Team Trail Walker

Thanks for the update, I'll give it a try. Craig

I have been working with your new program trying to get the short and long description just like I want it. I found a problem using the alt token. It always gives the result of ####0.0##. I will also add that the program will put the proper alt into the user 2 data space. I am not sure what to try to fix this. Thanks

I did a similar thing once and after much hair pulling I remembered "System Restore" in XP. Not sure what OS your using but I thought I'd mention it. Hope this helps

6.67 centimetres x 1200 seconds (calculation rate for sake of argument) = 80.4 Meters Not too bad! 6 meters (3 meter EPE) x 1200 seconds = 7.2 kilometers (assuming worst case) Ouch!

Me too! 6:30 am in Colorado

This leads me to believe that your unit lost signal for an amount of time then regained it. Download your tracks and see if a signal track point is way off. I purposely left my 60CSx on my desk overnight to see what kind of track error would accumulate. After 10 hours, a track of .22 miles recorded. That's about 1161 ft recorded in 36,000 seconds or about 4 inches / second. I did not look at the track because the results were so low. I did not feel the unit was showing anything I did not expect. If any thing I thought I would see 15 feet (low epe) x 36,000 seconds = 102 miles. As for the distance errors others are experiencing while hiking, I too notice some error but not to any great extent. For a full day of hiking I see less than .5 mile error in the recorded distance. While hiking a mountain peak with a elevation gain near 3000 feet I will usually stop and recalibrate the altimeter about every hour. This puts a error into the totals, so I disregard them. I would be nice if the calculations the 60CSx made were a little tighter but I'm OK with the way it works now.

Many people have complained of this “wandering” problem but I do not think it is a problem at all. What you are seeing is an addition of errors. Each calculation your GPSr makes has an error. When the next calculation is made, it also has an error. The space between the errors is the bit of track you see. I am amazed that the errors are so small considering your GPSr sitting on your desk was the only stationary part of the system. Think about it! The earth is rotating at nearly 1000 MPH while it is hurling around the sun at a blistering speed of 67,000 MPH. Above the earth are 24 GPS satellites in different orbits traveling near 2000 MPH. Each of the satellites is transmitting a radio signal at 186,000 Miles per second. Over dramatic, but I hope you get my point. Some GPS manufactures dampen the errors shown on the GPSr by averaging the estimated location. (I am sure it is a complex mathematical equation) This may or may not be good depending on your intended use. I am sure there are others on this board that could explain things in a more technical way. Oh, free to correct me if I have made errors in my thinking.

I had an etrex yellow with the same rubber problem. I contacted Garmin and they sent me a kit to make the repair myself. The kit included the rubber and a adhesive strip to attach the rubber. Garmin sent the kit free of charge when I purchased some other items.

I put together a chart with satellite ID reference numbers to help with finding information. You can find it here http://www.teamtrailwalker.com/id186.htm

My first try showed 58 miles from my home. I then removed the 5 finds I made on vacation in Hawaii (over 3000 mi west) and now the centroid is 1.5 miles from my home. If I remove all my vacation caches and include only caches found in my normal caching area the centroid moves to 8 miles north of my home. I may play with this further, if I have time.

We need a science guy to explain the workings of a barometer better than I. Someone? Page 76 of the manual states that trip data is not recorded in "Fixed Mode". Also- Without knowing the exact details I will say that a Barometer to read correctly at sea level and at high altitude an adjustment must be made. The Barometer in my office can be adjusted mechanically while I suspect the Barometer in the 60CSx is adjusted with an algorithm where altitude is one variable. Hopefully a smart science type will jump in and explain better the whole process and correct any incorrect statements I have made in my limited knowledge.

Think of it like a Thermometer that has two scales, one Fahrenheit the other Celsius. Or the speedometer on your car has Miles and Kilometers. Barometers can have two scales on it also, Altitude and Pressure. The difference is that the barometer needs to be calibrated for it to reed correctly. Setting the altitude "fixed altitude" your telling the unit how to compensate for the ambient pressure at that altitude or adjust its scale to read correctly. With the scale set at the proper setting one can read the correct Barometric pressure. Likewise, if your unit is calibrated for the current Barometric Pressure ( or altitude) and a storm rolls in it will now effect your altitude reading. Pressure Change = Altitude Change

You missed the point I think. Setting "Fixed elevation" does not stop the elevation from changing, it tells the unit that you are not moving and you are using is as a barometer. Like I said before as the barometric pressure changes the result will show as an elevation change. That is how is works.

Thanks to Red90 for offering tips. I should have done so myself. My apologies. With the 60CSx, make sure your holding it vertical. It makes a big difference. Also Waas Enabled. Latest software updates. Good luck!

The EPE is a mysterious number and one should only use it as a good guess number. Assuming you had an error of +-25' when you set the point and an error of +-25' when you hit "Go To". Then you would add the errors to be +- 50'. Note the +-. Worst case your waypoint is 100' away.

I have a 60CSx and use both the Compass and Altimeter all the time while hiking and route finding. I know how to use both features correctly and have found them to be most useful. The biggest downfall of these features is the documentation. Once you know how and when to use them they can be for good use. If your a hiker and want to get the most out of your equipment I suggest reading some books from the Sierra Club on the subject. A good start is "Land Navigation Handbook" by W.S. Kals

Page 76 in the manual. Setting the altimeter to fixed allows you to use it as a standard barometer. After setting the altimeter to fixed go to the altimeter page, select menu>Plot Barometer. If needed you will need to set the units you would like to read the info in ie.... Inches of Hg, Millibars, Hectopascals. You can change this on the Units page. Selecting "Fixed elevation" tells the unit that you are not moving and staying at a fixed location. This enables it to work as a barometer. Why concern yourself with elevation if you want to measure the barometric pressure? A standard Barometer can show an elevation change of 40'/Hr as the weather changes. Barometers are also sensitive to temperature among other environmental changes that will also show as an elevation change.

I noticed a difference between my e-trex tracks and those from the 60CSx. I looked at both in Google earth and the track from the 60Csx shows up in the center of the trail most of the time while the tracks from the e-trex tend to wander away from the trail ( several at the same place ). I'm not sure how the 60CSX does it's calculating but it looks to be right on.

I think the problem is with the POI software. Try selecting "Manual" mode. Then for each set of POI's Deselect the " This file contains proximity alerts points" check box. That should work for you. I think something I put in the file makes the software think its a proximity point. I didn't check into it much as the workaround wasn't that hard. Good luck.

This was a fun find for me! This benchmark was on my topo map near where I was camping. I scaled the coordinates off the map and entered them into my GPSr. I found the benchmark just feet from where I had scaled. Fun! I was a little disappointed when I couldn't find the Benchmark in the county archives. Where else should I look? Thanks in advance Alamosa county, Colorado

I have been experimenting with my 60CSx in this respect. I have noticed that the stated EPE consistently hangs out in the low teens but when I look at a track on the map it will show right on top of a trail I have walked. Last week I found a large (5' dia) concrete pipe cover in a field where I walk my dog. With a EPE of 12' I marked a waypoint. At home I downloaded the waypoint into Google Earth and was amazed that the waypoint showed up in the center of the concrete circle. Each day for the last 6 days I again mark the same point without averaging( just walk up to the cover and mark the point). All waypoints were within 6' of each other. This was not a scientific experiment but the results were impressive. I think the 60CSx is much more accurate than the EPE would lead you to believe.

I have downloaded every program needed for free. Some have limitations on the free versions but work well for building your own maps. On several occasions I have had to find a creative way around the limits but that's part of the fun, IMHO. Manyhatz

I have used the above web page as a guide to build several maps. I have been very happy with the results thus far. My first map was a tough one and took several tries to get just what I wanted. After doing a few maps it has become much easier. I also like how my homemade maps can be integrated with Mapsource. Now when I get ready for a hiking trip somewhere I look forward to putting a map together as part of the overall experience. I'll be using the most detailed of the maps I have made later this week for a trip to "The Great Sand Dunes" in Colorado. Manyhatz

Which software do I use to do this? The Trip/Waypoint manager that came with the unit or the Topo map software? The settings mentioned above are on your GPS.

Make sure the track log is turned on. On your 60CSx Menu>Menu>Tracks Tic the on button If You then select the setup button you will be able to make other changes to the track log. I like to select the wrap when full box. I also have favorite colors for the track depending on what map set I'm using.