hiker102

This is a great forum for a variety of topics relating to the M5 and Garmin's iQue models in general. Just thought you guys might be interested

A friend of mine also had this problem with the 60c, and Garmin finally discovered that the internal GPS receiver was buggy. If you are still under warranty, you should just send it in to have them replace it. If you are using it mostly in areas with heavy tree coverage then you may want to consider an external antenna. I have one from Gilsson and get excellent reception with it.

If anyone's curious, here is a screenshot of how Gilsson's antenna compares with Garmin's. I also got a Gilsson neoprene case for my 60cs from The GPS Store if anyone is interested.

Well I don't know what you mean by a "long time", but I have the gilsson 60cs case for six months now without incident, and have had the 76c case for about a year. they both work well and have not had the screen problems like you mentioned. the 76c case has a few scratches from a few hiking mishaps, but nothing that would affect visibility.

I also have the Gilsson case and I really like it. I haven't used it much in cold weather, but the buttons seem to be very accessible normally. I notice that The GPS Store now carries gilsson products as well, and offers decent pricing on their products. Gilsson just posted a thread on their forum (http://gilsson.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=25) soliciting feedback about new case designs. It may be worthwhile to post some ideas on their site so that they can incorporate them for new cases.

For those that are interested, Gilsson is seeking feedback about a new 60cs case they have in the works on their yahoo group: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/gils...ssion/message/2

I went on their site and they said they had stopped selling direct. I tried a couple of their dealers, but they either used Paypal (which I refuse to use unless I hear something positive about them.) or I coulndn't find it on their site. Very frustrating to have the credit card info all ready, had the items in the cart, and it wanted me to register for Paypal. Not even. ! tusen takk allikevel, min Norske venn. FWIW, my wife uses PayPal extensively on eBay for several years, and I have used it several time, and neither of us has had a problem. The GPS Store is now selling Gilsson gps accessories for reasonable prices. The Gilsson 60CS case has a really good fit on the 60cs. The case is nice, but the external antenna is amazing! I got 9 satellites in under 30 seconds and maintained strong signal strength even in wooded areas.

Here is a link to view the Gilsson 60CS carry case, and also the Garmin original 60cs case I just bought the Gilsson case from www.thegpsstore.com. They are great to do business with! Gilsson seems to be soliciting feedback on their yahoo group (http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/gilsson_discussion/message/2), so you might want to tell them your thoughts on a new design for the case

I actually have a Gilsson case for my eTrex, and it fits very well, so it wont fall out even if the zipper is unzipped. I know the zipper is on the bottom for the Etrex because thats where the cable connections are, so its easier to access. I dont know about the eXplorist though. The zipper doesnt really affect usability either.

I bought two Gilsson external antennas because they are incredible. I have a 60CS and an iQue, and the difference is amazing. I'm very impressed with the quality and the price (bought mine on eBay). When I bought my second antenna Gilsson told me that they're developing a new antenna that will have 30 dB gain. I usually just run the antenna cable along the side of the door as well, and it gives plenty of clearance without interfering with the signal.

I've had a chance to play with several Garmin and Magellan units, and must say it really does depend on what is important to you. Garmin is a much bigger company and has a much more extensive product line (too much so, maybe), to suit more needs, while Magellan focuses on a few and did a good job with the RoadMate and eXplorist (later ones are much better). Aside from product line, I think that Garmin has a much better algorithm (for acquiring GPS satellites) than Magellan. Its noticeable if you compare the newest version of comparable units (ie eTrex/eXplorist, 60CS/Meridian, StreetPilot/RoadMate). I don't like how they have proprietary connectors for different units, but on the whole I feel that Garmin probably invests a lot more in R & D than Magellan does. One gripe I have about both is their accessories. First, they are ridiculously overpriced, and secondly they are of poor quality. My GA 27C (for my 60CS) didn't improve signal much and cost me arond $75. I dont think they spend much time or effort on accessories, and I found that Gilsson external antennas are MUCH better. The case for the 60cs is also pretty nice. I havent called Magellan for service, but Garmin has always been very responsive and helpful whenever i had an issue or question with one of their units. So i guess I prefer Garmin just because they seem to have more resources and more focused on developing new and better GPS units than Magellan.

I called up Gilsson (who i just bought an external antenna from), and they confirmed that it would be based on the antenna end, since it is using the external antenna and not the internal one for positioning. I tested it myself by covering my 60cs with my hand, then covering the external antenna (when the antenna was connected). the gps lost all signal when i covered the external antenna and didnt affect it when i covered the unit. silly test, but confirms what Gilsson told me.

I have a 76c and i got a Gilsson external antenna from gpsgeek.com, which works great. reception was spotty in dense tree coverage, but okay otherwise. i think you can find them for cheaper on eBay though. the main gilsson site is pretty useful too (http://www.gilsson.com).

i saw on Gilsson's site (www.gilsson.com) that they are coming out with an explorist case. i have one for my garmin etrex and it works really well.