larryc43230

Count me as another happy camper (and geocacher ). My 60CSx is light years better than my previous unit (also a Garmin, purchased around 1999). Satellite acquisition is quick, even in the woods, and the accuracy is as good as I'm likely to get with a consumer-grade GPSr and with the current changing status of the WAAS satellites. Sure, the elevation can bounce around some, but I'm also aware of the inexact science involved in that determination. IMHO, it's the best bang for the buck in a GPSr available today. --Larry

For what it's worth, GPSCity.com now gives the "product availability" date as June 12 (they originally claimed May 31). --Larry

OK, thanks, now I understand. First, my apologies to Sputnik 57. I wasn't aware that the US Topo package included three CDs, and was puzzled as to the connection between my question and the four items he listed in his response. To dhbaird: Thanks for recommending the Topo National Parks map software. I'll look into this possibility; however, almost none of my travels take me anywhere near any national parks, other than Cuyahoga Valley on rare occasions (and I will investigate the package that includes that park). I'm still leaning toward buying a copy of the United States Topo software. The data may be old, and not particularly detailed, but combined with my existing copy of City Navigator it might still meet my needs. I'm mainly interested in getting an idea of the lay of the land, as opposed to close-up details. In the meantime, I'll also check into creating my own contour line maps for the areas I plan on visiting. Thanks again to everyone for sharing your knowledge! --Larry

They base the maps on USGS 1:100K maps, which, as noted above, are not the latest when it comes to man-made features. I'm not aware of any move by the USGS or Garmin to update these any time soon. On toggling between maps, see question 9 of the Map Section of the FAQ. Thanks for that information. Just for the record, I'd learned how to toggle between maps on the GPSr, I'm hoping to get a second set of maps (not including the basemap) to toggle to. I'm specifically looking to purchase Garmin's MapSource United States TOPO software (click the link to see the description on the Garmin Web site). From their description, it covers all of the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. It may well be as old (2002) as the software Sputnik 57 so kindly provided information about, but I'd like, if possible, to get information about the specific package I've been looking at. If there are reasons (besides age of the data) why I shouldn't bother to buy this package, I'd appreciate knowing that, too. Alternatively, is anyone using it and liking it? Thanks, --Larry

Thanks for the suggestions, ejnewman. However, one must assume that, since Garmin continues to occasionally release new versions of the software, something (the maps, the software, or hopefully both) is improving from one release to the next. If I'm going to shell out the money, I might as well try to get the latest version. Also, I want to be able to toggle between my City Navigator (street-level) maps (which I already use) and topographical maps on my GPSr. I have plenty of paper maps in my vehicle as it is; I want something I can carry in my GPSr. I'd still like to know when the most recent version of MapSource USA TOPO was released, and whether, based on past history, a new version could be coming soon. Anyone? --Larry

I'm a newbie to geocaching (got my GPSr about 3 weeks ago and MapSource City Navigator less than 2 weeks ago). Now I'm contemplating adding MapSource USA TOPO to my toolset. There are all sorts of rumors that a new version (v8) of City Navigator will be announced before the end of this month, making me almost wish I'd waited to buy the new version of that software. Does anyone know when the latest edition of USA TOPO came out, and/or have any idea when the next version is likely to be released? This will help me figure out whether to go ahead and buy now, or wait for the next version to come out. --Larry

Wow, it would indeed appear that City Navigator v8 is coming soon. GPSCity.com has the new edition listed as "Due 31 May." Their Canadian Web site lists it as "Due 26 May." Looks like I should start saving my pennies. --Larry

I've obviously asked a pretty popular question! I apparently didn't do a very good job of searching the forums before posting the question, since there's already a lot of information available. Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to answer my question. The bottom line seems to be that, though the two coordinate systems datums are technically not the same, they can be treated as equivalent within the accuracy of my GPSr. The longer threads you've suggested, when I get the chance to go through them, should answer any more detailed questions I might have on the subject. Thanks again for clearing this up! --Larry Interested in historic covered bridges? Check out my photo album of Ohio bridges!

Please forgive what might be a real newbie question. I've done some forum searching and haven't been able to find any specific information on this topic. My GPS unit is set to display map data in the WGS-84 system (probably like most units). The benchmarks I've looked up on Geocaching.com list coordinates using the NAD-83 system. My GPS unit (a GPSMAP 60CSx) lists both systems in the list of available "Map Datum" settings, as if they actually are different systems, even though other reading I've done indicates they're equivalent. Are these two coordinate systems functionally equivalent, or do I need to convert NAD-83 coordinates to WGS-84 when I encounter them? And is there a straightforward way to do this conversion? --Larry

I wish I could give you some encouragement, but I went through the same difficulty here in central Ohio just a couple of weeks ago. Not one retail outlet anywhere near here has it in stock. I wound up getting my copy from GPSNow.com, which (after checking the companies I trust with my money) had pretty much the best price (including shipping) at the time I ordered. Yeesh... I just checked their Web site, and they've got City Navigator v7 marked as "back ordered" now. It makes me wonder whether stores are gradually clearing their shelves in anticipation of v8 coming out.... Then again, this is sheer speculation on my part. HTH! --Larry

It's getting harder to keep up with the firmware changes... They just made a 2.71 Beta version available! Anyway, I've been running 2.70 for a day or so. It seems to take a bit longer (not much) to acquire satellites after a cold start, but otherwise I haven't noticed any problems. --Larry

I just fought with this myself! Assuming that you're using a Windows XP machine, to get out of this mode, you need to go to the System Tray, click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon, then select the item that represents the GPS unit (in my case, it says "Safely remove Mass Storage Device - Drive(J:)" After you do this, you should see the "Safe to Remove Hardware" pop-up, and the GPSr will be back to "normal" mode. --Larry

Well, this thread is a bunch of BS, IMO. The way this thread is entitled, it appears that Garmin has released a new firmware version for the 60C(S)x. No wonder you have 48 views an only two replies. WISE UP! Is it illegal to title a forum with a title that directly relates to the subject the question is about? Don't think so! I think the point of the other poster involved your using an exclamation point at the end of your subject line. It makes it look as if (!) there's a new firmware update available, and naturally everyone will jump on the message. A question mark might have been more appropriate. Just a friendly suggestion! --Larry

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