Garmin Oregon 550 Handheld Trail GPS Review
(This isn't a full review, just my notes along the way)
I've been looking for a new GPS unit to replace using my Nokia N900 as a GPS simply because the battery did not last that long.
After reading several reviews and features I finaly settled on the Garmin Oregon 550 although there had been conflicting reviews regarding the screen both in display and touch response.
Searching around locally in Victoria, I could not find any local retailers that stocked the 550 although a select few would order it. REI.com had put it on sale for est. $380 USD but by the time of check out it was sold out.
SportChek.ca has it listed for $509.99 CAD along with bestbuy.ca at the time for $599 CAD.
Just prior to going on vacation bestbuy.ca put their last remaining unit on sale for $449.99 I placed the order with free ground shipping after HST of $54 coming to $503.99.
The sales make me think the unit is being discontinued and Garmin will be moving on; but I have seen no other indication of this yet.
By the time I arrived back home the Oregon 550 was already waiting at my door.
Features
3" sunlight-readable color touchscreen, high-sensitivity GPS receiver, auto-focus camera, waterproof, 3-axis electronic compass and barometric altimeter, wirelessly share routes, tracks, waypoints and geocaches between units, high-speed USB, microSD card slot.
Box contents
Oregon 550, Owner's manual CD, Quick start manual, Carabiner Clip, Mini USB to USB cord, x2 AA 1.2V Rechargerble NiMH Battery, AA battery charger.
Software
The unit I received is running software v3.60 and GPS software v4.46; After registering the unit on http://my.garmin.com (serial number located under the batteries) I updated the unit to software v4.20 and GPS S/W v4.52.
Suggest setting the battery type to ensure the unit lasts the longer for optical usage.
Initial start-up the GPS locked on within 10 seconds from within my basement suite.
Camera
The 3.2MP digital auto-focus camera is located on the back just above the railing mount, unforntually the camera comes with no cover for the lens.
Screen
When first powering on the Oregon 550 the screen looks clear but dull. While viewable in direct sunlight or under a light, it was hard to see in the shade. This was one of the cons I've read in a couple other reviews and forum comments. After a few moments with the unit the screen brightness can be easily changed by a single press of the power button which brings up the Lock Screen and brightness control screen (This screen does not come up if the screen capture setting is turned on under Setup -> Display -> Screen Capture, which uses the single press of the power button).
Touch screen was a little off when first using it, suggest a screen calibration to get started.
Memory
The internal memory has 901MB capacity with 88.5MB used leaving us with 813MB free.
Use a microSDHC card I had spare; I am going to test it out on the Oregon 550. It is a Lexar 16GB MicroSDHC Class 4 formatted as FAT32. The card shows up in the Garmin when connected via USB with a capacity of 14.8GB.
Software
BaseCamp:
Custom Maps
Download via torrent:
- Ibycus Topo 3.2 (thepiratebay.org). (v3.2 at the time of writing)
- Ibycus Topo 4.0 (thepiratebay.org), Ibycus Topo 4.0 (ibycus.com)
- Download & Install BaseCamp
- Download & Install Ibycus Topo
- Start BaseCamp
- Select Ibycus Topo 3.2 from the top left drop down or View Menu > Map Product > Ibycus Topo 3.2
- Select Install Maps by Right Clicking All Data on the left hand tree under Devices > Removable Media or Oregon 550 depending on where you would like it installed (Internal or extended memory)
- Follow the Install Maps guide select the whole map (3810MB) or portion of map.
- Finish the setup and wait. est 2 hours.
4 different configurations of your selected OSM
- Windows exe (Installer for Garmin Mapsource)
- MAC OSX zip (Installer for Garmin Roadtrip)
- Zip file for Manual Install (gmapsupp.img)
- Zip file containing all the tiles requested
- Select a predefined Country and/or select your tiles
- Input email address
- Submit your build
You will receive an email letting you know your build is in queue and estmation of how long it will take. Once the build is complete you will receive a second email with a link to where you can download your images.
Take a look at Switchbacks.com youl find a series of various downloads for Windows and MACs covering NW Trails, Snow Trails, Topo, and a few others.
Other sources
- GPSFix.net - Garmin Oregon 550t – A (Geotagged) Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
- GarminOregon.wikispaces.com - A wiki for Garmin Oregon GPS series by GPSFix.net
- GPSTrackLog.com - Garmin Oregon 550
- GPSFileDepot.com - GPS custom maps & tutorials
- GPSCentral.ca - GPS Shopping
- Backroadmapbooks.com - Canadian Mapsbooks and GPS maps for Garmin
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