Oregon 450t

 

Oregon 450t
Page Type Gear Review
Object Title Oregon 450t
Manufacturer Garmin
Page By Alpinist
Page Type Mar 13, 2011 / Mar 14, 2011
Object ID 7591
Hits 3522
Vote

Product Description

Tap the touchscreen then hit the trail with Oregon 450t. This next-generation handheld features a rugged, touchscreen along with preloaded topographic maps, 3-D map views, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, microSD™ card slot, picture viewer and more. Even exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units.

Touch and Go
Oregon 450t leads the way with a tough, 3" (7.62 cm) diagonal, sunlight-readable, color, touchscreen display that offers crystal clear enhanced colors and high-resolution images. Its easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. With user-selectable dashboards, you can customize the appearance of your display. Both durable and waterproof, Oregon 450t is built to withstand the elements: bumps, dust, dirt, humidity and water are no match for this rugged navigator.

Explore Backcountry in 3-D
Oregon's preloaded U.S. or European 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, Oregon’s 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.

Share Wirelessly
With Oregon 450t you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly other compatible Oregon, Colorado® and Dakota® users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your friend to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just touch “send” to transfer your information to similar units.

Find Fun
Oregon 450t supports OpenCaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and details straight to your unit. By going paperless, you're not only helping the environment but also improving efficiency. Oregon stores and displays key information, including location, terrain, difficulty, hints and descriptions, which means no more manually entering coordinates and paper print outs! Simply upload the GPX file to your unit and start hunting for caches. Show off photos of your excursions with Oregon’s picture viewer. Slim and lightweight, Oregon is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Get Your Bearings
Oregon 450t has a built-in 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, which shows where you're heading even when you’re standing still, without holding it level. Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude, and you even can use it to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions. See changes in your elevation ahead of you and where you've been with enhanced track navigation. With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix® satellite prediction, Oregon 450t locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons.

Add Maps
Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards for all your outdoor activities on land or water (see the Maps tab for compatible maps). Just insert a MapSource® card with detailed street maps, and Oregon provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Access whitewater runs or explore equestrian trails by purchasing U.S. Trailmaps for Whitewater and Equestrian. Or, you can add regional, detailed trail and lake information with our TOPO U.S. 24K maps. With BlueChart® g2, you’ll get everything you need for a great day on the water, including depth contours, navaids and harbors. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.

Get Connected
You've been busy exploring and now you want to store and analyze your activities. With a simple connection to your computer and the Internet, you can get a detailed analysis of your activities and send tracks to your outdoor device using Garmin Connect™. This one-stop site offers an activity table and allows you to view your activities on a map using Google™ Earth. Explore other routes uploaded by millions of Garmin Connect users and share your experiences on Twitter® and Facebook®. Getting started is easy, so get out there, explore, and share.

Features

Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.3" x 4.5" x 1.4" (5.8 x 11.4 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 touchscreen
Weight: 6.8 oz (192.7 g) with batteries
Battery: 2 AA batteries (not included); NiMH or Lithium recommended
Battery life: 16 hours
Waterproof: yes (IPX7)
Floats: no
High-sensitivity receiver: yes
Interface: high-speed USB and NMEA 0183 compatible

Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes
Ability to add maps: yes
Built-in memory: 850 MB
Accepts data cards: microSD™ card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations: 2000
Routes: 200
Track log: 10,000 points, 200 saved tracks

Features:
Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes (with optional mapping for detailed roads)
Electronic compass: yes (tilt-compensated, 3-axis)
Touchscreen: yes
Barometric altimeter: yes
Camera: no
Geocaching-friendly: yes (paperless)
Custom maps compatible: yes
Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos): yes
Outdoor GPS games: yes (Wherigo only)
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
Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data): yes

Price

Retail Cost (US): $499

Comparison of Oregon Models

450 has no camera and the worldwide Basemap
450t has no camera, the worldwide Basemap, plus the 100K US topo map
550 has a camera and the the worldwide Basemap
550t has a camera, the worldwide Basemap, plus the 100K US topo map

Images

Reviews


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Alpinist - May 9, 2011 11:56 am - Voted 3/5

Initial review
Here is my initial review based on my first usage during a weekend outing in CO.

CONS
  • The screen is small; you cannot see very much of the map.
  • The screen is very difficult to read when it is raining or snowing.
  • The screen backlighting is weak even at the strongest setting.
  • It is not intuitive to use. There are many different screens for viewing different information. Maps are on one screen. Waypoints are on a different screen. This may just be a learning issue but I found it to be very confusing.
  • Battery life seems short, even with Lithium batteries.
  • The unit comes out-of-the-box preloaded with the US topo map; however it does not come with any computer software. You must add waypoints and routes to the unit directly/manually rather than upload them from computer. I'm not sure yet whether or not you can buy/add computer software separately and then upload waypoints to the unit but it is my preference to do it that way. It's much easier to plan a trip (create waypoints, routes, etc.) from a large computer screen than it is using the tiny screen on the GPS unit.

PROS
  • Sleek design
  • Lightweight
  • Ability to navigate (touch screen) while wearing fleece gloves.
  • The preloaded topo map seems to have a very comprehensive list of waypoints for peaks.
  • The preloaded topo map shows trails, at least the major ones.

wordlessnature - Nov 17, 2014 12:52 am - Voted 5/5

Good, mostly reliable
I have used the Oregon 450t on many cross country treks and climbs, using Garmin 24k maps in the states, and OSM maps on mountains in Ecuador. It has been very accurate. My only caution is that the receiver has occasionally (1 or 2 times ever) failed to maintain a connection with the satellites, usually in rocky yet open terrain. Aside from that, it is a powerful and easy to use machine.

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