Garmin Montana 650 v 650T

[johnnysneds]

So whats the difference and is it worth spending the extra for the "T"

As far as I can see from Garmin's website the 650T includes U.S. 100K TOPO maps. Is that it?? Theres a sizable difference in price on ebay between the two units - $120

 

[MastaMax]

With the 62s and 62st the "t" is just US topo map so it is totally useless unless you plan to go riding in the US as well.

Are you looking for a new gps Johnny? From what I read on a lot of forum and from what I saw in all the extreme enduro races/rallies they all use the 60Csx or newer 62s. It's the way to go if you plan on exploring the thick jungle, ride through rivers, mud and bamboo forests.

 

[johnnysneds]

I was thinking about the Montana, but im hearing about a lot of bugs with the device's firmware and the size is putting me off a little.
Ill have a look at the 62. Lots of letters after these, what I can make out - S = axis compass, T = Preloaded 100K topo mapping (which you say is useless), and C = 5 megapixel camera.

 

[Lone Rider]

The Montana's are almost identical - the only difference between the 650 and 650 T is that the T has topographic maps for the USA (Topo US 100K) and a 3.5 GB internal memory versus 3 GB for the 650. No other differences other than the price with 650T being about 70 USD more expensive.

With regard to the 62 Series the following picture shows the differences between the S, ST, SC and STC. Price differences between the models are 50 USD with the T being quoted (recommended retail price) by Garmin for 450, the SC 500USD, the ST 550 USD and STC 600 USD.


The Montana's have a touchscreen (the Zumo's for the motorbike have a touchscreen also and I have heard from several people that the screen causes problems after some time) and are considerable larger than the 62 series and I would go for a 62 considering the type of offroading you are doing.

 

[johnnysneds]

Thanks for the kind advise Max and Lone Rider. I have just ordered the 62sc off eBay for $468. I did find it for $429 10 mins later from http://www.gpscity.com/search/q=62sc while looking for a case, doh!!! both offer free shipping to my Shipito address in California where it will then be sent to my Thai address as a present.

A note on the Zumo, this is my second one that has died. I got approx. 2 years from each, and to be fair they both took some abuse. The touch screen is pretty useless. The second one I had, the button fell off and the screen has just completely died. There a lot of money to be banged about on a dirt bike (or is that me just crashing a lot). Hopefully the 62 will be more rugged.

 

[Midnitemapper]

Montana bugs!!!
Be careful this unit is troublesome should be purchased with a can of "Raid"!!!

This bug was picked up in Southern Laos and may have crawled out of the Mekong river, and was a real pain to get rid of, finally I doused it with scalding hot noodle soup.The unit worked fine after that fix.


Another bug was picked up near Sekong in Southern Laos. This pesky bug loaded several waypoints and routes before returning to the jungle as a bamboo bridge.
Other than these issues, the Montana just blows away any other GPS I have ever owned.(about 20)
The 62S was the worst, you should have seen the giant creatures crawling out of the battery compartment.
Software updates finally cured the occasional lockups though.
Another attack, stick bug attempting to set up a route.

 

[Midnitemapper]

Montana new feature
An interesting addition to the already extensive list of functions and features on the Montana.
Percentage Grade has been added.

Calculation of rise over run. For example, if for every 10 feet you climb (elevation) you travel 200 feet (distance), your grade is 5%. You must be moving for this data field to function, otherwise a value of 0% will be displayed.
Can't wait to have a peek at that data field, on the steep stuff!

 

[bigntall]

Has the latest firmware upgrades sorted out all the buggy issues that plague the Montana or is it still a bit of a mess to utilize?

i've been using 60CSX's for years and after having two of them give up on me I'm quite hesitant to adopt a touchscreen for offroad riding. The aging eyes however would love the Montana on the handlebars. Don would you rely on a Montana as your only GPS? I would really love to have the larger screen but not at the expense of usability and reliability.

 

[Pounce]

After playing with Phils big unit, I'm looking at one of these too but I have the same questions as Justin regarding off road capabilities & if it would be rugged enough.
I mean real off road work, single trail, whoops, water the lot.

 

[mikehohman]

Justin,Pounce, I got the Montana (based on reco from Don), and i LOVE it. So far, it has worked 100% reliable, EXCEPT for the battery problem (loose connection). I wrapped the non-connecting end of the battery in some Fisherman's Friend wrapper, and since then, i have not lost power once (nor even opened the battery compartment). On the trail, it's been flawless. I've been to Lao twice, with plenty of falls and water, etc.

The large touchscreen works great! Even with riding gloves on i can control it accurately without issue. And of course, the display looks great. The large screen is really helpful. I also like the way it interfaces with my Mac. I can put multiple base maps on it, and they all display in BaseCamp, so it makes route planning really easy.

I have the 600, which doesn't have a camera... for the extra 50 bucks, probably worth it to get the 650, at least as a backup camera.

Let's see if it makes it thru the season. So far so good.

Mike

 

[bigntall]

I hear Midnightmapper is out exploring arounf the Ho Ch Mihn area so not near a computer for a response.

Mike thanks for the reply. Ballpark how many offroad KM's have you done with the unit so far? Can you respond as to why Don suggested the Montana to you over the usual choice of the 60 series for offroading?

I'm paranoid as the most reliable GPS unit from Garmin is supposedly the 60 CSX and I have had two of those go tits up over the years. This makes me darn nervous changing to the Montana and relying on a fragile touchscreen. However as I can't see who's talking to me at a bar half the time my eyes could really use the bigger screen of the Montana.

I believe Don uses the 60 series for track recording and the Montana for navigating. Whats the reason he would not use the Montana for track recording? What does the 60 CSX do that the Montana cannot?

Lonerider have you heard of people having issues with the Montana?

Thanks in advance.

 

[KTMphil]

I rode with Don in southern Laos recently - he's lovin his Montana 600 series, he says the best ever GPS.

As far as i know he has the Garmin 60 csx mounted as back-up, if you loose the data, maybe a wasted 6 weeks of track recording.



The Montana is a great GPS, add a little piece of foam under the battery cover and you have a solid power supply.

I hear Midnightmapper is out exploring arounf the Ho Ch Mihn area so not near a computer for a response.

Mike thanks for the reply. Ballpark how many offroad KM's have you done with the unit so far? Can you respond as to why Don suggested the Montana to you over the usual choice of the 60 series for offroading?

I'm paranoid as the most reliable GPS unit from Garmin is supposedly the 60 CSX and I have had two of those go tits up over the years. This makes me darn nervous changing to the Montana and relying on a fragile touchscreen. However as I can't see who's talking to me at a bar half the time my eyes could really use the bigger screen of the Montana.

I believe Don uses the 60 series for track recording and the Montana for navigating. Whats the reason he would not use the Montana for track recording? What does the 60 CSX do that the Montana cannot?

Lonerider have you heard of people having issues with the Montana?

Thanks in advance.

 

[johnnysneds]

Ordered my 650 from gpscity.com today. Cheapest place I could find for it. Cant wait...

 

[bigntall]

Thanks for the beta guys.

Has anyones Montana required any firmware updates or been unreliable at any time other than needing a shim under the batteries? Do you run it at all hardwired? If so, does it use a USB connection like on the 62 or the Garmin 5 pin port like on the 60 CSX?

Congrats on the new unit Johnny.

 

[mikehohman]

The last time I opened BaseCamp with the Montana plugged in via USB the firmware automatically updated to 3.7. Smooth process, i hardly noticed. Easy as pie.

I run it hardwired to the battery using the Garmin AMPS Mount. It connects through some pins on the side. So far, no problems. The only issue is that it always charges when in the cradle, even if bike is off. A good reminder not to leave in the cradle when parking (although you can lock it in)

http://www.gpscity.com/garmin-montana-6xx-amps-rugged-mount-with-audio-power-cable.html.

By the way, i have a spare mount I could let go for a few hundred baht if your interested...

Mike

 

[johnnysneds]

I'll have the mount off you Mike. Does it have a connection on it somewhere for the 12v supply? How many pins?

 

[mikehohman]

Can you wait until Feb 25 or so? Going to back to Lao on a rental and i need it for that trip. You can watch a vid about the mount here:

Mike

 

[KTMphil]

What area in Laos are you headed to Mike?

Can you wait until Feb 25 or so? Going to back to Lao on a rental and i need it for that trip. You can watch a vid about the mount here:

Mike

 

[johnnysneds]

Can you wait until Feb 25 or so? Going to back to Lao on a rental and i need it for that trip. You can watch a vid about the mount here:

Mike

No worries Mike im not in any rush for it. I have the below on order and should have it in a few weeks. Thanks