Garmin’s Rino 655T Waterproof Handheld GPS plus FRS/GMRS Radio with Camera and NOAA Weather combines a 5 W FRS/GMRS radio with a 2.6-inch color touchscreen GPS with preloaded TOPO 100K maps which includes coverage of the full U.S., barometric altimeter, 3-axis compass, NOAA weather radio and 5-megapixel camera. With the built-in 5-megapixel autofocus camera, you’ll be able to capture the highlights of your outings. Each photo is automatically geotagged with the location of where it was taken, al
$ 599.99
Lots of good features, but not perfect.,
Wanted to give a quick list of thoughts on the new Rino 655t vs the 530hcx. I was an avid 530hcx user, I probably have 4000 hours using the device on river trips, Burning Man, hunting, sailing, snowboarding, and traveling. The ability to locate another person without them having to make any action is an invaluable feature of a 2-way radio. Although the radio was not as powerful as some consumer radios (like the Motorola distance DPS) the polling feature and the ability to leave my old GPS at home was well worth it. The 530hcx however did have its problems. Plenty of issues like antenna rubber separating from the unit and complicated menus/software were drawbacks.
When I caught wind of the 655t being released I picked up one up just in time for Burning Man in August. I used it 16 hours a day trying to learn the unit inside and out. I then took it camping in September and used it biking and hiking other days. After that I did an hour long test of functions with other 530hcx radios about 2 miles away. Here are some of my observations:
Radio:
I did my comparison talking 655t to 530hcx and then 530hcx to 530hcx.
Despite the new labeling, the radio can transmit about the same distance. Sometimes the 530x was better, sometimes the 655t as it had more had to do with the position of the radio in the users hand than the unit itself. This was the same while receiving and transmitting. Not in either way was the 655t superior when talking and when it came to polling another 530hcx I found the 530hcx to be superior by a wide margin. I could have 10 minutes of testing go by with the 530 updating at every possible opportunity and the 655t never getting a single hit. I am not sure if similar units talk better with each other or whether the 530 is just far superior. I am a little scared to spend the money on another 655 to see if that was the issue.
Maps:
I love having built in maps on the new unit. They are all the detail I need for hunting as I still carry a paper map for detail and large area viewing. The 655t offer the ability to see the topo maps with shading but I found that option made the maps dark and harder to read
I found the ability to overlay personal maps over the built in topo maps to be fairly straightforward. Using a Fish and Game website I overlaid all the private property maps onto an area I hunted a while back. This is a great feature for those that hunt in and out of private land. This process is done through Google Earth and take about 30 – 40 minutes on your first attempt.
Construction:
Housing is much better. I do not yet see a part or seam that might fail unlike the 530 which had issues. If you are not sure what those were give them to a 7 year old for 30 minutes and you will figure it out (antenna separation).
Screen: Larger screen is a plus and seems a bit more scratch resistant. It is a touch screen and not as good as the one on my iphone but still works well. It is however not as crisp as the 530hcx and when compared to the 530hcx I found it to have a bit less resolution in almost all lighting conditions and not as bright. It almost reminds me of a smart phone with a cheap screen protector on it. When looking at photos on the radio it is pretty pathetic but it is a radio/gps, not a photo viewer.
The radio feels good in the hand and the manual buttons on the size require looking at to find but are not accidentally pressed.
I was also happy that Garmin got rid of the poorly designed 2 part charger. Thank you.
Software:
The ease of use cannot be overstated. This is much easier to navigate and important functions are much easier to find. On the 530 there is a screen telling you time since last contact with all your friends but it was impossible for most to find. On the new unit it is just 1 or 2 logical screen presses away. I can teach someone to use the 655 in 5 minutes.
The 3 axis compass works much better in the new 655t and was not available on the 530hcx.
When sending notes the new radio saves the last note sent. Much nicer than the 530hcx but why cant you save conversation? Please? What about return receipt saying your note was received? That would be so awesome. Also, put a notifier up letting receiver a note is in the inbox. That would be next level and I think we have the technology.
The camera takes decent pictures once viewed on the computer. Not SLR quality but it will work to remember a place you have been or give you that in field photo of game you would have missed otherwise.
Downfalls in Software/Wish List:
I think they got rid of the scramble feature in the radio. If not I at least can’t find that option.
When polling another person, FCC only allows one poll per 30 -60 seconds. The 530 would tell you it had to wait, the new radio doesn’t say a thing. You don’t know if the poll went out with no reply or if it…
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|good product, bad marketing,
I recently bought a Garmin 650 and was quickly disappointed. I was told and the literature verified that the new 650 had all the old features of the 530HCX or 530 plus additional features. One of the main reasons I purchased this product was that it would scramble the audio and location with the 655T as well as other Rhino’s. This turned out to be not true. The 655T can not scramble at all and the 650 can only scramble audio. When the software is updated it will not be able to scramble at all. Also neither has the ability to tell the temperature like the 530’s do. If I would of known this before hand I would of purchased the 530HCX.
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|Firmware needs work – Will be an 5 star gps/radio when fixed,
I have owned many handheld gps models over the years including Magellan, Delorme, and Garmin. I have settled on Garmin because they offer the best overall package with hardware and software. I was most recently using a Dakota 20 and a Rino 530 Hcx. Both are excellent and the dakota 20 has a superb form factor and is very simple to use and set up. When Garmin released the Rino 650 they created the best of both of these two models. The Rino 650 is basically both models melded in to one. I sold both of them to purchase the Rino 650 and I am very pleased with the purchase.
The Rino 650 has touch screen simplicity and is very ruggedly built. It accepts all of Garmin’s maps and you can load multiple map files on the unit itself (City Nav, Topo, Blue charts, etc.) and on to micro SD cards for added storage. If you have City navigator maps it will auto route you anywhere you want. You can turn maps on and off and change the information displayed on the compass page and trip page quickly and easily. You can also plug it in to a cigarette lighter with a mini usb cable and use the Rino as a car navigation device powered without running down your battery. Very convenient!
The only negative I have to say is right now the firmware is buggy. When you switch maps files off or on and then switch profiles you lose access to the icons on the screen. If you have used a Dakota or Oregon you are familiar with the icon menu system. To get the icons back you must go in to the setup icon (the only one displayed) and reset the profile. When you reset you lose all customization within that profile. Quite a pain after you have spent time setting up your profiles. I emailed Garmin about this situation. They say they are aware and are working on a fix. I believe the Montana series had a similar issue and was fixed with a firmware update. Time will tell but when they get it right this unit will be a 5 STAR device which I can highly recommend.
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