Deer in the Head Lights with my 60CSx

[FleshFly]

Well, I have had this 60CSX for about two weeks, and has yet to make it more than five feet from my PC. This site has been great, as I have dug a lot of good info about my 60CSX, from golfing to driving down the road attached to my lap top I found some great hints to what this beauty is capable of. As I wait for "GPS for Dummies" and Maps to arrive in the mail, I feel a bit intimadated by this device as I have no clue what a "WAYPOINT" is and the only succesfull thing I can do with my GPS is turn up the back light. I am confident that I will get handy with it, and am hoping this book will help me...enough of my rambling but I thought it would be helpful to ask if anyone knew of any good getting started/intro things that I might be able to read online...in addition, perhaps some of you may give me a "to do" list of things to learn or do with my GPS to get it up running.

 

My goal is to install CN, TOPO, BLue Water Maps. And use this for city driving in Boston, Kayak FIshing at night in the ocean(inshore), and back country skiing hiking in the MTNS...

 

PS- I think I set my compass, but I think It might be off.....

 

Any insight appreciated, thanks

 

Randy

[+Prime Suspect]

Well, I have had this 60CSX for about two weeks, and has yet to make it more than five feet from my PC. This site has been great, as I have dug a lot of good info about my 60CSX, from golfing to driving down the road attached to my lap top I found some great hints to what this beauty is capable of. As I wait for "GPS for Dummies" and Maps to arrive in the mail, I feel a bit intimadated by this device as I have no clue what a "WAYPOINT" is and the only succesfull thing I can do with my GPS is turn up the back light. I am confident that I will get handy with it, and am hoping this book will help me...enough of my rambling but I thought it would be helpful to ask if anyone knew of any good getting started/intro things that I might be able to read online...in addition, perhaps some of you may give me a "to do" list of things to learn or do with my GPS to get it up running.

 

My goal is to install CN, TOPO, BLue Water Maps. And use this for city driving in Boston, Kayak FIshing at night in the ocean(inshore), and back country skiing hiking in the MTNS...

 

PS- I think I set my compass, but I think It might be off.....

 

Any insight appreciated, thanks

 

Randy

Adding a waypoint is easy. Just click the Mark button, and it will create a waypoint at your current location. Use the rocker button to highlight the coordinates, and press Enter. That will allow you to edit the coordinates to that of the cache you want to look for. Try it, then read the manual's section on this, and you'll understand it more.

 

You might want to see if there's a geocaching get-together in your area any time soon. There will be no shortage of people who can help you.

[Neos2]

As for setting the compass....Did you:

 

Go outside, turn the unit on in a place where it gets a nice clear view of the sky and let it acquire a signal for a long long time? (Half an hour isn't too long at all for the first time) Yeah, I know, you can get a signal indoors, probably, but outside you'll pick up more satellites and get a better, more accurate, signal!

 

Then set it to "calibrate compass" and follow the directions (turn in a circle at just the right speed until it said it was done, with it saying "just right" while you did it)?

 

And do you have it set to true north or magnetic north?

Edited January 6, 2007 by Neos2

[+El Diablo]

While you are waiting for your book, try a little practice. Place an object somewhere in your yard and stand beside it for a few minutes and let your gps settle. Then mark the location with the "Mark" button (take note of the number that is assigned to the waypoint.). Now walk away a 100 yards or so and then click the "Find" button. Choose the "Find waypoint" option. Then "Nearest" highlght the waypoint you created and then select the "Go to" option. Choose "Off road". Now try to navigate back to the object you placed by following the arrow.

 

If you need more help shoot me an email at jc364@aol.com and I'll talk you through it.

 

El Diablo

Edited January 6, 2007 by El Diablo

[+briansnat]

I feel a bit intimadated by this device as I have no clue what a "WAYPOINT" is...

 

A waypoint is any spot on the face of the earth that can be referenced by coordinates. That means everywhere. That tree in front of your house is a waypoint. Well technically right now, it's just a tree, but if you go up to it with your GPS and hit the "mark" button it becomes a waypoint that is stored in your unit. Where you are sitting right now can be a waypoint. Where your car is parked can be a waypoint.

 

Which brings us to waypoint names, which are a slightly different animal. If you walk up to that tree and mark it, it will become N41.22.588, W074.21.234 (as an example). Now if later on you look at your unit and see N41.22.588, W074.21.234 that won't mean a darn thing to you (Unless you have an incredible memory). So you give it a name, probably something like "tree". So the next time you look at your GPS and want to bring up the waypoint of that tree you marked, all you have to do is page through the stored waypoints on your unit and look for "tree".

 

Anyway, the best thing to do is to look at the quick start guide that came with your unit. It will show you the basic functions. Try marking a waypoint, walking away then navigating back to it. That's about 90 percent of what GPS use involves, navigating to waypoints.

Edited January 6, 2007 by briansnat

[+ThePropers]

While you are waiting for your book, try a little practice. Place an object somewhere in your yard and stand beside it for a few minutes and let your gps settle. Then mark the location with the "Mark" button (take note of the number that is assigned to the waypoint.). Now walk away a 100 yards or so and then click the "Find" button. Choose the "Find waypoint" option. Then "Nearest" highlght the waypoint you created and then select the "Go to" option. Choose "Off road". Now try to navigate back to the object you placed by following the arrow.

 

If you need more help shoot me an email at jc364@aol.com and I'll talk you through it.

 

El Diablo

 

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong)

1) You will need to go to your setup menu to tell it to prompt you for off road

2) You will also have to hit "page" to get to the arrow screen after choosing "off road" since it defaults to your map screen.

[+jks-geonc]

I gave my son a 60C for Christmas last year, and it was stolen. So I gave myself a Magellan Explorist 600 this year. I'll try to hang onto it. I'm a bit of a techie, so I don't mind pushing buttons. Just remember - no matter what you do with your GPS, you're not going to blow up Philadelphia - so get outside with it and start driving around and seeing how it behaves. And start pressing buttons.

 

My biggest problem has been finding software and getting waypoints/geocaches into my GPS. It's taken me several hours of trial and error with different software. I think I'll end up buying GSAK ($25) as I have actually successfully uploaded meaningful waypoints / points of interest / geocache locations from it to my Explorist.

 

Have you tried Google Earth and the toolkit for it? It really works and is way cool. the link is on the lower right side of your "My Profile" page. The URL is a download, and you'll need Google Earth first, but I would highly recommend it. just zoom in and give it a second. Dozens of caches will show up, and you can click on them and download the .loc/.gsx files for migrating to your GPS. It is a multi-step process because it seems there has to be some data format conversion for each different GPS. http://www.geocaching.com/kml/buildnetworkkml.aspx

 

REI here in my area is offering GPS clinics. I think they're free, and I know there's one in January.

 

I bought the 600 partly because it has a "3-axis" compass, but I have yet to see it work right, despite several attempts to calibrate it. Hope I don't have to send it back.

[+cats&dice]

I feel your pain. I too have a new 60CSx and I've yet to really figure the darn thing out. With punching a lot of buttons and stuff I'm making slow headway but haven't yet left the house. My main beef is with the utterly useless owner's manual. I mean, any end user document that has, "To create a new waypoint by entering coordinates: 1. Create a new waypoint" is utterly useless. Then there's the "Find Geocache" option. It tells you to set up the geocaching options. I do so. The next time I go to that screen, it asks me to set up options again. The owner's manual has...a picture of the setup screen and no further instructions. I'm sure it's something like I need to download or enter some caches...but it would be nice if the owner's manual explained that.

[+Sputnik 57]

You may want to take a look at The Garmin 60CS FAQ. It is written for non-x units (working on an update) but lots of the info applies to the x units as well. It condenses a lot of good info gleened from these forums.

[FleshFly]

Thanks for all the good pointers, the best thing that I did was find a class at REI this Wednesday. I did make it outside, and reset my compass. and started playing around with it. I am going to take the next step and play around with Way Points and drive around with it and play around with it outside.

 

I am really looking forward to learning, and more importantly using this. THANKS!

[FleshFly]

oops double post

Edited January 7, 2007 by FleshFly

[namiboy]

Thanks for all the good pointers, the best thing that I did was find a class at REI this Wednesday. I did make it outside, and reset my compass. and started playing around with it. I am going to take the next step and play around with Way Points and drive around with it and play around with it outside.

 

I am really looking forward to learning, and more importantly using this. THANKS!

 

in a couple of weeks won't you let us know how you're making out...

[+El Diablo]

While you are waiting for your book, try a little practice. Place an object somewhere in your yard and stand beside it for a few minutes and let your gps settle. Then mark the location with the "Mark" button (take note of the number that is assigned to the waypoint.). Now walk away a 100 yards or so and then click the "Find" button. Choose the "Find waypoint" option. Then "Nearest" highlght the waypoint you created and then select the "Go to" option. Choose "Off road". Now try to navigate back to the object you placed by following the arrow.

 

If you need more help shoot me an email at jc364@aol.com and I'll talk you through it.

 

El Diablo

 

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong)

1) You will need to go to your setup menu to tell it to prompt you for off road

2) You will also have to hit "page" to get to the arrow screen after choosing "off road" since it defaults to your map screen.

 

1. It will ask you to go off road or to follow road once you select a waypoint. At least mine does. There may be a setting that automatically chooses one over the other than I'm not aware of though.

 

2. You are correct.

 

El Diablo

[+Prime Suspect]

As for setting the compass....Did you:

 

Go outside, turn the unit on in a place where it gets a nice clear view of the sky and let it acquire a signal for a long long time? (Half an hour isn't too long at all for the first time) Yeah, I know, you can get a signal indoors, probably, but outside you'll pick up more satellites and get a better, more accurate, signal!

 

Then set it to "calibrate compass" and follow the directions (turn in a circle at just the right speed until it said it was done, with it saying "just right" while you did it)?

 

And do you have it set to true north or magnetic north?

 

Your first step is completely unnecessary. Calibrating the compass has nothing to do with the GPS reception. You do not need a clear view of the sky, etc. You can even set the unit to GPS OFF, and still calibrate the compass just as well as if it were on.

 

While downloading the almanac data is necessary for GPS usage, it has nothing to do with compass calibration.

[+JoesBar]

"Waypoint" = Any point, or position, on the planet Earth that you want your receiver to remember. Also called 'point of interest' or 'POI.'

 

You can create these by either standing at that location and using your reciever to mark that positon, or manually enter coordinates, and with some receivers an address, into the reciever and saving them.

 

Jargon is the bane of communication.

[+JTA]

I gave my son a 60C for Christmas last year, and it was stolen. So I gave myself a Magellan Explorist 600 this year. I'll try to hang onto it. I'm a bit of a techie, so I don't mind pushing buttons. Just remember - no matter what you do with your GPS, you're not going to blow up Philadelphia - so get outside with it and start driving around and seeing how it behaves. And start pressing buttons.

 

My biggest problem has been finding software and getting waypoints/geocaches into my GPS. It's taken me several hours of trial and error with different software. I think I'll end up buying GSAK ($25) as I have actually successfully uploaded meaningful waypoints / points of interest / geocache locations from it to my Explorist.

 

Have you tried Google Earth and the toolkit for it? It really works and is way cool. the link is on the lower right side of your "My Profile" page. The URL is a download, and you'll need Google Earth first, but I would highly recommend it. just zoom in and give it a second. Dozens of caches will show up, and you can click on them and download the .loc/.gsx files for migrating to your GPS. It is a multi-step process because it seems there has to be some data format conversion for each different GPS. http://www.geocaching.com/kml/buildnetworkkml.aspx

 

REI here in my area is offering GPS clinics. I think they're free, and I know there's one in January.

 

I bought the 600 partly because it has a "3-axis" compass, but I have yet to see it work right, despite several attempts to calibrate it. Hope I don't have to send it back.

 

The 600 should come with Magellan software that is quite good for geocaching. It's what I use with my wife's eXplorist 210. It shows all of the cache info and transfers it to the GPSr. I would assume it came with your 600 as well. I could be wrong.

 

JTA

[+BlueDevilGrad]

A good place for all kind of information GPS is here. There is a forum link as well and it has been very useful to me. I have had a gps for under a year and I'm starting to get kinda good at it. These forums work well too.

[FleshFly]

I attended my first class at REI last night, and I am a few chapters into "GPS for DUMMIES"

 

Class was a little brief, but a great starting point. I felt from my lurking on this site, , and my little bit of reading I was ahead of the class, a little.......

 

These things are truly amazing, I can't believe how much stuff I am learning.

 

I am still not out of the woods yet.

 

 

Again, thanks for the input.

 

As it stands now, I am in the process of loading maps onto my GARMIN GPS, 60CSX. I have the 64mg card.

 

I am having trouble unlock the maps on my unit, so I am going to try and call Garmin later today. I am suprised how little info came with the CN software on how to naviagte with it. I guess I need to print the manual and add it to my things to read list...... Is anyone famillar if you are able to do select Auto Routes with a 60CSX? I downloaded the information to my unit thinking I could.... I'll check with Garmin, just need to make sure I get home before they close their support line.....

 

Looking forward to getting out this weekend!!!