Oregon 6xx Setup
The Oregon for snowshoeing.
The Oregon series of GPSr, GPS receivers, have a good touch screen that works beautifully in brilliant sunlight. Moistening gloves lets them manipulate the touchscreen. In addition, two push buttons that work reliably with gloves are on the unit. These each have multiple options for controlling a variety of functions. Altogether, the Oregons are versatile and large enough to be used both on the trail and on the bike, kayak, glider, or other activity with a view of the sky.
Disadvantages of the Oregon center around the size. A large touchscreen means a large GPS. The larger map is welcome. But the navigation features are the same as those found in the cheaper, smaller, etrex models. The Oregon has a real altimeter and a three-axis compass that works when the GPSr is held at an angle in the hand, on the bike, or in the car. On a recent sale, the Oregon was just 25% more expensive than an etrex without altimeter and compass. Watch for sales. Although the handheld GPSr provide a more robust GPS experience, the presence in smartphones of the same GPS receiver chip that is found in the handheld units has made smartphone users wonder if they need a dedicated GPS. Garmin will have to make their products even better and cheaper to compete with the phone that many already have.
The Oregon models have a large internal memory, about 1.8 gb will be free for maps. This memory is not located on an accessory memory card. The Washington State topo maps, trail map overlay and POIs al take up just 0.261 gb. That leaves 1.539gb for more maps and POIs.
There are POI web sites with POI files for restaurants, speed traps, low overpasses, campgrounds, and much more. Some will even play an alarm beep if in a speed zone or near a POI point. POIfactory.com is a good place for POIs you might like to use. POIs are found on the "Extras" Menu.
To access custom POIs quickly, configure the "UserKey", 2nd key from the top on the right of the GPSr, to show "Extras" when held down. This provides quick access to Washington summits and SnoParks. Settings for configuring keys are in the chart below.
If you want to save files to the GPS from your computer, Setup the Interface as in the chart below. Turn the GPS off. Turn it on. Connect it to the computer with an USB cable. A cable comes with the GPSr. When attached, the GPS will start up and show a page with the message "Would you like to go to mass storage?" and YES and NO buttons. Select YES to connect to the file system in your computer. Select NO to use the GPS as a GPSr while getting power from the USB cable, not the batteries. The GPS will operate without batteries in this mode. USB battery packs are cheap, $15, and can provide long lasting power that could be useful in kayaking or cycling.
A note about connecting the Oregon to a Mac: the connection triggers iTunes to launch and start playing your music. This might require you to force quit iTunes.
Oregon GPSr can be configured for snowshoeing with the settings below. This is quite a list because the Oregon is quite a GPSr.
The Oregon Setup
Garmin Oregon 6xx GPS Receiver Setup for Snowshoeing
| Item | Setting | Location |
| Units | Metric | Menu>Setup>Units>Distance and Speed |
| Elevation | Your Choice, Recommend metric | Menu>Setup>Units |
| Depth | Your Choice | Menu>Setup>Units |
| Page Sequence | Map, Trip Computer | Menu>Setup |
| Time Format | Your Choice | Menu>Setup>Time |
| Time Zone | US-Pacific | Menu>Setup>Time Zone |
| Position Format | UTM UPS | Menu>Setup>Position Format |
| Map Datum | WGS 84` | Menu>Setup>Position Format |
| Map Spheroid | WGS 84 | No Change |
| Display | Numeric Degrees | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| North Reference | Grid | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| GoTo Line | Bearing (small) | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| Compass | Auto | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| Calibrate Compass | Do it. This is important! | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| Calibrate Altimeter | Do it at the trailhead. | Menu>Setup>Altimeter |
| Appearance | Personal Choice | Menu>Setup>Appearance |
| Record Method | Auto | Menu>Setup>Tracks |
| Interval | Less Often | Menu>Setup>Tracks |
| Auto Pause | off | Menu>Setup>Tracks |
| Auto Start | on | Menu>Setup>Tracks |
| Output Format | Tracks GPX | Menu>Setup>Tracks |
| Advanced, Auto Archive | Daily | Menu>Setup>Tracks>Advanced |
| Advanced, Trip Recording | Always | Menu>Setup>Tracks>Advanced |
| Advanced, Recorded Data Reset | Track and Trip | Menu>Setup>Tracks>Advanced |
| Backlight Timeout | 15 seconds | Menu>Setup>Display |
| Orientation Lock | Lock Portrait | Menu>Setup>Display |
| Screen Capture | off | Menu>Setup>Display |
| Battery Save | off (may set on after familiar with GPS) | Menu>Setup>Display |
| Map setup is duplicated on the map page. | Click menu button when in the map page. | |
| Map Orientation | North Up | Menu>Setup>Map |
| Map Guidance Text | Never | Menu>Setup>Map |
| Map Data Fields | 0 (none) | Menu>Setup>Map |
| Map Autozoom | off | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Zoom Levels, Points and Streets | All maximum setting: 800km or 500 miles | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, Map Points | Large | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, User Waypoints | Large | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, Street Label | Medium | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, Land Cover | Medium | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, Detail | Normal | Menu>Setup>Map>Advanced Map Setup |
| Map Text Size, Points and Streets, Shaded Relief | Do Not Show | |
| Map: Washington Topo+NW Trails | From Summitpyramid.com | |
| WA SnoParks | From Summitpyramid.com | |
| Satellite System | GPS + GLONASS | Menu>Setup>System |
| WAA/EGNOS | off | Menu>Setup>System |
| Text Language | English | Menu>Setup>System |
| AA Battery Type | Set to battery type | Menu>Setup>System |
| Interface (set this to use external power) | Garmin Spanner (For powering from PC) | Menu>Setup>System |
| Configure Keys Page Loop (Page Seq in etrex) ** | Map, Trip Computer | Menu>Setup>System>Configure Keys>User Key>Single Tap>Page Loop |
| Configure Keys Extras (find WA summits and SnoParks) | Extras | Menu>Setup>System>Configure Keys>User Key>Hold |
| Routing | not used. refers to highway use. | Menu>Setup>Routing |
| Profiles * | Save a profile for Snowshoeing | Menu>Setup>Profiles |
* Profiles enable settings for any use to be saved as a group. For instance, map users can setup a snowshoe profile for the use of metric distances while an automative profile can use miles. That way, preferred settings can be changed by switching profiles.
** Page Loop is important. It provides a way to switch between map and data pages while wearing gloves. Page Loop is assigned to the "user" button,