One of the most frequently asked questions about the Oregon and Colorado is how the unit will behave when connected to different USB cables or USB power adapters.   Sometimes the GPS will continue to operate as a GPS, other times it will enter “USB mass storage mode” which is the mode that allows you to transfer waypoints, routes, tracks and maps between your computer and GPS.

I’ve added detailed information to both the Oregon wiki and Colorado wiki which summarizes the behavior and provides a quick reference table.  I’ve copied the summary table below.

  Typical USB computer cable (Type-B) Garmin automotive power adapter (Type-A) Typical 3rd party AC/DC power adapter (Type-B)
Garmin Serial Interface mode Automatic USB mass storage mode Automatic USB-powered GPS mode Automatic USB mass storage mode (not useful, use Spanner mode)
Garmin Spanner Interface mode Query at connect:

  • Yes: USB mass storage mode to transfer data
  • No: GPS mode to use with tracking application on computer
 Automatic USB-powered GPS mode Query at connect:

  • Yes: USB mass storage mode (not useful)
  • No: USB-powered GPS mode for use as GPS

Update: Corrected the Garmin Spanner/Garmin Automotive Adapter column – thanks Mike.

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