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: FANTASTIC Device, But Be Prepared to Buy Map Chip
Summary: 5 Stars
Shortly after I bought this (before it arrived) I began to suffer buyer's remorse; I started thinking this was just an expensive toy and a waste of money. But after receiving it [and the North American detailed street maps chip (another $160)] I don't regret a single penny spent.
It's great for mapping (showing a route, down to the foot, you've taken) so you can backtrack and not get lost while hiking. And, with the North American street maps microSD Data card, I travel to new destinations stress-free now. With the detailed street map chip, it gives driving directions as well as any automotive gps with the exception that the 60CSx doesn't give voiced instructions and, of course, the screen is smaller. And it'll show all the restaurants (or gas stations, atms, etc) near my location and sorts them according to distance. This comes in handy when you're in an unfamiliar area and need a Starbucks STAT. I know, this is starting to be a review of the Maps microSD Data chip/card, but I think anyone buying this unit should definitely invest in the extra chip, too. Doing so makes the unit many times more useful.
Regarding battery usage, it has accomodations for both alkaline and lithium batteries (supposedly lithium batteries have more energy than alkalines and can cause problems with some electronic devices). And I find that the 20 hour battery life is accurate as long as you don't use the backlight too much. When I first got this, I was playing with it all the time, using the back light and got about 10 hours on Duracell Ultra alkaline batteries.
It also has other cool features like the ability to tell you the exact location (current or any time in the future) of the sun or moon. How cool would it be to know where the shade will be when you get out of that Phoenix movie theatre and have your car already parked there, in a spot that was blazing hot two hours earlier? Knowing the exact time the sun will set or rise can come in handy, too.
When I first got it, I didn't care for the economy of buttons on the device. But after using it almost daily for two weeks now I appreciate that I can effectively operate the unit with one hand because of the smart design/layout of the buttons.
I'd also invest twenty bucks in a protective case. The case is nicely designed with very good functionality allowing you to clearly see the screen and operate the buttons through a thick, tough, transparent barrier.
Customer Review: Expect to pay more $$$ for any mapping
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased a garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. I like a fool for purchasing this unit. I am returning it.
Don't get me wrong. The display is wonderful. The unit is small, light and easy to carry. The display is easy to read even in daylight. The unit even comes with a "bonus cable enclosed," according to garmin. But wouldn't you expect them to enclose the cable? Isn't the whole purpose of spending the additional $$$ for this unit to receive the ability to connect it to your computer and download the maps you want to use on your hiking trip (or whatever)? They had better include a cable, right?
And, what about the maps? The base map that is preloaded on this unit is useless. Do not purchase this unit if you expect any mapping functionality from the base map. To get any half-decent mapping functionality from this unit, you will have to shell out another several hundred dollars to garmin and only to garmin. As far as garmin knows, no other maps will work on their units. By the way, garmin's maps don't rate that well by customers either.
I feel cheated by garmin, because all of their marketing, including the box cover, shows only the additional maps. Sure, they cover their butts by including small print that reminds us all that the wonderful pictures of the amazing display are, of course, "Shown with optional MapSource data." However, the optional data could be the font for all one knows. There is nothing that details or even mentions the exceptionally poor quality of their base map.
Do not purchase this unit unless you are willing to shell out another several hundred dollars to garmin for maps. The cost of the unit is only half of what it could cost you to put maps on this thing. I had wanted mine to use for hiking, sailing and perhaps even driving. The maps alone would have cost me over $600.
Unless you are willing to shell out several hundred dollars more for maps, do yourself a favor and purchase a less expensive model and pick up some topo maps. The lesser expensive models will still give you grid coordinates like this one will. You can use the extra cash to buy a new tent, a new stove and probably some climbing gear.
On a more personal note: I would also ask that you don't purchase garmin products because we shouldn't support companies that do business this way. The maps should be available for people who purchase their products. They shouldn't be screwing over their customers like this.
Customer Review: Lot's of bells and whistles, but Magellan's Explorist series tracks better...
Summary: 3 Stars
About 9 months ago, I discovered the sport of Geocaching. I started out with a Magellan Explorist 200, and was amazed at how well a small device could track your position and find remote locations.
Soon I was ready to move up to a more sophisticated GPSr with connectivity to my computer to load the waypoints, etc. A fellow geocacher recommended the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx as one of the best available - so I ordered one in April 2006.
From the start I was not impressed with the tracking stability. As "Coaster" mentions in his review, the display "walks" while you are standing still. Sure, most GPSr's will do this to some extent, but the 60CSx goes nuts. I upgraded my firmware a couple times, the last time as recently as Dec 2006 - with no improvement. It does work, but you will get a bit more exercise finding a cache when you are chasing around and around trying to zero in on your target.
On the good side, Garmin's customer service is the best around. Whereas Magellan's customer service could use a lot of improvement. The mapping software from Garmin is top notch and some of the best. The battery life in the 60CSx is also top notch! I can cache for a couple days on the battery life from one set of alkaline AA batteries! The 60CSx also has just about everything that you could ever want in a portable GPSr! It even has games!
So, why didn't I keep mine? Simple: the basic functionality. I need a handheld GPSr to find caches, and I occasionally it use to find an address. I tried my 60CSx and a Magellan Explorist 500 side by side caching. I tried it in the open and under a thick, dense canopy of trees. Both picked up a good signal under these conditions and led me to within 30 feet of the target cache, but the 60CSx started dancing me around the cache - while the Explorist 500 pointed me straight at the cache and was accurate within 4 feet!! The Explorist was consistent and didn't "walk" very much- and was much more stable. The result was spending a lot less time shrub hunting and more time finding caches.
Garmin can brag about the sensitivity of the 60CSx, but Magellan has had the same or better sensitivity for several years. Garmin just has a much better marketing department - another lesson that Magellan could learn.
So before you buy, do the same test that I did. Borrow a 60CSx and an Explorist model 400, 500, or 600 and see for yourself.
Customer Review: Git-R-Done with the 60csx !
Summary: 5 Stars
If all you are doing is navigating to a campsite or back to your car in fairly open country the Etrex units will do just fine at a much lower price. Plus the 60csx is bigger and heavier than an Etrex. However if you ever need a gps in steep or heavily wooded country the 60csx is amazing. Being a GIS (geographic information systems) professional the thing that gets me excited about the 60csx is that it starts to bridge the gap between recreational grade and mapping grade gps units without having to bother with differential correction or the significant added expense of a unit that will allow you to do that (not to mention being three or four times as big and heavy). As WAAS satellites are added units like the 60csx will continue to move closer to the accuracy of the differentially correctable units.
I have used it quite a bit to map trails and except for a little clean up at the ends of the lines the gps files hardly need any editing and what little editing that may be necessary can be done with the included MapSource software. This unit is a great tool used in conjunction with say Google Earth or Google Maps. GPS data can be saved as gpx files and there is a menu item that will open your GPS file in Google Earth. (I imagine all the Garmin units will do this now with this included MapSource software but the 60csx produces much higher quality results)
I have used the unit on the handle bars of a mountain bike in the woods and it will keep a good satellite fix the whole time. I have also tested the 60csx side by side with a several thousand dollar industry standard 2006 Trimble GeoXT and an Etrex Legend in steep heavily wooded terrain, inventorying potential land slide areas. In the most challenging scenarios there, even with the PDOP set the to the max, the GeoXT typically would not be able to get a fix at all, the Legend would be at plus or minus 80 feet after taking several minutes to get a fix and the 60csx would quickly lock in at about plus or minus 20 feet.
The other astounding bit of technology as other reviewers have mentioned is being able to load all the roads in the US and Canada on a 1 Gigabyte Micro SD card the size of a finger nail for under a hundred dollars.
If only Garmin would make a unit like this that you could add more attribute information to the GPS data without having to have it hooked up to a laptop or tablet PC and specialized software.
Customer Review: Nice Unit, but a lot of baggage....
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought my 60csx a little over a month ago.. The unit works nicely, but people need to realize you barely get anything with just the unit(USB Cable, basic manual, cheap wriststrap, cheap belt clip, and the unit itself). I bought the Mapsource US Topo at the same time I purchased my 60csx. I want to say I couldnt even make out roads with the included software, but I installed topo pretty quickly.
Once I installed Topo, I was able to make out roads, but there was NO Navigation capabilities... I could tell it a waypoint, but its idea of navigating me to said waypoint was as the crow flies. I confirmed this with Garmin. They stated I needed to purchase City Navigator NT in order to get any form of navigation.
I originally intended this unit for backpacking via trails and backcountry. After calibrating the compass(by turning circles twice), it works pretty well navigation. The mapsource topo software really does not show trails. Maybe the Natl Forest software shows trails.
I will enjoy using the garmin for mapping trails and seeing elevation changes in the area while we are hiking. With Topo it is nice to see rough elevation changes in the area when we are backcountry, and there is no trails. This way we can make guesstimations on how to cross areas, etc...I believe the accuracy is within 100ft, so it's not perfect. hehe Side Note: This software does not allow you to see elevation profiles as you are traveling. e.g.- I cant see what elevations we have traveled until I get to a PC and download the track, or am at a pc and planning a route. I am under the assumption you get this ability with the 24k natl forest topo software...
I am pleased with the unit, but not so pleased with how Garmin nickel and dimes you.. I had expected some of this, hence purchasing topo at the onset, but I figured I would get a little more bang for my buck.. That being said, I did a decent amount of research, and everyone seems to recommend the 60csx. If I had it to do over again, I would still purchase the 60csx, I just would lower my expectations a lot more.. hehe
PS - The wriststrap and belt clip that come with the 60csx appear to be rather cheap... I am not sure how long they will last, and dont really put a lot of faith in their strength. Also, I will be going to the local office supply store to see if I can purchase some screen protectors.