly what "High Point" and "Low Point" represent but they're on the way to wherever I was going that day.

Now that I know this feature exists I'll try to create a track with distinctive waypoints and see what that ends up looking like.

One I'm not too happy about: I don't seem to be able to save tracks anymore.

When I go to the "Track Manager" I can select "Current", and save it, giving it a name or letting it use the date as the name, but it never shows up in the list of saved tracks.

I thought it might be because I had reached a limit on the number of tracks but even having cleared most of the saved tracks, I was still not able to see a saved track.

I tried this on both my Oregon 550s and they behave the same way.

When you load a track in "Where To" for navigation, I think it finds any waypoints stored on your Oregon which are close to your track (I don't know exactly how close) and includes them in the list you are looking at. It also adds high and low points from elevation values along your route, and of course the starting and ending points. All of that is what you see on the list.

For me, the good part is that you can create waypoints on your Oregon for whatever you want to know about during your track navigation, and it will show up on your, map, compass, or trip computer in "Distance to Next, ETA at Next, Time to Next, and Waypoint at Next" fields.

I'm not sure I like it that the Oregon automatically includes all waypoints stored in your receiver near your track. As far as I can tell, the only way to exclude them is to delete them from the Oregon. It could get pretty messy if you have a lot of waypoints stored. You also have to be sure to name the waypoints with something you will recognize later. It's a minor complaint about a great improvement.

I saved a track yesterday on my Oregon 300 running v3.41beta. It was listed in the Track Manager. I don't know what might be wrong.

Any news regarding turning off Auto recalculation of routes? Is it possible now?

Garmin support wrote back asking me to see if uploading to BaseCamp would show the track and it does, so it is saved in the Oregon.

But that saved track can't be seen in the Tracks list on the Oregon so it can't be used to trackback, or to send to another Oregon or Colorado wirelessly.

Just tried a test - in the Finder I renamed the saved files which all had "Track_" at the beginning of their file names, taking the "Track_" out and the files now show up in the Tracks view of the Oregon. Not that I could do that while out on the road or trail, so it's not a real solution, but it is progress...

That bug was mentioned on GPSfix.net as well and has apparently been submitted to Garmin by the guy who runs that site.

--mark

That's good to know. BTW I can save tracks fine in my 300 with the new beta firmware update.