712 S. Commerce
Kilgore, Texas
(903)218-0506
Garmin Oregon 650T GPS
Update 4/1/2017 - This unit was replaced by the 750t, but we still have availibility. See below for differences.
Purchased this as a replacement for my Garmin GPSmap76. Cabela's was running a special at $299 from regular $549 so I decided it would be about time for an upgrade after using the GPSmap76 for more than 15 years. At the time Cabela's ran this special we didn't have access to these units, but now we do. Our prices are also much better than Cabela's although they don't quite match that $299 price.
Pros: Antenna picks up sattelites quickly, Small overall size Cons: Screen is a little small, No thermometer
The first time I turned it on, it took about 2 minutes to acquire a fix, but on subsequent boots it was much faster, barely taking more time than the boot process itself. It supports both GPS and GLONASS and it picks up about 20 satelites in my location.
The unit comes with a USB cable and seperate plug for charging. Plugging it into a computer with the cable was pretty straitforward and Windows 8 had no problems. I do recommend getting Garmin Basecamp and while you are at it download the relevant 24K Topo maps from GPSFileDepot. While the unit comes with several maps including CityNavigator and POI's, the 100K maps are far from adequate for backcountry usage.
The Garmin 600 Series includes the 600 and 650 models. The "T" on the end signifies that it includes the 100K topo maps. The 650 also includes a 6MP camera. The 700 series appears to be a replacement for these 600 series models as it has an improved antenna, "improved" interface and Bluetooth link for your phone which will give it weather capability. If you want a bigger screen, then the Montana series is the way to go.
The biggest improvement that Garmin could make, in my opinion, ADD A THERMOMETER! They put one of the base model eTrex's. I guess they figure if you're using an advanced GPS you don't care how far below freezing it got last night.