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GPS City Q&A » Outdoor GPS » Is there a display for Leg distance and heading?

Outdoor GPS (6 replies)

Item

Original Question

Is there a display for Leg distance and heading?

› Garmin Oregon 450

Author

Reply

Tony
Halifax

Original question asked on Sep 18, 2011, 5:32pm

I have a new Oregon 450, on previous Garmin Units (60csx and 72, and 48) when choosing a route, the leg length and heading are shown on the active route page once a route is chosen. I cannot find a menu or setting that allows this very important function to be displayed. Is there any way to display the leg length and heading for a leg that you are not presently sailing?

GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #1 on Sep 19, 2011, 7:53am

After doing some testing it seems that the Oregon will not give you the same route summary. In the Active route screen if you pick a location it will only give you the distance and bearing to that location from your current position and not the data for the leg. This is good feedback to pass onto Garmin @ 1-800-800-1020

I also tried some other new devices in comparison with a Garmin GPSMap 60CSX/76CSX and they to have the same results as the Oregon. I tested the GPSMap 78S and GPSMap 62S.

Tony
Halifax

Reply #2 on Sep 20, 2011, 1:51pm

I called Garmin as suggested but they were unable to help, they did confirm that the Montana unit worked similarily ie no leg distance or leg bearing so it seems that all of the current releases of new units have deleted the leg functions. Apparently it was an unused feature but I find this extremely hard to believe as review of routes must be common to a lot of users other than sailors. The support line could not identify if the feature would be implemented although I think it seems unlikely given that they have removed it as an uneeded feature.

GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #3 on Sep 20, 2011, 2:47pm

I agree. I used to teach sailors how to navigate using a GPS and that was one feature i would point out. They may not of realized its usefulness. I will check the marine chartplotters for I think I saw that feature still in them.

Tony
Halifax

Reply #4 on Sep 21, 2011, 5:53am

There is a workaround which is difficult and risky to use but at least can give you the a leg and heading. If you put the GPS in demo mode (setup,system,gps,demo mode) then set location to the first waypoint on the leg (whereto,waypoints,choose a waypoint,move to location) Now the gps references are from the chosen waypoint so the list of waypoints are referenced by heading and distance from the location that you moved to. The problem is that now in order to see the remainder of the legs, you will need to set the location of the gps to the beginning of each leg to see the heading and direction. All the while this is happening you are not navigating and the gps functions are turned off. As nice and easy as the Oregon is to use it is way more difficult to get these critical numbers than it was on the older series 60 and 76 units. I cannot for any reason understand what value the distance and heading of all of the points on a route from your current position could be, since their location is irrelevant until you actually get there. Garmin really needs to rethink this function on any of the units that claim to be marine navigation devices.

GPS City
Calgary, AB

Reply #5 on Sep 21, 2011, 8:57am

That is one way to fake it out.

Garmin may fix that if more people tell them it is a feature they need. Please call then email them. The more people who do the more likely it will happen. no guarantees.

Tony
Halifax

Reply #6 on Sep 22, 2011, 5:54am

I did submit a written report to Garmin and am hopeful they can do something so I don't need to bring 2 GPS's with me in order to get the leg heading and distance. I did note on one of the wiki sites that someone reported this problem on the Colorado units and that it was repaired in version 2.9 of the software but I have no way of confirming if that was the case.

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