This discussion has been locked.

You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Stop drinking the coolaid

Former Member over 14 years ago

I just acquired a refurbished Oregon 400t. I did this following a fairly extensive Internet survey of the published reviews of the various Garmin handheld GPS products.
This is my first handheld and I am new to such GPS use. (During the last several years on the job, I traveled throughout the remote rural US midwest relying on TomTom automotive GPS, a very accurate and reliable experience. This experience forms the basis for my expectaions relative to handhelds).
In reading the reviews, at times it appeared that the paid rewiew-writers glossed over the various unit's deficits. One can expect this. What was surprising, was the respondent owners who also glossed-over the deficits. Apparently, the reviews' respondents had drunk the coolaid.
I am very disappointed in the unit I purchased. The 2-D Compass appears frozen and does not point the correct direction. Also, I find the bundled topo map not functional. Garmin sold me junk. I feel taken. The disfunction of the compass should have been honestly reported. It would have been better if there was no map, and I only paid for a unit without one. Now, as remedy, Garmin offers the subsequent sale of more-accurate maps, offering no remedy for the disfunctional one they already sold me.
If the respondents of the various online reviews stopped glossing over the deficits, accurately stated them and demanded remedy/improvement; now we all would have better units.
Stop drinking the coolaid.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

DHastings2 --

You are right. There is a great conspiracy among journalists and users to trick you and rip you off. There is no chance that most people really have had positive experiences and your refurbished unit is dysfunctional. There is no need to contact Garmin support or to reach out to fellow Garmin users who might be able to explain how to use a device which you aren't that familiar with.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

Had you done your homework, you would have discovered that there is a major difference between a 2-D and 3 axial electronic compass. The latter being offered in the OR 450, OR 550, 62s, and 78s series. THe main difference is that you do not have to hold the GPS horizontal to get an accurate reading!

Had you done your homework, you might have had an inkling about the need to calibrate your 2-D compass and how and when to do that! Here is a free cup of Cool-Aid for you: on the compass page, press on the compass to get the calibration menu to appear! Do that when changing locations, like from home to the car and outdoors and when you change batteries too! Oops, that's a second free cup and you might get drunk now!

Third cup: The 100K maps are not the best, but heck, I've used them for Search and Rescue for years as better ones were not available. Go to www.gpsfiledepot.com and download FREE 24K topo maps for the areas you need.

SPLASH! You just got the whole bucket of Cool-Aid dumped over your head!
Hope you are happier now!

And BTW, check out the Oregon Wiki (Google that) for much better information that what you have found.

FInally, while I now have a 62S, I have used the 400i for quite some time for SAR and it performed well for me. I enjoyed the CustomMaps and the BirdsEye imagery, stuff that it did not have when I got it and came later as free and unexpected updates.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

Put a little vodka in my Kool-Aid, and I don't care where my GPS says I am.

0 morey000 over 14 years ago

DHASTINGS,
it's now time for you to post a humble response; relating how you took all the suggestions, everything is working now, and profusely apologizing for being a jerk.

just a thought. That was pretty nice of the respondees to guide you on some of the finer points of GPS useage.