UKGeoCyclist

I was out caching the other day with a friend who uses the GPS 60 (B&W non mapping) and in every case my Legend Cx got a lock quicker, maintained its lock better (even under trees) and was giving a more accurate position. This only relates to the GPS 60 model, I don't know how the others compare, and I believe that the GPSMap 60Cx and 60CSx get a far better signal due to the new Sirf chips. Just remember that if you get an etrex to hold it horizontal and if you get the GPS Map 60 series to hold them nearer vertical as this is how the patch (etrex) and quad helix (GPS Map 60) antennae work best. Adrian

The UK Topo software is brilliant, it auto routes on the roads, and for the first time, the position of UK rivers is accurate. It also has quite a few (but not all) paths and bridleways on, though the coverage is patchy. If your friend does opt for this software though, they will be best off getting one of the x series Garmins with the removable memory card. I use this on a Legend Cx, but as you will be using it in a car, the 60Cx or CSx will be better suited. The etrex series only get the best signal when they are held horizontal (Ideal on a bike, but not so good in a car as you wouldn't be able to see the screen). The GPS Map 60Cx and CSX on the other hand are meant to be held upright, so are better suited if you intend to use them for auto-routing in the car. The UK Topo maps are expensive, but well worth it IMHO, and if you buy online, can be had for about £135 UK Topo on www.wiggle.co.uk Hope this helps. Adrian

I use my GPS on my Bicycle, and it is always within 0.5kmh of my bike speedo, which is very accurate. Bicycle speedos are calibrated by measuring the distance travelled in 1 wheel revolution, and I re-calibrate mine each time I change tyres. AK

I don't think I've missed this in this thread, but apologise if I have. Where can I download the geocaching icons that everyone is using for the different cache types in memory map? Thanks, Adrian

My legend Cx often quotes 2m accuracy, but has gone as low as 1m using the EGNOS system. I'm taking the figures with a pinch of salt though, as the Legend Cx can lose all but 2-3 satellites, and still be claiming 2m accuracy for a couple of minutes before it finally admits that its lost satellite lock, which isn't so good. AK

I've got both, and am currently using both side by side as much as I can. The Legend Cx seems to get a signal lock quicker than the the Legend, and does seem to hold it better under cover. However, I've not had chance to fully test them side by side under thick tree cover, as the leaves have only just come out in the UK. One thing that I have noticed about the Legend Cx is that it can lose virtually all sats, but will still claim an accuracy of 3-5m for quite a while before it eventually admits to having lost the signal, whereas the Legend very quickly admits that the signal is degrading or has been lost. This is a little worrying, but hasn't caused me any issues yet. Overall the acquisition speed and ability to keep a lock is MUCH improved over the original Legend, I can even get a lock indoors in my mothers timber framed building, which the original Legend cannot do. Hope this helps. Adrian

I've been with Pipex for the last 3 years with minimum fuss so would recommend. Like Nildram, not the cheapest available, but very reliable IMHO. See here for a comparison of the various providers. ADSL Guide Adrian

As far as I know you can't get mapsource to display both the roads and rec maps and contours at the same time. You need to use the drop down box to select which map set you are viewing. However, you can load both sets to the GPS, and on the GPS you will see both sets at the same time, as the contours are a transparent overlay, so the roads and contours are displayed simultaneously. Just use the select tool in Mapsource to select the road maps you want, then change the drop down box to "contours" and carry on selectine contours to cover the same area. Hope this helps, Adrian

Here's a second recommendation for the RAM mounts. Explorist RAM Mount I'd also second the recommendation about looping/tying the lanyard to the handlebars. Adrian

How far have you zoomed in on the GPS. You need to be at the 120m scale to see the full contour set. Above that, only a few contours are shown. Regards, Adrian

Congrats on your 1300th Well done, and keep up the good work, Adrian

Well done on reaching 1000 caches Jon So you'll be retiring now then (NOT ) Keep up the good work and thanks for a great cache bash. Adrian

I'm paperless from a caching standpoint, having all my caching info on my Axim X5, but I ALWAYS have a proper OS map on me. I would never venture out to an unknown area with just a GPS, thats asking for trouble Adrian

The Legend Cx is more sensitive than the original Legend, but will be beaten hands down by the 60CSx under tree cover. I use a Legend Cx for mountain biking due to its smaller size. The trees are only just coming into leaf over here in the UK, so I haven't really tested it properly under tree cover yet. I would have gone for the 60Cx personally, as it has better battery life, and less things to go wrong, but finances would not permit it [] If the extra cost isn't prohibitive, go for the 60Cx or CSx. I'm happy with the Legend Cx for now.........

Another vote for either www.gpsw.com or www.globalpositioningsystems.com. Excellent service from both, though I normally go to GPSW as their shop isn't too far away from where I live should I have an issue. Adrian

My bike is a travel bug. I don't log it in and out of every cache, but log it into events, and give the number to any geocahers that I meet whilst out and about caching. Adrian

My first CITO event, and what a great event it was. Thanks for organising it CSC, will definitely be back to the wood for the commemorative cache. I couldn't believe that we shifted 2 whole skip loads of rubbish, it definitely looked much better after our efforts. Adrian

My unit was claiming accuracy of +/- 1m (3ft 3ins) yesterday (I'll take that with a pinch of salt I think). This morning, full lock still there, but accuracy of +/- 3m. Maybe the "test flag" has been turned off. Anyway, I'm glad as better accuracy is always good. Adrian []

Route to work isn't complicated, but its a new unit that I've only had for a few days, and I'm still in the "must play with new toy" mode Currently having fun using my Metroguide maps to autoroute, and disagreeing with the suggested shortest routes for a bicycle Sad, I know Adrian

Cycling to work this morning, I noticed that I was getting a full lock on sat 33 on my Etrex Legend Cx. I have previously been getting the "D" symbols, but with a hollow signal bar for Sat 33, but this morning the signal bar was solid. This is a first for me, am i just behind the times, or is a full lock a regular occurrence for people? Adrian

You need to set the unit to prompt you to "Follow Road" or go "Off Road" Press: Menu > Menu > Setup > Routing Change to drop down boxes for "Guidance Method" and "Follow Road Method" to read "Prompted". Then when you navigate, the unit will pop up a question asking you whether you want to follow road or go off road. This is for a Legend Cx, but looking at the 60C manual, the key sequence looks the same. Hope this helps. Adrian

Encountered my first problem with the Legend Cx this morning. I uploaded a route from Tracklogs (www.tracklogs.com) and started to navigate. The unit got me to WP1 ok, but after that, instead of telling me the distance to WP2, it keeps pointing at WP1. I turned the unit off, and back on again, and start to navigate the route again, this time between WP3 & WP4. Again, it guides me to WP4, but does not move on to WP5. As the route is still displayed, I gave up and just followed it anyway. When I got home, I did a hard reset, created a short route in my garden, and it was navigating ok, likewise when I did a longer route in the car. I thought that the fact that I had seen the EGNOS satellites might have caused an issue, but when I was navigating in my back garden I had the D's showing, and it worked ok. The unit also seemed to have an issue navigating a tracklog, as I had also sent the route as a tracklog, and no matter how far I cycled, the distance to destination did not decrease. Everything seems to be working ok now (fingers crossed), but I was wondering whether anyone else had experienced a similar problem. The firmware is v s.30, which I believe is the latest update available. Thanks in advance, Adrian

Just to throw another model in, what about the Etrex Legend Cx or Vista Cx? Only issue is that reception can be a bit more of an issue if you're under heavy tree cover. I've used a Legend for mapping MTB trails over here in the UK for the last year with a few minor issues with reception, but I've now upgraded to the Legend Cx, which is allegedly better at getting a signal, though I've not had chance to test this yet. This is smaller than the 60 series, and I've found it perfect for use on my bike. Adrian

I've upgraded from the blue Legend to the new Legend Cx, and the Cx does seem to be more sensitive, as I can lock on to 1 or 2 sats whilst inside, which I could not do with the blue Legend. The trees aren't out in Leaf yet, so I haven't been able to test the new unit under tree cover yet. I will do a test with both units side by side to see if I can notice any difference. Most of the articles I've read seem to state that the new 60Cx and CSx will blow the opposition away because they use the new Sirf III chipset, but unfortunately I was one of those people who was constrained by a budget, so couldn't spend that much money on a new GPS. I'm happy with the Legend Cx, and so glad that Garmin did eventually decide to add a memory card slot to the etrex range. Adrian

Started with Etrex Venture, then Legend and now Legend Cx. A note for people looking to get the Etrex C or Cx series. You can get autorouting on these units using the cheaper Metroguide maps if you use img2gps to upload the maps instead of Metroguide. The maps autoroute on the PC but when you upload to the GPS, metroguide strips out the autorouting data, whereas img2gps does not. See: Img2GPS Thread 1 Img2GPS Thread 2 You can also get countours from the following website: http://www.smc.org.uk/books/books_contour_maps.htm Just my tuppence worth. Adrian