JSWilson64

Garmin is raved about on this board for their service. As long as you get a receipt or invoice that shows you bought the unit new, you're good with their warranty (and sometimes longer).

So, steal one. That's free. Problem solved. (that part was sarcastic) Or, you could try thinking about it, maybe even try a few GPSrs out, and post again once you can articulate what you want to know. (that part was serious)

What's "not right" about it? There was a thread about this just recently, and I believe a hard reset cured it. Just read back a few days in the forum, and you'll hit the thread. If you do wind up resetting, remove your SD card first, and use Mapsource or EasyGPS to copy off any waypoints and tracks from your GPSr to your PC.

EasyGPS is a free download from www.easygps.com. They have a pay product called ExpertGPS, too, but I'm not sure what the difference is. If you bought your 60CSx recently (new, retail), it came with a CD with Garmin's Trip & Waypoint Manager -- that will do what you want, too (I think), as will Garmin's Mapsource program.

I'd be more worried about paying for something that would damage my GPS! Seriously, EasyGPS is a good program. It communicates with your GPS using standard protocols, the same way Garmin's own program does.

WRT the post above this one - they all have "internal memory" that's used to store some stuff, like waypoints (I think). And there will be a base map that's of very little value unless you're caching next to an Interstate Highway. Regarding warranties, Garmin won't honor its warranty for an eBay purchase (unless maybe the seller is a Garmin Authorized dealer with an eBay store???). Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. make TONS of money selling extended "warranties" that aren't really a warranty. They're a "service contract" or "protection plan." Basically a way for them to pad their profit. Online horror stories abound about them, from Consumer Reports to various "gripe" sites. The best "warranty" you can buy your new GPS is a screen protector from Shield Zone (except they have a new name now...), and don't let your dog chew on your GPS! Seriously, unless you're VERY hard on your equipment (like you sit on it, drop it off cliffs, run over it with your car, etc.), an "outdoor" GPS shouldn't need an extended warranty for Geocaching-type use. Best Buy and the like are best for trying out the merchandise before buying online from a reputable retailer with a better price. REI is a good place to try AND buy, because you'll get a rebate at the end of the year that you can use toward next year's hot new GPS model.

I think I understand what you're asking... When we go on vacation and I save a bunch of waypoints and tracks of places we went, so I can put 'em on Google Maps to scoreboard my friends and family about where I've been. I use EasyGPS to pull my waypoints and tracks off my 60CSx to my computer, then organize them into separate files. You can select, cut, copy, paste, delete, etc. waypoints between files. I tend to save 'em by state and date, such as 2006 Hawaii trip, 2003 New Mexico trip, etc. I also save sets for Boy Scout campouts, bike rides, hikes, etc., for posting to the Troop web site. Once you get 'em organized on the computer, you can delete them off your handheld until you're heading back to that area and want them again. That's what I do, at least.

I think that's what partfoundry started with - there are videos on the web of their prototype board, looking very home-made, working on an iPhone. The software side is the hard part. I guess the SDK wasn't what they were hoping for. Heck, I had a hard time finding (affordable) GPS software for the Palm platform. I had a Palm from my job and a Bluetooth GPS I bought, but I found the free/cheap software available to be lacking in functionality. It made me miss my eTrex Legend. The advancements are all right there on the horizon. It's one of those things we'll laugh about with our grandkids - <old man voice>Back in my day . . . </old man>.

You'll probably get more help if you go into more detail: 1) define "cheap" 2) define your needs. Do you want it to display a map? Color screen? Hook up to your computer? If so, serial port or USB? I'd suggest going to someplace that sells them and play with a few - you'll immediately begin to discern ones you like and ones you don't.

Partfoundry has dropped the plug-in GPS for iPhone / iPod touch. They're currently working on a Wi-Fi connected GPS "server" to be released in Summer 2008. Since it's vaporware at the moment, don't go holding your breath...

I've done that too, woke up 2 weeks late with a great idea for April Fools...

As far as the maps / routing goes, it's trying to route you on the base map, since that's all you have. A less-expensive alternative to City Navigator is MetroGuide. City Navigator is locked by a code to the unit you install it on, meaning if you get a new GPS, you have to pay to install CN on your new GPS. Metro Guide is unlocked. Metroguide doesn't auto-route out of the box, but there's a program called MetroWizzz that will re-index the map so it can be used to do routing. The program comes in a free version and a $6 version. The free version is limited (to 1 GB, I think) in the amount of data you can transfer to your GPSr, the paid version is unlimited. So, if you're cheap (like me) you can get a used copy of MetroGuide, the free MetroWizzz program, and roll with autorouting maps on your 60CSx for considerably less than a new copy of City Navigator will cost you.

Well, so the date has come and gone, and PartFoundry has placed the iPhone / iPod Touch GPS module on indefinite hold. I guess the SDK didn't have what they needed to make it a go after all. They are working on a new product that is a wifi-connected "GPS server," with a summer 2008 release date. Quote from www.gomite.com I ain't holding my breath. It's a shame Apple won't turn loose the Bluetooth on the iPhone.

I think what you're asking is a lot for $175. There are units that let you load satellite photos, but I can't remember who makes them. I think what you're spec'ing out in your post will eventually be available at the equivalent of $175 in 2008 dollars... in 2 years, probably longer. To overlay a real-time Google Maps sat photo will require a real-time data link, like a cell phone. iPhone has pseudo-GPS, next-gen iPhone is rumored to have real GPS. But it'll cost considerably more than $175. Maybe there's a mobile device that'll do all you're asking for that price, but I think it'd be pretty popular on this board, and I haven't heard of it... What you need to do is prioritize that feature set, then decide what you can live without at your price point.

City Navigator: comes with unlock code for one (1) GPS unit (can purchase more). Metro Guide: can be installed on as many GPSrs as you want, but doesn't autoroute out of the box. Same map data as City Navigator of the same generation. MetroWizzz (free) / MetroGold ($6.00) - software (www.geodude.nl) that turns MetroGuide into an autorouting map product. MetroWizz is limited to 1 GB or a certain # of map tiles - Metro Gold is unlimited. If you've got more than one GPS receiver, MetroGuide North America 8 plus MetroGold gets you routable maps on as many GPS receivers as you want, at much less $$$ out of pocket than City Nav.

It's the hackers fault that City Nav used to have 2 unlocks and now it only has one? I don't see the logic in that. More like Garmin realized they were losing money when people bought a second GPSr and were using the maps they had already bought, rather than buying a shiny new DVD for each receiver.

Yikes! 12v through a mini-USB should be a huge "no-no" for electronics manufacturers. That's why it's always better to check it - because some engineer goes against the spec for some expedient reason, and the consumer winds up frying their device.

I'd vote for the Colorado issues... But it probably has more to do with Garmin's internal projections about the life of the 60/76 products. Or, we might see it roll out next week, or sometime soon (my hope).

Seems like when the news originally came out about the InstantFixII, the info on SiRF's site indicated it wasn't a "freebie" for the GPS manufacturers. (and I may be way off base on that, it's based on a memory several months old) Even if the update is free from SiRF to Garmin, there's still programming, testing, QC, etc. costs. Garmin may have done the cost/benefit and decided that it's not worth it to Garmin to update the older units. But they'd need to include it in newer models, because their competition is doing so. Basically, ask yourself, "what's in it for Garmin?" to give you InstantFixII, when you've already bought your receiver? They already have your money, why would they expend resources to include something that's not a bug fix? Not saying that's right, but that's business. And that's why open hardware platforms are better than closed ones. Because can you imagine the features you would like to add to your 60-series, if only you could rewrite the firmware?

Better deal is to buy MetroGuide - it doesn't use unlock codes so you can buy it used and install it on as many GPS receivers as you own (that work with it of course). Only drawback is it doesn't autoroute out of the box. But MetroWizzz from geodude.nl adds autorouting to MetroGuide. Or you can pay full price, or close to it, for City Nav that locks you to one GPSr even after you sell it or get a new one, then pay some more when you want to add it to another unit.

That's a pretty pervasive rumor, although I've already seen someone call "B.S." on the claim that the new iPhone will have an OLED screen. Integrated GPS will be nice, since one of the front-runners for a plug-in GPS module (Part Foundary's LocoGPS that was supposed to be shipping right now) turned out to be a no-go. They're working on a wi-fi connected GPS module for Summer 2008. I'm hoping Apple just integrates the GPS or turns on the Bluetooth in the next-gen iPhone/iPod Touch.

Are you using a "real" serial cable, or a USB-to-serial adapter?

The GPS receiver has internal memory for storing some stuff (like waypoints or caches) and uses the memory card for storing other stuff (like maps, and tracks if you set it up that way).

Don't buy any version of CN if you ever want to use it on another GPS receiver (without spending more money). Instead: 1) Buy the latest version of Metroguide (v.8 ??) on eBay for less than retail (or buy it retail if you must). Install it. 2) Download MetroWizzz (free) or purchase MetroGold ($6.00US ) from www.geodude.nl 3) Apply MetroWizzz/Gold to add turn-by-turn routing functionality to Metroguide, and upload to your 60Cx and as many other GPS receivers as you want without worrying about unlock codes, because Garmin doesn't require you to jump through their onerous and expensive unlocking hoops to use MetroGuide on more than one unit. 4) Enjoy a nice dinner on the money you just saved.

OK, could you clarify this? He has loaded S&T onto his 60CSx? Or he uses S&T on his computer and his 60CSx is attached and supplying the location info to the computer???