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So Does Anybody Like Their 60csx?


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Am I the only one here with the crazy altimeter readings and plots?

iNiq,

 

You're not alone. I've had LOTS of problems with my 60CSx. See my Posts #s 7 and 20 above in this thread.

 

TracknQ

Yeah, I appreciated that. Thanks…. That was a 90% rhetorical question anyway.

 

I’m all about brand loyalty. I like Garmin. Heck, I live about 10 miles away from their Olathe plant. But (IMHO) the 60CSx has a lot of potential, but isn’t 100% what they were advertising on the box. It shouldn’t be necessary to research an item to find out the real truth, as opposed to relying on the merit of the advertised features on the box. I mean, what if you bought a new car, brought it home and realized one of the tires was the wrong size? Shrug your shoulders, and say, “Oh-well, it looks ok from a distance….” ??

 

I don’t mean to make ppl angry. I really believe the Garmin will have the unit debugged by this time next year. I’m just a little disappointed that the design wasn’t fully tested out, when I got it home, that’s all.

 

Look at it this way. There are hardly any threads (if any) discussing the flaws and shortcomings, in regards to the 60CS. Everything works on it, period. Now is it as sensitive as the 60CSx? No. But now I’m on the crazy train with all the other 60CSx ppl, hoping that the next firmware update finally puts all the issues to bed. Which were not there yet.

 

The 60CSx is very functional. I use it for all my business travels. I just don’t want any unsuspecting buyer out there thinking that they are getting the greatest GPS in the world, and being disappointed when they look at the altimeter screen. ( which is just one example…)

 

Ok, I’ll be quiet now…..

 

-iNiq

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iNiq,

 

I totally agree. I don't want anyone else to be cheated by Garmin's dishonest advertising.

 

I have a hiking buddy who's a retired professional surveyor. He used GPS devices for years in his profession. He's very disappointed with the inaccuracy and vertical and horizontal wanderings of his 60CSx.

 

The folks who've raved about their 60CSx's in this thread may never use the 60CSx's odometer, altimeter or barometer.

 

TracknQ

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I use both a 60CSx and a 60CS, to compare the two untis I have (your mileage may vary):-

 

1. When starting from 'cold' in a new distant location with strong signals CS gets a lock MUCH quicker than the new CSx. The CSx usually requires at least one power on/off cycle to get a lock. Strangely once it has a lock and is 'hot' the CSx is quicker to re-establish that lock. Almost impossible to get a lock with the CSx if you are in a new location AND moving quickly. Stationary is better.

 

For example, I just came back from Europe to the US - even using the 'new position' option and setting the approximate map position it took the CSx five minutes to lock and necessitated two power cycles to force re-searching

 

NOTE: A new 'location' may actually be the same physical spot but at a much different time, the CSx does not appear to keep track of time when turned off so doesn't know the new positions for satellites until it has received time code from the first one it locks onto.

 

You can see this lack of timekeeping by the display - power the CSx up at night and the display will still be in 'daytime' mode until you get a lock on at least one satellite and it finds out what the time is

 

2. If the CSx loses all the satellites (such as when traveling through a tunnel) you have to cycle power or turn GPS on/off to regain a lock. This is by far the biggest problem for me as I use the autorouting when driving and you have to cycle the GPS every time you lose signal.

 

3. CSx is much better than the CS in low signal areas - under trees etc where the CS loses lock the CSx will hold it.

 

4. CSx is less accurate than the CS in good signal areas. The CSx wanders much more, presumably because of pickup of low level reflected signals.

 

5. WAAS does not work consistently on CSx.

 

6. CSx is much quicker to calculate routes, display maps, etc. than the CS. That faster processor shows.

 

7. CSx doesn't like new Lithium batteries - this is another pain. You have to switch it to 'NiMh' mode for a while to stop the display fading out before switching back to Alkaline to get approximately correct life readings.

 

Overall the CSx wins on sensitivity and speed but the CS has much more stable and less buggy software. In the car when driving with good signal the CS is better, for caching in the woods then the CSx is better.

 

If/when Garmin fix the most annoying bugs in the CSx (recovery after losing signal and lithium intolerance) then it will be the outright winner in this limited contest. For now - it's about 50/50 IMHO.

 

Mike

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Turn off autocalibrate. On my 40 minute run the whole thing shifted horribly...my lowest valley was like 60ft off from the first time through.

 

Then next time I ran the same run I turned off autocalibrate and the return trip was an exact match with the outgoing trip.

 

Turn off autocalibarte the altimeter and if on foot, set your track to update every second and see how your like your gps then.

 

Also, thanks everyone for telling me how to join tracks...I guess it lost connection...funny how I never see this thing loose lock but i guess it did. while running I had other things to worry about ...like breathing and not fallling into a road rut...

 

Am I the only one here with the crazy altimeter readings and plots?

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Am I the only one here with the crazy altimeter readings and plots?

iNiq,

 

You're not alone. I've had LOTS of problems with my 60CSx. See my Posts #s 7 and 20 above in this thread.

 

TracknQ

Yeah, I appreciated that. Thanks…. That was a 90% rhetorical question anyway.

 

I’m all about brand loyalty. I like Garmin. Heck, I live about 10 miles away from their Olathe plant. But (IMHO) the 60CSx has a lot of potential, but isn’t 100% what they were advertising on the box. It shouldn’t be necessary to research an item to find out the real truth, as opposed to relying on the merit of the advertised features on the box. I mean, what if you bought a new car, brought it home and realized one of the tires was the wrong size? Shrug your shoulders, and say, “Oh-well, it looks ok from a distance….” ??

 

I don’t mean to make ppl angry. I really believe the Garmin will have the unit debugged by this time next year. I’m just a little disappointed that the design wasn’t fully tested out, when I got it home, that’s all.

 

Look at it this way. There are hardly any threads (if any) discussing the flaws and shortcomings, in regards to the 60CS. Everything works on it, period. Now is it as sensitive as the 60CSx? No. But now I’m on the crazy train with all the other 60CSx ppl, hoping that the next firmware update finally puts all the issues to bed. Which were not there yet.

 

The 60CSx is very functional. I use it for all my business travels. I just don’t want any unsuspecting buyer out there thinking that they are getting the greatest GPS in the world, and being disappointed when they look at the altimeter screen. ( which is just one example…)

 

Ok, I’ll be quiet now…..

 

-iNiq

 

I was one the first people to buy the 60CS when it was rolled out a few years ago. Let me tell you something, that unit went through the SAME exact growing pains as the 60CSx is going through now. I still remember there were quite a few serious firmware issues with the 60CS that gave many of us early adopters a lot of anger. But you know what? Garmin fixed it over time. The Vista I had before the 60CS also went through the same.

 

I fully expect Garmin to improve the 60CSx. Since some of you are so impatient, perhaps you should just sell you x series and wait a couple of years when Garmin work all of the bugs out of it before re-purchasing it. Stick to the 60CS for now.

 

For me, I don't really mind the little bugs. I think the extra sensativity and the SD card capability alone are worth it. I know it's only a matter of time before this becomes the perfect GPS.

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"It shouldn’t be necessary to research an item to find out the real truth"

 

Respectfully, "should" and "is" aren't congruent in this day and age.

Whether you buy a car, house, pizza or GPSr, you can either take other people's word or do your homework.

I'm not saying that's right, it's just "the way it is."

If you want to be heard, sign up for a free account on "http://www.cnet.com" and write a review of the 60CSx. I did - it got a 9/10.

 

"For me, I don't really mind the little bugs. I think the extra sensativity and the SD card capability alone are worth it. I know it's only a matter of time before this becomes the perfect GPS."

 

I couldn't have said it better. I didn't know the original 60CS had "ishoos" but now that you've confirmed it, taken along with the feedback from 60CS owners, I suspect you're right: at some point in the future, Garmin (based on their track record) will squash all the bugs in the 60CSx through continued firmware updates.

 

We've bought a GPS that's capable of everything it says on the box.

 

It takes Microsoft months or years to fix all the bugs in it's operating system releases.

Garmin follows suit - they release a product and continue to improve it. The 60CSx is useable out of the box.

 

Has anyone found absolutely ANY *unpredictable* bugs with the 60CSx? All the ones I've seen are repeatable. Even though I don't like them, I can work around them and look forward to "firmware 3.5" or whatever release it takes to make the unit as stable as the 60CS.

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I think the unit is great!

I have had no problems with the GPS at all.

I have both City Navigator and the topo maps. I took a 40 mile paddle down the Susquehanna, every major island was on the map, and it tracked me around each island and channel in the river. That impressed me.

I have used it on a commerical jet, it easily got reception when held near the window. It was way cool to know what you were looking at and how fast you were going (540 mph).

The unit is very easy to use. Last week I took a business trip, my coworker never used this particular GPS, he was able to figure out how to find us a place to eat, and find the hotel we were headed to, without me telling him how to do it.

The auto route worked like a champ, finding even new businesses, like the Bass Pro shop in Harrisburg.

I took a short cut coming home, the last 20 miles. The auto route easily adapted to the change in course and directed us back, the way I normally go, which was via some very small back country roads.

I like the expandable memory. This allows me to load one chip with lots of detailed info.

I am heading to Alaska on Frday, I have the topos of interest and all of Alaska on city navigator and most of Canada, so I know where I am when I am flying, and I still have 400 megs of space on my 1 gig chip.

In all, I am quite pleased with this GPS , and would buy it again.

Enjoy!

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I have had my 60CSx for about a month now. I use it for hiking, geocaching, navigating to areas I have never been to before, and tracking mileage walked on my evening walks. Before making the purchase I researched on the Internet (isn't that a given?) and found that much like the 60CS, the 60 CSx had some initial problems. After monitoring the situation and noticing Garmin had addressed these issues I spent my hard earned cash, and I am pleased with my 60CSx.

 

When it arrived it had firmware version 2.40 which I quickly upgraded. I also purchased City Navigator and have found the maps make my GPSr a much better product. When making purchasing decisions the age old adage of caveat emptor applies. I am very happy with my purchase and would highly recommend this GPSr.

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"you can just join them in Mapsource"

 

It is possible but not easily, I wish they had a combine these tracks button.

 

If you're running an older version of Mapsource, I would recommend that you upgrade to version 6.10 or higher (I think it's 6.11 now), which has a join tracks tool. You basically pick the join tracks item from the menus, with one track selected from the list, and point the cursor at the beginning or end of the next track you want to join it to. If you have a long trip with several interruptions, you can join them into a single track very quickly with this tool.

 

Keith

I just got a 60CSx for my 25th anniversary (today) and the Mapsource SW is v6.2

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I have the 60Cx model, without the compass and altimeter. It is extremely superior to my old standard Vista. Reception under leaf cover is excellent. If the unit is kept in an upright position there will be less drift. The antenna on these units prefers to be upright. I haven't had any issues transferring cache coordinates from geocaching.com. Even the name of the cache gets transferred (into the notes field) as well as the GCxxxx label. I REALLY like my unit!!

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Im plaining on buying one unit from the States so, does anyone know if the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx GPS has a basemap for europe?

 

the 'world map' on the unit has the countries of Europe but when you zoom in entire countries have not a single road. I believe you might be able to buy the Europe edition that comes with the basemap for that area. Also you might be able to load it off the internet, but not sure on that one.

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Thanks. If I buy the unit from the states can I and if i can then where could I buy a map topo map for Finland? (didnt find anything at http://www.garmin.com)

 

It looks like topo maps are not avaliable for your area from Garmin and they have to be Garmin Mapsource products to load onto the 60CSx.

 

You could get road products though at Garmin Mapsource City Products. Look at the City Navigator and City Select which could both be loaded into the 60CSx. Don't get the "world map" becuase it is as low detail as a GPS basemap.

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So is this World Map the map that would come with the Garmin 60CSx if I got it from Finland?

 

You wouldn't actually get the worldmap disc but yes that's the data that would be preprogrammed into the GPS if you got it locally. I think the worldmap disc might be a TINY bit more detailed but you wouldn't even notice a difference between that and the basemap on the GPS.

 

You should get City Navigator for your area if you get any software to enhance the map. (remember if you order your gps from the US it won't have a basemap for your area.)

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Can I buy the basemap for my area only?

 

You can buy high detail software (the city nav that will give you every road)

 

As far as I know you can't get the basemaps for the GPS. If you buy your 60CSx GPS unit IN Finland it will most likely have a Finland basemap (just ask them at the store and make sure). If you get one that has a US basemap I'm quite sure the basemap is stored in read-only memory and you will always have a US basemap. You could always load the expensive City Nav software for where-ever you want.

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I keep reading the horror stories, mine should be here in the next few days.

 

So how does yours work? I wish we had polls here (or if we do I wish I was smart enough to figure out how to do one.)

 

I've had the 60CSx for 6 months, and I've had several problems with it. I use it for hiking, not geocaching. The main problem is that the odometer is chronically inaccurate; it always indicates less than the actual mileage walked. The error ranges from 5% to 25%. What's odd is that the recorded tracks are accurate, i.e., I'll take a 10-mile hike, the odometer will read 8 miles, but when I download the track into Mapsource or another program, the track length will be 10 miles. I've also tested it against measured courses, and it always comes up short. It seems to be more accurate in open country, or on the road, than on the winding, forested trails where I usually go.

 

Then there are the screwy altimeter readings: sudden jumps to 10K or drops to -500. Even without the odd jumps, the altimeter just isn't accurate; the GPS elevation reading is almost always closer to the actual elevation, while the barometric reading can be off by 300 ft.

 

Then there's the compass requiring constant recalibration. I don't really need a compass, but if I did, it'd be easier to just pull out my trusty $20 Silva, which I carry anyway, because nobody should rely on an electronic device as the sole navigation aid in the wilderness.

 

I'm surprised that others have raved about Garmin's tech support. The 2 times I've spoken with them, they've seemed clueless. And they haven't even bothered to respond to several emails.

 

So, I've finally asked them to send me a replacement, and to make it a 60Cx, rather than the CSx.

 

In its favor, I will say that it almost always gets and keeps a reliable location fix, even in heavy tree cover, which is where I do most of my hiking. In this way, it's far superior to the Legend I used to have, which was useless for forest hikes.

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The altimeter problems were solved with the latest firmware...what are you running? ALways turn OFF autocalibration for the altimeter as I've found it to mess up the readings more than help. YOu will have to manually recalibrate when then local barometric constions change but so do the fine folks who fly airplanes and they really need their altimeters (they always reset to the local airport before landing ...very important..LOL)

 

I keep reading the horror stories, mine should be here in the next few days.

 

So how does yours work? I wish we had polls here (or if we do I wish I was smart enough to figure out how to do one.)

 

I've had the 60CSx for 6 months, and I've had several problems with it. I use it for hiking, not geocaching. The main problem is that the odometer is chronically inaccurate; it always indicates less than the actual mileage walked. The error ranges from 5% to 25%. What's odd is that the recorded tracks are accurate, i.e., I'll take a 10-mile hike, the odometer will read 8 miles, but when I download the track into Mapsource or another program, the track length will be 10 miles. I've also tested it against measured courses, and it always comes up short. It seems to be more accurate in open country, or on the road, than on the winding, forested trails where I usually go.

 

Then there are the screwy altimeter readings: sudden jumps to 10K or drops to -500. Even without the odd jumps, the altimeter just isn't accurate; the GPS elevation reading is almost always closer to the actual elevation, while the barometric reading can be off by 300 ft.

 

Then there's the compass requiring constant recalibration. I don't really need a compass, but if I did, it'd be easier to just pull out my trusty $20 Silva, which I carry anyway, because nobody should rely on an electronic device as the sole navigation aid in the wilderness.

 

I'm surprised that others have raved about Garmin's tech support. The 2 times I've spoken with them, they've seemed clueless. And they haven't even bothered to respond to several emails.

 

So, I've finally asked them to send me a replacement, and to make it a 60Cx, rather than the CSx.

 

In its favor, I will say that it almost always gets and keeps a reliable location fix, even in heavy tree cover, which is where I do most of my hiking. In this way, it's far superior to the Legend I used to have, which was useless for forest hikes.

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This thread has become very informative for someone like me, a total newb for geocaching looking to purchase their first unit. What is Magellans direct competition for this unit?? Right now I'm on the fence based on the opinions expressed for and against the 60cs(x)s. Thanks!

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The altimeter problems were solved with the latest firmware...what are you running? ALways turn OFF autocalibration for the altimeter as I've found it to mess up the readings more than help. YOu will have to manually recalibrate when then local barometric constions change but so do the fine folks who fly airplanes and they really need their altimeters (they always reset to the local airport before landing ...very important..LOL)

 

I keep reading the horror stories, mine should be here in the next few days.

 

So how does yours work? I wish we had polls here (or if we do I wish I was smart enough to figure out how to do one.)

 

I've had the 60CSx for 6 months, and I've had several problems with it. I use it for hiking, not geocaching. The main problem is that the odometer is chronically inaccurate; it always indicates less than the actual mileage walked. The error ranges from 5% to 25%. What's odd is that the recorded tracks are accurate, i.e., I'll take a 10-mile hike, the odometer will read 8 miles, but when I download the track into Mapsource or another program, the track length will be 10 miles. I've also tested it against measured courses, and it always comes up short. It seems to be more accurate in open country, or on the road, than on the winding, forested trails where I usually go.

 

Then there are the screwy altimeter readings: sudden jumps to 10K or drops to -500. Even without the odd jumps, the altimeter just isn't accurate; the GPS elevation reading is almost always closer to the actual elevation, while the barometric reading can be off by 300 ft.

 

Then there's the compass requiring constant recalibration. I don't really need a compass, but if I did, it'd be easier to just pull out my trusty $20 Silva, which I carry anyway, because nobody should rely on an electronic device as the sole navigation aid in the wilderness.

 

I'm surprised that others have raved about Garmin's tech support. The 2 times I've spoken with them, they've seemed clueless. And they haven't even bothered to respond to several emails.

 

So, I've finally asked them to send me a replacement, and to make it a 60Cx, rather than the CSx.

 

In its favor, I will say that it almost always gets and keeps a reliable location fix, even in heavy tree cover, which is where I do most of my hiking. In this way, it's far superior to the Legend I used to have, which was useless for forest hikes.

 

I've not experienced the track length issue, but I haven't been using it on windy forested trails either, mostly on road so far. Last I checked by my speedo (accurate to 1 MPH to GPS speed) the odometers were 2% different. GPS=50.0 Mi and truck odo=49.0 Mi. Tracklogging is at default settings. Do you record tracklog points more frequently than default? Maybe they need to be in winding scenarios.

 

I DID have the elevation issue above, but as another poster mentioned it was FIXED in Firmware 2,70. WAAS was fixed w/ SW 2.60.

 

The compass thing doesn't bother me much. I use it for general direstion only. If I need to get to a couple degrees accuracy, I'll get out my Silva too.

 

As for tech support, I'm sure they're understaffed just like everyone else seems to be these days. I've had to send more than one email to them to get a response too...but when they do respond, customer satisfaction is their number one concern. Try 'SECOND REQUEST' in the subject line, it worked for me.

 

I'm not saying there aren't still some issues w/ the CSx, there are. BUT, I think Garmin tech support & customer service are great (if you don't think so try a Magellan), and the overall unit is great too, especially now that the elevation and WAAS issues are resolved. With the big issues now resolved, Garmin can concentrate on some of these lesser problems.

 

I'm sure they will too, given they've come out with firmware upgrades 2.50, 2.60, 2.61, 2.70, 2.71, and 2.90 and SW 2.50 & 2.60 in a very short while. Keep the faith!

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I agree with 8mmag, I love my 60Csx and I believe that Garmin will continue to enhance the functionality. I haven't had many of the problems that some describe. I hope they adjust the timing of the upcoming turn alerts to the way the 60CS times them, but other than that, I don't have any complaints. If I was going to buy a unit again, the 60CSX would be it.

Edited by andygriffith
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I had a 60C and now I have a 60Cx. The 60C was good, the 60Cx is much better, and I am very pleased with the device.

 

In addition, over the years I have contacted Garmin by their toll free phone number. Usually I have to wait 20-30 minutes for a technician to answer the call. Every tech I spoke with was helpful, patient and solved whatever question or problem I had at the time.

Edited by Barrikady
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:rolleyes: THE 60CSX IS THE THIRD GPS UNIT I OWN. I HAVE NOT HAVE ANY OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE READ. I'VE ONLY HAD THE UNIT FOR ABOUT A MONTH, BUT HAVE USED IT QUITE BIT. I MOSTLY USE IT FOR HIKING AND GEOCACHING. OCCASIONALLY, I USE IT IN MY VEHICLE, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY MAPS LOADED ON IT. I DO USE IT WITH MS STREETS & TRIPS ON MY LAPTOP. I'VE USED IT SIDE BY SIDE WITH MY ETREX VENTURE, AND SO FAR THE 60 CSX SURPASSES IT. THE AVERAGE ACCURACY FOR THE 60 CSX IN THE VEHICLE OR ON FOOT IS 10FT - 12FT. THE ETREX, 15FT - 20FT. IN HEAVY FOLIAGE, THE 60 CSX WINS HANDS DOWN! THE NEW SiRF CHIPSET JUST GRABS ON TO THE SIGNALS ON HOLDS ON. IT'S SO SENSITIVE, I EVEN GET SATELLITE LOCK WHILE IN THE HOUSE! THE ETREX ON THE OTHER HAND TENDS TO LOSE MOST OF THE SATELLITES WHICH DECREASES THE ACCURACY MAKING GEOCACHING SOMETIMES DIFFICULT. BOTTOM LINE, I LIKE MY ETREX VENTURE, BUT I LOVE MY 60CSX! YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THIS IS A CONSUMER GRADE GPS UNIT NOT A MILITARY GRADE COSTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A HANDHELD UNIT. I THINK GARMIN HAS A WINNER HERE AND WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER QUALITY PRODUCTS.
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Well, as I said in post http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=136382

 

mine simply shuts down when I make this particular turn - every time, navigating or not. In fact, it shuts down if I SIMULATE the route with this turn. [.. by turning GPS off, doing a Go To, and go into demo modes and say YES to simulate route.]

 

I have 950 megs of maps, have only tried in in one small area of Houston, and I have this shutdown problem. I don't know if the map is corrupt (or how much of the map is corrupt) or if there is something wrong with my Unit. I've yet to write to Garmin, but I'm about to.

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I"m sorry if this has already been discussed but did you try reloading your maps? Maybe yours got corrupt somehow? Put your card in a reader and do a "checkdisk" or scandisk or whatever the command is and see if the memory is all OK. You might have gotten bad memory. Also, did you try reseating the memory card? Just a few thoughts...probably already discussed on the other thread.

 

It certainly sounds like you have a unique problem and yours needs either a return to garmin or a new memory card. It has to be a corruption issue (as you eluded to).

 

Well, as I said in post http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=136382

 

mine simply shuts down when I make this particular turn - every time, navigating or not. In fact, it shuts down if I SIMULATE the route with this turn. [.. by turning GPS off, doing a Go To, and go into demo modes and say YES to simulate route.]

 

I have 950 megs of maps, have only tried in in one small area of Houston, and I have this shutdown problem. I don't know if the map is corrupt (or how much of the map is corrupt) or if there is something wrong with my Unit. I've yet to write to Garmin, but I'm about to.

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I"m sorry if this has already been discussed but did you try reloading your maps? Maybe yours got corrupt somehow? Put your card in a reader and do a "checkdisk" or scandisk or whatever the command is and see if the memory is all OK. You might have gotten bad memory. Also, did you try reseating the memory card? Just a few thoughts...probably already discussed on the other thread.

 

It certainly sounds like you have a unique problem and yours needs either a return to garmin or a new memory card. It has to be a corruption issue (as you eluded to).

 

On the road - can't check anything or reload anything. I have my 60 CS with me also and does not have this problem.

 

Well, as I said in post http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=136382

 

mine simply shuts down when I make this particular turn - every time, navigating or not. In fact, it shuts down if I SIMULATE the route with this turn. [.. by turning GPS off, doing a Go To, and go into demo modes and say YES to simulate route.]

 

I have 950 megs of maps, have only tried in in one small area of Houston, and I have this shutdown problem. I don't know if the map is corrupt (or how much of the map is corrupt) or if there is something wrong with my Unit. I've yet to write to Garmin, but I'm about to.

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Now that SiRF baled Garmin out of trouble, I’ll revise I previous answer. I will provide the following that I wish I had available to me, last February, when I bought my CSx. (minus all the flaws, those are well documented now.)

 

I’m disappointed that Garmin released a product (60csx) to market, that had so many problems. Apparently they have established track record on this. I was not aware they did the same thing with the 60CS. For shame.

 

So my recommendation to the new GPS buyer is, when considering on buying a Garmin, wait at least 6 months before purchasing a new release. The general public needs time to complete all the beta testing, and report their results. And so that updates can be made available. It's not alpha until everything works.

 

The altimeter is still a little wonky, but I believe it has been improved. (need to test it more) Now that the device is fully waas capable, I would recommend to my friends to purchase a CSx over a CS.

 

I will always be critical of consumer electronic suppliers, or all manufactures for that matter. It seems that their customers have “given and inch,” when it comes to quality, and the manufactures have “taken a mile,” when it suits them. Microsoft was an excellent example. I find that completely unacceptable. I don’t want to waste my time (and money) on faulty products. I don’t care if they will warranty the problem, I don’t want to deal with it in the first place. Especially when they know they’ve got problems. That’s really aggravating. I’m surprised to see so many people roll-over on this issue….

 

In this case, I believe that Garmin signed some contracts, and made a “before 2006” release date imperative. So, instead of losing money, they released to market regardless of how close the device was ready. It appears now that they needed 6 more months.

 

I like the 60CSx. I didn’t/don’t like all the problems it had when I got it home. I recommend buying the 60CSx, and update update update….

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So my recommendation to the new GPS buyer is, when considering on buying a Garmin, wait at least 6 months before purchasing a new release. The general public needs time to complete all the beta testing, and report their results. And so that updates can be made available. It's not alpha until everything works.

This applies to a LOT of manufacturers, not just Garmin. You are always running the risk of above average problems when you buy the first edition of any significantly new product. This has been true in the automotive world for a long time. Likewise, this is a common practice for anyone considering purchasing an expensive digital SLR.

 

GeoBC

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So my recommendation to the new GPS buyer is, when considering on buying a Garmin, wait at least 6 months before purchasing a new release. The general public needs time to complete all the beta testing, and report their results. And so that updates can be made available. It's not alpha until everything works.

This applies to a LOT of manufacturers, not just Garmin. You are always running the risk of above average problems when you buy the first edition of any significantly new product. This has been true in the automotive world for a long time. Likewise, this is a common practice for anyone considering purchasing an expensive digital SLR.

 

GeoBC

Yeah your right, I can see your point. Any device or software that is capable of updates is a dead give away. But I think in this case, someone pushed the envelope.

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I used my 60CSx when hiking. My many problems are described in previous posts in this thread.

 

Recently, with 2.90/2.60 loaded, my 60CSx showed odometer readings that were much shorter than actual trail distances. When I downloaded my tracks into MapSource, the track lengths were longer than actual trail distances. That was it for me!

 

Today, I returned my 60CSx, MapSource Topo, MapSource City Navigator, NG Topo! and a nylon carrying case to REI. I got a $822.90 refund.

 

I purchased other items from sellers who don't have REI's 100% satisfaction guarantee. I spent/lost about $240 on rechargeable batteries and a battery charger, a 1 GB MicroSD card, a Garmin car power cord, the TopoFusion program, and the cost to ship a prior malfunctioning 60CSx back to Garmin.

 

I agree with everything that iNiq has said. Garmin should be ashamed!

 

TracknQ

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TracknQ, I commend you for your decision to return your GPS. That’s your right as a consumer to expect quality. And to refuse anything that falls short. I’m sorry to hear about all the money you lost in the process… Maybe if you held out for a few more updates, the odometer error (that I get as well) would have been fixed. But you shouldn’t have to wait for that…..

 

If we were talking about an OS for a home PC, you would be screwed. There is only one OS that is the most established, supported, supplied and used. That would be Microsoft. (to further use the previous example) But in this case you have options, there is more than one quality GPS supplier to chose from. And that choice gives you power.

 

Now if everyone, including me, returned their gps when it had all these problems. Then that respective supplier would think twice before dumping a flawed item on the store shelves. And how great that would be…..

 

In this case, all Garmin has to do is put an orange sticker on the box that says “With Beta Software.” When they know it isn’t fully functional. Then everyone would know what to expect when they got it home. The pioneers that enjoy bleeding edge technology, will happily conduct the free beta testing for the manufacture. And others will know that they need to wait, or whatever they chose to do….

 

I am not making this up….. I was at Cabela's yesterday. (that’s why I’m posting here now) This older gentleman was explaining to the GPS counter man about his problems with his 60CSx. I eavesdropped on the entire conversation, completely enthralled on what I was hearing. He was an average guy, totally unsuspecting, confused about the problems he was having with his new gps. He thought it was his own ineptitude. Unbeknownst to him, there is this forum that your reading now, listing all of these problems. There is nothing on the Garmin website about all this crap. The guy from Cabela's didn’t have anything to offer in terms of support. I regret not stepping in and spilling the beans. But on the other hand, I’m not going to get a paycheck from Garmin for assisting with their tech support issues either.

 

I don’t know what I am trying to say. I’m just a little disappointed in a fellow Kansas manufacturer I guess. And I responding to the original post in this thread.

 

I keep reading the horror stories, mine should be here in the next few days.

So how does yours work? …..

It could have been better gdragon34…. It could be better….. Edited by iNiq
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mine simply shuts down when I make this particular turn - every time, navigating or not.

I am so glad to see this, I thought I was going mad because mine does the same thing. I take it to a particular location and it shuts down. At first I thought a bump in the road was causing the batteries to jump but it also happens if I get out of the car and walk gently to the magic location.

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I have to say that although I've only had my 60csx for a week, this is an outstanding unit. This was an upgrade from my etrex legend, so there's no comparison to be had. Color screen, incredibly fast processor (relatively speaking), route calc. on the gps itself, and the list goes on. The driving navigation is excellent (the only thing missing from keeping this a complete car solution would be audio navigation through a headphone jack).

 

I know Garmin will continue to work on the firmware - and to be honest, I don't believe they are 'unethical'. Two issues are market pressures (e.g. competitive) and the other is the # of lines of code I'm sure this unit has - probably not small (in fact they need to be careful to avoid making this bloatware...chaning menu page order is way cool, although I'm sure that added some LOC).

 

I'm sure you can get a copy of Win 98 that is stable by now, so this s/w based product is no different. Bugs will happen that don't happen in the lab and this to me is no different than any new production system.

 

In general, this is an outstanding unit, and I commend Garmin (no relation or investments, btw) on providing this type of product at this price point - think about everything you are getting and can do with this.

 

If you're expecting 100% of bugs to be worked out prior to release, and still have an agressive company serious about continual product improvements and upgrades to give us great features, then you need to

re-calibrate your expectations. Either wait a few months for the little kinks to be worked out, etc.

 

Now the unit will even check for firmware upgrades and load them via the auto updater ... that's pretty cool and fixes a big hassle of manual firmware upgrades.

 

Overall, this unit is pretty amazing.

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