drew

Just a wild thought about something else you can try, based on the theory that the GPSr might be spinning because it's searching for a road: Go to Main Menu > Setup > General > and see if "Lock on Road" is checked. If it is, uncheck it and see if that solves the problem. The other thing you should check, if you're using a GOTO to find a cache...select "Off Road" instead of "Follow Road." I haven't had this spinning problem so I can't say for sure if any of these suggestions will help, but it's worth a try. Drew

As the other posters have indicated, you're pretty much locked into using a laptop. However, it would make perfect sense for a handheld GPSr to include a video out port to use with the multitude of 12-volt TFT LCD monitors available today for a fraction of the cost of a laptop. Surely the technology must exist; even most of the smallest digital cameras include a video out jack where you can see what you're shooting in real-time on any TV monitor. Perhaps in the future we'll see this feature. Drew

Luckily, GPS units don't go through alkaline batteries as rapidly as digital cameras, so the need for rechargables is not that urgent. But in the long run, there's certainly a cost savings to be realized by having a couple sets of NiMH cells, particularly if you're going to be using your unit quite often. I'd recommend a rapid charger (one hour or less), too. Drew

Check the text below which I cut and pasted from an older post. If you want to fix the unit yourself, the chap who used RTV silicone rubber seemed to have good luck. Drew ----------------------- "When the rubber strip on my eTrex came loose, I first tried using a product called “Shoe Goo” to glue it back. The rubber material in this strip is the very first thing I have ever found that Shoe Goo fails to stick very well to. It even sticks well to Teflon, but not to the rubbery material used on my eTrex. The next thing I tried was plain old RTV silicone rubber, which seems to have worked very well. More than a year later, the strip is still firmly in place. "

That's still a lot of stuff to carry around. I find it easier to just follow another geocacher at a discreet distance, wait until they've dug up the treasure and gone, then make my own log entry.

Having upgraded from an older Magellan to a Legend C, the one major advantage of a color unit I have discovered is that I can comprehend the readout with only a quick glance, instead of having to stare at the monochrome screen for several seconds. This may not be too important for geocaching, but for navigating in the vehicle it made a world of difference. For me -- with my "mature" eyes -- a color screen is a real safety plus.

Just curious about why you used Velcro to attach the antenna...doesn't it have a mag mount?

I'm surprised the directions said to put it near the bottom of the unit, given that the antenna is at the top. Have you tried it near the top, or as their web site suggests, experimenting with the best location?

As others have said, the City Select will work fine on the 60CS. It says eTrex on the box simply because that's what the included mount is designed for. You can probably sell this mount on the GPS Garage Sale Forum. You got a good price, even just for the software. I personally paid more than I needed to because I wanted the software ASAP, and it cost me $139 plus tax for an REI sales clerk to take that same accessory package you bought for $100 and remove the CDs and charge me full list for the software. Well, that was my decision, and I really didn't need or want the mount. Frankly, the software and it's autorouting function adds so much enjoyment to having the Legend C that it just doesn't bother me much. At least I have the distinction of being the jerk who paid more for City Select than anyone else in world. Perhaps there's a place in Guinnes for me.

This happens to me every time. The credit card bill hasn't even arrived for my Legend C, and the price is dropped. I think I must have some spyware on my pc that notifies manufacturers when I've bought their products so they can immediately lower the price. Well, I'm happy for you all, if you haven't yet made your purchasing decision.

Impressive. But with a list of $2695, a lot of us won't be using it to find toy-filled tupperware containers in the woods.

Have you all considered the irony in losing a GPS?

Really sorry about the loss of your GPS. I can empathize with how depressed you must have felt. I lost my 5-year old Magellan MAP-330 last month. After a trip to the Virginia mountains, and even knowing for sure I used it on the way home, it was nowhere to be found. It simply disappeared. Searched the car, house and luggage a dozen times, and became obsessed with finding it, which I never did. I simply have no idea of how and where I lost it. But on the bright side, I figured it's only money, and replaced it with a new Garmin. The color screen and autorouting capabilities far surpass the usefulness of the old unit. So I feel a little better now! Drew

But wait! Didn't you guys notice the "As Seen on TV" logo on the packaging?? Surely then it MUST work as advertised...not only for cell phones, but also for GPS, MP3 players, microwave ovens, plus, if you ORDER NOW, it will improve your gas mileage.

If you had used GOTO the Wal-Mart waypoint instead of calculating a route, the unit would have directed you via local roads to the store, once it saw that you were not following the highway, (and therefore the local road became the fastest route), assuming that those local roads were in the unit as part of City Select maps. It seems to me that when you are following a route, no matter which method you entered it into the GPSr, any recalculations will be designed only to get you back to the route. But now you've given me another scenario to confirm on my own. Drew

This was good information...I didn't realize that a route created in City Select and uploaded to the GPSr would not recalculate properly, but I just confirmed it on a trip to the gas station. I purposely deviated from the route I set up in CS, and the unit kept wanting me to make U turns, go down strange streets, and recalculated many times...all designed to get me back onto my original route. If I had simply navigated directy to the station's waypoint without uploading a route, the GPSr would have simply taken me there by the fastest way from any point. Using CS to plan and upload a route seems fine if you always want to get back onto that route in the event you deviate, but for last-minute changes I suspect it's better to route in the unit, as briansnat indicated, or else simply GOTO your final waypoint without a route.

I'm not familiar with U.S. Metro Guide, as I use City Select for my Legend C, but when you are in the software, and go to Edit/Preferences/Routing (assuming you have those commands in the mapping program), check to see if the parameters are set up the way you want them. Things like "Use Auto-routing" vs. "Use Direct Routes," and the other categories, such as the things to avoid, like U-turns, etc. Again, I don't know if U.S. Metro Guide has these items on their preferences page, but it's worth a look to see if something is not properly configured. Also, if you are specifically referring to Metro Guide North America, I noted the following in their compatibility data: "MetroGuide offers automatic route capability on the PC, and is compatible with Garmin units that do not have automatic route calculation themselves." Since your GPS does have automatic route calculation, I'm wondering if this implies that your software will not accomplish autorouting the way you expected, at street level? Drew

Is the screw a permanent part of the button? If not, can't you just get a matching one in a hardware store for a few cents? It's a standard thread size...you just have to get the right length.

The vent mount comes with a small button with a circle of very strong double-sided adhesive. But for the Legend C, you need to trim off two edges of the button, which is scored, and easily done with scissors. Then you attach the button to the unit, after similarly trimming the tape. Since the button has a small hole in the center, you can attach it with a proper size screw for added security. The GPS then fits into the vent mount slot, or any of those belt clips designed for cell phones. Actually, some GPS sellers offer a button for the unit as an accessory; I'll try to find a link. Update: Here's the link to an accessory button and clip for the Garmin: http://www.everything-mobile.com/products/...temno=46&rel=80 At some Best Buy stores, you can find The Clip products. You just have to be sure the button is scored on both sides so it can be trimmed for the Garmin, which is why I like this brand. I'll try to get some pix posted.

I've used a vent-mount solution like this one for years and it has worked out perfectly. I get a good sat lock with a Legend C, and it doesn't obstruct the windshield view: http://www.theclip.com/store/catalog/Vent-Mount-p-16152.html

For what it's worth, I've had a GPS receiver for about 5 years, and have done only a small amount of geocaching, as you can see from the tiny number of posts I've made on the forums. Mostly, I used it to keep from getting lost, but it seemed that I did get lost more often than not. It was sort of the family joke. Recently, I purchased a Garmin Etrex C along with the City Select maps for North America. Between the highly readable color screen and the autorouting, the difference has been enormous, and I can find my way in complete confidence. So I think I would highly recommend the investment, as steep as it might be. Especially for those last minute side trips that you didn't map out in advance. In spite of your paper atlas, I think the mapping software will serve you quite well, and frankly, the extra $300 pales in comparison to what I suspect this trip is costing you!! One thing I would recommend, though, would be to try your 60C inside the same year/model Saab at your nearest dealer, to determine if your GPS will receive satellites within the vehicle. Some windshields are embedded with material that prevents reception. If that's the case, you may want to invest in a mag-mount external antenna. Enjoy your travels!

Sounds like fun. I'm leaving for an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle next month; won't be bringing the laptop, though, just the Legend C. Hopefully, if I place it near my porthole, it will keep me up to date on location; otherwise, it's up to the deck. Hope you didn't get too much rain!

Just testing

I have to agree that City Select really adds value to your GPSr investment. To replace my stolen/misplaced MAP-330, I recently bought a Legend C, and then the software. For the past week I've been road-testing its capabilities, and have been very impressed. Just today, returning from a theater in a part of town I wasn't that familiar with, the police closed the entrance to the parkway I would use to get back home, because of a fatal motorcycle accident. I was already using my home waypoint to navigate to, so I just took off in another direction, hit "recalculate", and the unit plotted a new solution home, which worked perfectly.