GARMIN OREGON 650T

• Easy to read, ruggedized, capacitive touchscreen
• 8MP geotagging camera
• GLONASS support can improve accuracy in difficult environments
• Extensive customization options
• Can use NiMH rechargeable battery (included) or AAs
• Preloaded topo maps (many additional maps are available)

• Pre-loaded topo maps are based on 1:100,000 scale maps
• Touchscreen sensitive to slightest touch; you may need to lock it
• Better for handheld use than fixed mount (e.g., mountain bike handlebars)
• While not unusual for new devices, I saw tracklog errors of up to 125

This is the current Cadillac of handheld outdoor GPS receivers, offering the greatest feature set of any unit currently on the market. It has a great, touch-sensitive screen, a good camera, excellent customization, and good (but not great) out-of-the-box maps. The first generation had some quirky tracklog errors, which we expect should be fixed soon.

Hardware

Weighing in at 7.4 ounces (with batteries), the waterproof and ruggedized GARMIN OREGON offers a generous 3” screen, measured diagonally. There is a lanyard attachment on the front, and a rear mounting spine that can be used with Garmin bike mounts or the included carabiner clip. A NiMH rechargeable battery and charger is included and you can switch to AAs in the field if needed.

Interface

Most controls are accessed via the multi-touch capacitive touchscreen. There are also two buttons (power and one other) that can be configured to perform different tasks depending upon whether you single or double tap them. The second button can also be set for a third option when you hold it down. Like most handheld GPS, there are lots of menu options. First-time users should plan on trying it out in familiar settings before depending on it in the backcountry.

Customization

Besides the configurable buttons, you can customize the 650t’s home screen and slide out “drawer.” Numerous shortcuts can be added to these as well. And like all modern Garmin handhelds, most screens offer data fields that can be set to dozens of options. You can also set up profiles (hiking, biking, geocaching, etc.) and select dashboards (compass, small or large data fields, etc.) to occupy the top portion of many screens.

Camera

The 8MP camera automatically adds location data to your photos and can take surprisingly good images. It isn’t DSLR quality, but it’s a lot more convenient than having to bring a second device along.

Available maps

The 100,000 scale US basemap is useful for frequent travelers, ensuring that you’ll always have a topo map on the device. Beyond that, Garmin sells 24K topos, although there are plenty of free user-made topos available online for the US. “BirdsEye” aerial imagery or USGS topo subscriptions run $30 per year, although there are do-it-yourself “custom map” options available too.

Performance

As is common with many new GPS receivers, I saw some tracklog errors that were most likely due to immature firmware. Even so, the largest error I saw was only around 125 feet; in general tracklog performance was good, and better than I often see with new units.

Ease of use
All handheld GPS have a learning curve, and this one has a huge number of features to plow through. Even so, the Oregon 650t does a good job of balancing function and usability.

Features
The Oregon 650t has a great feature set, offering options such as paperless geocaching, aerial imagery support and advanced track navigation.

It boasts GLONASS support, paperless geocaching, advanced track navigation, NiMH or AA battery compatibility, built-in 100K scale topo maps, and an 8 MP geotagging camera. It can also accept USGS topos and aerial imagery ($30 per year unless you want to go the DIY route).

Durability
The touchscreen appears to be some sort of mineralized glass similar to Gorilla Glass. We couldn’t break it during abnormally harsh field use.

Customization options
In addition to common features like customized data fields, dashboards, and profiles, the 650t offers user-configurable buttons, a customizable main menu and drawer, along with various shortcuts.

Performance
The tracklog accuracy was good for a new unit, but not great. The camera gave me both good quality images along with some duds, especially on macro shots.

Value
The 650t is certainly pricey, but it is a top-of-the-line model. That means it’s overall value is about average.

The Oregon 650t was tested for track and destination accuracy on the VASA singletrack outside Traverse City, MI, the new 10,000 acre (and unmapped!) Rocky Fork public lands (TN), and many other locations in the southern Appalachians.

A Clean Energy’s Dirty Little Secret

Clean energy may not be so clean after all. A new study by Environmental Progress (EP) warns that toxic waste from used solar panels now poses a global environmental threat. The Berkeley-based group found that solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than nuclear power plants. Discarded solar panels, which contain dangerous elements such as lead, chromium, and cadmium, are piling up around the world, and there’s been little done to mitigate their potential danger to the environment. “We talk a lot about the dangers of nuclear waste, but that waste is carefully monitored, regulated, and disposed of,” says Michael Shellenberger, founder of Environmental Progress, a nonprofit that advocates for the use of nuclear energy. “But we had no idea there would be so many panels (for example: RENOGY 250 WATT SOLAR PANEL )
 — an enormous amount — that could cause this much ecological damage.” Solar panels are considered a form of toxic, hazardous electronic or “e-waste,” and according to EP researchers Jemin Desai and Mark Nelson, scavengers in developing countries like India and China often “burn the e-waste in order to salvage the valuable copper wires for resale. Since this process requires burning off plastic, the resulting smoke contains toxic fumes that are carcinogenic and teratogenic (birth defect-causing) when inhaled.” UP NEXT UP NEXT Trump sparks bipartisan criticism with Arpaio pardon 00:13 00:32 Powered by This is one of the dirty little secrets behind the push for renewable energy. While consumers might view solar panels as harmless little windows made from glass and plastic, the reality is that they are intricately constructed from a variety of materials, making it difficult to disassemble and recycle them. Japan is already scrambling for ways to reuse its mounting inventory of solar-panel waste, which is expected to exceed 10,000 tons by 2020 and grow by 700,000 to 800,000 tons per year by 2040. Solutions are hard to find, due both to the labor-intensive process of breaking down the panels and to the low price of scrap. (Dan Whitten, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association, disputes EP’s study. In an e-mail to me, he claims that solar panels are “mainly made up of easy-to-recycle materials that can be successfully recovered and reused at the end of their useful life.”) This will also be a problem here in the U.S., which has more than 1.4 million solar-energy installations now in use, including many already near the end of their 25-year lifespan. Federal and state governments have been slow to enact disposal and recycling policies, undoubtedly fearful of raising any red flags about the environmental threat posed by a purported climate-change panacea. Meanwhile, at precisely the moment when, because of the rise of smartphones, Americans are generating less waste from consumer electronics, discarded solar panels are stacking up. EP estimates that Americans with solar roofs produce 30 to 60 percent more electronic waste than non-solar households. Thankfully, renewable-energy sources are at last facing some much-needed scrutiny, even within the ranks of green activists. “At a time when iPhones have reduced our need for digital cameras, alarm clocks, GPS systems, and other electronics, solar panels risk increasing overall e-waste production,” Shellenberger says. “The people who could pay the price for this hazard are some of the poorest people in the world.” This is not to even mention the environmental damage done by making solar panels in the first place. A 2013 investigation by the Associated Press found that from 2007 to 2011, the manufacture of solar panels in California “produced 46.5 million pounds of sludge and contaminated water. Roughly 97 percent of it was taken to hazardous waste facilities throughout the state, but more than 1.4 million pounds were transported to nine other states.” That’s no way for a state to keep its carbon footprint small; one renewable-energy analyst quoted by the AP estimated it would take “one to three months of generating electricity [from the solar panels] to pay off the energy invested in driving those hazardous waste emissions out of state.” Six years later, it’s safe to assume the amount of toxic waste is even higher as solar-panel production continues to ramp up. Thankfully, renewable-energy sources are at last facing some much-needed scrutiny, even within the ranks of green activists. A group of prominent scientists recently rebuked a study by Mark Jacobson, a Stanford professor and leading clean-energy (and anti-nuclear) activist, who had claimed that the U.S. could generate energy exclusively from wind, water, and solar energy by the year 2050. The scientists said Jacobson’s study “used invalid modeling tools, contained modeling errors, and made implausible and inadequately supported assumptions.” The group admonished policymakers to “treat with caution any visions of a rapid, reliable, and low-cost transition to entire energy systems that relies almost exclusively on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.” As the Trump administration considers reforming federal energy subsidies, officials should look at how renewable technologies such as solar panels impact the environment once they’ve outlived their usefulness. There is nothing environmentally friendly about creating mountains of hazardous waste in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions.

The best portable solar battery charger

After considering 70 models and testing portable solar battery chargers for over 30 hours, we think the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite is the one to get if you need to power a small device in an emergency or off the grid. It can fully charge most phones at nearly full speed with less than a day's worth of sunlight.

Who should get this

Honestly, a lot of people looking for a portable power solution are going to be better off starting with a USB battery pack ( for example: SUNJACK 20W PORTABLE SOLAR CHARGER ) Our large battery pick will keep a smartphone charged every night for a week and is no bigger than a paperback novel. But if you can't be sure of your power needs, a solar charger could refill a small battery pack in a day or directly charge a smartphone in two to three hours.

The catch is that these chargers work only with USB devices, which limits their appeal for those who need them for long-term, off-grid setups. If that's you, you'll probably be more interested in the larger setups from companies like Goal Zero or Suntactics. In the future, we may review these units, but for now, they're outside the scope of this guide.
We started with a pool of solar battery charger contenders culled from Amazon sales and user reviews, as well as authoritative review sites like OutdoorGearLab. In our survey of more than 400 readers, more than 40 percent said they would want to be able to charge a tablet and 59 percent said they wanted to spend less than $75, so we considered only models that can produce at least 2 amps, and ruled out some more-expensive offerings.

With cloudless, blue Southern California skies and an expected high in the 70s, we set out the panels we chose for testing at roughly a 25-degree angle at 10 a.m. and connected them to a PortaPow V2 Premium USB Power Monitor and an external USB battery. We disqualified any chargers unable to get back to their maximum output on their own once shaded. If you decide to leave your phone and solar charger out all afternoon to absorb some juice while you're off hiking, you'd be pretty disappointed to find your phone charged for only a total of 15 minutes before a cloud passed by. That's a dealbreaker.

Because we had a few models that didn't carry this quirk, we tested them against one another to gauge power production. When they performed similarly, we chose the lighter, more compact of the three competitors as our winner.

If you need power for small devices when you're away from electrical outlets for more than a couple of days, the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite has the best combination of charging speed, size, and price. Used alone, the Anker can fully recharge small tablets or one or two smartphones in one sunny day. If you pair the Anker with one of our favorite USB battery packs, the combination will have enough juice to keep your USB-powered gadgets fully charged every day for as long as needed. And although half of the chargers we tested slowed to a crawl when a cloud passed overhead, the Anker resumed full-speed charging almost immediately after the cloud was gone.

In direct winter sun, our peak measurement was 8.48 watts/1.67 amps, which may seem low compared with the 15 watts/2.1 amps production advertised in the specs. But after an entire day charging our test battery, the average 6 watts/1.17 amps got us 85 percent of the way to the total produced by the much larger and heavier RAVPower charger.

The Anker measures about 18 inches long when fully deployed—about half as long as the 31-inch RAVPower, making it much easier to orient toward the sun. Folded up and ready for travel, it measures 11 by 6.3 inches and weighs just 12.5 ounces. Models any larger don't get you enough performance boost to justify the size, and any smaller won't be able to keep up with modern, power-hungry gadgets. If anything goes wrong, Anker offers solid customer support, an 18-month warranty, and a track record of quality power accessories.

How to Find Brick Masonry Contractor?

When you need brickwork done on your property, it is vital to make sure that it really is done right to guarantee both a beautiful as well as a result this is certainly durable. Masonry technicians in your area will allow you to attain both these goals through their expert design and execution of both decorative and masonry this is certainly useful.

Brickwork adds polish this is certainly instant sophistication to virtually any element of your house, and, whenever done properly, represents a long-lasting addition to your property. You will find various types of locations that brickwork could be included in your home room, and these elements can have either attractive or features being useful. Whatever your masonry requirements are, it is important to make contact with an expert doing any masonry work which you are thinking about. So that you can successfully use stone, particular tools and understanding are required, especially if the item in question is providing an intention this is certainly architectural. To be able to make sure that your brickwork seems beautiful and lasts for years, contact your regional masonry these days that is an expert.

There are certain ways in which you can easily include gorgeous brickwork into your property as a factor this is certainly ornamental. Included in these are brick driveways, patios, and walkways. Many of these do, needless to say, serve a purpose that is useful but building all of them out of brick allows you to emphasize their aesthetic part in your home over their utilitarian role. Brick comes in various different colors and forms, as well as your masonry building expert should be able to make use of you to figure out what type of stone will continue to work best in your property in a role that is attractive. Due to their help, you can enjoy dazzling brickwork that reflects your personal style and showcases your premises to its advantage that is most beneficial for decades in the future.

Your masonry professionals also, of course, have the ability to help you with another masonry this is certainly architectural too. With regards to this type of masonry work, such building a wall that is retaining it's vital to really have a professional brick masonry contractor get the job done. Doing such a task requires very knowledge that is certain ensure safety both during the building procedure and later. Like a building product, brick possesses its own quirks and principles, therefore it is crucial to employ a specialist who is amply trained in every of those so the structure this is certainly ensuing provide its desired purpose and can endure the test of the time. These stone professionals should be able to produce a stone that is structurally sound for your house that will boost its beauty and its own price.

Whatever your brick-related needs could be, your masonry this is certainly local expert be able to assistance with them. Your masonry contractor has the equipment and also the knowledge at their disposal to produce stone this is certainly beautiful for your house that will be both structurally sound and great looking really into the future.

5 Things to Add to Your Small Business Wish List

As a small business owner, you should create a wish list of things you need to strengthen your position and reach your long-term goals. This list of objectives should be formulated with clear guidelines, realistic expectations, and outstanding values. Your business goals should be backed by dependable employees to better ensure that you deliver the greatest value to your customers.

The following goals can help strengthen your customer relations and overall business performance:

1. Find the ideal employees

In many cases, small business owners hire friends and family to manage day-to-day responsibilities. As your business expands, you can use the vast employment resources available to find dedicated employees outside of family and friends. When hiring employees outside your personal circle, make sure they understand your goals, values, and employment guidelines. Allow candidates to sell themselves to you and run all necessary background checks, including contacting previous employers.
2. Make time for yourself

Many small business owners fail to add a proper vacation to their wish list or agenda, and often wind up working over 40 hours per week throughout the year. Even if you are highly motivated to make your business successful, everyone needs a break to rest, recharge and effectively envision their ultimate goals. Thankfully, you don’t have to step away for a long period of time. An extended weekend allows for some much-needed relaxation and contemplation of your business goals. Instruct your employees to contact you for emergencies, but take time to refresh your mind and, if necessary, reassess your objectives.

3. Use social media

Social media enables you to attract new customers and job candidates and keep followers in the loop about your products and services. Additionally, if customers share your business by linking to your web page, they may provide you with valuable feedback, which in turn, enables you to connect with a larger audience over time. As a bonus, positive comments from customers on social media will often generate more business leads, thereby increasing revenue for the products and services they’ve recommended.

4. Implement an efficient credit card management system

Because many customers prefer to use credit cards to make purchases and pay bills, small businesses can and should accept credit card payments for a minimal fee. To minimize the hassle of sending invoices or accepting checks, find a technology provider to implement online credit card payment technology. Remember that although there is a fee involved with credit card processing, the efficiency can help convert each transaction into a potential recurring or long-term customer.

5. Work with other businesses

Many successful small business owners work communally by providing services to one another and collaborating on a small or large scale. These business connections can prove even more valuable when they recommend your products or services to their customers. You can also pool resources with other businesses at networking or marketing events in your local community or by joining your local Chamber of Commerce.

Even if you have no plans to drastically expand your small business, it’s critical for you to make a wish list and pursue it. And whether you operate a standalone business or have a staff of employees, following through on these objectives is important to your long-term success.

5 Online Business Ideas You Can Start Tomorrow

When you dream of opening your own business, you might envision four white walls and a mess of boxes to unpack in a commercial space. However, it doesn't have to be this way. With today's technology, you can start and run a business online, often with little to no cost.
By focusing on your strengths, you'll be able to build a client roster and get your online-based business started. Here are 15 great ideas you can run with

1. SEO consultant

Do you know the ins and outs of search engines and have skills in platforms like Google Analytics? The owners of a lot of smaller companies don't realize how much of an impact search engine optimization (SEO) can have on their business. Educate those business owners on the power of SEO to help transform their websites into a more SEO-friendly property. Use your skills to show business owners how to read and use their analytics data the right way, and how to properly use keywords and structure content to get more traffic.

2. Business coaching

If you possess a great deal of business experience and knowledge, why not create a business that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find success? You can use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand. To show off your knowledge and skills and bring in clients, you can also write articles about business on platforms like LinkedIn.

3. Specialized retailer

There's an audience for everything, whether it's making dollhouse furniture or creating organic dog food. With a specialty e-commerce store, you can reach those customers who are seeking your specific products. All you need is a web-hosting service with an integrated shopping cart feature or with e-commerce software, and your business will be operational in no time. You can even work with vendors to ship products to customers on your behalf, which means you don't need to own a lot of inventory.

4. Social media consultant

Larger companies can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their Facebook and Twitter accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their own social media marketing. With so many responsibilities, business owners are often too busy, overwhelmed or undereducated about the importance of social media to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy. As a consultant, you can help them determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.

5. Web design

There's nothing more off-putting than a poorly designed website, and often, it kills credibility. If you know HTML and have a good eye for design, you can launch a service to create attractive, easy-to-use websites for small businesses. Put your skills to good use for business owners who want to take their online presence to the next level. Build a comprehensive portfolio, and then create your own website to show it off and attract a steady stream of clients.

Is Your Content Marketing Effective?

Effective content marketing consists of connecting with your customers without focusing on excessive direct sales. While hard selling still has a place in various industries, this new marketing strategy delivers ongoing, valuable, and actionable information that ultimately leads to customer loyalty. It may also prove more suitable to your target market and business goals. Consider these crucial steps to ensure your marketing efforts produce maximum results. 

Have you defined your audience?

Every business and market is divided by niche segments. For example, matchmaking websites may offer relationship advice for people based on age or interests. Your content marketing strategy should directly speak to your core audience, targeting their particular needs and wants as opposed to casting a wide net. If your small business provides a diverse line of products and services, you should divide all marketing efforts by profiling each group of customers and their corresponding interests.

Do you have a sound strategy?

While content marketing can produce effective and long-lasting results, you should develop a plan in the event of failure or eventual success. What would your next move consist of should you not generate enough leads? How often and aggressively would you communicate with your prospects? As a general rule, it is good practice to maintain a newsletter with a continued stream of information, allowing you to communicate with prospects long after you reach them. Polls, surveys, and customer feedback should also be taken into account as part of your overall strategy.

Are you measuring results?

Your marketing strategy cannot be sustained without properly measuring results. If you generate a healthy amount of leads through multiple sources, you should measure which of these are the most and the least effective. This enables you to modify efforts accordingly or eliminate a source altogether. What are your customers' browsing habits? What type of content engages them? Certain tools, like Google Analytics, can provide detailed information, such as your audience's click-through rate, bounce rate, and how long they stayed on a particular page. Buffer is a similar service that primarily focuses on social media analysis.

Are you providing real value?

Your ultimate business goal is to generate profits, but this should not be your only focus when trying to build new business relationships. Promoting your products and services in excess is a surefire way to turn off your prospects. Instead, follow the 80/20 rule, where most of your content consists of useful information followed by the occasional product mention. For example, offer a coupon code to those who follow you on social media or via your newsletter campaign.

Are you going above and beyond?

Running a website and a social media account is simply not enough anymore. Powerful content marketing consists of networking with others in your field. Reciprocate by promoting noncompetitive content through your own online channels in exchange for submitting content to your industry contacts to promote on their channels. Become a guest contributor on prominent news sources where your audience tends to visit. Expand your reach beyond standard publishing practices, while measuring your results at the same time.

Can you back up your information?

Providing general information may intrigue your prospects, but backing it up with interesting and irrefutable data can lead to much better results. Include detailed statistics and relevant information that may help your audience gravitate toward your business. If your offer consists of resume services, for example, reveal the percentage of failed job interviews due to poor resume structure and formatting. Your services will naturally become more favorable as a result.

Content marketing is about reaching a target demographic, conducting educated analysis, and establishing long-term relationships. Consider using professional content writing solutions, such as Scripted, to ensure your marketing strategy effectively addresses your customers' needs.