kraushad

I just went through this process and feel much the same way you do about picking. I overanalyze everything and want to make sure I get the "right" one. The real answer is there is no "right one". Through extensive reading and asking for a TON of opinions, I ended up narrowing it down to the Garmin 60CSX, and the Garmin Vista HCX. There are a bunch of links comparing them, and equal numbers of people arguing that either one will do the job for Geocaching very well. I ended up settling for the Vista HCX as it was cheaper, had almost identical features, screen was brighter and clearer to me, and was a little smaller. I got it from Amazon a few days ago for $219, and ordered a Sandisk 2GB microSD card to go with it for another $25. I plan to ask my wife to order me the City Nav Maps for my birthday for another $100. The best thing I did was find a place that had them both, and I held them side by side to figure out which I liked better - button configurations, screens, etc. Good luck with your search.

Good luck finding handheld GPSs at the "big box" stores... I went to a bunch of places and not any of them had handheld GPS devices. They only carried the car type. I ended up finding a large collection including the two I was most interested in (60CSX & Vista HCX) at Gander Mountain. I was able to hold them, play with the buttons, and even take them outside to try them out a bit (BRAVO to the salesperson for offering that.) Dick's Sporting Goods had a few but not nearly the collection of Gander Mountain. Good luck.

OKAY -- NOW I FEEL REALLY DUMB. To answer your question I thought I would try and figure it out on my own, since I hadn't done it yet. So I figured it out after a while, then posted four or five different messages to you trying to get the wording just right so that it wouldn't be as confusing as it seemed when I wrote it, then I was perfectly happy with my response so I posted it -- then I realized that there is an entire dedicated link above thread entitled "AVATAR TESTING AND INSTRUCTIONS" which explained it really well.... Oh well, It pays to read first

I was talking about the Vista HCX, sorry I shortened it to Vista. Anyway, the Vista HCX does not have SiRF but has a newer chip from MediaTek, that is getting reviews as good as the SiRF from what I read... Yep, Ordered the Vista HCX over the weekend. Suppose to ship this week. I found it a little cheaper on compuplus, but with $15 shipping. Amazon had it for $2 more, but free shipping. Trouble is, my wife is going to make me wait until Christmas to play with it!! Oh, well, at least I know I am getting a great present! I have already scouted a bunch of caches near me...... oh boy, is this the FEVER hitting me??

Okay, I finally found a place that carried both - I was able to power them up side by side, and the guy even asked me if I wanted to take them outside to try them out with the satellites. Anyway - I will say that the 60CSX did have a substantially bigger screen. However, I definitely noticed the screen on the 60CSX was not doing it for me. I read comments about the lack of brightness on a couple of other threads, but to me the bigger problem was contrast. The colors didn't seem as vivid as the Vista HCX. I just felt like I couldn't see items and lettering as easily or clearly as I could on the Vista. I had all the settings equal - 100% on both and fresh batteries in both, so I think the comparison was fair. Anyway after playing with them a little bit I think I like the feel of the Vista better. I definitely liked the screen better. I also liked the stick better than the soft d-pad button of the 60. Thanks for the link to those other threads, I spent a few hours reading everything. Since I am a noob, I think either one of these will make me very happy. Plus if I go with the Vista, I can get it for $218 online, and use the extra money for a 2GB microSD and the City maps for NA. Thanks everyone for your help.

www.compuplus.com will save you money on the units but charge $15 for shipping. For my location it would save me around $6 going with compuplus (and I have used them in the past with complete satisfaction). May not be worth it depending on where you are shipping it to, or if you prefer to remain with Amazon due to reputation. Not sure about the other units.

Thanks for the feedback - what are the major differences between the Vista HCX and the 60CXS. I read that the Vista does not have the sirf III technology -- is that true?? In spite of that people are saying that it is as good or better than the more expensive 60CSX. What are other differences. Thanks for the help. Dirk

Hi all, Brand new to the website, and avoiding the long intro will simply say that my camping/RVing family thought this activity would be great fun for us wherever we travel or even around home. I have read a bunch, and originally thought about the Etrex Legend, but after hearing complaints about losing signals from some users, decided that I would rather spend a bit more and avoid the complaints. Most reviews I have read on the Garmin 60CSX seem very positive, with poor stock maps and battery life being the only complaints (and even those seem infrequent). I can get a 60CSX for $320 online brand new, with a $50 rebate currently running from Garmin through the end of the month. I am very good with rebates so $270 plus $15 shipping out the door. This seems like a really good price for a really good unit (especially for starting out). EDIT: After reading another thread here, it seems that many are happy with the Vista HCX for a few less bucks. What are the advantages of the 60CSX over the Vista HCX if any that make the price difference? Opinions?? Thanks so much. Dirk