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Garmin Model For Auto And Geocaching


bigmutt

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Hello, I am new to this but have been reading a lot and getting more confused the more I read.

Can you suggest ONE unit (prefer Garmin) that would do both duties: car and outdoors?? (I know it's probably best to have two dedicated units, but I only have about $500 and don't want to buy a cheap $250 unit for the car and then another $250 unit for geocaching uses).

 

Should I be looking at a handheld unit (for geocaching) that can ALSO be used in the car, like I'm imagining the model 60CS or 60C is made for this?

 

Or should I get a car unit that can also be taken out of the car and used as a portable, for geocaching?

Large size is no problem for me, as far as carrying it outdoors.

 

Suggestions from anyone are greatly appreciated.

 

(I would probably be inclined towards the C320 or C330 (car units) if they were at all suitable for portable outdoors use; the new tiny i3 model is probably too small for either use.)

 

thanks so much. Rick

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My preferance is to use a handheld unit. The 60CS is nice for carrying in the field and you can use a standard phone belt clip to keep it off the ground when you get to the cache location. It works very well in the car also when loaded with Mapsource City Select maps.

 

I haven't used one in the field but my guess would be that the C320/330 units would not have the durablity to be used in the field. My 60 has been dropped, stepped on and generally abused without any ill effects.

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I use the Garmin 76CS. I got it delivered to my door, new in the box, for $397 from eBay. It does autorouting and trip planning. Of course it doesn't do the voice notification and such that the fancy car models do but it does tell you when to turn, when the turn is coming up, to bear right after exiting, etc. It uses a beep tone to let you know you are approaching the next waypoint.

 

I use it for geocaching and have also added in my upcoming trip from California to Montana. I'll use it for the route info as well as for finding a few caches along the way and at my destination.

 

Of course CitySelect software was extra - as was the mount, cigarette lighter adapter, external antenna, etc. Still, that is an awesome price for a 76CS.

 

Given your price range of $500 you might be able to find a Garmin Quest 2 on eBay or on sale somewhere for that amount. It lists on the Garmin site for $749.99 and looks to be awesome for what you want. My GPSMAP 76CS lists on the Garmin site for $589.27 and I got it for considerably less. The Quest 2 is also a good unit because it come with CitySelect already installed - that alone is worth $100 that you don't have to spend extra. The Quest 2 also has the voice prompts that are so very nice when using the unit in a car.

 

Give the Quest 2 a look here: http://www.garmin.com/products/quest2/

Edited by thrak
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I used a Etrex Vista for years general use, wasn't Geocaching yet.

But I got my Etrex Vista C a few days ago, and headed out to do some Biking.

Got lost on the way to the park DOH! Figured I'd test the "Routing" function.

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Entered the address (i remembered it thank goodness) and after a few seconds of "Calculating", it gave me turn by turn mapping. It even zoomed out for long stretches, and Zoomed in close to turns. It also gives an Audible alarm as you approach a turn.

I missed the final turn of course. And saw that the Etrex Vista C was Calculating again. It had realized I missed the turn, recalculated the Route, and suggested a place to make a U-Turn!

I'm sure many in car units have similar if not better features, but in a unit that small (About the size of a cell phone) I'm VERY happy.

I've read that the Vista C is Light Years ahead of the Vista, and that is absolutely true! Plus a USB connection for Map and Waypoint transfers reduces 60 minute Map set transfers with Vista on Serial Cable to 2 minute transfers on Vista C. The USB Cable (included with unit) even powers the unit while connected. Garmin sells a Cable that plugs into you Cigarette Lighter so the Unit can work without draining Batteries on long trips.

Shop around, and you can get the Unit for under $300, and the Software for about $110. I got the unit from Sam's Club Online for $275, other places had it for $350!

 

Well, that's my 2 cents. Hehe

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I just bought a Quest from Digitaldelivered.com for $344 including shipping. It ships with CitySelect 6 and Garmin is sending CitySelect 7 at no charge, including unlock codes for 2 units. The Vista C is undoubtedly a great unit (I have 2 original Vistas) but considering the much smaller memory, the need to buy CitySelect unless you buy a Quest as well and use the codes for both units, and the tremendous functional advantage of the voice prompted navigation over the beeps in the Vista C, the included mounting and charging accessories that come with the Quest but not the Vista, the Quest is a much better choice if auto navigation is desired. It has some limitations for off-road use, but it should get the job done just fine. If one has the cash, getting one of each is the best way to go, or try to pick up a cheap old Vista which is still great for off road phase of the hunt.

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The ones that I considered suitable for Dual Use are:

 

eTrex Legend C

eTrex Vista C

GPS 60C and CS

GPS 76C and CS

 

and the GPS V.

 

They all hold topo and City Select maps that let you autoroute.

 

The Quest is not designed as a hand held GPS, and so it suffers for the handheld use that you are also after. The Legend, Vista 60, and 76 are all primarily handeld and while they can route are rather clunky in their dash mounts. The GPS V was designed orginally fur dual use. It's a bit dated in that the color GPS's are all better now. However it's form factor is hard to beat for dual use and that's one reason I have not upgraded from my GPS V. I keep hoping for a GPS VI.

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The ones that I considered suitable for Dual Use are:

 

eTrex Legend C

eTrex Vista C

GPS 60C and CS

GPS 76C and CS

 

and the GPS V.

 

They all hold topo and City Select maps that let you autoroute.

 

The Quest is not designed as a hand held GPS, and so it suffers for the handheld use that you are also after.  The Legend, Vista 60, and 76 are all primarily handeld and while they can route are rather clunky in their dash mounts.  The GPS V was designed orginally fur dual use.  It's a bit dated in that the color GPS's are all better now. However it's form factor is hard to beat for dual use and that's one reason I have not upgraded from my GPS V. I keep hoping for a GPS VI.

If you knew the Quest, you will know how wrong you are.

 

But i will turn it around, The handheld you mention, are not designed for Auto use.

 

I use my Quest for Geocaching. On a event last weekend, i found 3 FFc, working alone, only using the Quest.

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The Quest is a good unit and will work. It is however a unit that is chiefly designed for automobile use, yet can be used as a handheld. It doesn't use field replaceable AA's, which would rule it out for many geocachers and as far as I know the screen doesn't orient itself for handheld use the way it does on the GPS V. It is a good value these days, since the price dropped some when the Quest 2 came out.

 

The units that RK mentioned are chiefly designed as handhelds, but can also be used in an automobile. The 60CS or 76CS would be the cream of that bunch (the 60CS being a bit smaller and the 76CS having more map memory).

 

If you are going to use your GPS mostly in your car, with occasional forays out to bag a cache or two, the Quest may be a very good choice. On the other hand if you are going to use your GPS mostly for outdoors pursuits like geocaching, hiking, boating, backpacking and hunting and occasional use in your car you'll probably want something like the 60CS or 76CS.

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good analysis, everyone, of the question I posed ("is there a Garmin product that's good for dual use: geocaching & city mapping"). I appreciate very much that you all took the time to share your views.

 

I think Briansnat summed it up well, if one knows which will be the primary use: the "Quest vs 60C" comparison is a good one.

 

Since I am a novice but eagerly look forward to both uses, it's hard for me to say which will be my primary use.

 

I love travelling by car and do a fair bit of it, since I "live" in 3 places: Mexico City, San Diego, and Ontario, Canada. So I have been eying these mapping devices for some time, waiting for improvements and price drops. (also I am an electronics gadget nut).

 

I have been "lurking" on the geocaching forums and looking up the odd cache here-and-there, both in Mexico and in Canada; ever since i discovered this activity, I have been excited about jumping in. I know it's something I'd really take to.

 

So now that I have a few bucks saved up (I'm retired with a VERY low income: hence the concern about spending the money wisely) I want to get into both activities but preferably only buy one unit.

 

It's looking more & more like there's not a good way to do this, however, and I'm beginning to assess my original premise. In other words, maybe the best solution for me is to buy two cheaper units, but ones that are designed for the specific use: one for geocaching, and the other for automobile mapping. My budget is definitely limited to the $500 to $600 range, total.

 

I'm still very interested in your views, and have not decided on anything yet, so keep your comments coming, if you have a few minutes to spare.

(I will have to decide very soon, however, since I am leaving Mexico City in 10 days for San Diego, and need to get my purchase shipped there during the next 2 wks, since from there I'm going up to Canada for a week or so, then back down to Mexico City by car.)

 

Thanks. Rick

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Do not undervalue the voice prompts for auto navigation, and only the Quest has that feature among units that can be used for geocaching. I have a GPS V and I love it and they are very cheap now, but the Quest is a much better value. Do not dismiss it for hand held caching without trying one. It is small, light, and has very long battery life. The screen orientation is not optimal and the battery may not last more than a few days so it is not a reasonable choice for long off-road adventures. Otherwise, it is a great GPS at a phenomenal price, considering that the maps and accessories (mounting bracket, power cable, battery, charger) are included.

Edited by appletree
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for the price, the vista c is perfect for duel cache/travel use. my little auto setup consists of the following, all prices reflecting costs from last december:

 

garmin vista c ($319 @ gpsnow.com, under $300 in many places right now)

city select map software (covers north america, about $90 @ amazon.com)

garmin topo map software (about $125 @amazon.com)

etrex neoprene case with a little strip of velcro on back of belt clip

 

i toggle on street maps/toggle off topo maps while en route to a cache or traveling on non-caching trips. the gps is held by velcro strip on my dash, in a perfect little space right between speed and tachometers. this way, i can hear and see the turn alerts and maps with no problem, without looking away from the road.

when leaving the truck for caching/hiking, i grab the gps off the dash and toggle on topo maps/toggle off street maps. (i am particular about my vehicles, and the little strip of velcro on the dash doesn't bother me at all. in fact, when the gps isn't there, you don't even notice the velcro.)

 

you get better detail with the maps when toggling off the one you're not using at the time, so i find this little step worth the seconds it takes to do this.

 

i don't even bother with the power cord, as battery life with energizer's e2 batteries is excellent, although for really long trips it would be worth the modest price for the cord.

incidentally, this would also be a perfect boater's setup, as the maps, in addition to the marine POI maps you can download from garmin's site, include details such as buoys and channel markers (including buoy numbers and navigation obstructions).

 

just my two cents' worth, but i love this gps and find it very adequite for all my travels, caching and otherwise. i don't remember how i functioned as a transporter for pet rescue without it!

 

-denali

Edited by denali7
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...If you knew the Quest, you will know how wrong you are.

 

But i will turn it around, The handheld you mention, are not designed for Auto use.

 

I use my Quest for Geocaching. On a event last weekend, i found 3 FFc, working alone, only using the Quest.

The handhelds I mentioned I said were primarly for handheld use and their auto mounts were kludgy. The quest is primarily for auto use. Each can do the 'other job' , but not as well as they do the job they were designed for. That's the trade off. I'd trust the handhelds to do a better overall job for mixed use than the Quest. However if you are 90% car and a smidge of caching then as has been said, the quest would be better.

 

However I also said the GPS V was designed for both. It's form factor is the best for a unit for both hiking and auto use. Where it suffers is that it has not been updated to the newer color screens, more memory etc. It could also use a larger screen and maybe voice prompts (but not at the expense of battery life). Even so it beats the heck out of the others in bang for the buck. If Garmin did announce a GPS VI this discussion would have one best answer, but that's a moot point.

 

If I was confidant of the Quests ability to take the beating hand held GPS's take and keep on working like a champ it would rate higher on my list of GPSs for geocaching. There is a reason I use the V and not my PDA for caching even though the PDA can do a lot more.

 

If the GPS Map 276 was a tad smaller I'd reccomend it. But it's not.

Edited by Renegade Knight
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However I also said the GPS V was designed for both. It's form factor is the best for a unit for both hiking and auto use.

I have a GPS V and have used a friend's Quest. If I had to choose one of the units just for day hiking it would definitely be the Quest and that would still be true even if the V had a new color screen. I really don't like the triangular case of the V since it's an awkward fit in my pockets and less comfortable to hold. If the Quest1/2 only had an RCR-V3 lithium cell so that it could also take AA cells I'd consider it Garmin's best all-purpose model.

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Well, let's boil this down.

For a Caching Unit you NEED

1 Replaceable battery. Terrible to have a built in rechargable run out when hunting for that cache.

2 Waterproof! I can't stress this enough. This may be less of an issue in some places, but I live in Florida, and it rains just about everyday.

3 Magnetic Compass. I know many cache without a magnetic compass function. But I find it extremely useful. As far as I know, if you don't have a Magnetic Compass in you GPSr it calculates where your going by tracking your past movements. When you are circling and area near the cache, those readings get kinda screwy. IMO

4 Mapping, or atleast a graphic display of a track log. Many many times I have circled an area looking for a path to the cache to avoid bushwhacking, and used the Tracklog "Breadcrumb Trail" to plan my next move. Plus, you can easily follow the track back out if you get turned around.

 

As far as Car Units. I rarely use my GPSr that way. As long as it can calculate routes on the fly, I'm happy.

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I've been extremely pleased with my Garmin 76C. I use it for navigating on our driving trips, Geocaching, and mapping off-highway trails in my Jeep. It has handled all those tasks beautifully. I was originally considering buying the Quest but the built-in batt. was a limitation, as was the fact that it wasn't weather sealed like the outdoor use ones. I might have been able to get by with the built-in batt., but there have been many times when I was very glad that I had a weather-sealed GPS.

 

Although I have a 12V battery adapter, I almost always use my 76C with NimH batteries since they last so long. I bought a RAM mount with a 4" suction cup so I can easily move it btwn any of our vehicles. Without the RAM mount, I can still wedge my 76C btwn the dash and windshield of most cars.

 

If you hadn't guessed by now, I'm recommending the 60C/CS and 76C/CS.

 

GeoBC

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I was originally considering buying the Quest but the built-in batt. was a limitation, as was the fact that it wasn't weather sealed like the outdoor use ones. I might have been able to get by with the built-in batt., but there have been many times when I was very glad that I had a weather-sealed GPS.

Why do you think the Quest is less "weather sealed" than your 76c? It has the same IPX7 (30 minutes submersion at 1 m) waterproof rating as the 76c.

 

The battery is a bit of an issue, but can easily be handled using the available packs that hold 4 AA cells and recharge units like the Quest and PDAs through the USB port. With a unit that uses AA cells I normally carry an extra set of NiMHs in a little plastic case. With the Quest I'd carry the same extra set of NiMH AAs in a little plastic case that has a USB output - not much different.

 

Considering that the Quest is sold for about $340 from various sources which includes the current CitySelect-NA maps and the car mount and power cord makes it look like a good bargain since those extras would add about $140 to the base price of a 76c. It also fits in my pockets much easier.

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I was recently (sorta) asking the same question, and ended up buying a 60C.

 

Good things:

 

1/ good battery life.

2/ Like the color,

3/ Works great

4/ Excellent overall unit.

 

Not so good things:

 

1/ Hard to see (quickly) while driving. ie. the screen is small to focus on, in a hurry, while driving

and expecially at night. I don't have the lighter adapter, so without a back light its hard to read with either ambient light during the day, or interior lights at night. So in the car, make sure you have the back light on. (I don't actually know if any other unit might be better in poor lighting.)

 

2/ For geocaching, buy anything (ie the 60cs) that has the 'electronic' compass. I regretted not having that feature after only 10 minutes of geocaching. :mad:

 

3/ I agree with the others, disposable baterries (or your own rechargables) is better than dedicated rechargables.

 

4/ I agree with the others, water proof is a must. My second caching session was during a rain storm. I was 'born drip dry', good thing my GPS is too! :D

 

Conclusions: I'm happy with the 60C, but would probably be happier with the 60CS.

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I was originally considering buying the Quest but the built-in batt. was a limitation, as was the fact that it wasn't weather sealed like the outdoor use ones.  I might have been able to get by with the built-in batt., but there have been many times when I was very glad that I had a weather-sealed GPS.

Why do you think the Quest is less "weather sealed" than your 76c? It has the same IPX7 (30 minutes submersion at 1 m) waterproof rating as the 76c.

You're absolutely right, and I have no idea where I came up with that when I was shopping for a new GPS last year. I stand corrected.

 

The battery is a bit of an issue, but can easily be handled using the available packs that hold 4 AA cells and recharge units like the Quest and PDAs through the USB port.  With a unit that uses AA cells I normally carry an extra set of NiMHs in a little plastic case.  With the Quest I'd carry the same extra set of NiMH AAs in a little plastic case that has a USB output - not much different.

I know the cases you mean. I bought one for $10 off of eBay for my Palm T3. I hate having to use it because its somewhat cumbersome but it has been a lifesaver. But even so, if Palm ever makes a T3-like device with swappable batteries, my T3 is going on eBay immediately.

 

Considering that the Quest is sold for about $340 from various sources which includes the current CitySelect-NA maps and the car mount and power cord makes it look like a good bargain since those extras would add about $140 to the base price of a 76c.  It also fits in my pockets much easier.

Back then (last year), the 76C was selling with a rebate so there was virtually no price difference btwn the two units except that the Quest came with a car mount. Unfortunately, some people were complaining about it (reporting that it was difficult to remove the unit) so I figured I'd be buying a different car mount anyway. At USD$340 including maps, I agree that the Quest is a very good deal. But if the majority of the usage is for out-of-vehicle use, I'd still opt for something like the 60/76 C/CS. If the majority of the usage is for in-vehicle and the out-of-vehicle use doesn't include overnight hikes, then the Quest has a lot going for it.

 

But hey, that's just MY opinion. ;-)

 

GeoBC

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The battery is a bit of an issue, but can easily be handled using the available packs that hold 4 AA cells and recharge units like the Quest and PDAs through the USB port. With a unit that uses AA cells I normally carry an extra set of NiMHs in a little plastic case. With the Quest I'd carry the same extra set of NiMH AAs in a little plastic case that has a USB output - not much different.

When researching the Quest, I thought I read somewhere that it could not be charged through it's USB port, it was for data only. (I went through many websites and forums, of course now I can't find the source) Have you used any of these charging devices you are talking about? (also, where would I find them? I did some searching, but may be using the wrong terminology to get hits).

 

Still, since I mostly use my GPS for driving, and only an occasional Geocache here and there, (with no hunts going longer than an hour so far), I'll probably be getting the Quest 2 the next time I get a 10% off coupon at Buy.com.

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The battery is a bit of an issue, but can easily be handled using the available packs that hold 4 AA cells and recharge units like the Quest and PDAs through the USB port.  With a unit that uses AA cells I normally carry an extra set of NiMHs in a little plastic case.  With the Quest I'd carry the same extra set of NiMH AAs in a little plastic case that has a USB output - not much different.

When researching the Quest, I thought I read somewhere that it could not be charged through it's USB port, it was for data only. (I went through many websites and forums, of course now I can't find the source) Have you used any of these charging devices you are talking about? (also, where would I find them? I did some searching, but may be using the wrong terminology to get hits).

 

Still, since I mostly use my GPS for driving, and only an occasional Geocache here and there, (with no hunts going longer than an hour so far), I'll probably be getting the Quest 2 the next time I get a 10% off coupon at Buy.com.

Well your are wrong, Garmin explicit stats that usb is not for charging.

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I bought a Quest 2 about a month ago. My useage is primarily on motorcycle or truck with Geocaching along the way. The only problem I have had is that it loses connection to the power supply on the motorcycle. Garmin said they will mail me a kit as soon as they get the problem solved. Other than that it's a sweet unit. I especially like the voice routing piped into my helmet when I'm in a strange town on my bike. You can get an AC charging unit for it but I find it charges fairly quickly in the car or on the bike. It would be kinda useless on a week long backpacking trip though.

Edited by buggyho
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I haven't read all of this so this may have been said already:

 

I don't know about the Quest but, the 60 almost floats and the 76 does float. For someone who has (on two differen ocasions) sacraficed a cell phone, and a $400 Handheld ham radio to the gods of the lake- this has become very important.

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The battery is a bit of an issue, but can easily be handled using the available packs that hold 4 AA cells and recharge units like the Quest and PDAs through the USB port.  With a unit that uses AA cells I normally carry an extra set of NiMHs in a little plastic case.  With the Quest I'd carry the same extra set of NiMH AAs in a little plastic case that has a USB output - not much different.

When researching the Quest, I thought I read somewhere that it could not be charged through it's USB port, it was for data only. (I went through many websites and forums, of course now I can't find the source) Have you used any of these charging devices you are talking about? (also, where would I find them? I did some searching, but may be using the wrong terminology to get hits).

 

Still, since I mostly use my GPS for driving, and only an occasional Geocache here and there, (with no hunts going longer than an hour so far), I'll probably be getting the Quest 2 the next time I get a 10% off coupon at Buy.com.

Well your are wrong, Garmin explicit stats that usb is not for charging.

Then why am I wrong? I said I read it does NOT charge through the USB, the others were saying it does, so I was checking.

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I bought a Quest 2 about a month ago. My useage is primarily on motorcycle or truck with Geocaching along the way. The only problem I have had is that it loses connection to the power supply on the motorcycle. Garmin said they will mail me a kit as soon as they get the problem solved. Other than that it's a sweet unit. I especially like the voice routing piped into my helmet when I'm in a strange town on my bike. You can get an AC charging unit for it but I find it charges fairly quickly in the car or on the bike. It would be kinda useless on a week long backpacking trip though.

What kind of mount do you use on your bike? For my Garmin V, I have a RAM mount, but the cradle that holds the GPS itself is a Touratech. Sold Here The neat thing about this is that you screw in the power mount, so it becomes "permanently" attached. (you can unscrew it, or unplug it where you have it hooked into your bike). I have left the power connector on my Concours for the past 3 years, and never had an issue. I have a seperate power cord for my car.

 

Granted, I got the power mount that ends in bare (Pos/Neg) leads, rather than a cigarette/power outlet type thing. Is that available for the Quest as well?

 

I looked over the Touratech mount for the Quest, and they have special directions on how to screw in the power connector for that as well. (have to make a modification to the end of the power connector) The other pluses to the touratech mount are it dampens vibrations, and supports the antenna. (My GPS III+ which I mounted with a regular cradle has "floppy antenna" because it was not supported).

 

I don't work for them or anything, just a happy customer.

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How about the Garmin iQue M5? It has very good vehicle routing software and if you don't like the software, you can get third party software to run on it. Also there are many geocaching applications that will run on the M5.

 

BeeLineGPS - complete paperless solution for finding a cache and downloading pocket queries

Mapopolis - door-to-door navigation.

GPXSonar - Another GPX viewer

GPSTuner

Vito Navigator

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When researching the Quest, I thought I read somewhere that it could not be charged through it's USB port, it was for data only.

I was wondering about that, too. I assumed the poster said that he "used" such a battery pack on his Quest but re-reading it, I see that he doesn't exactly say that.

 

Maybe someone makes a batt. pack that uses the same charging contacts that the car charger does?

 

GeoBC

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I bought a Quest 2 about a month ago. My useage is primarily on motorcycle or truck with Geocaching along the way. The only problem I have had is that it loses connection to the power supply on the motorcycle. Garmin said they will mail me a kit as soon as they get the problem solved. Other than that it's a sweet unit. I especially like the voice routing piped into my helmet when I'm in a strange town on my bike. You can get an AC charging unit for it but I find it charges fairly quickly in the car or on the bike. It would be kinda useless on a week long backpacking trip though.

What kind of mount do you use on your bike? For my Garmin V, I have a RAM mount, but the cradle that holds the GPS itself is a Touratech. Sold Here The neat thing about this is that you screw in the power mount, so it becomes "permanently" attached. (you can unscrew it, or unplug it where you have it hooked into your bike). I have left the power connector on my Concours for the past 3 years, and never had an issue. I have a seperate power cord for my car.

 

Granted, I got the power mount that ends in bare (Pos/Neg) leads, rather than a cigarette/power outlet type thing. Is that available for the Quest as well?

 

I looked over the Touratech mount for the Quest, and they have special directions on how to screw in the power connector for that as well. (have to make a modification to the end of the power connector) The other pluses to the touratech mount are it dampens vibrations, and supports the antenna. (My GPS III+ which I mounted with a regular cradle has "floppy antenna" because it was not supported).

 

I don't work for them or anything, just a happy customer.

Those are nice looking mounts! I don't know if it would do any better for the Quest though because you are using the same connectors from the Garmin mount. I have the MC mount on my bike and it's hardwired into my tankbag on a power block with my Autocom.

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Those are nice looking mounts! I don't know if it would do any better for the Quest though because you are using the same connectors from the Garmin mount. I have the MC mount on my bike and it's hardwired into my tankbag on a power block with my Autocom.

Unfortunately I'm heading out of town for the weekend so don't have time to take a picture of my mount with the power cable, but the power connector is held (screwed in so it can't move) in one place, unmovable in the Touratech mount. When you mount the GPS, it is also held in place. (on the Garmin V, I also screw the bolt in the back, in the Quest mount, it looks like there is a pressure bar or something that holds the GPS in place). As a result, the power cable can't come out of the GPS until you remove the GPS. I'll try to take a picture or two and show you what I mean when I return. If Garmin comes up with a solution, that would be great too.

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I have a 60CS. I travel on business all of the time and cache while traveling. I purchased the Auto kit when I bought my GPS. It works well, but the mounting bracket is not nearly as steady as the bracket for the GPS V. with that said I have found this combination to be awesome. I have maps loaded of the area I will be working in and am able to auto-route to my motel, work, etc. It also lets me find restaurants and other POI's. When I want to use it caching I just have it take me to the closest cache. The only area I am a little disappointed with is when I am in heavy tree cover it sometimes loses satellites. :ph34r:

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I think you need to decide if you more need and want a handheld that can be used for hiking and rough stuff, that can also serve in the car, or do you want a car unit that can occasionally be taken out and walked around with. If you are leaning toward the former, then a 60c/s will be just the ticket. If you are leaning to the latter the Quest is the way to go.

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I researched my brains out on this very subject. I agonized over it. It's easier picking a wife then it is an electronic gadget.

 

I wanted the Quest very much for the voice activation (the eyes, getting older). Plus great price ($350) that included City Select 7. I trusted it to handle my outdoor use.

 

I choose the Garmin 76c Because.

Rechargeable replaceable batteries which I like in all my devices.

If I don't use the device for awhile I don't have to worry about keeping a charge on it, just take out the batteries.

I liked the feel and handling.

Fits with in case for clipping on belt.

 

If the Quest battery goes, then there goes $100 to get replaced plus shipping etc.

Also the Quest speaker is in the power cord, spill your coffee on it, or goes bad, another $70. I figured both would happen over the life of unit. So that pays for the 76c. Also concerned about outdoor use with flip up antenna (maybe get snagged and break). I admit that I have not actually handled a Quest, but I got tired of picking it to death.

 

Just ordered the 76c today ($489 total for receiver and maps). Even though I haven't used it yet (I have never used a GPS receiver) I feel confident with my decision.

 

Hope this is food for thought. Jim

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Hey, mukguk,

I researched my brains out on this very subject. I agonized over it. It's easier picking a wife then it is an electronic gadget.

 

Me too.

 

Reminds me of the ol' techno-dweeb cartoon....

Two guys talking to each other....

 

"Yeah, this is my new amplifier - 200 watts continuous average sine wave power into 16 ohms, with less than 0.05% THD, 20Hz to 20kHz. Slew rate of 50 volts per microsecond, or better, at 30 watts into 16 ohms, 2000 Hz square wave input".

 

"My first wife (I can't remember her name), said it was either her, or my gear."

:lol:

 

Good choice you made.

I got a 60C this week, and have spent waaaay tooo much time on this site, already.

I also have a Magellen SportTrack Colour that I bought about a month ago.

Nice unit, but it's really hard to find software in my neck o' the woods.

I'm gonna keep, just to lend it to my geocaching partner.

Software, support, and common user community are more valuable to have a fun experience.

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