rbrugman

I love finding caches that have been sitting for a long time! I do see what you mean though. There are a lot of caches that have simply gone missing and no one has bothered to check on it. I'd say that 90% of the "cold" caches in my area have plenty of DNF's and the owners simply have chosen not to do anything about it. My first, and to this point only cache is quite hard to find. It's a multi, but it takes quite a while to get to the final stage and its not exactly kid-friendly, so I think a lot of people just choose not to look for it. That doesn't mean that no one maintains it. I'm there every few weeks to check on the status of the stages and make sure everything is there and that nothing is damaged by water.

Various bug bites, some minor cuts. I got one deep cut on my leg once, but it healed. Other than that, the worst that has happened was that the bark seperated form the log I was walking on trying to cross a swamp and landed me in the mud. Hurts the pride but nothing has been broken.

Currently have: Garmin Quest Garmin GPSMAP60CSx Used to have: Garmin GPSMAP 60c

I have City Select 7, and there are roads in my area (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) that were re-routed nearly 10 years ago and have yet to be updated on CS or CN. I just find them when I drive through, map them and then submit the changes to Garmin in the hope that someday it will get updated. I was driving through Wisconsin in March and I entered a new segment of highway. My Quest claimed I was in a field and tried routing me all over the place to non-existant roads before finally figuring out where I was. The amount of human resources it takes to keep it even remotely updated must be enormous. I give Garmin and other companies full credit for even trying. Robert

While I'm sure the Sirf III chip is an appreciated enhancement in GPS technology, I'd caution giving it any more credit than it is due. I bought my Lowrance iFinder Pro back in March 2004 and, it would get an equally reliable position lock while sitting in my livingroom too, about 15 feet in from the nearest window And it's ability to retain signal lock under amazon-like treecover is flat out amazing! Seems nowdays everyone is praising Surf technology for bringing GPS out of the dark ages, but personally I don't think it's as revolutionary as some may think. I never really thought GPS was in the dark ages. I think that anything that can pinpoint your location anywhere on the globe is amazing. I just meant that in my field tests my 60csx did out-preform my 60c using the older chipset. Well it may yield the same results as other GPSr's, I think it's a good unit running good software. I persoanlly have not used a Lowrance GPSr, although I hear they are good. I've always just trusted Garmin for my navigation and comparing the two garmin products I have, the 60csx wins out. If you take into account my Quest which is installed in my truck with the over-priced Garmin roofmount antenna - that actually wins. I see 8-foot accuracy all the time even when it's burried under a foot of snow and ice.

If it hasn't been too long you could always return the 210. You could also sell either one on the forums here or on ebay. When I bought my 60csx (actually a 60c first) and I still had my quest I just leave the quest in my truck and use that for auto navigation, but that's what it's designed for. You could also keep one as a spare in case you go geocaching or something with a family member or a friend. I guess you could also donate it to a school or University with a geography class and get a nice tax write-off for it. Those are a few options. Robert

I live in Marquette, MI and have a 60Csx as well. With my Quest and roof-mount antenna I constantly get 8 feet. I've seen as low as 9 with my Csx, 7 with my 60C. I think the Csx has an alternative way of calculating EPE, so for me it has't been as "accurate" as my 60c. With 12 WAAS-corrected sats, I think my average of 12 feet is good enough for my usage.

I had a GPSMAP 60c and recently upgraded to a 60Csx. I am amazed by the new chip. With my 60c, I couldn't even get a position from inside my house, but with the new chip, I can get 18-foot accuracy sitting inside my house. When using the GPS in dense tree cover it's just amazing. Only downside is that I think it draws more power. I don't get the battery life I used to, even with the compass off. I bought the unit simply for the new chip and it was well worth the upgrade.

I got a pack of 4 Energizer E^2 NiMH's from Walmart with the non-15 minute charger. They took overnight to charge the first time but seem to be working quite well. I haven't had them long enough to report on their life. I used the Energizer E^2 Titanium's in my camera as well as my GPS and they last a long time, but my local Walmart stopped carrying anything but the rechargables. I think I'll be using them for a while. Robert

I had the same problem. How annoying it was. It was like holding a $500 box that just said GPS on it but could never see any satellites. After updating, it works quite well. I'm a happy geocacher again.

I highly recommend the new 60csx or anything with the new SiRF III chip. It's simply amazing. Geocaching has never been easier and I was able to lock a signal down to 10 feet from inside my house. Tried it yesterday under heavy (as in the light can't get through very well) tree cover and I never went any higher than 20 feet. The electronic compass also makes it well worth the money. I had a 60c before this, and I will not be going back. Robert

Although I do like to save a bit of money, when I buy things that cost that much, I'd rather spend the extra $20 or so and buy from either a retail store or an online store I trust (Amazon in the case of my 60csx). It's just not worth having problems like that. Robert

I JUST checked yesterday for new firmware upgrades but couldn't find anything. Probably was released 10 seconds after I looked. Guess I'll be plugging back in today!

Not to be critical, but $100 is awefully low for a Quest and all the accessories (including City Select 6/7). I got my Quest for Christmas and it was $350 new. There is a chance someone may let one go for around $200, but I wouldn't think you'd see one go for much less than that, even in used condition. A new one is still ~$350.

This is by no means a bad deal. A new 76cs on amazon is $392 by itself. Add in City Select (About another $100) and it easily makes $300 worth it. I'd get it if I didn't just buy a new 60csx. Hope someone here takes this great offer.

I have a Quest in my truck as well as a GPSMAP 60csx. I love my Quest to death as an automotive GPS, but I feel uncomforatble using it in the woods. The antenna flips up, which (in my opinion) makes it easier to break should I trip or drop it or anything like that. It is a great dual-purpose GPS though and it does work quite well. The reception is great since the antenna can be adjusted to point upwards at all time. Since I did not want to destroy my Quest, I decided to first buy a GPSMAP 60C to be used as my geocaching GPS. I hear they can do Autorouting, but I leave that job to my quest. My 60C (and now 60csx) have the sole purpose of being my outdoor GPS. I guess it depends if you want a dual-mode, Outdoor, or Automotive unit.

I've seen quite a few people with pictures of their units that have the stick-on screen protectors. Where are these sold? I have a case for mine, but should it ever fall off my bike mount when I'm riding, I'd rather not have the screen scratched. Thanks, Robert

That's about as cheap as your going to find it (new at least) at the moment. I paid $399.99 for mine at amazon with free shipping. My local outdoor store had it for $500. It's not a cheap unit since it's new, but anywhere you go you're probably going to see it be $400 after shipping.

Does anyone know if current GPS receivers will have the ability (probably via firmware update) to track the upcoming Galileo satellites? From what I've read, they share some of the same band as GPS. It'd be really nice if everyone didn't have to go out and buy a new GPSr to use it.

I ended up ordering a CSx yesterday after talking to a friend who wanted to buy my 60C. It should be coming in the mail next week. Hopefully it's nice

It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend. The eTrex or eXplorist 100 are perfectly fine for geocaching. I was actually considering getting an eTrex. I personally have a GPSMAP 60C, and have been looking at the 60csx with the upgraded antenna, but I simply don't need it. I can live with having to hunt for a cache for 10 seconds more. If you spent enough money I bet you could get a GPSr that would put you right on top of the cache, but the people who placed them simply don't have that kind of equipment. I can live being within 25 feet under heavy cover with my 60C. I don't quite need the extra reception. If I were to ever get lost, I think getting within 25 feet would be good enough. Robert

I have been reading quite a bit about the GPSMAP 60CSX (both positive and negative), but I'm really wondering if the SiRF antenna is worth the upgrade. I've been happy with my 60C and I get fairly decent signal where I go. It's quite the pricey upgrade since I picked up my 60C for under $200 about a month ago, but if it's that much better I'd think about upgrading. Any comments would be appriciated.