The New Montana 650 - its way cool

[zork v]

Changes made from version 3.99 to 4.01:
Fixed issues with map set selections across Profiles
Problems with this beta software may be reported to MontanaBeta@garmin.com

[zork v]

Changes made from version 4.01 to 4.02:
Fixed issue where imported points from Garmin POI Loader would not alert user after a Profile change
Fixed issue with changing date on Tide reviews
Fixed issue where current geocache description review would reset to top after leaving page
Fixed issue with flashing Elevation Plot while following a track

[zork v]

Changes made from version 4.02 to 4.03:
Improved map draw speed
Fixed setup of Main Menu and Drawer
Fixed North Arrow touchable accuracy when using nüvi dashboard

[zork v]

Changes made from version 4.03 to 4.04:
Fixed issue with WAAS correction data
Fixed issue with empty map list directly after power on
Fixed potential shutdown caused by altimeter calibration

[BaldEd]

Montana (WebUpdater) software version 4.10 as of May 25, 2012

Use myDashboard to install this file. (17.30 MB) ...... (Hmmm. What does that mean? Doesn't Webupdater do it? - BaldEd)
View system requirements

Changes made from version 3.90 to 4.10:
Added new route activity types and improved BaseCamp compatibility. See TrailTech (http://garmin.blogs.com/softwareupdates ... armin.html) for more information.
Added symbol filtering to Where To? > Waypoints and Waypoint Manager
Added ability to toggle map between Track Up and North Up by touching the North arrow
Added ability to set a via point while navigating a calculated route
Added ability to remove the red pin while panning the map
Added support for Kenwood NMEA Waypoint Sentence
Improved GPS response at low speeds
Improved touch screen responsiveness
Improved font sizes for Arabic and Farsi languages
Improved camera white balance
Fixed issues with support for Canada BlueChart g2 maps
Fixed issue with NMEA
Fixed issue with track distance data field when track logging is off
Fixed issue with track log naming when using BaseCamp
Fixed issue with geocache visits in Calendar application
Fixed issue with charging indication when unit is fully charged
Fixed issues with map set selections across Profiles
Fixed issue where current geocache description review would reset to top after leaving page
Fixed issue with changing date on Tide reviews
Fixed issue where imported points from Garmin POI Loader would not alert user after a Profile change
Fixed potential shutdown caused by altimeter calibration
Fixed Where To? > Address searching
Fixed possible shutdown caused by the Small Data Fields dashboard
Fixed 'Go' button in chirp details
Fixed orientation change when viewing Help
Fixed shutdown caused by sorting Photo Viewer multiple times

[Zorgon]

I was initially just going to ask the knowledgeable Montana owners a couple of questions but thought it would also be a good opportunity to mention what I like about the Montana.
I have owned one for 6 months now having upgraded from a 60CSx and Colorado and Nuvi. Just love it for Geocaching.

The three main things I like:
* The Lithium Battery. Because it is charging when mounted in the vehicle cradle I am yet to have a flat GPS battery in 6 months of geocaching! The GPS will also take AA batteries and I used to carry some around as spares but don’t bother now. It would still be advisable to carry them on longer walks in the bush though!
* It is true cross-over unit that can be used both as in-car Navigation unit, complete with voice commands, and a rugged outdoor unit. The Nuvi is now in my wife’s car. No more security worries about what to do with the Nuvi when leaving the car in a dodgy location while hunting a cache. The Montana comes with me. Having only one GPS means that I don't have to load geocache info into both the Nuvi and the geocaching GPS anymore!
* Incredibly flexible customisation. Everyone has personal preferences on what should be displayed on the various screens. With the Montana the data on the main screens can be changed to whatever you want. I tend to geocache just using the map screen now with a compass arrow showing, today’s date (for the logbook), distance to cache and GPS accuracy. The profiles make it simple to change from geocaching mode to in-car navigation mode.

The only negative or annoying things that I have found, and hopefully others in the forum might know how to resolve some of them, are:

* The unit is a little bigger and heavier than I would like. Can’t do anything about this and am prepared to accept it given all the advantages. The huge screen is great for viewing maps though.
* On the Nuvi I used to use the “via” function but haven’t figured out how to do something similar using the Montana. For example, I used to set up a waypoint (e.g. home) then choose another waypoint (e..g. geocache) then choose the via option. This would direct me to the geocache then automatically take me home. You could add multiple via points.
* Still haven’t figured out how to turn off the visible tracklog trail on the map screen. I want to keep the tracklog but not always see the trail on the screen. There must be way to turn this on and off?
* Being a touch screen it is easy to accidently bump it and find that the data display that you had so carefully setup gets changed e.g. “distance to cache” might become “vertical airspeed”. Can the data displays be locked somehow once set up?

[rediguana]

The only negative or annoying things...
* On the Nuvi I used to use the “via” function but haven’t figured out how to do something similar using the Montana.

Fixed in the lastest update apparently, at least for one waypoint, not sure it supports multiple via without creating a route.

Added ability to set a via point while navigating a calculated route

* Still haven’t figured out how to turn off the visible tracklog trail on the map screen. I want to keep the tracklog but not always see the trail on the screen. There must be way to turn this on and off?

Settings > Tracks > Track Log > select Record, Do Not Show

* Being a touch screen it is easy to accidently bump it and find that the data display that you had so carefully setup gets changed e.g. “distance to cache” might become “vertical airspeed”. Can the data displays be locked somehow once set up?

From the map screen, tap the three bars, and select Lock Data Fields.

Easy

[BaldEd]

The only negative or annoying things that I have found, and hopefully others in the forum might know how to resolve some of them, are:

* On the Nuvi I used to use the “via” function but haven’t figured out how to do something similar using the Montana. For example, I used to set up a waypoint (e.g. home) then choose another waypoint (e..g. geocache) then choose the via option. This would direct me to the geocache then automatically take me home. You could add multiple via points.

Even with latest v4.10 firmware the "Via" function still doesn't work. This bug is listed on the wiki. Hopefully, it is a 'work-in-progress' at Garmin.

* Still haven’t figured out how to turn off the visible tracklog trail on the map screen. I want to keep the tracklog but not always see the trail on the screen. There must be way to turn this on and off?

Yep there is. Setup>Tracks>Track Log>Record, Do Not Show.

* Being a touch screen it is easy to accidently bump it and find that the data display that you had so carefully setup gets changed e.g. “distance to cache” might become “vertical airspeed”. Can the data displays be locked somehow once set up?

Yes. I assume you are using the Recreational Profile, with Map selected. The dashboard features 4 data blocks. If you press the 3-line icon at the bottom of the screen one of the available options is "Lock Data Fields". Do it.

[Zorgon]

Thanks to Rediguana and BaldEd for solving my problems
Perhaps I should be asking questions about puzzle caches here as well

[kiwitonita]

Is it possible to delete waypoints by symbol? That is, to delete just the waypoints that have a certain symbol? I looked in Waypoint Manager which allows waypoints of a certain symbol to be selected however the Delete function deletes ALL the waypoints.

Older GPS units like the 60 series had this "delete by symbol" feature so I'm puzzled that it's not obvious on the Montana. SW is version 4.10
Thank you, Tony

[BaldEd]

Not at this stage. The new Garmin file structure (established with the Colorado) is to blame, where with a bulk loading of geocaches, each individual cache is now just an indexed part within the bulk load file. It is impossible to delete portions from within the large file. The older gps (pre-Colorado) loaded each cache/waypoint as it's own entity and had file manager that could globally delete selected types of waypoints.

For what it is worth, you can delete any manually (in gps) created waypoints, one at a time.

Hopefully, Garmin are working on a decent file manager for the Montana, but I'm not holding my breath waiting.

[kiwitonita]

Thanks Eddie, as I suspected. Seems to be a definite weak point across the range.

Have just found the Montana Issues list on the Montana wiki thanks to a reply to the same question there.

[zork v]

Garmin Montana Version 4.20

Changes from version 4.10 to version 4.20:
Added ability to sort waypoints alphabetically
Improved search speed in Where To? menus
Fixed review of individual route points through the Route Planner
Fixed issue with the Glide Ratio data field
Fixed occasional map display issue when using Topo Deutschland 2012 Pro or Garmin TransAlpin 2012 Pro

[BaldEd]

Regarding v4.20
Thumbs up:
(a) for the increase in scroll speed through the Where To lists.
(b) for the alpha sort of Waypoints list
(c) for the ability to sort by symbols etc of Waypoints list

Thumbs down:
(a) for not including alpha sort of other Where To lists, like Geocaches, Extras etc
(b) for not including symbols sort of Geocaches list.

[rediguana]

(b) for not including symbols sort of Geocaches list.

Do you mean the filter, where you can filter by cache types, diff, terrain etc?