New Garmin Colorado

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
Thinking of pre-ordering the new Garmin Colorado 400T to replace my stolen GPSmap 60. For you experts, how do these specs look and stack up against others.

col400t.jpg


PRODUCT DETAILS

Take on the trails with Colorado 400t. This rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographic maps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electric compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display. Exchange tracks, waypoints and geocaches wirelessly between other "buddy" units. When the going gets tough, Colorado leads the way.


Explore Backcountry
Colorado's preloaded topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Just in case you’re wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado’s 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.


Share Wirelessly
With Colorado 400t you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select “send” to transfer your information to other Colorado units within a 3-meter range.


Rock on. Find Fun
Intuitive and fun, Colorado features a Rock ‘n Roller input wheel for easy one-handed operation and supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and detail straight to your unit. Even customize Colorado's interface based on your favorite activity. Slim, lightweight and waterproof, Colorado is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.


Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Colorado 400t locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Colorado to help you find your way when you need it the most.


Get Your Bearings
Colorado 400t has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you're standing still, and its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.


Plug in and Go
Adding maps is easier than ever with Colorado's SD card slot. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded SD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Colorado provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.

Colorado 400t: One tough handheld for all your outdoor pursuits.

PRODUCT FEATURES

Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes
Electronic compass: yes
Barometric altimeter: yes
Geocaching mode: yes (paperless)
Outdoor GPS games: yes
Hunt/fish calendar: yes
Sun and moon information: yes
Tide tables: yes
Area calculation: yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes
Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): yes
Picture viewer: yes
Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.4" x 5.5" x 1.4" (6.0 x 13.9 x 3.5 cm)
Display size, WxH: 1.53"W x 2.55"H (3.8 x 6.3 cm); 3" diag (7.6 cm)
Display resolution, WxH: 240 x 400 pixels
Display type: Transflective color TFT
Weight: 7.3 oz (206.9 g) with batteries
Battery: 2 AA or 2 NiMH batteries (not included)
Battery life: 15 hours
Waterproof: yes (IPX7)
Floats: no
High-sensitivity receiver: yes
PC interface: USB
RoHS version available: yes
Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes
Ability to add maps: yes
Built-in memory: yes
Accepts data cards: SD card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000
Routes: 50
Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
Preloaded maps: yes (topographic)
 

GaryMc

Explorer
Lost Canadian said:
I'm going to guess 24K. The Garmin Topo's I have now are based on the 1:24k scale. Just a guess though.

Are you sure? Most Garmin Topo saftware is set at 100K... Has that changed recently?
 

CYi5

Explorer
Garmin's US Topo maps are 1:100,000.
Garmin's National Parks 24k have selected national parks at a 1:24,000 scale.
 

opie

Explorer
I just got a 300.

Its a real nice GPS. Many features and the display is awesome, albeit it to dark. It is a new unit, and has a few bugs that Garmin needs to work out through software updates.

I started with a 60cs, then went to a 60csx. A friend of mine got a Magellan Crossover, I liked it so I tried that out. I realized I like the handhelds better, and prefer the Garmin interface more than the Magellan. They both use the same map software (NavTech).

The 300/400 series arent quite up to the level of user friendliness as the 60 series, but the potential is certainly there.

The big round black thing on the front is what Garmin calls the "Rock n Wheel." Its the main "button" on the unit. It allows you to move left, right up and down. Or turn the wheel to make selections such as when spelling out an address and the center button is your enter. It facilitates using the unit with one hand, quite easily.
 

Schattenjager

Expedition Leader
I got my 400t this past Saturday and so far - I really like it. I am replacing my 60CSx - which is a big deal. For me.

The screen on the 400t is AWESOME! Very clear, easy to use, well shaded - it truly is like having your computer monitor there with you. The tracking, especially with WAAS enabled smokes the 60 as far as accuracy. I have tested them side by side, uploading the tracks to my mapping software. On a known hike of 6.4 miles the 400t was right on the money - the 60 varied by as much as a 1/4 mile! This tells me the lock on the satellites is much better with the 400t. If you really need that kind of accuracy, that is... The construction of the unit is top shelf and it feels and acts like a quality piece of gear.

Cons to the 400t are the dark screen, short battery life, odd ball interface (I am getting the hang of it, but it is most unusual with the roller / selector some here have hazarded as a speaker :ylsmoke:) and the long, long, long 3D satellite acquisition times.

All in all, I am satisfied with the 400t. having had it for a few days, I think it is a worthy replacement for the 60CSx, but not quite worth the premium Garmin is fetching for it now.
 

SAR_Squid79

Explorer
Schattenjager said:
I got my 400t this past Saturday and so far - I really like it. I am replacing my 60CSx . . .
having had it for a few days, I think it is a worthy replacement for the 60CSx, but not quite worth the premium Garmin is fetching for it now.

I too am thinking of giving up my 60CsX in favor of the Colorado 400t - KEEP US UP TO DATE ON HOW YOU LIKE IT / DISLIKE IT!
 

Schattenjager

Expedition Leader
Well, I am off to do some more with the 400t. So far - so good. I do like the screen a lot and it is painfully accurate for a handheld. I have logged four hiking trails and it is very, very good as far as pin point accuracy goes - not only position, but distance and routing as well.

The interface still bothers me - seems a bit too NUVI-ish for my tastes but I really do not mess with it much once I am underway so that is OK.

I am thankful I had some REI dividend left over - it knocked the price down to an acceptable level. Reviewing the Garmin website as well as reading other reviews I have come to believe that this format is the future. The 400t has potential in it that is not even being utilized yet, so I feel the purchase will be a long lived one.

Buy the best and only whine once..

Right ???
 
Last edited:

pygmyowl

Member
Had a quick question on the Colorado series - PDF manual states it has an alarm clock that will turn the unit on at a predetermined time, but does it actually buzz or ring so that it will wake you up?
 

xr8dxj

Adventurer
I think it transmits your location to a F16 fighter which does a low-level flyby of your house, thereby waking you up. ;)

I imagine it will sound an audio alarm much like the "arriving at destination", "turn coming up" or "recalculating route" alarms. I have an Etrex Vista HCx which is always telling me I'm going the wrong way, shoulda turned back there and am completely lost... sorta like having a second wife.
 

Schattenjager

Expedition Leader
Wow...

Amazingly, there is no Alarm clock function in the conventional sense. The "alarm" merely turns the unit on or off at a preset time. My limited imagination is struggling to find a useful application for this feature. I could see a regular alarm being far more helpful.

Hopefully there will be a software update very soon. I really like the unit, but find that my familiarity with the 60CSx has the 400t lagging in what I want it to do. It reflects more of a new Garmin trend telling me what I should have.

Garmin builds GREAT units - but they had better step up to the plate and fire the current group of "think tankers" and get back to intuitive, easy to use instruments rather than over priced toys. To further illustrate my failing enthusiasm for Garmin: I called them to make sure that the TOPO on the 400t was BOBCAT compatible. No one knew at the call center and I was on hold for 25 minutes while they figured it out. The documentation leaves much to be desired both in the box and on the web. Here is their PDF manual for the 400t - see for yourself.

http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/Colorado300_ENOwnersManual.pdf

I am happy to see other GPS manufactures coming to market with higher quality pieces. Perhaps some good 'ole capitalistic competition will drive Garmin to be a better choice due to improved documentation and user interface - all driven by customer desire. Next time I need a GPS anything - I will closely shop the competition. Garmins customer support is begging me to...
:ylsmoke:
 

Forum statistics

Threads
188,213
Messages
2,903,865
Members
229,665
Latest member
SANelson
Top