Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Great Advanced-Featured GPS for Historical & Genealogical Research
Summary: 5 Stars
Great Advanced-Featured GPS for Historical & Genealogical Research
One of the strengths of GPS technology is the myriad uses of a hand held GPS device, ranging from hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, camping, and a host of other outdoor applications. Many hunters and fishermen also enjoy the many features of a good GPS device. I have even used my device to report nesting pairs of eagles and pollution sites.
While I also use my device for these other activities, I also use my GPS frequently in my historical and genealogical research. Selected examples include reporting the precise location of a gravestone of interest in a very large cemetery; accurately reporting locations of gravestones or small family cemeteries that are located well off the road and in some cases completed overgrown with thick brush and coverage; using waypoint features to pin the boundaries of very early deeds or historic locations; doing field surveys of historic or family sites; translating historic locations back and forth between maps, aerial photographs, and actual boots-on-the-ground field surveys, and many similar applications. In one of my own applications, I have accurately reported the sites of over 79 grist mill locations dating from the late 1700s, and well as a number of very remote Civil War entrenchments. Many of these sites are now only accessible by kayak, canoe, or hiking in, and GPS makes finding theses sites a snap.
While the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx is a bit pricey, this is a top-of-the-line device that will truly impress even the most experienced GPS users. I have been a frequent GPS user since 1998, and this is my forth device.
* The most dramatic improvement over previous models is the sharply increased sensitivity. This provides for a much quicker lock on more satellites, and the ability to hold the lock much longer when moving in and out of heavy tree cover or in deep canyons. My unit is so sensitive, I can even get a lock inside my house if I am reasonably close to a window.
* I like the large, bright, easily read color screen display. This unit is easily read even in bright, direct sunlight.
* I also like the durable, compact, waterproof design; the easily understood menus and controls; and the excellent battery life. And, it just feels "right" in my hand...
* A major selling feature for me was 64mb of memory to hold plenty of waypoints, routes, tracks and such, as well as the ability to download a truly huge number of USGS topo maps or other mapping software. I immediately loaded about 5 entire states, and have plenty of space for many more.
* The unit comes with a handy lanyard and belt clip pouch, but I also bought a windshield mounting device, and as well as a mount for the handlebars on my mountain bike.
If you are an experienced GPS user needing advanced features and an incredible amount of storage for topo maps, this is a great GPS for not only your routine recreational use, but also for the historical and genealogical applications I outlined above.
This is my GPS of choice -- I never leave on field research trips without it.
CHT in Virginia
Customer Review: Great GPS: Ignore the petty complaints
Summary: 5 Stars
Lots of people are expecting this GPS to be the perfect GPS. I really like it so far and I don't have any complaints. Most of the complaints you'll see are people comparing the features of this GPS to the 60CS. The issues most people are complaining about are really minor.
Icons: Ok the new icons are more cartoon like. None of them are hard to tell what the function is which is the point of an icon. It's an artistic style choice some people will like it and some will not.
No alarm: I have about 10 devices with an alarm clock on them I don't see where not including this feature is such a big deal.
No barometric trends while off: Garmin has stated this is a limitation of the new hardware. Useful if you're in the back country and can't get a weather radio broadcast. Otherwise a mostly unused feature.
Expectation of indoor reception: I can personally get reception in my house. This is not going to hold true for everyone. It's still a GPS and needs a somewhat unobstructed view of the sky. The new receiver is a HUGE improvement over the old one though and gets a lock much faster and holds it better in terrain that is tough for a GPS to work in.
Over-Expectation of accuracy: People keep forgetting that this is still a consumer GPS and is limited as to the accuracy it can get. Just because the GPS says it's got 3' accuracy doesn't mean it's correct. The 60CS and the 60CSx calculate their accuracy differently.Since the 60CS claims it is more accurate people fully trust the number the GPS is reporting and claim the 60CSx is less accurate. This isn't the case however in real world tests in clear skys both units have similar accuracy. However in challenging reception situations the 60CSx get better signal and is then "more accurate".
GPS "Walking": The 60CSx tends to walk around when stopped for a while causing the stopped time and distance traveled to be inaccurate. Garmin is aware of the problem and has stated it will be fixed with a firmware release.
Mini SD Card issues: This is the first offering by Garmin with a removable memory card. There are a few limitations however compared to other brands. First the cards are ONLY used to store maps. No waypoints, tracks, routes, etc. are stored on the cards. It would be nice to have these features but it doesn't seem that this is something that will (or can??) be changed with a firmware update. People also complain that there is no way to view information about the memory card (Space left, file listing, etc.) since there is no way to add data without having the GPS hooked into MapSource this is a non-issue. You can't write to it so why does it matter how much space is left? Oh and if you haven't seen a Mini SD card in person, wow they are really tiny about the size of a fingernail. People without good dexterity might have issues changing the card.
This is a really great GPS. If you have a 60CS already you need to carefully weigh your decision to upgrade since this unit will really only add increased reception(not accuracy) and the removable memory card. If you're upgrading from something other than a 60CS you'll love it, I sure do.
Customer Review: GPS 60 CSx - the all-rounder grows up
Summary: 5 Stars
Key features:
Portability
Ruggedness
Universal application
More memory!
Battery life!
Drawbacks: (I'm being nitpicky, here)
Belt clip is delicate
Transfer of maps takes a long time
Cost of MapSource PC software (no Mac edition available!)
... no screen protector foils available
I have had a 60CS for three years, and appreciated the flexibility and many-sidedness of the device. My primary concern had always been the limited memory, and the need to always load new maps whenever I traveled further than a few hundred kilometers. The CSx has solved that, with its micro-SD card (I immediately installed a 2GB module, enough for all of Europe! The transfer, using MapSource, took about five hours, though...).
I also have the feeling that the CSx ups the CS in terms of reception and sensitivity. The graphic interface (particularly the menus) have changed, and not necessarily for the better, in my humble opinion. Nonetheless, I don't spend much time looking at them, so it's not critical.
The device is ideal for people on the go with different means of transportation - the 60 CSx can be comfortably carried in the hand or on a belt (the clip is kindof chintzy, though, and I've had to repair mine a few times - an after-market case is recommended), mounted on a bicycle, motorcycle or in a car. With geo-survey or terrain maps (which I haven't used yet), the device is great for hikers, too. It truly is waterproof, and rugged (I dropped my CS a couple of times, with no damage beyond a scuff mark!)
The CSx tops the CS not only in reception and memory, but in battery life as well. I opted for Eveready Lithium cells ($10/4 pack - but worth it!), and have used the device for ... something like 36 or 40 hours (with the electronic compass on!) and the indicator is still showing 4 bars out of four!)
The MapSource software (which you'll need if you want any more than the biggest roads and cities, which are available on the pre-installed region map) is good and easy to use. My biggest gripe - it's awfully expensive. That being said, you can use the one software with various maps and several devices at once, improving the price/performance ratio. Oh, and the fact that the MapSource (or any other mapping software for that matter!) isn't available for Macintosh... :^(
The CSx doesn't compare 1-to-1 with a typical navigation system like TomTom, or Garmin's own Nüvi, but it performs perfectly good street routing, corrects the course automatically (although sometimes it's not so good at choosing the BEST route all the time, but the routes it chooses are perfectly good, and the difference to the BEST one is often just a matter of minutes), and gives relatively good directions. At complex intersections, you sometimes need to go slowly, but I think this is the case with most navigation systems. The CSx does have significant advantages over a Nüvi or a TomTom, though, and they are particularly its portability, robustness and flexibility (you can set your routing for pedestrian, bicycle, car/motorcycle, or truck, for example).
I love it.
Customer Review: A very fine piece of equipment!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx in June 2006 from Amazon, because they had the best price available ($100 less than any place else I could find). I also purchased and installed Garmin MapSource USA Topo software on my 60CSx. I recently returned from a 10 day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is in northern Minnesota adjacent to the US-Canada border. I paddled and portaged over 100 miles, and used my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx throughout the trip. It performed flawlessly! Some particulars:
- I used the tracking feature to keep an exact record of where I went. I set the sampling frequency to "least often" so as to not fill up the unit's internal memory with track data. This unit begins overwriting the existing track data once memory is full, so I wanted to avoid this. Despite sample frequency being set to "least often" the unit still kept an incredibly detailed record of my track. What's more, at the end of the trip I had only used 45% on the unit's internal memory!
- I purchased a 1GB microSD card for my unit, so that I could load as many topo maps as possible. Interestingly, I found that Garmin's MapSource Topo software limits the number of maps you can load onto the unit's removable memory. As a result, I was up against the map limit number long before I was up against the 1 GB limit. I understand that Garmin may be working on a fix to correct this limitation. I'm sure this was no problem for Garmin until the recent arrival of 1 GB cards.
- My GPSmap 60CSx was water resistant as advertised. Mine got wet regularly as we paddled, and on a few days when it rained. I kept right on using it, with no ill effects at all.
- Advertised battery life is 20 hours on 2 AA batteries. I purchase a set of 8 Energizer 2500mA NiMH rechargable batteries for less than $10 at Wal Mart. I ensured that all 8 were fully charged before I left, so I had 2 fresh batteries in the unit and 6 spares. I returned home with one set of spare batteries completely unused! I found that a set of batteries lasted 3-4 days on the water, using the unit 8-10 hours each day. I guess Garmin's 20 hour battery life estimate assumes standard AA batteries. (Note: If you use rechargable NiMH batteries - and you should - be sure to go into the settings menu of your unit and set it for NiMH, because the factory default is Alkaline.)
- I recommend you purchase a Garmin carrying case to protect the screen from scratches while using it in a wilderness area.
- I found the SIRF chip in this unit to be very sensitive. It readily tracked several satellites - even under dense forest cover. When we were portaging I put my 60CSx inside a zipped up daypack, and it still maintained a solid track. Very impressive!
In summary, I found this unit to live up to all of Garmin's advertised capabilities, and in some cases (i.e., battery life) even exceed their advertised performance. I am very pleased with this purchase, and I highly recommend the 60CSx for hiking, camping, biking, canoeing, or boating.
Customer Review: Excellent all-purpose GPSr
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought a Garmin 60CSx GPS receiver as a replacement for a Garmin eTrex Legend for the purpose of geocaching. My eTrex Legend has served me well (and continues to do so) but I wanted a GPSr with more functionality, better operation under heavy cover and expanded map coverage for hiking and road navigation. Researching GPSrs led me to this unit, and I have been very pleased with it. There are a couple of minor negatives that I have found, but these can probably be overlooked.
I am very pleased with the appearance of the screen when the unit is powered on. The display is bright and colorful, and easy to read in the light. This is true of the daytime display. The night display is not as pleasant, with a hard-to-see color scheme. Backlighting the night scheme makes it a lot easier to read but it is still less than ideal.
The unit's software is very intuitive, a menu- and icon-driven interface giving access to all of the features. I have found little need for the user manual since I fist started working with this device, as everything is clear and easy to find. Buttons on the unit make it easy to find the menus and to navigate without too much hassle.
The base map is nothing special but it is adequate for basic navigation. We have used it to follow our path down the interstate. It shows the major roads and also any waypoints that are close by.
The best feature of this unit, in my opinion, is its ability to navigate under heavy canopy. With my eTrex Legend there were times when my unit would simply not be able to get a lock. The 60CSx has yet to lose signal, even inside my living room. The accuracy does drop when there is sufficient cover but the important thing is that it doesn't drop completely.
One thing troubles me a bit about the 60CSx. The accuracy rarely gets any better than 10-12 feet, whereas my eTrex Legend - a unit costing a third as much - routinely can get down to 6 feet. I do not understand why this is the case. I would choose ability to hold a signal over pinpoint accuracy every time, but why can't I have both?
The 60CSx has a Micro-SD card inside and the unit will take a card up to 2GB inside. That's enough room for a whole US street map. This is a nice thing to have available, as it means not having to decide what section of map to load. Load the whole map and be on your way.
The waypoint management functions are acceptable for my needs, which up to this point has meant managing geocaching waypoints. I like being able to mark a point as "found" and then being asked if I want to go to the next closest point. I have noticed, though, that if I am navigating to a point and leave the navigation menus, the point is marked as found anyway. It would be nice to have the ability to specify "not found" without having to go through the menus to locate the point again, just to change the status.
The Garmin 60CSx is a very nice handheld GPS that will serve you well. It is not perfect, but for general use it is plenty close enough.