How many batteries for Garmin Oregon 550 for 8 days?

[beachcruiser]

Can anyone with Garmin Oregon 550 who has used it for recording track logs over several days tell me what kind of battery life they get with lithium batteries?

I usually only use my GPS for confirming locations and leave it turned off for the majority of the time so I've only ever used the re-chargeable batteries that come with it. I'm doing an 8 day walk soon and was thinking about using the GPS to make a track log via the Trip Computer function and want to figure out how many batteries I'll need. Will a set of lithium batteries last 2 days or 3? (I expect the GPS will be on for between 6 & 9 hours per day)

I've gone through and set everything to the most battery efficient settings (I think):
Tones, off
Display, backlight timeout, 15 seconds
Display, battery save, on
Heading, compass, off (not sure about this one, read somewhere that it saves batteries, will it affect the track log?)

Any other battery conserving tips welcome.

[icefest]

I use a Etrex 30, but the garmin website says it lasts longer than the Oregon, so take this with a grain of salt.

Mine is always operated with the backlight off, as every time you touch the joystick it would otherwise turn on the lights. I leave the compass and barometer on. THe barometer is incredibly useful, much more than I'd ever thought.

I usually get around 4.5 12 hour days of use out of it, with track detail set to the highest setting. That's roughly 50 hrs. This is using lithium batteries. There is no significant different between EI lithium, energizer or Duracell batteries. Leaving the display on a static image (eg home menu) will save a crapton of processor cycles as you don't need to redraw constantly.

TL;DR One new set will last you the 30 hrs, if you leave the backlight off, and don't use it all the time for navigation.

[Zone-5]

To extend battery life for 550...

Setup > System > Battery Type > Rechargeable NiMH (or whatever type you are using – Alkaline/Lithium/Rechargeable NiMH)

Setup > System > Tones > Off

Setup > Display > Backlight Timeout > 15 Seconds

Setup > Display > Battery Save > On

To set display intensity (make it as low as possible): Tap power switch > tap – (minus sign) > Tap power Switch

Lock the screen when not in use: Tap power switch > touch Lock Screen

Carry the GPS so that the screen is not accidentally turned on.

http://www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org/ ... GPS101.pdf

Battery Pack fit's my Etrex but might not the 550, check first:
http://www.amazon.com/Jackery%C2%AE-Bar ... d_cp_cps_3

[icefest]

Battery Pack here:
http://www.amazon.com/Jackery%C2%AE-Bar ... d_cp_cps_3

I don't think that works with the 550. Double check it before buying.

The rest is all great advice!

[north-north-west]

I've recently been playing with an Oregon 450. Only done two walks with it, but it's done seven days walking - admittedly three of these were short days (four to six hours) - and is still on its second set of el Cheapo (Chevron) Lithiums.
For an eight day trip, I'd start with fresh batteries and carry two sets of spares and would expect to have more than enough power.

[beachcruiser]

Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions.
Have purchased 2 x 4 packs of Energiser lithiums, 4 packs were significantly cheaper than 2's - sounds like I'll only need 6 total (fresh set to start and 2 spare sets)
I'll report back in a couple of weeks with the results

[icefest]

I usually buy them on ebay, you can get them for around 3$ each, which is much cheaper than most stores.

[beachcruiser]

First time I've bought lithiums I was surprised by the variation in price! $16 for a 4-pack at the local discount chemist (lucky I saw them I wouldn't have thought to buy them there…) vs $20 for a 4-pack in both Woollies and Coles…
Thanks Icefest I'll check out eBay in future

[keithy]

A bit late in reply, but there was a guy that had stuff on the wiki page on the battery life http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Back ... ttery+Life although the original data over at GPSfix has gone since the domain wasn't renewed.

But other tips including ones already mentioned are:

- Minimize backlight strength and set it to turn off automatically (Setup>Display>Backlight Timeout>30 Seconds)
- Disable the electronic compass (Setup>Heading>Compass>Off)
- Disable WAAS/EGNOS (Setup>System>GPS>Normal)
- Set tracklog to auto or off (Setup>Tracks>Track Log>Do Not Record)
- Use the odometer or compass page instead of the map page or 3D View
- Set your orientation to North Up instead of Track Up or Automotive if you do use the map page
- Set the battery type set for the right type of battery (NiMH, Alkaline, Lithium)
- Remove the SD card if you are not using it
- Make sure you are running the latest Software
- Don't use brand new NiMH batteries (or cycle new batteries a few times before using them)

For myself I am still using an Etrex 30, and an Oregon 600. I have only used lithium batteries once in the Etrex 30 before switching over to Eneloop low self discharge NiMH batteries. The Etrex 30 and Oregon 600 have different power usage profiles your 550 but as a guide, for a month last year in Nepal I took 8 spare 2400mAH NiMH batteries in addition to the 2 in the Etrex 30 (total of 10). That worked out nicely for 12 days without reliable recharge as the Etrex would do about 18-20 hrs logging before quitting. I also carried a 7W foldable solar panel (Goal Zero) and USB AA charger.

The Oregon 600 has a great wiki page where someone has worked out the power consumption of various features, so you can decide for yourself which ones to turn on/off http://garminoregon6xx.wikispaces.com/Power+Sources

But from my recent experience, the battery life of the Oregon 600 was between 10-12 hrs on 2400mAH NiMH Eneloops. So for hiking in Iceland, with the longest stretch off grid about 6 days I carried 12 rechargeable AAs in addition to the 2 already in the unit. Going with lithiums might have been a lighter option given they would have doubled the lifetime, but I've already invested in Eneloops.

[beachcruiser]

Happy to report 3 sets of AA Lithiums were plenty for my 8 day walk, changed the first 2 sets after 3 days each, they weren't dead after 3 days but were down to the last of 4 battery bars so didn't expect to get another full day out of them.