GPS Devices Item ID: #685Garmin Colorado 300 Handheld GPS System
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Item DescriptionItem Reviews5 Responses to “Garmin Colorado 300 Handheld GPS System” |
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I updated mine with the latest software downloaded from the Garmin website and have had no problems, using it day after day in the Lakes.
I also bought the Maps for all the National Parks which are great (OS Map Quality)as the pre loaded map is a bit basic.
Easy to use and long battery life.
Fully recomended
I use a GPS for geocaching. My last one went for a burton on a visit to Centre Parcs. I had left it outside the chalet to sync, then a change of plans resulted in a trip to the swimming pool and a forgotten gps.
I hope whoever found it is putting it to good use, my one consolation is that it was a few years old and I now had an excuse to buy a swanky new one. After a fair amount of research I plumped for the Garmin Colorado 300. It has received mixed reviews on Amazon, but the negative comments referred to software that has since been replaced, so I gave it a go.
I am very glad I did, as it is an excellent bit of kit. It is MUCH easier to use than my old GPS. The wheel makes navigation of the menus a doddle. The base maps you get are very basic, which may disappoint at first, as it looks nothing like the picture shown on the GPS on the Amazon photo. Instead, you will get the odd A road and motorway. However, if you follow the instructions I give below, you will be much better off.
1. First, update your Garmin software.
Go here for this: hxxp://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3889
Updates are handled very simply, so don’t worry on that score.
2. Second, download some FREE UK maps that work.
Go here for this:
hxxp://www.mapomatic.net/garmin-maps-download/
There is also a really in depth review of the GPS there as well. Well worth a read.
NB: in order to stick a map on the GPS you will need an SD memory card. Thats the old SD card, not one of the micro ones. I used a 128Mb one I found in an old camera. It was plenty big enough for a map of the UK, and as you can only have one map at a time, thats all you need really.
Once you have done that, you are sorted. You can even download cache coordinates direct from geocaching.com to your GPS and they show up as little icons. Obviously you will still need to do some manual inputting for multipart caches (my favourite type) but the wheel makes this easy.
I am taking this over to Cyprus in May and it will be interesting to see how it works there. I just need to make sure I don’t leave it on a bench!
Battery life is really really good. I’ve only had to change them once in weeks. That may or may not be down to the software update. I don’t know because the first thing I did was the software update.
One final point, the first thing you should do once you unpack it is read the manual and find out how to adjust the backlight. Until you do that its not very impressive to look at.
I really can’t think of anything wrong with this. Full marks.
I can say that I’m a satisfied buyer! Nice price for a cool gadget… The only bad thing is that I was expecting the original packaging but instead it arrived in a white box. Everything is included anyway.
This is my first GPS device. I am using it with the Topo España maps, downloading tracks from a local website in order to do walks in hills and forests of the area where I live (Navarra). The Colorado 300 has not let me down, and I am finding I have great confidence in this little device, as evidenced by the fact that I am prepared to put my comfort, if not my life, in its circuitry: I usually walk alone far from the beaten track.
With regard to power consumption, I’ve done at least nine hours of walking and tracking on a single set of NiMH batteries. I’ve also used alkaline batteries, which last longer. Garmin are clear about the requirement for good quality rechargeable batteries, and in my experience this requirement is valid. Some very cheap 2600 mAh batteries (without a trade-name) were next to useless in the Colarado 300: they lasted less than a couple of hours. I am convinced that this reflects negatively on my batteries, not on the Colorado 300.
Three further points. First, backlight, as the term suggests, is only necessary (and, in my opinion, advantageous) when there is little light incident on the screen, e.g. in late evening, at night, in the darkest of forests, etc. Second, the Colorado 300 feels robust and is ergonomically comfortable. And finally, what this device achieves (locating and tracking itself to within a few metres) is spectacular enough, and it would be ungrateful (and, out in the mountains, possibly dangerous) to forget this.
Purchased as a birthday present and was out and about over the weekend. Accuracy was very good, reception stability also very good. Map was standard but sufficient. Considering the Toco upgrades for improved map quality. It’s easy to download but have not found how to delete a waypoint as yet. Not sure if you can upload completed waypoints either – user manual not very concise. Battery life is less than expected but overall we are very pleased with the purchase.