Updated: GPSMAP62/78 2.44 Beta also includes multi-caching support and possible altimeter improvements.

If you use an Oregon or Dakota you are probably tired of your friends who own 60CSx’s snickering at you every time you have to enter coordinates for a multi-cache or mystery cache in the field.  On the newer units once you enter coordinates for a subsequent stage you are forced leave behind all of the paperless caching features, switch back-and-forth between waypoints and geocaches to see the cache details, and the geocaching dashboard is no longer helpful since it only navigates to geocaches.

With the introduction of today’s betas on the Dakota, Oregon x50 and x00 Garmin has introduced multi-cache support (which works for all cache types not just multis).  Once this beta is installed and you are navigating to a geocache you will notice a new button under Geocaches called “Enter Next Stage”.   Pressing this button will land you on a coordinate entry screen where you can type in the coordinates for a subsequent stage.   This creates a temporary geocache called “Next Stage” which is linked to the original “parent” cache.  Selecting it will display all of the parent cache level attributes like description and hint but it will show up on the map with the same icon as the parent cache at the new location. The geocaching dashboards will also identify “Next Stage” as a geocache .  You can continue to mark Next Stages as you move through the stages of the cache and when you finally log your attempt the Next Stage will go away. Next Stage gets saved across power cycles so if you decide to bail out half way through a long multi you can pick up where you left of the next day.

Enter Next Stage from Geocaches Menu	Next Stage visible on the Map Page
Next stage visible on the Geocache List	Next Stage on the Geocaching Dashboard

There are some limitations.  You can only use this feature on one cache at a time since there is only one special Next Stage geocache.  Setting a Next Stage on one cache will wipe out a Next Stage you had set for a previous cache.  Similarly, within the same multi-cache you will lose coordinates for the second stage when you navigate to the third stage.  Garmin does not automatically save each stage a waypoint which would have been a very nice way to prevent this type of data loss.  You can deal with this issue manually.  Once you have entered a Next Stage and are navigating to it, go back to the Main Menu, select Geocaches>Show Description and press the “Flag” button to save a waypoint.  This will save a copy of Next Stage so if you need to get these coordinates later you can (and you’ll have a nice record of the entire multi-cache).  Hopefully Garmin will consider automatically adding waypoints in the future or at least prompt when the Next Stage is set to save a waypoint or not.

There are several other changes worth mentioning.  All three units received fixes to improve Trip Odometer accuracy.  We’ll have to spend some time testing to see if any real improvement was made.  The Dakota picked up Track Archiving, the ability to move waypoints on the map page, gpx import progress monitor, track/route detail improvements, and the auto shaded relief changes which were introduced in earlier Oregon x50 betas.   Oregon x00 users only pick up the auto shaded relief and trip odometer improvements — it seems like Garmin is starting to limit the changes it is port back into the older Oregons.

Full details on the three releases are below.  Please note the special instructions required to upgrade the Oregon x50 from 3.71 and 3.74 on the Garmin site.  I had no problems performing the upgrade but it is more complex and error prone than the usual beta upgrade, some people are reporting bricked units.  Follow the instructions to the letter if you decide to take the plunge.

Changes made from version 3.71 to 3.74 (Oregon x50):

• Added multicaching support.
• Added display color to track gpx files.
• Added ability to set user declination direction.
• Improved accuracy of trip odometer.
• Fixed occasional shutdowns.
• Fixed issue with stuck route button.
• Fixed issue with Oblique Mercator User grid.
• Wiki thread

Changes made from version 3.12 to 3.14 (Dakota):

• Added multicaching support.
• Added ability to move waypoints using the map.
• Added display color to track gpx files.
• Added periodic track archiving.
• Added Automatic Shaded Relief option.
• Added ability to set user declination direction.
• Added import indicator for gpx files.
• Added track review page improvements.
• Improved accuracy of trip odometer.
• Fixed occasional shutdowns.
• Fixed issue with Oblique Mercator User grid.
• Wiki thread

Changes made from version 3.81 to 3.85 (Oregon x00):

• Added multicaching support.
• Added Automatic Shaded Relief option.
• Added ability to set user declination direction.
• Improved accuracy of trip odometer.
• Fixed occasional shutdowns.
• Fixed issue with Oblique Mercator User grid.
• Wiki thread

Changes made from version 2.40 to 2.44 (GPSMAP 62/78)

• Added multicaching support.
• Added display color to track gpx files.
• Added periodic track archiving
• Added Automatic Shaded Relief option.
• Added import indicator for gpx files.
• Added track review page improvements.
• Improved accuracy of trip odometer.
• Fixed occasional shutdowns.
• Fixed calendar to display all geocache finds and attempts on the correct day.
• Fixed paging after logging a geocache.
• Fixed issues with inconsistent altimeter readings.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Oregon/Dakota Beta Adds Geocache Filtering
2. Garmin Seeks to Improve WAAS for Oregon and Dakota
3. Garmin Oregon Beta Adds Dashboards, Improves Track Nav

Geocache Filter Setup

In response GPS devices like the Lowrance Endura and Magellan eXplorist GC which support geocache filtering, Garmin released beta software yesterday which adds this feature to the Dakota and Oregon.  Geocache filters allow you to view the geocaches loaded on your GPS which match the criteria of a filter that you create, especially useful with the newer units like the Oregon x50 and GPSMAP 78 which support up to 5,000 geocaches.  For example, if you want to view only traditional caches which are micros that have a difficulty between 3 and 5 you can now create a filter on your GPS to do this.

Filters can be based on any combination of the following geocache parameters:

• Type:  Any combination of Traditional, Multi, Puzzle, Letterbox, Event, Mega-Event, CITO Event, EarthCache, Wherigo, Virtual, WebCam.
• Size: Any combination of Micro, Small, Regular, Large, Other, Not Chosen.
• Difficulty: Range between 1 and 5
• Terrain: Range between 1 and 5
• Status: Any combination of Found, Unattempted, Did Not Find.

There are two types of filters.  The “Quick Filter” is available under Main Menu>Geocaches>Quick Filter.  Simply specify the parameters above, select “Search” and you will see a list of caches matching the filter.  Quick Filters are erased if the GPS is rebooted.

Geocaches Menu Showing Quick Filter and Saved Filters

Filter by Geocache Type

Saved Filters can be created under Main Menu>Setup>Geocaches>Filter Setup in exactly the same way. However, these filters can be named, saved and will show up under Main Menu>Geocaches>[Saved Filter].  Use a Saved Filter if you need to run a filter frequently and you want to have it available after your reboot your GPS.

Setup>Geocaches	Saved Filter List
Editing Saved Filters	Filter by Cache Size

The new betas also fix a few bugs, most notably the hang caused by selecting “All POIs” on the Oregon x50. I have encountered a few issues with the geocache filters.  The first time I created a saved filter and was switching between a quick filter and a saved filter I started to see partial results or no results.  When I inspected the quick filter the Difficulty, Terrain and Status fields were set incorrectly. Manually setting them seemed to clear the issue and I have not been able to reproduce the problem since.

Regardless of these minor glitches its nice to see that Garmin is listening to requests from the user community and not falling behind the competition.  A few enhancements like the ability to “Select All” or “Select None” would be helpful and now that GPX 1.0.1 is available wouldn’t it be nice to filter by attribute! I’d love to be able to create “Dog Friendly” or “Significant Hike” filters for example.

Full release notes and links are below.  As usual, to get quick notifications of these new releases follow GPSFix on twitter.

Oregon x00 3.82

• Added Geocache filtering. Select Setup > Geocaches to add custom filters.
• Fixed issue syncing with BaseCamp.

Oregon x50 3.52

• Added geocache filtering. Select Setup > Geocaches to add custom filters.
• Improved keyboard responsiveness.
• Fix hang searching for POI.

Dakota 3.12

• Added Geocache filtering. Select Setup > Geocaches to add custom filters.
• Improved keyboard responsiveness.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Adds Multicache Support in Latest Beta
2. Garmin Oregon Beta Adds Dashboards, Improves Track Nav
3. Garmin Seeks to Improve WAAS for Oregon and Dakota

Related posts:

1. 50% Off invisibleShields Today Only
2. 50% Off All InvisibleShield Products
3. Garmin Handheld Owners Benefit from Downloadable Maps

• long WAAS acquisitions times (> 5 minutes) even with direct view to an optimal WAAS/EGNOS satellite
• inability to hold WAAS signal under any type of canopy
• in the event of signal loss the unit makes lengthy hunts through a sequence of WAAS/EGNOS satellites which aren’t optimal at the user’s location

Late last week Garmin announced a beta which included new GPS firmware for the Oregon x50, Oregon x00 and Dakota.   All three drops included an “Improved WAAS performance” release note, so we spent some time over the long weekend to test WAAS on an Oregon 550 and Dakota 20.  Here’s what we observed:

• Acquisition time with a clear view of the most optimal (ie. highest elevation) WAAS satellite is faster.  After the initial lock which still took 5-7 minutes both the Dakota and Oregon acquired WAAS within 30-60 seconds after power on.  The Dakota takes about 5-15 seconds longer than the Oregon in most tests.
• Under tree cover the performance is marginally better but not enough that I could observe any improvement in my location accuracy.
• The most frustrating thing is when WAAS signal to the most optimal satellite is lost the GPS proceeds to hunt through a long list of satellites which are at very low elevation (2-15 degrees).   The unit spends about one minute waiting to lock on each of these satellites (and never does) which means that it takes about 8-10 minutes to cycle back to the most optimal satellite effectively rendering WAAS/EGNOS useless for that 10 minute period of time unless you are willing to power cycle the unit.

In short, there are improvements in WAAS/EGNOS but practically speaking I don’t see that the improvements add any value unless you are operating in an environment without tree cover such as desert or alpine hiking, on the water or in the air.  I was not able to get WAAS long enough on my test track to see if the accuracy of the unit improves with WAAS, although I did notice my EPE drop to 9 feet and based on BirdsEye maps my position looked about the same as it did without WAAS (both were good).

The complete set of release notes for this beta software reveals some other significant bug fixes and improvements:

• Added brightness adjustments for BirdsEye imagery.
• Improved WAAS performance.
• Improved speed, trip odometer, and stopped/moving time data fields while in low velocity.
• Fixed issue with map POI’s showing twice for a single point.
• Fixed elevation profiles to always use the most detailed DEM data loaded.
• Fixed future plot with tracks that have no elevations in them.
• Fixed issue with calculator % function.

If you are looking for the BirdEye brightness adjustments you’ll find them under Setup>Map>Map Information Select Map>BirdsEye Satellite Imagery.  Previously you would see just “Enable” and “Disable”, whereas with this new release you will find, “Enable – Brighter”, “Enable – Bright”, “Enable – Normal” and “Disable”.    I’ve provided some screenshots to illustrate the differences.  My preference is for the “normal” mode but it might be worth setting this parameter to “brighter” in a “high visibility” profile if you are using the unit under bright overcast skies and are having problems seeing BirdsEye maps.

Brightness control	Brighter
Bright	Normal

We were also curious about the low speed data field improvements because I’ve found speed, stopped time and trip odometer to be unreliable since day one.  Based on my tests Garmin has made some improvements, especially with “stopped time”.  Previously I would see much more stopped time recorded by both the Dakota and Oregon – during my test loops over the weekend I only observed a few 10’s of seconds of stopped time as compared to several minutes in past tests.  Speeds reported below 3mph also appear more stable.  The trip odometer is a little better, particularly on the Oregon, measuring closer to the tracklog but still underestimating the distance of my track by ~2-4%.  The Dakota error was higher, on some tests it was closer to 10% underestimation.  I’ll attribute this to the Dakota’s somewhat inferior antenna design, I’ve always seen poorer sensitivity on the Dakota as compared to either of my Oregon’s and I’m guessing that that this leads to more variation in the speed and trip odometer data.

At least one user has reported a problem upgrading an Oregon x00 to this release which resulted in a bricked unit (System Software Missing) so please consider this before upgrading. I have not experienced any problems upgrading my three units, but there is always a risk associated with beta upgrades.  There is one new bug introduced which causes a hang when you attempt to navigate to all POIs (WhereTo?>All POIs).  You’ll need to pull the batteries to recover if you encounter this.   I’ve also experienced one shutoff on my Oregon 550t while editing a waypoint but it is not reproducible.

These beta releases can be downloaded here:

Oregon x50 (3.51/4.46)

Oregon x00 (3.81/4.46)

Dakota (3.11/4.46)

Join us on the wiki discussion threads (Oregon x00, Oregon x50, Dakota) to let us know your experiences if you decide to take the beta upgrade plunge!

Related posts:

1. WAAS problems on Oregon and Colorado
2. Garmin Oregon/Dakota Beta Adds Geocache Filtering
3. Garmin Oregon 450/550 and Dakota Beta Fixes Bugs

Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Related posts:

1. 50% Off InvisibleShields — Extended for Today
2. Garmin Oregon 550t Starts Shipping
3. Offroute: $669 Garmin Oregon 550 Ultimate Package

As of yesterday afternoon (no April Fools!) BirdsEye subscriptions were made available on Garmin’s US site. The annual per device subscription will cost you $30 US.  To use Birdseye you simply need to follow the link above, purchase the subscription and then activate it using your GPS device’s serial number. Once your unit is registered with Garmin’s servers you can start to download maps using the newest version of BaseCamp for the PC or Mac. You’ll also need to make sure you are running the latest device software which supports Birdseye — use WebUpdater to download the correct version for your unit.

My initial tests are encouraging. Although the servers have been slow (or down) at times I’ve been able to select and download imagery to both my Oregon 550t and Dakota 20 without a hitch. The process for doing this in BaseCamp is simple: just connect your unit, select a region, choose one of three resolutions and the maps will be downloaded to your computer and then your GPS. Once downloaded you need to enable them like any other map so that they are visible on the map page.

The highest resolution imagery for my area is very good, identical to what is in Google Earth. One complaint I have is that the images are over saturated when they are displayed on the GPS. This may have been a trade off to make the maps a little brighter on dim high resolution displays. My other complaint is the time it takes to download high resolution images for even a relatively small area. At least until the servers are little less loaded you’ll want to be selective about how much you download.  Of the three resolution levels available only high and highest are usable. The standard resolution which you will see if you use the demo feature is blurry even when zoomed quite far out.

So what to do with these new aerial maps?  For me it will be helpful geocaching. Some optimizations in BaseCamp, like the ability download a single tile around every cache in a selected set, would be helpful for planning a day out caching — you can only download rectangular areas at this time which chews up a lot of space and adds download time. As for hiking or biking, again, it would be nice to be able to download just the tiles along a selected track or a route. Here in New England where we have a lot of tree cover I’m not sure how useful these images will be unless I’m biking on double track — something that would actually show up on an aerial.  I have noticed that you can pick out individual trees and stonewalls using the highest resolution maps so they may be more useful than I originally expected.  I reviewed some imagery from an area where I recently did some desert hiking in Arizona and Birdseye maps would have been incredibly helpful there.  The single-track trails (many weren’t marked on any map) were clearly visible on the aerial shots.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the area I just visited in Mexico had decent coverage.  Ultimately the usefulness of this feature will come down to your local topography, the quality of imagery in your area and the types of activities you pursue.

It is also worth mentioning several other new features which have been overlooked in the excitement around BirdsEye. BaseCamp now supports the ability to display pre-installed maps. On my 550t after 20 minute initial sync I can now see my built in Topo 100k maps in BaseCamp just like any other map. The GPS has to be attached in order to use the maps. Similarly, BaseCamp supports the ability to display CustomMaps you already have installed on the GPS. For some reason this worked on several of my CustomMaps but BaseCamp threw errors on others.

Dakota and Oregon x00 owners should note that their unit software updates also came with new GPS firmware. I haven’t noticed any difference on the Dakota but the release notes indicate there are fixes to improve acquisition. Users on the wiki forums are reporting that there an no noticeable improvements to WAAS.  There is a bug in the new unit software which causes street names to disappear from the map page.  To keep abreast of bugs found in the new unit software, Birdseye or BaseCamp stop by the discussion group on the Oregon wiki.

Oregon x50 owners coming from the 3.26 beta will notice the Custom Symbol support made the cut to 3.3 but the tracklog archiving features did not. I hope this feature makes its way back into an official release soon — I found it incredibly helpful for managing my tracklogs on my recent trips to Arizona and Mexico.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Announces BirdsEye Satellite Imagery Subscription
2. More Custom Map Updates and Garmin Dakota How To Videos
3. Garmin Releases Topo U.S. 24K on DVD, First Screen Shots of BaseCamp

* Fixed issue with units getting stuck in demo mode.
* Fixed color issues with GB Discoverer and Custom Maps.

Both have been reported on the Oregon and Dakota wiki boards although it isn’t clear to me why they are releasing these updates as a beta – something which has normally been used when Garmin introduces new features.

On my Oregon 550t it looks like they have addressed both problems and I haven’t seen any problems updating to the new release.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Oregon Beta 3.01 – Fixes Shutdown Issue from Beta 2.99
2. Garmin Oregon/Dakota Beta Adds Geocache Filtering
3. Garmin Seeks to Improve WAAS for Oregon and Dakota

The new software lineup made available on January 28th includes Oregon x00 version 3.6, Oregon x50 version 3.1 and Dakota version 2.6.  All of these releases can be downloaded to your GPS using Garmin’s WebUpdater.  The release notes from Garmin include:

• Increased the map drawing range to allow maps to draw farther south.
• Corrected issue with route line sometimes not drawing.
• Corrected issues with marine POI.
• Corrected issues with GB Discoverer maps.
• Corrected issues with possible corrupted profile showing on the Profile Change page.  (only listed for the Oregon x50)
• Corrected issue with project waypoint bearing sometimes not showing the input value .

Unless you are below latitude south 60 degrees (where the first issue might be your most important fix!) the second item, a missing routing line, was an issue that generated a lot of user complaints.   A quick perusal of the discussions for the new firmware reveals there are still some issues to be sorted out:

• GB Discover maps don’t update properly during driving
• Custom maps color scheme is lighter and (in my opinion) more washed and harder to read

Note for Oregon 450 and 450t owners: it appears that the Oregon 550 and 450 share exactly the same firmware.   New 450 users are reporting that the Webupdater is upgrading them to version 3.1.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Officially Releases Dashboards, Track Nav, Elevation Plot Improvements
2. Garmin Oregon 450/550 and Dakota Beta Fixes Bugs
3. More Custom Map Updates and Garmin Dakota How To Videos

Update 1/18: Garmin officially announced BirdsEye today.  Availability is March 2010.

Details are still a bit sketchy but it looks like Garmin is finally releasing an all-you-can-eat satellite imagery subscription called BirdsEye for their outdoor handhelds that support Garmin Custom Maps. For $30 a year Oregon, Colorado and Dakota users who install a yet to be released version 3.0.0 of BaseCamp will be able to download all the “sub-meter” satellite imagery they want and then transfer those maps to their device.  The subscription would work on only one device and would require a myGarmin account to take advantage of the new service which is obviously aimed squarely at Delorme and Lowrance who already offer similar services.

Here are some details from the Garmin site.

• Transfer an unlimited number of satellite and aerial images to your device with this subscription and free software BaseCamp™.
• High-resolution sub-meter color satellite imagery captures the world in brilliant clarity and detail.
• Allows you to layer the Garmin vector maps on your handheld (such as TOPO 100K, TOPO 24K or City Navigator^®) with BirdsEye Satellite Imagery for a real-life view of roads, buildings and terrain.
• Makes it easy for hunters to perform preseason scouting, determine placement of stands and locate game pinchpoints.
• Helps hikers and campers find trails/trailheads and clearings for camping areas.
• Lets geocachers determine the terrain type around a cache and identify parking areas close to the caches.
• Allows travelers to view tourist hot spots and landmarks from an aerial view to make excursions memorable without getting lost.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Outs BirdsEye, Updates BaseCamp and GPS Software
2. Garmin Releases Topo U.S. 24K on DVD, First Screen Shots of BaseCamp
3. Garmin Announces BaseCamp™, hints at 1:24k Topos on DVD

In order to update you’ll need to connect your GPS device to your computer and run the WebUpdater.  Garmin’s official release notes for the Dakota (2.5), Oregon x00 (3.5) and Oregon x50 (3.0):

• Added ability to view elevation plot of upcoming active route or currently navigated track in blue.
• Added display of icons to the lists in Where To? > Waypoints and the Geocaching application.
• Added phone numbers when available to POI review pages.
• Added Compass, Stopwatch, Active Geocache, and Elevation Plot dashboard options.
• Introduced dashboard options to the Compass and Map pages.
• Improved track navigation.Visit http://garmin.blogs.com/softwareupdates/trail-tech/ for more information.

Related posts:

1. Garmin Oregon Beta Adds Dashboards, Improves Track Nav
2. Garmin Dakota Beta Picks up Latest Oregon Changes
3. Garmin Releases “Do-Over” for Oregon and Dakota