CenTexDodger
-
Posts
1131 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by CenTexDodger
-
-
Nevermind
-
I recently bought a LG Dare on my Verizon plan. My second phone needs updating and plan on looking at the Blackberry Storm. Curious as to what other cachers or using in the Blackberry line.
The VZW BB's have GPS locked out unless you pay for VZNav. They are also next to worthless with third party GPS apps.
The only alternative is to buy a bluetooth GPS reciever puck such as the Freedom 2000.
It sucks, I got the BB 8330 because it has an internal GPSr. I should have put a bit more research into the purchase.
I have a BBerry 8330 from Sprint and the GPS works fine. I have the Garmin For Blackberry loaded on it, and it works very similarly to a Nuvi. It is not a replacement for a Nuvi or a good handheld, but it works good in a pinch.
-
I haven't heard any negative comments about refurbished units, has anyone else?
I have a Garmin Refurbished Nuvi 265T. It works great. A lot of what they are calling refurbished are actually dealer returns, and many units are not returned because they are defective. Anyway, it comes with a one year factory warranty same as a new unit.
To the other question in the OP--The Legend Cx is not going to give as good a performance as the Legend Hcx. The H stand for the High sensitivity receiver that they have. The Non H models sometimes have difficulty keeping lock under even light tree cover. I went from a 60CS (standard receiver) to a 60CSx (Sirf star III receiver) and the difference was like night and day.
-
New version posted yesterday. Version 6.15.4
Change History
Changes made from version 6.15.3 to 6.15.4:
Fixed an issue using custom waypoint symbols installed in the current user directory.
Fixed an issue displaying the vertical profile for certain maps.
Fixed route issues for routes containing a waypoint more than once.
Fixed transfer from and to Garmin Mobile PC devices.
Fixed an issue with opening gdb files containing routes with identical names.
Fixed an issue where the 'anchor' waypoint symbol was displayed incorrectly.
Fixed an issue with map scrolling.
Fixed an issue with route travel time calculations.
Fixed an issue with performing address searches.
Fixed an issue displaying map labels in print preview.
-
Also $150 is a bit steep, and I don't want it coming back with new software on it!
What new software? It will have the latest firmware version, but you can downgrade that if for some reason it doesn't work. AFAIK the 60Csx firmware has been very stable since 3.30. The fixes since have been relatively minor bug fixes.
-
GPSmap 60Cx, 60CSx, 76Cx or 76CSx.
All have the High sensitivty SiRFStar III. All accept micro SD cards for map storage. All are very solid, accuate and reliable units that are used by many users on this board. The 60's have the buttons on the bottom, and the 76's have the buttons on the top and are shaped more like a large pocket calculator.
The S models have sensors--and internal electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. You will get mixed results if you ask if those are necessary. I like them, some users swear by them, others swear at them.
The internals and firmware for all the above units is exactly the same.
-
<snip>
You're very observant. I have owned about 10 Garmin units and have been most disappointed in the latest two units they have released (Oregon and Colorado). They are hyped as High Sensitivity Receivers, but they seem more prone to drift than earlier units (60scx) that do not have High Sensitivity chipsets.
Actually, the 60CSx has a high-sensitivity chipset (Sirf Star III). It was the first Garmin handheld to have one, and people have been frustrated by Garmin's seeming inability to surpass or (in some cases) even match the performance of that receiver in later handhelds.
I stand corrected on the 60scx. As I understand it, the Sirfstar's are more expensive than the chipsets Garmin is now using?
That is my understanding, but I do not know that for certain.
-
You're very observant. I have owned about 10 Garmin units and have been most disappointed in the latest two units they have released (Oregon and Colorado). They are hyped as High Sensitivity Receivers, but they seem more prone to drift than earlier units (60scx) that do not have High Sensitivity chipsets.
Just a Minor nitpick--the 60CSx does have the High Sensitivity SiRFStar III.
I'm an engineer and I feel uncomfortable, and even suspicious when there is a glaring oversight like that madeI thought this was an interesting quote. I am not a engineer (nor do I play one on TV), and the sensitivity information you posted may as well have been written in Chinese. These are essentially consumer grade products--and most consumers don't know what those numbers mean either.
I have had 3 Garmins the first one was an eMap that I bought at a store closing sale for around $80. About the only feature I was familiar with was the fact that it would display a map. As I upgraded (60CS, 60CSx) I stayed with Garmin because I was familiar with the way the operate and liked their features--autorouting, bright display, and ease of use. Sensitivity was important (one of the reasons I upgraded for 60CS to 60CSx) but it was not a something that I compared numerically. It was more like I read reviews and comments on this board of people reporting they could hold a signal in tough conditions--tree cover, inside buildings, and in urban settings.
-
and from the Garmin site. I'm done
Looks interesting……so long as it ends up being more reliable then the CO.
Extended back country use could get a bit pricy if you need to buy 5 Li-Ion batteries for a week long canoe trip. The ability to use AA’s would have been nice.
It might not be the best for your five day canoe trip. That being said, it would be perfect for the "light recreation" user--the day-hiker, boater, or car camper type. I bought my 60CS (before the x series) to use as a hiking camping tool. It spends most days hanging on the windshield mount of my truck. This little guy would be perfect for me (I said the same about the Oregon!).
-
Does the 76CSx have tide tables? I can find Sun & Moon calculations, but can't seem to find tide tables. The readme.txt for the new 3.70 firmware (for 60 and 76 Cx and CSX) mentions a tide page, but it doesn't seem to exist. Since the 76CSx is supposedly a marine unit, I find this a bit odd. Or does it only appear when you have marine maps installed?
If it is like the 60CSx it has them. I am calling this from memory as my unit is not in front of me.
Go to Find--tide stations or marine points and find the one nearest to you. Then there will be a "predict tides" button somewhere. Click that and you are there!
-
I was beginning to wonder. The beta expires tomorrow.
-
Certain features could become very awkward, such as panning around the map, selecting map features, and other tasks involving the pointer on the map page. With my big man-finger over the screen, it may be a fair challenge to pinpoint anything. I guess it's all about implementation, but I just don't see how they are going to get around that.
To me panning looks like it will be much easier than with the Colorado. And typing should be a breeze. IMO this is what the Colorado should have been. And now everyone will be happy. People saying that touch screens are junk can opt for the Colorado, people who like touch screens can opt for the Oregon. I also don't see this as an upgrade, but rather an equal to the Colorado series, especially considering they appear to have the same firmware. I would probably get one if I had an extra $600 lying around, and I did not have other priorities.
Please elaborate how panning to a specific point will be easier for someone with big-arse fingers? The pointer will be covered up by my finger pad. Maybe your right, maybe I'm not thinking of how else they would implement it.
OK, maybe the Oregon is not for the "big-fingered"
. That was kind of my point though, if you like a touch xcreen, get the Or, if you don't, get the Co. Like I said, it seems to me they will be offered alongside each other. Like the 60 Cx and 76 Cx, same internals, but one fits your hand better, and the other one floats.My wife has a TomTom and I love the touch screen. Panning and typing are so simple.
-
Certain features could become very awkward, such as panning around the map, selecting map features, and other tasks involving the pointer on the map page. With my big man-finger over the screen, it may be a fair challenge to pinpoint anything. I guess it's all about implementation, but I just don't see how they are going to get around that.
To me panning looks like it will be much easier than with the Colorado. And typing should be a breeze. IMO this is what the Colorado should have been. And now everyone will be happy. People saying that touch screens are junk can opt for the Colorado, people who like touch screens can opt for the Oregon. I also don't see this as an upgrade, but rather an equal to the Colorado series, especially considering they appear to have the same firmware. I would probably get one if I had an extra $600 lying around, and I did not have other priorities.
-
I don't think ease of pirating enters the equation very prominently on Garmin's end. Pretty sure the above poster who cited licensing agreements with Navteq is on the money.
Maybe it's a simple managerial misfire -- maybe Garmin actually did market research that indicated that sd-only versions are what the typical consumer wants...
No matter what the decision was, I find the idea of juggling multiple tiny microSD cards to be really unattractive. "oh wait, which one of these has my POI's loaded on it? the one with City Nav or the 24k topo?" ugh.
Also, consider that Garmin is moving away from single source storage. The Colorado 400t has 3 storage areas--internal, card and the internal maps. You could have the US Topo maps that come on the unit, City Nav in the internal storage, and the Topo 24 K on the card.
-
I continually find my latest version of City Navigator to show roads intersecting with other roads when they don't. Road names are not up to date many times either. Perhaps in the big metro areas things work better but in smaller towns and in rural areas I find CN almost useless.
That's because those city slickers report to NAVTEQ when something is wrong on one of their maps. You can use the following link and do the same for your area: http://mapreporter.navteq.com/dur-web-external/
I reported a bunch of errors on the map about 2 or 3 months before City Nav 2008 came out. Those corrections did not make the 2008 version, but AFAIK they are all in 2009. Would they have been there anyway? Who knows, but they are there now!
-
16
Hardee har har.
Seriously, As the previous poster has stated there are 4 differences:
1. Size/Shape
2. button Placement
3. Bouyancy (or lack thereof)
4. The size of the micro-SD card that comes with the unit (64 mb vs 128 mb)
ETA: The biggest difference appears to be marketing. The 60CSx is marketed for outdoor use (hiking, biking, hunting) whereas the 76CSx is marketed to marine use.
-
I have City Navigator North America 2008 loaded on my HCx and have no problem getting turn-by-turn, distance & directions from my current location to an address.
However, I cannot figure out how to find distance or directions from one place to another, if I'm not located at one of the query locations.
I'd like to know how far it is from one city to another city (when I'm not physically at one of those cities) without having to go to my computer and using yahoo maps or mapquest.
Can this be done with a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx gps?
Thanks,
You sort of have to trick it to get it to do what you want. (this trick works with a 60CSx so I assume it work with a Vista)
First, turn the GPS receiver off. Then on the Satellite screen, change the location to the place you want to route from. Then put the unit in "Demo" mode. Then tell the unit to route. That seems to work and give what you are looking for.
-
And the older topo map doesn't give elevation info?
No it doesn't. it gives you the contour lines, which show the elevation, but the DEM data will embed the elevation in routes and such, and IIRC, it will put the elevation in remotely marked waypoints.
The old Topo is essentially a vectorized version of a paper map.
-
On the pc monitor using Mapsource, the shading was useful to help visualize elevation. However, I believe the only gpsr that "might" take advantage of these type maps is the Colorado series. Even then I suspect the shading feature might be rather useless on the tiny gpsr screen.
The shading is part of it, but the real beauty of the DEM data is that it will show elevation data of any point. even if your topo maps are hidden behind the street maps. if you are standing at a spot and use the key pad to scroll to another point, the little box that pops up to show location will give elevation as well.
-
Still waiting for the update.
How much space do you have? All of City Nav NA NT 2009 takes up 1050 mb. Eliminate Canada and Puerto Rico and that puts you down to 953 mb.
-
Which Garmin unit has the best signal when in my backpack, under heavy tree cover, and on a sunless day? I can't remember and I think I saved enough pennies for the one that I wanted.
Probably any of the units with "H" in the name. See my post comparing Legend HCx with the older Legend Cx version. The HCx has he new, higher sensitivity receiver and blows away the older unit.
Also, the 60C(S)x and the 76C(S)x have the high sensitivity receiver.
-
What do the updates cost and when I load my CSX will it overwrite the old maps?
My updates cost $60/each plus shipping. ( GPSCITY.Com )
And yes, it overwrites your old maps.
Tim
You can if you want, install both 2008 and 2009 on your GPS. I don't know a good reason to do so, but it is doable.
-
I got my copy of CN NA NT 2009 this morning and I am impressed. There were several roads that just opened up within the last year that are on there. Also, Starbucks, Chase, Walgreens, Wells Fargo and some others have custom logo POI symbols. Unfortunately, those symbols do not get transfered to the 60CSx. I had a little problem transferring maps--it kept giving me an error. I put the card in a card reader and no problem. It also had several corrections that I had submitted--woo hoo for me! (I am not saying they are on there because I submitted them, but they are there). One of them is a really small National Forest Rd in New Mexico, but it is on there.
-
Not trying to be picky here because I'm using my GPS for off trail hiking. If I get to within 30 feet of my destination, I'm pretty happy.
But I'm curious about this....
I can waypoint where I start my hike from, go out and have my fun and navigate back to that spot.
I guess I thought that a waypoint made by my unit should be able to be tracked back to within a small margin of error.
I've tested this several times and when standing on the exact waypoint, I could be off 30 or more feet. As stated above, no big deal for what I'm doing. I just thought they were more accurate now.
I do have WAAS enabled. Any comments?
Thanks guys!
Beck
Just because you have WAAS enabled, doesn't mean you're getting the full benefit of WAAS correction. This is especially true under tree cover. What's was the error reading when you did this? And did you remember that you're actually combining the error present when you made the waypoint, with the error present when you're navigating back to it?
Hmmm....not sure what you mean by error reading. I'll look this up in the manual, although the manual is the worst part of this GPS.
And I'm not sure why, but I like your signature.
Beck
One of the data fields is accuracy, but it is more correctly an estimated position error. On my 60SCx it is usually 10-12 ft with a good view of the sky. That means that the actual position you are standing at is within 10-12 feet of the position stated on the GPS. You could be standing on the actual spot, but the GPS is only certain that you are within that specified distance. If you are under trees it will could be worse than 10-12 feet. If you are off 15 in the morning, and 15 feet the other way in the afternoon, that would account for 30 feet of error.
. That was kind of my point though, if you like a touch xcreen, get the Or, if you don't, get the Co. Like I said, it seems to me they will be offered alongside each other. Like the 60 Cx and 76 Cx, same internals, but one fits your hand better, and the other one floats.
Canoeing with GPS - 60CSx
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
The short answer is no. In order for a GPS to do routing, you must have routeable maps. Topo 2008 is not routeable. The new Topo 24K maps are routeable on road and trails. AFAIK, Garmin does not make a mapset with routeable streams.