trooperdjb

I've noticed the same thing between my 60CSx and ForeTrex with the Foretrex often reporting a smaller error then the 60 but then bouncing to a significantly greater (3 or 4 times) error while the 60 stays fairly constant. From some reading I've done Garmin may have made a change in how they calculate the EPE on the newer X series units leading to it displaying a larger EPE even though it has a better lock on more sat's.

If you got within 3' you did great, considering your accuracy was probably in the 10' to 15' range and the hider's was also at best that good. When you get that close to GZ the small changes in the position readout accuracy will flip you around in any different direction, as you back off those changes aren't as big on a percent basis so it holds steadier even if it's no more accurate. Yes your position format and datum are correct.

Part of the choice between city and topo maps is how much time you'll really be spending significantly off road vs driving to locations. The topo maps are generally further out of date as far as showing roads, also only have names on major roads while city maps show and list names for all roads. The other thing with city navigator is that the maps are routable. Hit GoTo on a waypoint and tell it to follow road and it will give you turn by turn directions to the location. Topo maps are not routable. As far as map supplier choices, unless you're going to make your own, only the Garmin maps can be used with the Garmin GPSr.

I just got a ForeTrex 101 for my son to use when we go caching. It's a very basic GPSr, but does allow for input of waypoints and if you spend the extra to get the serial (note serial not USB) interface cable you can download direct from your pc again if you have a serial port. No routing, no maps just a pointer, distance readout and lat/lon position display. On the plus side they are available in the $40 to $70 range depending on sales. As a side note we use my 60 CSx to get to the right area first. Really like the mapping feature.

That's pretty much how I plan to do it. Use the mapping GPSr to get there then we'll both be able to look for the cache with our own. And I quess I was exagerating when I caled it cheating but it sure is easier then without. I didn't realize how much so until I got the non-mapping GPSr for my son to use.

The maps will all be there but you will have to manually switch from City to Topo. There's an order in the GPSr that city maps are always shown if installed. with a 2 GB card you can load the entier city navigator north america and about 4 states worth of Topo maps. This won't fill up your card but it hits the map segment limit in the unit. Just be prepared to have it loading for several (4 or 5) hours if you load all that. One other thing to be aware of is that you can't add maps to the map set you put on the GPSr, if you try to add it replaces with the new ones so load up everything you want on that big card at once and maybe keep a small card available if you ever want to load a special purpose map for something.

HA!!! I guess now that you mention it the routing has let me to the nearest point that was unfortunatly not the best point to begin. But without it and without using maps I wouldn't have gotten that close in the first place.

Ok well maybe not cheating but it sure makes things easier especially for us impromptu cachers. I recently purchased a Foretrex for my son to use when we go caching and decided to give it a try today. I looked up the cache on my GPSMap 60CSx and hit goto. After that I typed in the coordinates in the Foretrex. The mapping GPSr gave me a nice route to the location then switched to the compass pointer and distance to get me to ground zero. The Foretrex from the start displayed bearing and straightline distance to the location. While you can certainly get there on that alone unless you're very familiar with the area I think a lot more preperation in the way of maps or looking on Google Earth to find the route to the cache. This is probably not such a big deal when looking for rural caches but for urbans it sure does save a lot of frustration. So what does everyone think? Are mapping units an unfair advantage?

Well, tried out the foretrex today, works great, found 2 caches with it. When comparing the location to my 60csx it might be different by a 0.001 or 0.002 on the location but then again who's to say which is more accurate. I haven't been around enough GPSr's to have a feeling for that if there is even a right answer. The foretrex at times (especially in the car) reported better accuracy then the 60CSx but I recall a review somewhere stating that Garmin may have changed how they calculate accuracy in some of the newer GPSrs. Next time out I'll give it a try both in an open field and under tree cover. Entering coordinates actually seems easier then on the 60, instead of the 4 way rocker moving around the number pad it's a simple highlite the digit and up and down to the required value. The one negative of the whole experience of buying what is probably a re-furb from Aldi's is that it's missing the serial cable to connect to the computer. I went back to Aldi's today and with the help of the manager went through the boxes of 4 more (yes they had at least that many more) but none of them had the cable. So tomorrow I'll contact Garmin and see about ordering a replacement. Overall I'm very happy with the capabilities for the price paid.

Stopped in my local Aldi's today and they had the ForeTrex 101 for $60 so I got one. I plan to take it out tomorrow and give it a comparison to my 60 CSx.

That is one of the dumbest things I have heard. You lose money and business by not taking care of customers. Sure it may cost them at most $10 total for the mount and to ship it (and yes, a huge markup occurs when buying a mount retail), but that person will buy again from Garmin. Customer loyalty and word of mouth referrals count more than anything. It probaby doesn't even cost them that much as replacements like this along with the shipments are deductable from profits before taxes are paid. So they get to make the customer happy at almost no cost to themselves. Why do you think Sears had the replacement policy with Crafstman tools forever?

Thanks for the great review. Now all I need to do is keep looking for a deal on one of them but the 101 is the way to go in my opinion.

I guess I'll add a slightly dissenting opinion. I agree that other than a curuoisity the altimiter is of no value. The compass I've found very useful probably because it keeps me from having to pay attention when I'm stopped and turn slightly. The arrow stays pointing the correct direction. As others have said you can certainly use a standard compass for this but it's handier for me personally to have it included. When you look at the cost of the unit the add isn't that much or at least it wasn't for me. Others certainly have other opinions.

I saw that part about no USB. I'll have to check the computers at home and see if we even have a serial connection anymore. Thanks for the replies.

Here's another item to add to the Garmin wish list. I too have a 60 CSx and would like to be able to use the rest of the space on the 2 Gb sd card, having all the US road maps and about 4 states worth of TOPO loaded but from my somewhat limited caching experience I think it might be handy to have the unit swtich from CN to TOPO if you were some set distance from a road. That way when GOTO is selected and it follows the road to the nearest point it would automatically switch to the TOPO map if loaded once you were say 100' off the road. What does anyone else think?

Ok, My son and I have only been caching about a month now but he's really gotten into it (well I have too). Right now we share my 60 CSX but I was thinking that it would be more fun for him if he had his own GPSr so he could see if he could "beat" dad to the cache. I've heard of some good deals on refurb Foretrex's and was wondering what the experience with them is? I realize that it doesn't have maps and all the bells and whistles that my unit does but is the accuracy good enough that he won't be wondering off in left field? Any other experiences would be appreciated. Thanks

Done done it too

The SanDisc is the 2 GB card that I have in my 60 CSx. Only about 2 months old but working well now.

6 days 6 hours left to go. Watch the price climb as it gets closer. Probaly end up going for more then you can order it from Amazon for. Seems to be a common theme on eBay, people don't do their research on what an item is worth and end up paying more then it could be bought directly from other sellers for. Just my $0.02

Instead of going through all that trouble just get the car charger for a Motorola Razr cellphone. It's the same mini-usb as the phone uses and on the GPSr. I already had the charger for my phone and it works great on my 60CSx. Should be the same on your 76.

Try MapCard.com, $19.95 from their site or $9.95 at Walmart. This gives you a 1 year membership to download all the maps you want.

There isn't anything that will send you to the next nearest cache as far as I know, but you can download all the caches along a pre-determined route from your Pocket Queries page on geocaching.com, load them into your GPSr and away you go!. Not true, on my 60 CSx if I've had it navigate to the cache instead of just walking until the coords match when I find the cache and hit the "Found" button the screen automatically pops up asking if I want the next nearest cache. At least the next nearest that's loaded. Note to self: Update pocket query before going caching and Download to GPS. Just printing out the caches leaves the find function a little short.

First you need to load mapsource on your computer, next click on the little box in the upper left that lets you load maps. Follow the instructions and put the disk in. Next select the maps you want to transfer. Connect your GPSr to the computer via the cable either usb or serial, whichever you have and turn the unit on. Click on transfer drop down and select transfer to device. Should work from there.

Is that a blue tooth adapter that plugs into the usb port on the 76? I have a 60 csx and that would be great if I could use it to transfer information to my pocket pc.

I just tried to order an Invisible Shield, but they want a minimum of $54 to ship it to the UK. So how do you make your own then? I started by making a paper template of the screen. My first was for a eXplorist 100, so the template wasn't hard to design. For the curved parts on the top and bottom of the screen, I measured the arc then used a radius ruler to draw the curves. Once I had the template, I carefully marked the back of the Palm screen protector (leave the paper backing on). Cut the screen protector just a bit smaller than the template and carefully applied to the GPSr, following the Palm instructions. Wasn't a perfect install as there are a few microscopic air bubbles, but nothing in the area that is actually used on the GPSr. I have had the same protector on my 100 for about a year and it has done a good job! I did it a little different, I have a pack of screen protectors for my Ipaq. They're the generic ones from Belkin. Applied the protector lining up the top of the protector with the top of the screen leaving some overlap where the screen bezel curves. Flattened it out smooth with a credit card all the way around then took a razor hobby knife and cut off the extra. No difficult measuring or even lining up. Works great.