battery life on Oregon 450

[Fusilli Jerry]

Hi folks,

I am having serious batterly life problems in my Oregon 450.  The battery never lasts more than 4 hours.

I called Garmin support and they said it "might" be related to the 16 GB SD card.  They said they only officially support a 4GB card and that it is possible the unit is using extra resources and thus draining the battery trying to use the 16 GB SD (class 4) card.

I am using alkaline batteries and have the unit set for alkaline.  I've tried several different batteries (Energizer, etc).  I am aware that I could get somewhat longer life out of lithium but I should be getting much better than 4 hours out of alkaline.  I used to use a 400t and got much longer batterly life using alkalines on it.  I have battery save mode on and the backlight timeout is enabled.

Other than the battery problem, the unit works normally and can read the maps on the SD card successfully.

Does Garmin's suggestion sound right?  Anyone else with any experience with this problem?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

[maps4gps]

If you have a micro memory card of 4Gb of less available, transfer some files to it and see if the battery life is longer.  Also check/post on Garmin's forums.

[Seldom]

How were you using the OR when you got the short battery life?  Routing calculations and map display have been suggested as affecting battery drain on other units.  Also, what temperature was the unit?  If you were out in a cold area did you keep it in a pocket or wear it on a belt?  Battery life is generally much lower at low temperatures.

[CanyonHiker17]

There are several other GPS features that are energy hogs too, and not just for that model.  You can set the GPS for "North Up" instead of "Track Up" so that it's not updating the screen every time you change direction a little bit.  I also set my track log to update the track by distance covered instead of time, and I set the distance to 0.02 miles (about every 105 feet).  Granted, I am using a 60csx, but I believe this will apply to most models.  I also turn off the "beep" setting so that it doesn't sound during start up or during every screen change.  The 60csx also has a "declutter" mode (not sure about the Orgegon model) and that helps too.  I don't need things like restuarants etc showing up when I'm out hiking in Grand Canyon.

BTW, setting the GPS for "alkaline" doesn't control the power level or distribution.  Its only function is to give you a reasonably accurate battery voltage level reading.

[Seldom]

This is probably a thread hijack, but, CanyonHiker17, how's your 60CSX do at the bottom of the Canyon?  I haven't been to Phantom Ranch since I owned a GPSr, but both my 60CSX and my OR300 are really disappointing in Zion.

[CanyonHiker17]

This is probably a thread hijack, but, CanyonHiker17, how's your 60CSX do at the bottom of the Canyon?  I haven't been to Phantom Ranch since I owned a GPSr, but both my 60CSX and my OR300 are really disappointing in Zion.

It actually works perfectly just about everywhere in the canyon!  The only instances I have where it briefly may lose a signal is in a situation where I might be up against a steep cliff in a side canyon.  In a situation like that, you might only be seeing 30% of the available sky.  But I hike in the canyon almost every week, and over the last 3 months I only lost the signal once, for less than a few minutes going down towards Hance Creek from Horseshoe Mesa (Grandview Trail).  Otherwise, it's never a problem.  I'm very satisfied with the 60csx and its ability to hold a signal even in heavy tree cover too!

I can see the problem in Zion where you are dealing with steep canyon walls on both sides, going up the river.  I've been there once, but that was "pre-GPS" days.