Team Sidewinder

It was the tool first 12 or so years ago. A Garmin 12XL that I used for hunting trips so I could find my way back to the truck. I don't even remember how I stumbled on the Geocaching.com web site and the rest is history. team sidewinder

Purchased the one in the upper picture but with the larger 4 inch suction cup for my 76CSX and love it. But then I got the 5 inch arm which works better for me. You can't go wrong with the RAM mount system IMHO. team sidewinder

I would say pay the $50 and get the job done right. Save yourself from breaking the seal and all the other hassle. IMHO

I would think the prices would drop on the ones you are looking at now but I would try to wait and get the new sirfII chip gps. For me anyway I would rather have the new chip and not need it than not have it wish I would have puschased a gps that did have the new sirfII chip. IMHO

I like it, I want it. Enough of an improvement to warrant a purchase for me anyway.

I also really think this a BIG mistake by Garmin. But Garmin has always treated me right with fantastic customer support and great reliable products so I doubt it will make me change brands. I will always stay loyal to the Garmin brand.

Saw the show. Good advertisement for Garmin. Too bad the contestants had no prior knowledge on how to operate the units as it could have saved themselves a lot of time.

Thanks for that link Xlobsterman.

I would like to mount my gps to my atv also but I worry about the constant vibration transmitted to the gps unit while on an atv or motorcycle for that matter. I ususlly just carry mine in my pocket and leave it on. Being it is a CSX it still does keep a very accurate track record.

Sorry. I was under the impression ( maybe mistakenly ) that your problem was a thing that happened every time the gps was turned on so maybe my previous suggestion is off base and won't help. But it still might be worth a try as base maps are stored on the gps memory and added maps are stored on the sd card. Strange that it is an intermittent problem.

My power button on my 76CSX does seem to be slightly lower but only a hair difference.

Or when on the map page and navigating to a cache with autoroute on and follow road option chosen. You can while on this same map page push menu and "recaluate" which you will select and the option to chose " on or off road" will appear where you will want to chose "off road".

Is it possible the memory card is loose or has come unseated from the gps. I would remove the sd card and reseat it and see what happens. Also maybe you have a bad card. Just a suggestion. team sidewinder

So how much does having WAAS enabled shorten battery life ? Or is having WAAS enabled not a factor ?

I believe. I believe. I have a friend who is the best fisherman I have ever known and this guy could catch fish in a tea cup. He swore by these tables although his weren't from a gps but they are all derived from the same source. He wouldn't even bother to go out fishing if they said it would be a slow day or time of day. Myself, I have never used them much or kept track of how accurate they might be. team sidewinder

I miss the alarm clock also as I had a 76cs before. I miss the fact that the 76cs would also track barometric trends while the gps was turned off and the 76csx has neither of these functions. But I wouldn't trade either for the reception that comes with the sirf chip. team sidewinder

It isn't owners of other gps units who are hacking on Magellan or putting Magellan down but it is the people who own Magellan who are complaining about Magellan. Either hardware, software, or customer support are the reasons given. The ratio of people who have a problem with Magellan seems to be higher considering on this forum and the poll of brands owned, the majority own another brand and only have praise for their gps. IMHO

I never rely on email on updates for Garmin gpsr and don't remember ever getting one even though I have registered to recieve them. I get better results by check this forum and the Garmin web site for my particular gps.

Thanks for your honest product review of the Ram Magnifier. I have been wondering just how they would perform and if there would be more vibration in the magnifier with the long arm attached to the lens. Please keep us posted on how you like/dislike it after some use and if it was worth the money. team sidewinder

First thing first. Thank you for serving our country over there. IMHO go with the Garmin as their customer service is just the best there is and you won't be sorry. '

Howdy pardner and welcome aboard team sidewinder

I think I have my addiction under control ( somewhat ). I am down to 2 from 3 ( a 76cs and a csx ). I have sold my 76s. One gps left for me and one for the wife.

Any update on solar battery chargers? We are working out the last details of a 5 day hiking and canoeing trip through the Saranacs this summer and would love to recharge the batteries for my 60CSx with solar. Has to be light weight, packable and weatherproof. I need to be able to charge 2 AA NiMH batteries (1500 - 2000 mah) in less than 14 hours in "reasonable" weather conditions. Anyone out there have any experience with this? Do the flexible chargers really work, or do they take too long or too sensitive to cloud cover to be viable on the trail? Any guidance on how to evaluate these things would be appreciated. I'm not an electrical engineer! I think I understand that to charge two 1500 mah batteries in less than 15 hours I a panel that generates at least 200 ma. How does this convert to watts, which is how many panels seem to be rated? I saw the posting about the Brunton. I prefer to have just the battery charging compartment so I can leave the cable in the car. I can lay the panel out on the packs in the canoe and charge batteries for the following day. If anyone can share more experiences with solar battery chargers it would be a great help. The solar panel I describe ( Brunton 2.2 ) will charge rechargable batteries if you have a connection on the charger that will would plug into a car cig. lighter socket. This solar panel won't run the gpsr on solar power only. Not sure on the length of time to recharge 4AA batteries but you would be lucky to get 10 hours of charging sun without clouds in one day. It would be better than nothing and dead rechargable batteries though.

Ah, Much better after the mods. Thanks again

Yes. Thank You