SLC Geo Finder

To display tracks, open the program, go to "GPS" then "Tracks" then "Display" and then select the track file that you've save.

Mapsource Topo is generally based on USGS topos, most of which were last updated in the 70s and 80s. If your street or favorite trail is not on the USGS topo, it is likely not on the Mapsource Topo. As far as accuracy for elevation and topography, they are pretty good given the somewhat limited resolution of the elevation data (USGS elevation lines are every 40 feet while Mapsource Topo elevation lines are every 164 feet). Mapsource Topo 24k Nat'l Parks are exact duplicates of the USGS topo maps, so they have the 40 foot elevation lines, but their coverage is limited to Nat'l Parks with some questionable editorial choices (how could Garmin leave out the 1000 Island Lake area along the John Muir Trail?!?).

Sounds like you have the "Course Pointer" selected. Look at pages 14-19 on your manual on how to change this. What this compass option shows is how far you've deviated from a straight line between the point where the GPS started and the selected waypoint. Once you get more than .25 miles out of line, the pointer disappears until you either get back in line or restart the GPS. It works best for when you are trying to travel in a straight line between two points. This is hard to do when hiking, but it's a great feature if you are paddling a boat on a lake.

Two big differences: The 100k provides topo information for all included states. The 100k has grid lines at approximately every 160 feet in elevation change. The Nat'l Park only covers National Parks and certain other areas. The Nat'l Park has grid lines at every 40 feet in elevation change, just like a 7.5 min USGS topo. My 2 cents is that if you can only afford, get the 100k. I've used it extensively for hiking and its great. If I need detailed topo info, I carry a paper map.

You can toggle pages. Push "Page" to move forward and "Quit" to move back a page.

I've always wondered why Garmin hasn't offered an altimeter alarm with a graph showing your progress as you hike up a hill. Garmin has one of the most accurate altimeters I've seen, and its a shame not to make more use of it. Backpackers know that alitude is often more important than mileage. You would enter the alarm altitude and a seperate page would show the difference in feet (or meters) between your current altitude and the alarm altitude, and a bar or clock graph would show your progress (10% there, 50% there, etc.) The page would also provide the option to select a waypoint and then using the data from the elevation field in the waypoint, tell you the altitude difference between your current location and the waypoint. This should be very simple because the necessary data is already used by other parameters in the unit. I think backpackers and climbers would find these to be "killer apps." P.S. People have posted some really good ideas. I had a problem with seeing the track, but with the new software, it's much better.

I'm interested in buying this software. Anyone got a used copy they would like to part with? Can purchase new at REI right now (with 20% discount) for $80, so looking for something less than this price. Thanks.

Flashmaster: Your watch looks amazing and I would love to see a picture of your 60CS. Looks like you've mastered this process. Could you give us more detailed information about how you put on the screenprotector (you say it is a 20 min process). You mention heating it with a hairdryer and letting it "melt" on. Do you just "warm" the protector or get it so hot that you can't touch it? Can you maybe estimate the temperature you use. Also, any secrets on smoothing the protector. Thanks.

The other day I was driving down the road when all of a sudden the map pointer veers off the road and takes off across the map with the speedometer shows 225 mph! I restarted and a few minutes later it did the same thing. I did a memory clear and it hasn't happened since, but anyone seen this before?

Don't forget the 60CS has about double the battery life of the Vista. There are some nice bells & whistles with the 60CS (games, geocache mod, enhanced elevation graph, waypoint averaging, ect.), but you just can't beat the color screen. You can now tell if the wiggly line on the screen is a road or a stream (makes a big difference when hiking). The USB 2.0 connection is super fast for downloading maps. I travel a lot, and it was usually a 20 min wait to download new maps to the Vista. Now, it takes less than a minute. I have a Vista, and I'm keeping it so hiking partners can share the fun, but I love the 60CS.