media601

I would just like to add that the two ways to connect a 60 series GPSr to a PC via serial are: Use a USB to serial adapter. (Some people report problems with this method but I don't know the specifics or how to resolve it. I suspect it may be a driver issue, such as failing to install them.) Use a Garmin Serial or Serial/power connector that plugs into the large round hole in back of the GPSr. Both of these solutions are rather pricey, in my view. Edited to note you cannot transfer maps into any Garmin unit from any program other than MapSource products, regardless of the connection. You can only transfer data, such as waypoints, tracks and routes.

This is a great idea. Although I've been happy with the battery life in my 60cs I've occasionally wondered how long they really last. I'm definately going to try this.

If you already have a mini USB cable (used by many cameras, PDAs, and other small electronics) you may want to consider the Venture CX. It does not have a magnetic compass like the Vista but the cost difference is considerable. You can get one for about $160.00 after rebate. It also does not come with the microSD chip for loading maps, but most people upgrade that immediately anyway. You can buy a 1 gig microSD chip for about $35.00

If it only took you three weeks to learn you are *way* smarter than me. I have had my Garmin 60cs for 1 1/2 years and I still seem to learn something new every time I use it.

I will be sure to do that. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for the info. I've been very happy with my 60cs and I'm sure I'll be happy with the 60csx if this particular issue is resolved.

Does anyone know if the issue of the map pointer on the Garmin 60csx "wandering" when the unit is not moving has been fixed? I don't see any recent posts here but I did see this mentioned in a Yahoo customer review post as recent as this month (Nov, 2006). Also, does (or did) this issue affect the 60cx? I am considering upgrading from my 60cs mainly to upgrade to City Navigator v8. Although CN v8 works with the 60cs I need to upload more maps than I can with 56 megs of memory. Thanks in advance.

If you have a barometer you can enter the barometric pressure. You could also enter a published barometric pressure from a news source, but that may not be as accurate. Calibrating the GPSr is not critical if you only want to know how much your elevation changed. Its only important if you want to know your present altitude as accurately as possible.

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone out there have experience with both Garmin City Select and City Navigator on handhelds? I see on the Garmin site that the recommended mapping software for the Venture CX is City Navigator. I have City Select with one unlock remaining. Will this work with the Venture CX? Also curious about the difference between City Navigator and City Select. Does City Nav come on a microSD chip or is it a software product like City select? Thanks in advance.

Took this in my friend's garden railway. Notice the bear? Discovering the top of the waterfall

You have to create a map set in Mapsource with both topo and street maps in the "Maps" tab, then upload the whole thing. A new map set always overwrites the old one in the GPS. You can't add maps to an existing set in the GPS. Thanks for the replies regarding my question of switching between maps.

Ummm, just try it with the compass off. If it works better, you're having a problem with the compass. When this happens to me, recalibrating works wonders. That's the best I can do. Good luck.

I know this has been covered before, but I can't find the thread. If someone has both Mapsource topo and City Select maps (covering the same area) loaded into a 60CS, can you switch between them, or does the street map always take precedence? Thanks.

The 60CS does not have a three-axis compass and needs to be held level to function properly. Also, the compass needs to be recalibrated everytime you change batteries, and whenever else the unit decides you need to. Try disabling the compass by pressing and holding the Page button (you can re-enable it the same way). The unit should now point in the right direction as long as you are moving and have a lock. [edit after re-reading your post] I'm not sure what you mean by "the GPS might still read that the North is to either side of me or even behind me". When you are in geocaching mode (that is, when the waypoint you are seeking has a geocache icon) the arrow will have a single red arrow and will point at the cache, not at a compass heading. The compass markings on the pointer are irrevalent unless you stop navigation.

I'm not sure why this isn't working for you, but I create routes in Mapsource and transfer them to my 60CS all the time. I don't have MapSource in front of me at the moment (I am at work), but I do remember this feature in MapSource is a little tricky and unintuitive. Does the route appear Routes tab in the navigation pane? Is it still there if you close and reopen the db? If the answers to these two questions is "Yes", then I can't help you. The Routes checkbox should be enabled if a route is saved in the Routes tab.

Did the "necessary programs" include the Palm desktop (free from Palm.com)? The Palm III units should work fine with XP.

The electronic compass is handy because it points at a waypoint when you're standing still. It does need to be calibrated occasionally, notably whenever you change the batts. I agree the barometric altimeter is something you won't need unless you want to use the GPSr in an ultralight aircraft. REI.com is clearancing the 60cs for $300.00. No memory card capability, but still a darn good deal, especially considering it is priced comparable to the Vista C and just a bit more than the Legend C.

You also need the Palm desktop which was not mentioned above. Its free from palm.com

The easiest way to do it is to set the waypoint icon to the geocache closed chest icon. This is the default icon when you download geocaches from a .loc or .gpx file but it is not automatic if you marking a new waypoint. 1. Use the thumb rocker button to navigate to the icon on the display screen (upper left corner I believe). 2. Press Enter. A list of icons appears. 3. Use the thumb rocker button to navigate to the icon you wish to use for the waypoint (the closed chest in this case). 4. Press Enter. The closed chest icon should now display in the upper left corner of the screen. The pointer will now behave as if the new waypoint is a geocache and use the solid red arrow pointer. Please note that when you mark another new waypoint, the icon will default to the last icon selected, in this case the closed chest geocache icon.

This is from the Nimh FAQ on the Maha energy site: "Generally speaking, NiMH batteries do not suffer from the "memory effect" and thus do not require conditioning. Nevertheless, to ensure top performance, conditioning is recommended once for every ten charges. For Nickel Cadmium (NiCD) batteries, conditioning is recommended every time you charge your batteries." When they talk about "conditioning" they are referring to special conditioning circuitry built into their chargers. I'm not sure if all chargers have that, but completely draining the batteries before charging has the same effect. So they are saying you should completely drain them approximately once for each ten charges. I'm not an expert, but my guess is that letting them go dead naturally is all you need to do--no further draining should be required.

Just a note to let you know you should never post TB numbers or show the TB number in photos. It opens the door for mischief makers. Knowing the number proves that the person moving the bug actually has it. You should edit your original post and use the bug name or lookup code (similar to waypoint code). (Edit: I did the same thing myself when I started caching.) Food should never be placed in a cache. Critters can smell it even if its sealed, and they won't stop gnawing on that cache until they get it.

My Garmin 60cs does automatic recalculation when you miss a turn. It only takes a few seconds and works very well. I can also set it to do U Turns or not. Its not perfect, and has made some mistakes, but I've been very impressed with the auto routing capability. I didn't really believe it would be useful at all, but it has far exceeded my original expectations.

I've used the invisible shield on my 60cs and the 3M product on my PDA. The invisible shield works better and has a lifetime warranty, even if it gets scratched. However, I would appreciate it if you buy the 3M product instead, because I work for them and am a stock holder. http://www.theinvisibleshield.com

Compass fan here (Garmin 60CS), but there is a bit of a learning curve. I generally turn it off for use in the car and then turn it on for the walk. The electromagnetic field of the car can do strange things sometimes. Also you have to remember to calibrate it occasionally, especially after changing batteries. Is it worth the extra cost? It is to me--for others its not.