Garmin GMAP 60CSx Handheld
Posted by Notcot on Apr 15, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
- High-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by Si
- Built-in quad-helix receiving antenna with remot
- Display: 38.1mm x 56mm 256-colour transflective
- Sensors: Electronic compass displays accurate he
- LED backlit display and keypad
The 60CSx is our 3rd Garmin Handhelp GPS. We started with the cheap eTrex yellow, which was good, but suffered from dropped reception under tree cover, progressed to a 60Cx (same as the CSx, apart from the electronic compass and baromoeter), and have now added the 60CSx to our arsenal!
Both the GPS60Cx and CSx are very accurate GPS’. We maily use them for Geocaching and walking and we have never been let down by either, normally 100% reception even in the woods with accuracy maintained at 20ft or less most of the time.
The built in mapping is as you would expect, towns and major roads only just marked, but we have also purchased the UK Topo Maps v2 which easily fit on a 2Gb card.
Combine these two products and the whole experience is very good. The maps have some limitations (they are not as complete as the OS maps they are derived from), but they are good enough to make a real difference. They are also fully routable, so you can use this in your car as a traditional sat-nav if you want, but it won’t talk to you.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought one of these units in Canada at the start of 2006 when they first came out. I’ve used it extensively in the last year as I work as an geologist and have logged over 10,000 km of tracks in N America plus Europe but mostly in Mongolia where I consider my GPS to be ‘mission critical’. I’ve been using GPS units since 1993 and have gone through Garmin 12XL, 12CX, 48, etrex, 176c, 176, and 76 units.
The functionality, ability to customise the screens, the usually good (see below) lock onto satellites, the accuracy, the ability to record a 10,000 point tracklog at 100m resolution, and the ability to log the track to the SD card as you go along are winning points. The last point is the reason I bought this unit – if the unit breaks 6 days into a 7 day trip I can still recover all my tracklog from the SD card.
But I’ve had 2 apparent software issues with this unit. Originally the unit would randomly turn off if kept on the altitude screen – this was fixed after a software update downloaded from Garmin’s website. I now reguarly check their website for software and firmware updates (make sure you install both). However, now the unit sometimes has a problem where it cannot hold a lock on to satellites at speed and has to re-acquire the fix every second. This means when driving you loose your speed and direction information, get a break in the tracklog on the GPS screen and when you download the track to a computer you have to join up 100’s of individual track sections from the active log, all recorded at a few second intervals apart (thankfully this is easy to do with the latest version of Garmin’s Mapsource software).
The unit gets 3 stars. It would have got 5 except for the unit’s software issues, Garmin’s international support (Garmin only accepts units for repair in the region that they were originally purchased in) and the high cost.
Rating: 3 / 5
I have been using this device with the GB Topo map installed on a 2gb SD card. I am very much an amateur walker and find one of the most aggravating features of off-road walking is trying to interpret the walking guides and/or map I am using – if I get off my chosen route it usually takes a long time for me to realise and a lot of toing and froing to get back. I could get better of course, but when I am walking I want to walk and enjoy the scenery! I hoped that a GPS device would provide the answer and I have not been disappointed. The tracking is good enough for me to know within 100 yards (and often much less) that I have taken a wrong turn and the compass feature tells me exactly the direction I should be heading. I can quickly retrace my steps, or decide to continue on because I can see where I will meet the path again – the topographical information is good enough to do that. The different screens provide an abundance of information on how fast I am going, how high I am, how soon I will reach my next point on the route, and even the expected time of arrival at the end of my route.
Planning routes is easy. I still use my old walking books to find a route. Using the PC I can plot this route either on the Topo map software or the Fugawi Ordnance Survey maps (which are compatible)then upload it to the GPS device, which takes only a second. Although I still take the walking book and map with me I find I am using the Garmin almost exclusively to guide me and have become far more intrepid for having the assurance that I am still on track!
The battery life of the device has been a very pleasant surprise. I have been using rechargeable AA batteries and found that one set will last for several lengthy walks without any need to conserve the batteries during the walk (4 days of 4-5 hour continuous use and the battery indicator was still at 50%).
All in all I have found that this device has delivered up to and beyond my expectations. I am striding out confidently and enjoying the scenery rather than fumbling about with books and maps and worrying whether I have gone the wrong way. I wouldn’t be without it.
Rating: 5 / 5
This item when combined with Memory Maps is stunning.
I use one for mountain biking. I can upload a route or track to it (10mins) – do the ride – and then download the data to my pc to analyze the ride.
Since I bought it I have been riding in the peaks twice a week. Rides used to take twice as long because I had to stop every 400m to check that I was going in the right direction. Now I just ride.
I don’t bother with the Garmin Topo maps as they are expensive and woefully incomplete. For basic road layout there are plenty of free Garmin maps on the web. These don’t have auto – routing but there is a program called metrowhizz which allows the auto-routing function to work with them.
For off road another useful site is the Scottish Mountaineering Club – some nice chap has done a contour overlay of most of the country.
Could it be improved? Yes. HRM function? Phone? MP3 player? Can probably all be added but no doubt these will be for future (more expensive again) models.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have had my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx for nearly a year now, and I am very pleased with it. I has a very sensitive receiver and will work under trees. The unit is very well built and easy to use, the accuracy of the altimeter and its position fixing is amazing.
But what lets it down is the Map softwear, as you can only use the GARMIN Topo maps which are a little disappointing. When I bought it, I thought I would be able to use it with Memory Map and download O.S maps to the unit, not so.
Without a map its a bit useless so you have no choice but to get a Topo map for it. If you only want to use it in one part of the UK then you can do what I did and buy the Topo map from Ordnance Survey, already installed on a memory card for £70.
The unit is best used in conjunction with Memory Map on your home computer, which it easily links to with a USB cable. Don’t think that you can just grab this unit and dive out the door with it and think that its going to solve all your navigational problems, there is not enough detail on the Topo maps for that.
The system that I use is to plan a route on my home computer using Memory Map and then upload it to the GPS. It is MOST important to name the waypoints with something that you can recognise on a Ordnance Survey Explorer Map, that you should be using in conjunction with this GPS. Having a numbered Waypoint on the screen when you are lost is worse than useless if you don’t know what it means or were it is. I learnt that the hard way!
I use my GPSMAP 60CSx for cycling and moor walking. I just clip it onto my backpack shoulder strap and forget about it until I need it. I use rechargeable batteries which last for at least a day, I have never had the batteries go flat on me yet. When I get home I download the track into Memory Map, which will show me exactly were I have been and will enable me to analyse the route profile.
All in all its an excellent piece of kit, I would certainly recommend it. But Garmin need to get their act together regarding their mapping softwear. A nice solution would be the ability to upload O. S. maps from Memory Map.
Rating: 4 / 5