Lost in Color: Garmin 60 CSX

[RednekF350]

Tonight I should be getting my new Garmin 60CXS handheld GPS. Now I can get lost in color!
I ordered the Mapsource topo micro sd card and I will be getting the Bluechart micro sd for the ocean in a few weeks.
I have been getting by with a Magellan 315 non-mapping GPS for about 8 years now and it has served me well but it is time to move up.
I was going to upgrade the GPS in my boat this year to a $1,700 Raytheon unit that I really couldn't afford at this time. (read: kids in college)
I decided I will get more use out of the handheld becuse I can use it in the woods and still use it as a chartplotter offshore with the Bluechart chip.
I will let everyone know how it works shortly.
This weekend will be the first trial.

Scott

 

[Sue Gremlin]

You won't be disappiointed with the 60CSX. It's really versatile. We did find a bug with ours, I don't know if it's been fixed yet, but if you lose a signal while driving through a tunnel or something, it can't find satellites again unless you shut it off and restart it.
Other than that, it's been a VERY good GPS and gets a hearty thumbs up from us. I wish they were around when we got our Street Pilot, while we love it, the 60CSX does everything the Street Pilot does (except talk) and a WHOLE lot more, and for half the price.

Another cool thing is that you can now get a 2GB mini SD card for like 40 bucks, and that will hold a LOT of map data. When we got ours last year, the card was I think $150.

 

[Boyd]

I'm sure you will be happy too! I have the smaller eTrex Legend C with a color screen for hiking.

I also have a StreetPilot 2620 and would have to disagree with you there Sue. Maybe you have an older model? Mine included a 2GB microdrive which I recently replaced with a 2GB solid state CompactFlash card. It gives me road maps for the whole country, topo maps for the East Coast and plenty of room to spare. I think the bigger, brighter touchscreen, voice prompts and remote control make this a better choice for auto use. But the portable units represent a good compromise at an attractive price.

The removable SD cards are a terrific feature of the new portable Garmin units - sure wish my older Legend C had this feature instead of its very limited internal memory. As mentioned above, a 2GB card will give you enough room to load the city and topo maps for just about the whole US.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

We have the Street Pilot 2610, and totally love it. (we have the topo maps and the whole US on it). It's better, sure, for navigating, but as you said, the CSX handheld is a great compromise, and we'd have been just as happy with just that. Okay, I would be just as happy. My compu-geek techie husband? Maybe not.

 

[Boyd]

Okay, I would be just as happy. My compu-geek techie husband? Maybe not.

Heh, sounds like my kinda guy

 

[Teegate]

Just make sure you keep a lanyard on that baby. There are more lost GPS units out there in the pines from PBX members that I can count

4 of them to be exact Then again maybe more.

Guy

 

[this_is_nascar]

You'll love it. I have the GPSMAP60CS, which is the predecessor to you're model. I use mine for everything from GeoCashing, to wheelin', to taking it with me while traveling on business. You're at an advantage with having the SD cards. I'm stuck with a max of 56k worth of maps being loaded at once. I use MapSource City Select/Navigator and Topo.

 

[RednekF350]

I just ran it around the woods down here for an hour storing some points and playing with the various pages.
It appears to very intuitive which I like.
I have never been one to read all the way through the directions for something but I am going to sit down and thoroughly read the manual tonight.
I just downloaded the CD for the waypoint manager.
Thanks for the responses.
Scott

 

[this_is_nascar]

On of the best features that I use is the track-logging feature. This is especially useful when I wheel for a couple of reasons. First off, if I were to really get lost, I can tell the device to back-track and take me out the way I came in. Secondly, it allows me to see the trails, paths, roads that I've already traveled, so I don't have to worry about getting on a trail that I've already been on that day.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Heh, sounds like my kinda guy

Hands off, you hussy, he's mine!


Sorry. Couldn't resist.

 

[Boyd]

Uh... that's OK, he's all yours, I don't play for that team

 

[RednekF350]

First question. I did read the manual too.
I put in the micro sd Mapsource topo chip and it works great.
I followed the directions to flip back to the map that was preloaded in the unit(basic street maps) and I don't see it listed in the menu.
Was the basic map on the sd card that I removed in order to insert the Topo chip?
Scott

 

[Boyd]

Since I don't have one I can't say for sure, but I'll bet that's what happened. Typically there is a "basemap" permanently installed on the GPS. This is a really crude map that only has very major roads like the NJ Turnpike, Rt 295, Rt 70, etc. So with the topo map card installed you can probably turn them off and see the basemap, but not the other mapset which was resident of the included SD card.

However if you get a big card you should be able to install everything (although you would need MapSource and the original CD's or DVD's to do that I think).

 

[RednekF350]

Thanks Boyd.
I think you are right, the base map is probably on the stock chip that I removed.
I tried the unit in my truck today on the way to work and with the Mapsource Topo chip, it shows all the major roads and local side streets . County roads are labelled by name too.
I am not going to use it for roadway navigation, more for the woods so the level of detail is good enough.
The road detail in the state woods that I have been panning around looks pretty good so far too.
Now I have to save for the Bluechart chip.
Scott