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Garmin Montana 700
KSh 87,500
Garmin Montana 700
Buy the Garmin Montana 700 at the best price in Kenya only at Volthub Express
Montana Walkthrough
It’s hard to convey just how beefy and different the Garmin Montana 700 series feels compared to other handheld GPS units. When you first use it, you feel as if you’re in the military and have just been handed your GPS for the field. Like anything else, the more you use it, the more you get used to it.
Buttons & Outside of the GPS
For a Garmin device, the screen is great. I found it very easy to see in all conditions. The screen is transflective, which means that it uses incoming sunlight to reflect the pixels. When there is no sunlight the backlight illuminates the pixels. But if you compare it to a smartphone, it’s not in the same league.
- The only button on the right side of the unit is the InReach SOS button, which sits under a protective cover.
- The power button is on the upper left-hand side of the unit. Holding it for a few seconds powers on and off. Tapping it once brings up the status screen. Tapping it twice turns the screen off. To wake it up and turn the screen back on, just tap it once.
- The micro USB connector is under a cover on the lower left side of the unit. You use this USB port to connect to a desktop computer or to charge the device. You can charge and use it at the same time.
- The microSD card slides in the back, under the battery. The maximum size for a microSD card is 32 GB, which should be more than enough for worldwide OSM maps and user data like tracks and waypoints.
- The battery slides into the back from the top down. Batteries can be charged in the device using a USB charger, or you can purchase spare batteries and swap them in as needed.
Touchscreen Interface
The Montana interface feels like a smartphone, albeit one that’s pretty dated. Many of the conventions in the interface are the same as those found on iOS or Android. If you use a smartphone, getting the hang of the Montana interface should be pretty easy. Also, The processor in the Montana is an upgrade.
Screen Performance in Adverse Conditions
When conditions are dry and clean, the touch screen works great. The screen is fairly sensitive and it’s easy to mistakingly drop a pin on the map when using your fingers to pan or zoom.
Montana 700 Navigation
Overall the Montana 7×0 Series navigates just like any other Garmin handheld device. There are recording controls, activities, waypoints, routes, and tracks. Similar to other Garmin handheld GPS units, you record your activity with the “recording controls” menu item. You can pause or start from here, or from the status screen. You can also save or delete activities as normal.
Garmin Montana Maps
- Garmin TopoActive Maps – These are hiking maps with contour lines, slope shading, and trails.
- Public Land Boundaries – A new map layer that Garmin is including that is useful for hunters and those looking for camping spots, etc.
- CityNavigator – This is the “driving” map that comes with automotive GPS units that allow you to route yourself on roads, find a Wendys, etc.
- BirdsEye – The Montana comes with a lifetime subscription to Garmin Birdseye satellite photography.
Battery Performance
The battery performance on the Garmin Montana is highly variable and depends a lot on how much you use the screen. And since everything is touchscreen, if you want to use it, you have to use the screen. You can get up to 300 hours using it.
Montana 7×0 Battery Saving Tips
- Turn the display off when not using, and turn the brightness as low as possible.
- Pick a low backlight timeout and use the Battery Saver option, which turns the screen off when the backlight goes off.
- Disable Bluetooth, WiFi, and any sensors you don’t need.
- Only use GPS (no Galileo or GLONASS) and disable WAAS/EGNOS.
- Set track log recording to “Auto.”
- Use the trip computer page instead of the map page when possible and set the map speed to “normal.”
- Use “north up” instead of “track up” map orientation and disable the magnetic compass.
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