balidoy

I just received my v7 in the mail. Then I checked online and the v7 map is online, too. Checked 3 points that were missing in v6. 2 of them are updated; the 3rd one is not. Not bad. I might buy the upgrade.

So your GPS has only a serial interface, and your computer(s) have ony USB, right? Sorry I don't know much about serial to USB connectors. In my limited experience, they are prone to be difficult. In the Venture specs in the interface section, it says "RS232 with NMEA 0183". So I assume there are multiple RS232 standards, and whatever converter cable you use, would have to support the NMEA 0183 specs. I suggest you buy a cable that you can return, like from Radio Shack. Make sure you keep the packaging and the receipt. They are pretty good with accepting returns. And then if it does not work, just bring it back and try another one.

CenTexDodger, Thank you for your quick reply, that helped. I will wait until I have seen v7 in the map viewer. Then I will decide whether to buy.

I unlocked my City Select v6 in March, so I would have to pay for version 7. v6 points are out of date by several years on some lodging, shopping centers and restaurants in my area (Southern California). For example, there is an Ikea store that's been around for years that's not on v6. Even the street it is on does not show up on the map. Some hotels in the Disneyland area are shown with wrong names and phone numbers. And so on. Buying v7 will be worth it to me if its maps and POIs are really up to date. How can I tell what has been updated in v7 before I shell out $75?

Sputnik, thanks for the advice on changing the reference for waypoints. I was not aware you had to do that, but it makes sense and it worked the way you described it. I now got the serial cable and it works, but slooowly! Takes about 3 minutes per MB. That explains why it comes combined with a power adapter. Kudos to chumbo.com who sent me the serial cable within a day. They have a confusing description on their web site and no photo, but the correct Garmin part# (010-10277-00). So I am saved for this trip. I guess I will have to send my gpsr in for repair after I return.

Thank you both for your advice. The problem turned out to be a hardware issue: the USB connector is damaged. I will get a serial cable and then try downloading again.

I have some maps and waypoints from Southern California currently stored in my GPSMAP60C. Now to prepare for a trip to Washington, I wanted to load different maps and waypoints for that trip that I had prepared in Mapsource. After downloading the data, it said "download complete", but then I still had the old waypoints on the GPS unit! I thought it would just overwrite them, as the user manual stated, but it did nothing with the waypoints. I am not sure whether it overwrote the maps. I tried multiple times. I had all the new waypoints and maps selected on the mapsource screen, and the options for downloading waypoints and maps were checked. What was I doing wrong?

How can I tell my software version number?

With my 60c, WAAS enabled, anywhere between 20 and 60 ft. That's with it sitting on my dash board, no external antenna. I use it mostly in suburban settings, in Orange County, California. There are usually low buildings and some trees around.

I remember reading somewhere I could exclude certain areas I wish to avoid on my GPSMAP 60c. For example, I would rather not use the Highway 5 (in Southern California) because it is often jammed. How do I tell my GPSr to not direct me there? Or is that feature not available on my model?

A few weks ago I saw a thread in one of these forums with a link to a vendor that sells inexpensive accessories, among them good antennas, holders etc. Now I can't find that link. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Olar and Vlad, thanks for responding so quickly, that was very helpful. I will go ahead and install CS on my office computer.

I just got my City Select North America v6 software. According to the license agreement, it could be used on more than one computer, provided it is used only by the license owner, and only on one computer at a time. Since my home computer is currently in repair, I would like to install CS first on my office computer and download some maps to my GPS from there. Once my home computer is back from Gateway (which could be a few more weeks), I would like to use CS on it also. What has been your experience with using CS on more than one computer?

Hi all, thanks for replying. The cache is called "Barren Heart" and the coords are: N 33° 48.262 W 117° 50.082. The coords were downloaded, not typed in manually. I just double checked and they are correct on my GPSr. I went to Jacaranda street (where that mobile home park is) because that's where I thought the online map was pointing to. With "online map" I meant the map that's displayed on the GC site for that cache. I think more likely it is my lack of experience than the GPSs fault. It is set to WGS84 and WAAS enabled and it told me it was accurate to 15-25 ft. Probably my error in misinterpreting where it pointed me to. Walruz may be right. The cache could be on the other side of that mobile home park, and I simply did not check there. I will go back this week and see what's over there.

Today I tried to find a cache in my area but I'm puzzled because the directions don't make sense. On the geocaching page, the cache was labeled with difficulty level 1, and supposedly "in the parking lot of a lunch stop". Instead the online map and my GPS lead me to the far end of a trailer park. No parking lot and no lunch stop there. I feel stupid asking the person who hid it because it appears that 39 other people did find that cache within the last 7 weeks, incl. 2 today. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks to all who helped answer my questions. I will return Metroguide to amazon, and buy City Select from another source. I don't think amazon carries it.

Peter, Good question. The front of the box reads: MetroGuide North America v6. On the back in the lower left, there is a sticker that reads "Garmin City select v6 CD-ROM Map - North America". Next to the sticker it lists various GPS models, but the 60c is not on that list. The box is thick enough to contain more than one CD. Maybe it contains MapSource AND City select. I bought it from amazon, where it was called "Garmin City Select v6 CD-ROM Map - North America". The code 010-10473-00 on amazon's site matches the number shown on garmin's web page about the City Select product. However that product code does not appear on the outside of the box I received. So I am wondering whether I received the wrong product.

I got my Garmin 60c last week, and then got the City Select North America software. I will keep the GPSr, but I have not opened the software, so I could still return it. Of course I will need to load certain maps in advance to the 60c. But I do not want to carry a PC around with me in my car. I am concerned that my car might get broken in and the PC stolen. Here is an example of a typical day trip: my girlfriend and I go from home (Orange county) to a museum in Los Angeles. Afterwards we would like to go to a nearby restaurant, but we don't know what's in the area. Can I find a list of nearby restaurants and get turn by turn directions to one of them, by using just the 60c without a computer? And will the 60c reroute without a computer, should I miss a turn? If the answer is yes to both questions, why does it say on the software box: "Will automatically create point to point routes on PC only" ?

StarBrand Thank you, that worked.

I just got my GPSMAP 60c a few days ago and am excited about getting started with it. Now I have a few questions that don't seem to be answered in the manual: How do I tell it where "home" is? Meaning, where I live. How do I manually set a waypoint if I have no access to a computer, and all I know are the coordinates?

How do you use the Quest for geocaching? I downloaded its manual, but did not see an option for setting a waypoint with longitude/latitude.

Woogie, I was not aware of the Quest until you drew my attention to it. Looks like I can get it for the same amount (about $450 from amazon) I would pay for the 60C+map software. And if I am not mistaken, the city select map comes included in the Quest's price. So now I have a little more comparing to do... IV Warrior, I will check out the Magellan Meridian Series also. Thanks again to all who replied!

Hi alfadog, did you look at the map for all Oregon caches, then zoomed in on an area? Not sure but you may need to be a premium member to do this.

Thanks to all who replied! It was very helpful. I am leaning toward the Garmin GPSMAP 60C because of its portability and decent amount of memory. A few days ago I went over to my local REI store and played with one for a moment, and I liked the feel and look of it. The quality of the display is amazing, no glare at all. Of course that was inside the store. Also I am partial to color, just a personal preference. Looks like I can get it at amazon for about $445 including City Select. I will post again if I have more questions. This forum is great!

I posted here before, did some research, and have more questions now. I am looking for a GPS device that will let me do 2 things: 1) Get driving directions to points of interest in the greater Los Angeles area, preferably with rerouting in case I miss a turn. I assume I would need to purchase software in addition to the device, and that’s fine with me. 2) Geocaching. I want to find caches starting at my home address, which is in Orange County, CA. What brand/model would be best? I would prefer to have just one device that can handle both tasks. Does such an animal exist? I will appreciate your advice.