PghDragonRider

I love REI's exchange policy for members: If you're not happy bring it back. Never had a problem with REI.

Before you get all excited, read these reviews: http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00HWL9AS8/ref=acr_dpxrating_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0

Do a lot of research and pay attention to the three star and lower reviews. There are a lot of commonly mentioned negatives and some of these reviews are only a few week old at this point. My biggest complaint with two brand new units, both of which had their firmware / software upgraded prior to being used for the first time, involved falling into "black holes". One of the worst of these involved resetting my counter to zero, then pedaling away from my starting point only to see the distance go from 10 FEET to 14 MILES. The first time this happened, I thought it was a fluke, but it would occur on almost every use and at random points in my outings. I don't know if this has been fixed or not, but I suspect not. After several fruitless e-mail exchanges with Garmin I finally gave up, returned the second unit and went back to using my 60csx.

Garmin 64s has the same problem and I went through 2 of them before giving up on the series. I had the latest firmware at the time (3.1) and that's what it would do. I would also fall into a wormhole: pedaling away from the car the odometer jumped from 10 FEET to 14 MILES! Another time I had recorded a maximum speed of 150+ MPH . . . on a bicycle! Lot of other oddities, but these were some of the most severe. This was happening with two different units and your 62 shares a lot of the same design, so I'm willing to bet it is some "undocumented feature" Garmin has not fixed yet.

Chalk up another problem for the 64s. I went through two of them before giving up and reverting back to my old 60csx. In sympathy with the original poster, I had the same issue . . . along with accuracy problems related to recorded distances and other big time dissatisfactions. Nope, I just gave up. My advice to perpulady is give up your 64s while you are still able to return it. In fairness to Garmin, this is the first outright dud model I've encountered. My old 60csx is great as are the two Nuvi's I've purchased: one for wife's car and one for a car the "youngin's" share. Even my old original E-trex provided all the functionality it was advertised as having and that is a LOT more than I can say for my experience with the 64s. PS Search Amazon for one star reviews.

There is another thread on this forum that deals with the same problem on the 64s. I can't believe that Garmin won't acknowledge the problem.

Sorry to hear I am not the only one, but at the same time, I think this again points to some flaw in the design. Since the 64 is basically a 62 with some added features, on some level, it does make sense they'd have problems in common with each other.

I don't get what you are saying: you *expect* the unit to add mileage, even when turned off? If that is indeed what you are saying, I am really curious why you would expect such behavior.

Before you buy, read some reviews and pay attention to the non-rave reviews. I am about to return my SECOND 64s for the same reasons. I use mine for bicycling and have had LOADS of mileage and speed problems. Here are some examples. I finished a ride and logged my mileage: 16 miles. The next day, I go back to the trailhead and when I turn the unit on, it is showing 20 miles. Where did the extra mileage come from, since the unit was turned off? Another time, I just finished a reset and am pulling away from my car; the distance indicated 10 *FEET* and then jumped to 14 *MILES*! I also have track logs with strange jumps and showing speeds of 70+ MPH to a record of 179 MPH . . . on a bicycle! Yes, I've updated to latest firmware and tried everything Garmin suggested. The most convincing evidence that here is an internal problem with these units was when I had it sitting on my desk and the unit tracked me as moving 1.5 miles in 20 minutes. I know there are a lot of rave reviews on this unit, but what are the odds of me getting two bad ones in a row? Nope, I'd look at another model if I were you.

OK, this does not happen very often , but when I make a huge error of judgement, I am big enough to admit it. I made one more attempt with the 64s, and I'm glad I did. With the raves it has been getting, I figured it has be be *something* if I'm the only one not getting good results. Turns out ,DOH! I never updated the firmware after getting the unit. After performing the firmware update and checking some config settings, I took it on a ride with my old 60csx so I could compare the two side by side. Now the 64s did indeed lock on faster and the mileage did not jump. I also ordered the Garmin bike mount: I just could not see my way to the price of the Ram Mount, especially since I need to outfit two bikes, so that would double the base cost. It is still going to take some getting used to it, but I think the 64s is a keeper.

This issue with the bike mount is becoming a non-issue: the GPS is going back. I am having problems with inaccurate mileage readings (it will jump a bunch of miles), it seems to record mileage even with the unit powered down, reading that I am moving even though the GPS is stationary on a desktop and some other things, like being slower to acquire a lock than my 60csx. I have had no problems with the location aspects of the GPS, but all the other problems adds up to a return. BTW, that's a beautiful Salsa!

The aesthetics are not my primary concern, but security of the mounting is. I'm a member of a big outdoor member supported chain and this is the number one feedback issue I've seen regarding this mount. As for looks . . . I mean I wear bike shorts, so I can't be that hung up about looks.

Ram Mount, hunh? May need to check that out. As for the weight . . . Trust me, I'm more worried about <b>MY</b> weight than the weight of a clamp on the bike! :-{)} By "steering head clamp" I am envisioning this as the point where the bars meet the bar clamp. Hmmm . . . That would solve the GPS rotation problem I've seen most often commented on, but on my bike, the extension may not be long enough. That position will not work on my touring road bike either as I have a handlebar bag with a mounting system that will interfere with mounting the GPS there.

Yeah, but how are you supposed to read it while riding? Right now, I am using the carabiner clip that comes with the unit and hanging it on my hydration unit from a D ring. It is secure, but very difficult awkward to read. This is a big enough negative for me that I am on the verge of returning the 64s and making one more attempt at getting my old 60csx repaired.

I just got a Garmin 64s as a replacement for my older 60csx. So far, my biggest disappointment is the new style bike mount Garmin is offering. Does anyone know of any third party offerings? I liked the old style I had for the 60csx, but of course, Garmin designed the newer units so they can't be used with the older mounts. I am really put off about the idea of using cable ties / zip ties to secure the GPS to my handlebars. For starters, it makes the whole thing look home-made. I also have doubts about the security of the mounting. I don't do too much technical single track, but I do like to ride off road, I use the GPS to track mileage and related stats and I use the bike to get to trailheads when I do go 'caching. Are there any other solutions?

Thanks! I did not see that forum. Can an admin move this thread over there? Just want to minimize multiple threads of the same topic.

My old 60csx finally bit the dust and I've decided to retire it after many years of loyal service. I've replaced it with the 64s. I am still in the learning mode with it and it has a totally different menu structure that the 60csx. I lucked out with my old Garmin topo maps and was able to load them into the new 64s. No City Nav maps yet. Anyone else using one and what's you opinion of it?

I use a special Carte de Viste that I've created just for Geocaching. My avatar with the URL to one of my personal websites is on the card with some of my favorite activities: Geocaching, Bicycling, Hiking and Story Telling*. No offer of services is implied or stated. The closest I come to business is on one of the URLs I have a link to a fundraiser bike ride sponsored by a local MS chapter; when the ride is in season, the link is active. When the ride is over, the link is not on the page. I revived a practice from when I rode motorcycles with club dedicated to a specific brand motorcycle. Members developed these "Visiting Cards" to exchange with other members at rallies. I view Geocaching kinda like that: it's a rally, only we're not all there at the same time. If I like the cache, and there's room, I'll drop a card after signing the log. I'm not much into the trading because I've rarely find anything in the caches I want. Doesn't mean I can't leave something behind without taking something. *I'll gladly trade a story for a cold one. And yes, ice tea will do just fine if that's all you've got

Thank you! Yeah, that's close to what I'm talkin' about. I will have to do more research into Smart Tags and GSAK. This is an excellent workaround for what I want to do.

I think you missed that I'm not importing from GPX or LOC files. This is an EXPORT problem based on how I choose to store the information in my GPS. I load the information manually, using cut 'n' paste to ensure accurate information input. When I put the information in, I use the Cache Name, not the Cache Code, as the primary reference. I put the Cache Code in the Comments field for retrieval when I log my find on the Geocaching.com website. I'm putting in all the information I want, (Cache Name, Cache Code and maybe a short description of the cache type). I really don't care who placed the cache nor do I care about any of the other information that comes along with the full download files. I'll update my comments with the find date, but that's about all the information I want to track. Not being a programmer, I'm looking for a simple utility to parse the information I do have and rearrange the data to match the output found in a GPX file for the sake of easy exchange of data with other people since GPX is apparently the format of choice. It's sort of like I usually store my graphics files in an AI format, because I work a lot with Illustrator. If I'm going to share that graphic with other people, however, I need to put it in a more common format, such as JPG. Same graphic, different format; same GPS data, different data format.

Thanks, Sagefox, for sharing my fondness for the 60cs series. I'm not from New England but I subscribe to that old Yankee maxim: "Buy it new, wear it out, fix it up, make it do". That is one of my reasons for holding onto my 60csx: it works and does everything I ask it to, be it caching, hiking, traveling on Dragonback or whatever. I just returned it to Garmin (first time since I had it) for an out of warranty overhaul. My replacement (guess they could not fix it) should be here today. Can't argue with a 6 year uninterrupted service record! The price for the repair was a quarter of the cost of new 450t and I can't see much difference in the specs that matter between the 450t and the 60csx, so I'd have to say the repair cost was well worth it. But, I digress . . . I guess it comes down to caching style and personal preferences. I am no where as good as a lot of other cachers out there (6 years or so and only 90 finds), but I do enjoy the hunt. I prepare myself as best as I can by studying the field where I'm heading, but it all comes down to the accuracy of the GPS for getting you close enough and your skill at spotting the hide. If I can't remember all the details, I guess that's my fault, but it still bound to make a great story, even if I don't find the cache. Keep caching and keep enjoying the trip!

Thanks for all the help you are all posting. I am intrigued by the posts talking about "smart tags". I may need to look into that. Yeah, I have what is now an "old school" gps, the Garmin 60csx. I love it and have no desire to replace it! As for paperless caching, how much more paperless can you get than having a GPS with the coords and nothing else ? Traveling on Dragonback, papers tend to blow around too much, so I don't take paper with me and as for a PDA . . . well, I have enough of a time keeping one eye on the GPS and the other on where I'm heading. Once I get near where the cache is, or as close as I can fly in, I tether my Dragon and let the GPS guide me from there. Clues? I'll read a full description before heading out. If I don't remember everything, I guess that makes the find all the sweeter when I do find it. Speaking personally, for me it is more about the hunt, not so much the treasure. Geocaching is an excuse to go somewhere I've never been before. I've had so much fun going to a city I've never been to before and exploring something other than the hotel bar . . . but I do tend to work up a thirst caching !

Aha! this is more along the lines of issue I'm trying to describe. When I load the information into the 60csx, I make the cache name visible and the cache code is in the comments field. If I create a GPX from the data stored in my 60csx, the data does not match the field name.

Sorry, but membership level is not the issue here, Information field ordering is. I am getting all the information I need.

I had no idea this would generate so much interest. I using a Garmin 60csx. Yes, I am using Cut 'n' Paste to ensure I get the coords correct, but manual entry pretty much describes the process since I am not importing files. I backup from the GPS to a drive, Oh, I have no problem bringing the file into GSAK. It is not the order of the caches, but the order of the fields within the file that I want to change. I hunt by cache NAME not CODE, so the name is what is displayed on the GPS screen and the name is what shows in GSAK for cache code information.