SteveDex

I agree... when you first get it, everything taken as a whole is overwhelming. This is the place to be to find answers. Do keyword searches on this forum. Devote an hour or two to read the whole 60c(s) faq thread. You have already found out that the "treasure chest" thing is easy and is nothing more than an icon association. This just puts those waypoints in the "Geocache" list which you can choose when you push "Find". Makes it easy to manage Geocaches only. Geocaches will also appear in the "Waypoints" list along with all your other stored waypoints. I use City Select - the mapping/routing part has a moderate learning curve and all that can be found here with searches, as well. Compass: The electronic compass kicks in when you stop or go slow. When moving at a moderate speed, the compass pointer is controlled by satellites and not by the electronic module. Keep a watch on the "crazy compass" thing you mentioned. It could have done that because you were under brush and 20-30 ft was the unit's accuracy for the moment. Then again, it could be a faulty compass module. Those that had this glitch (including me) have experienced wrong headings and lockups. You'll know it if you see it but assume that yours is OK for now. Rest assured, the replacement procedure is quick, friendly and painless. Good luck, Steve

I don't know if I could keep from defecating myself while digging out the box of fig newtons. I would like to think I could be cool and pitch one at a time but I would likely panic and hastily heave the whole package in the bear's general direction and run like heck!

Backlight at 100% should be apparent in all but daylight conditions. I suspect a defect, but you may want to do a "hard reset" before calling customer servce. Back up your waypoints, etc. first. Here's how - CLICK If that doesn't do it, call Garmin customer support at 1-800-800-1020 or 1-888-442-7646. There may be a wait but be patient. You may have to send it in - sounds like a pain to do this but there are worse things in life. The CS rep will give you a RMA# and you will have it back within 2 weeks. I recommend that you specify that you want your unit repaired rather than replaced by a refurbished one. If your lens is unscratched, clean it and apply a PALM screen protector or put the original screen protector back over it. Garmin puts a screen protector over returned units immediately, but it's good to play it safe. I just sent my 60CS in for a compass replacement and I had it back in 10 days. These things are just amazing and "techy" so I don't get too excited when there's a glitch. Rest assured Garmin will take care of it. Steve

Update 11/3/05: My 60CS came back today repaired as I requested instead of being replaced by a refurbished unit. Unknown yet if my compass malfunction is fixed... the compass DOES work, however. My main reason for this particular posting is to report that Garmin serviced and returned my GPSr within 2 weeks - their customer service has been 1st rate Here is what they did according to the shop papers: "Replaced compass module, master cleared unit's possible corrupted data and updated software to the latest version to prevent the problem. Transferred customer waypoint data." I'll report back later to say whether or not compass freeze problem seems to have been fixed. Time to load some maps.

Update 10/24/05: Talked to CS and got RMA#. 60CS goes out tomorrow - Since mine is in new condition, I have requested that a used, refurbished unit not be sent back. If mine cannot be repaired, I requested a new one. I love the electronic feature and because it has worked in the past, I know it CAN work. I just want it to work consistantly

Update on mine: I filled in the email form to Garmin and sent it off. Being real busy, I forgot about my problem for a couple of weeks and realized that I didn't get a response. Today was the first time I've had it out since reversing back to 3.8... it didn't help. I went out on a few hunts today and now in addition to the pointer going haywire, the map now locks up To get the compass back pointing correctly and to get the map to orient correctly, I must do a combination of compass recalibration, turning the unit off and on while standing on one leg praying to the sun. It is quite disheartening that after spending 10 minutes deciphering clues, calculating and entering new coords during a 3-part multi only to find out you must to the "monkey dance" to get your GPSr working again. Also embarassing when your partner is waiting, ready with the new numbers in his yellow eTrex which is already pointing to the next part. I guess I'll call on the phone tomorrow since the email form didn't take. I'll post back.

If it's the right angle plug, many are having problems and must use pliars. I put a very small drop of electrical contact cleaner on the jack, and carefully removed and attached the plug over and over with a pair of needlenose pliars. I can now remove it with my fingers but it is still tight. I don't think it's a design problem with the 60... it's more with the standard right-angle MCS connector like Gilsson uses. Don't use oil to try to make this easier. Oil may deteriorate the rubber cover and will attract dirt.

Well... last week, I made a tree and a barn for my 60CS - --> Symbols <--

Note to self... add one more thing to Geocache backpack:

Anticipating what I think they will probably want me to try first, I did a "hard reset". This is done by starting with the unit off, then holding down the Enter and Page buttons simultaneously while powering the unit up. I even went a step farther and reversed my firmware back to version 3.8 - it was suggested by other members that some problems (that were vaguely similar to mine) didn't start happening until they went to 4.0. Reversing to 3.8 caused my waypoints and routes to be deleted, but that's OK in my case. A "hard reset" resets everything except the splash screen. My personal message with my "If found" contact info is still there.

Not trying to hijack the OP's thread but I have had a similar problem since I bought my 60CS. I just sent Garmin an email from their customer support page to see if I can get this taken care of. My exact problem: Between battery changes (and calibrations), the compass will all of a sudden point in other directions. This happens mostly after I change a waypoint. I can fix this by calibrating the compass and everything will be fine again until the next glitch. This is only a temporary fix since I could walk a good distance off course, following an erroneous pointer before I realize that I am yet again having another glitch. I shouldn't have to be on the lookout for this and then keep having to recalibrate the compass. I'm sure that Garmin will see me through this and I'll post back to this thread with updates. Steve

Because of wide color variation within the same species, snake identification is difficult unless you have tell-tale signs like pits under the nostril, vertical pupil slits or a swollen foot. Your snake looks very much like a rat snake. Many have long stripes on their sides and belly and a blotchy pattern on top just like yours. Rat snakes can get the length you described and they are non-venomous.

Hard to tell what that snake is from the photo...but I can tell it's not a Copperhead. It's too dark. Copperheads are a very colorful snake. El Diablo The picture is deceiving the colors didn't come through well. I've seen smaller (2') copperheads that have a tan background and a "red" head. The older ones can lose that tan color and get darker and their colors will have less contrast and may even look dirty. This one was an old booger ~3' and as big around as my wrist. Cooked, it would have fed four adults! At first I though that it might have been a northern watersnake but knew that a snake in Kentucky patterned like that could also be a darker copperhead. The darker variations will still retain the brown color around their lower jaw but still only the experts can be sure. One big clue is the hourglass shaped bands and that tells you it's safe not to mess with it regardless. But if you can see that it's pupils have vertical slits then it is venomous. I didn't want to get that close (that pic was using the 3X zoom) but looking at the blowups there's no doubt about the vertical slits in its eyes.

Found this looking for an Altiods box: Log Page This one crawled right by my bare leg and curled up in the weeds next to a creek. Heebie-jeebies! Looked like a copperhead or a maybe fat watersnake. Took a few pictures along with a DNF and after I got home and loaded the hi-res images, I saw the vertical pupils. Copperhead.

I remembered something someone told me about not being allowed to put anything but mail in home mailboxes so I searched the net. Here's what it says about the ones at the post office that you rent. See "Section 3.2Mail Only" at http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/D910.htm, only mail can be placed into a post office box. And here's one that relates to the thing at the end of our driveway: "1.3Use for Mail" at http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/D041.htm. Only things with postage allowed.

I had showed my 8-yr-old son how to operate the GPSr but he still wasn't that interested in being in charge it when we went out. After a while, I was getting vibes that he would rather be doing something else - then I found out by accident that he didn't really understand the screen and how it relates to the surroundings. I fixed that. He had a friend over and we played "Geocache Easter Egg" all over our 1-acre lot. He and his friend would hide their eyes and I would hide the goodie. We did this repeatedly. He soon was able to fly through the menus of my 60CS, choose the waypoint from the list and go right to the hide. We practiced using both the compass and map modes. He now insists on being in charge of the handheld when we hunt.

Many times when the camera auto-focuses on a reflective surface, it can try to focus on an object being relected. If you have one of those cameras that pre-focuses when you push the shutter realease halfway down, pre focus on the ground then while holding that prefocus setting frame your picture like you want it.

Even though it's temporary disabled, I've been tempted to visit this one. "Use Your Head" heh.. heh... read the logs. My better judgement keeps me away.

That's awesome! Good for Garmin. I'm real pleased with my 60CS and this assures me about any future situations should they arise. A few years ago, I had an expensive cordless phone go bad within a year after I bought it. I'm picky about my stuff (especially electronics) and I swear this phone looked brand new. Not even a scratch on the LCD. Well, the refurb phone that P***sonic sent me back looked like it had skidded across a concrete parking lot. Cust service at P***sonic isn't nearly as accomodating as Garmin seems to be. I had to actually insist that I be allowed to exchange this scarred up phone they sent me. I sent the refurb back and got another one that had similar "injuries". I now wonder if one of the ways P***sonic gets their broken phones to work again is to go outside and give 'em a wack against the pavement.

Also clear your cache (no... not the things we hide). Clear your Internet cache by opening Internet Explorer. Click on Tools>Internet Options and in the Temporary Internet Files section, click the button that says "Delete Files". You also may want to delete the contents of C:Windows\Temp but don't do this until after you finish your map program installation and reboot. If you do this just delete the files INSIDE the Temp folder - not the folder itself. If you're not sure where your mp3's or videos are, you can do a Saerch. Click "Start", then "Search...". Use these for your search criteria -> *.mpg, then *.mpeg, then *.mp3. Make sure you are pointing the search to your C drive. The star indicates a wildcard allowing you to search for any file with that extension. Like everyone else has said... uninstall old programs you don't use anymore. DO NOT simply delete the folder. Uninstall these through "Add/Remove Programs" located in Control Panel. Uninstall one undesired program at a time, rebooting in between uninstalls. The uninstall routine may ask you if you want to delete files that may be used my other programs. I usually leave those in.

As little space as flash memory takes up, I'm wondering if they will ever offer a factory-installed retrofit to increase the capacity. I would gladly pay.

I was thrilled to see this at first. Then I saw the price and the features and got to thinking about practical uses. Conclusion: It needs a map. When on new road routes, I clip my 60CS on the bar and put two extra batteries in my seat bag - mapping and autorouting rules! However, the 60CS interferes with my wireless cyclocomputer so it's one or the other. On familiar routes, there's no need for mapping and my Cateye2 does what I need just fine - the 60CS stays home. I'm an amateur cyclist with dozens of Sport Class mountain bike races under my belt and although I have never raced on the road, I have done countless group rides with the local club I belong to. Here are my general opinions on two of the upgrade features on the 305: Heart Rate Monitor I have used HRMs on a NordicTrack and while running and cycling and my opinion is that they are a good tool for someone that is just starting to work out to know where they need to be without overexerting themselves. I had one that I used when running that I could set to beep if my HR got above or below a certain point. I love having that and I wish I hadn't lost it. For normal training (except for Lance), I find that using a HRM on a bicycle not very useful - there are other indicators like how my legs feel and cadence (pedaling revolutions per minute) that determine exertion level and efficiency. However, I believe HRM's do have their place in serious competitive training and also the person that puts 45 min a day on stationary exercise equipment will like having a "body tachometer". Cadence After a short time while practicing keeping a certain "beat", a cyclist will instinctively know where she/he is at. Judging cadence by feel can be learned in two sessions by counting pedaling revolutions over 5 seconds and doing quick math in one's head. Ex: 7 or 8 revolutions in a 5 second span put you in the 90 rpm range. You learn what the beat feels like and it's very similar to what a music conductor does. My HS band director never had to get out his metronome to start us off. Again my opinion - cadence is a nice feature but it isn't a necessary readout on a cyclocomputer - if a cyclist is at a level where cadence is a training concern, the rider should already be at a point where it's instinctive and not a number he/she needs to see on a LCD screen. Great idea - I just wish it would load City Select.

If you have the TOPO map loaded, national and state parks are green.

Have you actually done this with no ill effects? Petroleum based oil is not usually recommended around rubber (and some plastic) parts. I've got the antenna with the right-angle plug and to get it out I have to use pliers. I'm considering using a drop of electronics lubricant to see if it makes removal easier.

Burley Tobacco roadside in Hancock County, Kentucky Tower in Nicholasville, KY *Sigh* Graffiti...