tubemonkey

Also, if you use an REI Visa card to make the purchase, you'll receive a 5% rebate of $14.50 when the annual dividend check is paid out. Plus, Visa will double the warranty to two years. REI is definitely the place to get this GPSr. Excellent price, additional rebate, 2-year warranty (as above), no time limit return policy, and no restocking fees.

caveat emptor - let the buyer beware Garmin's pulling a fast one here. They should've reduced the price of the older models. The inclusion of a ridiculously small 64mb card is hardly justification to continue to sell older models at the same price of newer, improved models. With 2gb cards selling for under $30, who is going to base a buying decision on the inclusion of a card too small to carry a decent set of maps?

Go with the foretrex 101. I went with it because it takes common batteries and you can get AAA batteries pretty much anywhere. I don't have any outdoor devices that use rechargeable batteries, because the last time I checked, trees don't have electrical outlets Think of the foretrex 101 as a Geko 201; because they're essentially the same thing. The main difference being that the Geko has a vertical display and the foretrex has a horizontal display. I keep my foretrex in a small daypack and whenever I go anywhere outdoors, that pack (and foretrex) always go with me. As far as using it for geocaching, you can. You just can't load maps on it. One other thing; Garmin has two lines of wrist devices with similar names which could lead to some confusion -- foretrex and Forerunner. The foretrex is a navigation device and the Forerunner is a fitness device. Using the Forerunner for geocaching would be extremely difficult since it does not display coordinates. Hope this helps and good luck on your decision.

I'd be happy if they paid some additional attention to their handhelds. Look how many years it took them to get rid of serial in favor of USB? And then what did they do ... they went with the older version. Then look how long it took them to put memory cards in. Considering the price of memory, handhelds should come with 1 or 2 GB of onboard memory; plus an expansion slot. Maybe one day they'll catch up with current technology.

REI is currently selling the c530 for $220 and they have one of the best return policies out there. http://www.rei.com/product/745456

I was going to buy the Legend Cx during REI's Labor Day sale ($230 - $50 rebate = $180 final cost), but after reading this thread, I'm no longer going to do so. Pity, because I've been waiting for Gamin to add expandable memory to their units ... and now this problem. And so, I continue to wait for a GPSr with realistic memory capabilities. I'll drop Gamin a line telling them that they just lost a customer; and I'll link this thread.

Get a Foretrex. It's essentially a Geko-(201)-on-a-wrist.

I'd get two units: -- Legend Color for hiking and benchmarking (24mb is plenty for this use) -- some real expensive dedicated car unit for cross country travel If I were forced to pick just one unit, then I wouldn't buy any of them until someone came out with a unit that had: color TFT display, fast processor, 1-2gb of built-in memory, memory expansion slot (SD), USB 2.0 connectivity, and a AA power supply. Until then, I'll continue to use my b&w Legend and AAA maps for the car.

I pulled the info off of Garmin's Product Comparison page. I wonder if Garmin is listing other mistakes besides this one?

Contrasting the differences between the 60CS and the Rino 530 Features .............. 60CS .................... Rino 530 Wapoints ............. 1000 ..................... 500 Batteries ............. 2x AA .................... 1x Li-ion (optional alkaline pack) Battery Life ......... 20 hrs .................... 16 hrs Display ............... 2.2 x 1.5 ................ 1.7 x 1.3 Pixels ................. 240 x 160 ............... 220 x 176 Weight w/ bat ...... 7.5 oz .................... 10.3 oz Size .................... 6.1 x 2.4 x 1.3 ....... 7.5 x 2.3 x 1.8 Cursor ................ rocker pad ............. thumb stick Serial Int ............. yes ....................... w/ optional cable Ext Antenna ......... yes ....................... no Thermometer ....... no ........................ yes Glide Ratio ........... yes ....................... no Calendar ............. no ......................... yes

It looks like they used a Vista C dispaly for the new Rino's. Insteresting, in light of the fact that the Rino's are bigger than the 60's. Display Sizes / Pixels --- 60CS = 2.2 x 1.5 ..... 240 x 160 - Vista C = 1.7 x 1.3 ..... 220 x 176 Rino 530 = 1.7 x 1.3 ..... 220 x 176 Rino 130 = 1.4 x 1.4 ..... 160 x 160 There is an optional alkaline battery pack, but I wonder how it's configured and whether it's internal or external? Battery Life = 16 HR (Li-ion battery pack included (Alkaline battery pack optional)) For those interested in the interfaces used: Separate Serial & USB interfaces = No/ USB Standard, RS232 with optional cable

I bet Garmin will go the Li Ion route if they ever upgrade the V to a VI.

For hiking, the Vista C is more than adequate. I have an old b&w Legend that only has 8mb of memory and it serves my hiking needs quite well. The only thing stopping me from upgrading to a Legend C, is Garmin's refusal to add an SD card slot or 2gb of flash memory. You need over 1gb of available memory to load the entire country and their response is to make units with 24mb or 56mb. Wow! Like I'm so impressed that I can load half a state. I've given up on the idea of one handheld to use for hiking and cross-country trips. Since hiking is my primary use, I see no need to upgrade my Legend at this time. It holds more maps than I could hike anyway. As for car navigation, I'll continue to use AAA paper maps. So until they get realistic with memory, they can keep their new machines. Too much money for such limited functionality.

I'm still waiting for the Legend C w/ SD card slot.

Yes; you can transfer routes and waypoints, but NOT maps. Keep in mind that MAC support for NG maps is limited to the State and Regional Series only. Check this link for compatibility: Operating System Compatibility with TOPO! Software

Forget the vehicle routing and just use paper maps from AAA for the road trip. You should then have enough memory in the 60CS to load topos for all of Colorado. Before making a decision on these units, go to a store and personally hold each one. Of the three units you mentioned, I'd go with the 60CS. In my opinion, the 76CS is too bulky, the buttons are above the display, and it just feels "wrong" when holding it. Problems with the 600 include small buttons and its use of a rechargeable Li Ion battery. Since you're using this GPSr for hiking, where would you charge the battery at the end of each day? One other unit to consider for a hiking GPSr is the Vista C. It's much smaller than the 60CS, but that comes at a price -- it only has 24MB of memory compared to 56MB for the 60CS and 115MB for the 76CS. I'm still using "old" technology -- a b&w Legend with a whopping 8MB of memory. I'm more than a bit miffed at Garmin's failure to include a minimum of 512MB of memory for low end units and 1-2GB of memory for high end units; plus an SD slot for most of their units. Flash memory is dirt cheap these days, yet the GPSr industry still persists in loading memory in the 100MB and below range for their handhelds. Why? Mapping software for the entire country is now in the GB range. Though Magellan is just as stingy with memory as Garmin is, at least they added expandable memory to overcome their short sidedness. The major downside from a hiking perspective is their use of "cell phone" battery technology. So much for that. It's kinda hard to charge the battery without a power source. I too wanted a GPSr I could use for hiking (1st), car navigation (2nd), and benchmarking (3rd). But alas, that unit hasn't been made yet. So until the industry gets its act together, I'll continue to use my trusty Legend and those oh so high tech autorouteable paper maps from AAA. Good luck .....

Try Fry's or CompUSA or even Wal-Mart. I just bought a crossover cable to link two computers and Best Buy wanted $25 for a cable I only paid $10 for in CompUSA. So look around a bit before shelling out the big bucks at such high priced stores as Best Buy and Radio Shack. I'm betting you can find your adapter elsewhere at a cheaper price. Then you can return the one you just bought at Radio Shack. Good luck.

It's a shame they added so many features all at once. They missed a golden opportunity to really milk the consumers on this. They should've followed this sequence: 1) 210 -- 200 + USB connectivity ... then wait 6 months 2) 220 -- 210 + 1mb memory for POI's ... then wait 6 months 2) 230 -- 220 + 22mb memory ... then wait 6 months 3) 240 -- 230 + lithium battery Maybe someone in marketing will realize this and get them to slow it down a bit when they get around to upgrading the 300.

Imagine Palm releasing its latest color screen PDA with a built-in abacus to handle the calculations, only to have folks like us screaming that they get with the times and add an electronic slide rule. Heaven help us. I'm glad this GPS mindset doesn't pervade the rest of the consumer electronic industry. iPod's would be boasting 115MB of memory and geeks would be dangling their electronic slide rule PDA's in leather cases off their belts.

22MB ..... oh my!!! For what ungodly reason does a consumer need that much memory! (Shssssh. Don't anyone tell them that 1GB of flash memory can he had for less than $50 retail these days.) And so, the GPS industry continues its bold slide into the technology revolution. Shoot, I've seen snails move at faster clip than these guys do. Someone should go into their corporate headquarters and turn their calendars ahead 5 years. By the time these guys discover flash memory in the GB range, applications will be requiring it in the TB range.

I did. I picked up 3 Legends from Sportsman's Warehouse last Thanksgiving. I paid $110 each minus 2 $10 off early bird coupons. They were all reconditioned, had all of the normal accessories, and all carried Garmin's full one year warranty, plus an additional one year Visa warranty because I used a Visa gold card. I wasn't worried one bit about them being reconditioned, because I had a full 2 years on the warranty. So far, they haven't caused my sons or myself any problems. They look new and work new. Besides, if you ever were to send in a unit for warranty work, they'd just send you a recon unit anyway. You'd never get yours back. Bottom line -- I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy your Legend and happy caching.

And still a paltry 56 MB. It's the year 2005, mapping software is in the 1-2 GB range, and GPSr manufacturers are still only offering a lousy 24-56-115 MB of flash memory. What's with that? Try marketing a flash drive MP3 player with 56 MB of memory and see how fast they move. Sheeeesh ..... Somebody really needs to introduce these guys to the world of modern consumer electronics. USB 2 has been out for years and they only recently discovered it's existence. Flash memory is dirt cheap and they continue to be stingy with it. And what about easily added memory expansion slots? Hey guys, they exist. Oh well ..... until someone gets it right, I'll continue to use my trusty b&w Legend. No point throwing good money after a device with limited capability and missing features.

They want you to buy all over again. Garmin knew they were going to add this capability to the 60C/CS from the get go. They deliberately waited for folks to rush out and buy the 60C/CS first and then when they added the radios, a bunch of you would rush out and buy them also. That way they get to sell you two GPSrs instead of one.

Absolutely! I picked up 3 each (except the maps) of the following last fall: Target Clearance Prices -- Forerunner 201 ... $70.50 -- eTrex Yellow ... $50 -- Neoprene Case ... $7.50 -- 12VDC Cable ... $7 -- MetroGuide v5 ... $50 -- MetroGuide v4 ... $50 Sportsman's Warehouse -- eTrex Legend ... $103 And a couple of weeks ago, I found a Garmin GPS V Auto Pack (GPS V - City Select NA v6 - PC Cable - 12V Cable - Car Mount - Video) on clearance in Target for $210. So I picked it up, but I'm not sure I'll keep it. Until then, it remains unopened just in case I need to return it.

I live in a large city also and my cell phone is always on, except when I'm at work. My phone accompanies me on my outings, but it's turned off and saved for emergency use only. Chances are, it wouldn't work anyway because of a lack of towers. As to extended outings with a GPSr, I don't like the idea of field recharging. If I forget to do so, I'm screwed. I choose not to hassle with a box and cable. Besides, with battery compatibility -- GPSr, digicam, 2-way radio, flashlight -- I can always steal from one device to feed another in a pinch.