Garmin Oregon Beta 2.96 Released
The software development team at Garmin has been been busy cranking out lots of new features for the Oregon over the past several months. It seems like Garmin is committed to bringing the Oregon up to snuff with the venerable GPSMAP 60CSx. Today’s beta adds three new tools: Waypoint Averaging, Sight’ N Go and Man Overboard. The complete list of features for beta 2.96 are:
* Added Waypoint Averaging application.
* Added Sight ‘N Go application for the Oregon 300/400i/400c/400t.
* Added option to display four configurable data fields on the map.
* Added customizable text to unit power-on screen (see \Garmin\startup.txt)
* Added Man Overboard application
* Added the ability to view geocaches logs separate from the description
* Increased the number of waypoints viewable from the Waypoint Manager and Where To?>Waypoints
Garmin also referenced a new TrailTech website which includes useful information about the Waypoint Averaging feature added in this release.
To access the three new tools you will need to select the profile where you want to use these tools and then select Setup>Main Menu. The new tools are grayed out and located all the way over to the right. Select the grayed out tool you want to insert and then the location where you want to see the new tool. After exiting Setup the tool buttons will be visible in the Main Menu.
New averaging, Sight'N Go and MOB tools
Waypoint averaging is the big news for those who have watched and waited for this feature to show up on the Colorado and Oregon over the past year and a half. Although it is clear from Garmin’s TrailTech post that they don’t believe short term averaging buys you much with high sensitivity receivers, you can easily take short “samples” with the tool. When you enter the tool select <Create Waypoint> and press Start to begin sampling. After about a minute the “Sample Confidence” will reach 100% and tapping “Save” stores that sample with your new waypoint. This is very similar to what you would have done on any other Garmin GPS prior to the Oregon and Colorado.
However, Garmin has gone one step further with this feature – “multi-sample averaging”. Since the best way to average is to take multiple samples over longer periods of time you can select an existing waypoint in the Waypoint Averaging tool to add samples. You even get a warning if the last sample taken on the waypoint was within the last 90 minutes, the amount of time it takes to see significant changes in the GPS satellite constellation. Garmin recommends 4-8 samples spaced at least 90 minutes apart for the best results.
 After selecting the Waypoint Tool select <Create Waypoint> |
 Hitting "Start" begins averaging on a new waypoint |
 Hitting "Save" records the first sample |
 Selecting an existing waypoint gives you the option to add more samples |
Sight’ N Go allows you to use the compass (this feature is not available on the Oregon 200) in order to sight a bearing to an object and navigate in that direction. Once you enter the tool you’ll need to calibrate the compass (it is turned on automatically), point the unit in the direction where you want to go (holding it horizontal) and press “Lock Direction”. Once you’ve locked you can either project a waypoint in that direction or use the course mode of the compass to start navigating in that direction.
 Find an object to navigate to and press the lock button |
 Select set course to navigate using compass or project to create a waypoint |
Marine users will welcome the addition of the Man Overboard (MOB) tool. MOB is a shortcut for dropping a waypoint and starting active navigation to that waypoint automatically. If you really want to make use of this tool it should be on the front page of your Marine profile so that you can find it quickly. Older units supported MOB using a double press of one of the hard buttons. Without proper setup you will have to fumble through several menu pages trying to find the soft button while your best friend is floating around in the ocean waiting to be saved!
 Selecting the MOB tool drops a waypoint and starts navigation |
 Man overboard on the map page |
Although the Oregon’s custom backgrounds have provided a way to add contact information in the event you misplace your Oregon, Garmin has added a new custom startup banner in this release. You’ll need to connect the Oregon to your computer and edit the file called [OR drive]:\Garmin\startup.txt to configure the banner. Add a few lines of contact information to the bottom of this file using a text editor and modify the line <display=0> to something like <display=5> to control the number of seconds your information will be visible at startup. When the unit powers on you’ll see your contact information at the top of the screen that displays the Garmin banner.
Garmin rounds out the list of enhancements with the ability to add four data fields to the Map page. You can select between 0, 2 and 4 fields and can also have different settings depending on whether you are navigating or not. Setup>Maps>Data Fields will get you to the configuration menu for this new option. Geocachers will notice a new Show Logs button under the Geocaching tool. You no longer need to scroll through ten pages of cache description just to see the first few logs on the cache.
Four data fields on the map page
What’s missing? Well, no new GPS firmware for starters. Beta 2.96 contains GPS firmware 2.80, the same as beta 2.94 and 2.95 so I wouldn’t expect to see an differences in accuracy or WAAS which are the two of remaining areas that Garmin really needs to nail in order to make this unit a 60CSx replacement.
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April 24th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I haven’t even got out into the field yet, but just having the use of these new items puts a smile on my face.My favorite is the 4 catagories on the map screen.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
The link for the Garmin 300 update doesn’t seem to be working. The site lists the file as being 712 KB, whereas the file as downloaded is only 696 KB. Update 2.95 was 3.65 MB. Something is really wrong there.
April 24th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
…well… dreaming is free… who knows, one day, the Colorado may have waypoint averaging too… *sigh*
April 24th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
I also only get the 696kb file & it does not self-extract – says it is not a win32 file ????
Hopefully it can be fixed qwuickly as the update looks very worthwhile.
April 24th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
I can confirm that the 400T version worked to update my 300. With these new apps though, I discovered something that I feel needs to be fixed. When re-organizing the menu, you must tap the one you want to move, and then where you want it. This fails in that it switches the two icons locations, instead of shifting the icons over to accommodate. So moving an icon from the end of the list to near the beginning of the list requires that you move it one icon at a time, so as to ensure an important icon doesn’t move to the end of the list on you. Perhaps a pop-up asking “insert” or “switch”?
April 25th, 2009 at 7:50 am
I tried the update this morning on a drive. Here are my issues:
- When I reorgranize the maps for a specific profile, they all revert to enabled after some time !
- While autorouting, the GPS crashes at recalculating !
- When entering an adress through the keyboard, after some key types, the display hangs !
I suppose that this is related to the new update, as I never had these issues before !
Help or fix needed !
April 25th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I’ve also seen a significant issue with the release during autorouting. Using City Nav during some turns the map page won’t update any longer. Only way to resolve the issue is to power on/off.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I’m not sure if my issue would be considered autorouting, but twice yesterday (geocaching) I had an issue where the GPS showed me over 100 feet from the geocache waypoint. Once, it showed me in the right area but I went around a fence and when I came back the GPS told me the cache was 80 feet south. I went south to where it showed I was within 2 feet of the cache but it was nowhere to be found. I reset the unit and it showed the cache 80 feet to the North!
Now the cache never moved and always showed on the map as being on the north side of the street but for some reason where it said I needed to be, possibly where it ‘thought’ I was, changed. My EPE during all of this was 8-10 feet. The second time I was following the compass and it pointed towards a secure water treatment plant showing the cache 60 feet beyond the wall. Again I reset the GPS and it aimed me back the other way. Very strange. I never did find the second cache, not sure if was my fault or whacked out silicon!
April 25th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
The track still drifts away even without shedding during the whole hiking trip. Hopefully it can fixed asap.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Used it a lot for auto-routing today whilst caching, no hangs while navigating. Just the well described “go to” hang with certain POI categories.
April 26th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Thanks for the information!
April 26th, 2009 at 12:59 am
[...] Download Garmin Oregon Firmware 2.96 Beta – Erklärung der neuen Funktionen mit Screenshots Changes made from version 2.95 to [...]
April 26th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I use firmware 2.95, everything seamed fine, but now I notice that frequently my GPX files are not recognized, (waypoints are OK). Hoped this problem would be solved with 2.96.
Who has a good advise?
April 27th, 2009 at 3:08 am
The new version has problem with POI search. It freezes very often, even the power-off button could not turn off! Still something is missing: Preview-button for Where to? Coordinates, and new way point via Coordinates in Route Planer.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:29 am
Tried it a bit, really really crashed on me while car navigating… did not load new map tiles, did not update directions, even a reboot did not help…
had to reboot quite a few times, until it finally worked again…
April 29th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
[...] — Quick Fix for 2.96 Issues Apr.29, 2009 in Garmin Oregon Just a few days after releasing beta 2.96 Garmin has quickly released 2.97 to address two significant issues reported by users here on [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 6:49 am
With new software ver. 2.96 Beta, my Oregon 300 froze on pressing the 4th letter (or so) when I tried to search a POI by spelling name (Where To?/All POIs/Spelling a name).
Also Satellite fixing upon powering up, especially after battery replacement, seemed to be much slower than on the previous version (e.g. ver. 2.95).
May 5th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I’m running beta 2.97 on my 400t and I’ve started testing the new Waypoint Averaging feature. In general I like it. However, a few times I’ve had it freeze part way through the progress bar (around 50% or so). Clicking the back arrow got me out. However, now when I try to average a way point at this same location, the screen says I have about 103 samples. How can that be? I’ve only tried this maybe a dozen times at most–defintely not 103 times. Is this “103 samples” a bug? Or could it be a downstream side effect of the earlier problem when the progress bar froze? Anybody else see this?
November 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
What I’d like to see in the next firmware release is the proximity alert. This feature is available on the GPSMAP 60 series. I don’t know if this can be accomplished by using the Garmin’s POI loader, but’s it is a shame you have to use a PC in order to activate this feature for a few of way points.
What would be even cooler is if this feature could be activated (i.e. through settings) for nearby geocaches (one should be able to setup the distance in the settings).