GARMIN GPSMAP 60CSx VS. RINO 530 2-way

[+Muddy and Amused]

First thanks to all who posts seemingly educated posts and replies to this forum. I have read pages and pages of this stuff and learned quite a bit. My wife and I are brand new to geocaching and had only one TOMTOM Auto GPS in the past. We are planning to purchase our first handheld GPS for geocaching use and need help determining which one to get. After days of researching we now have it narrowed done to 2 units, both Garmin, the 60csx and the rino 530. We have read all the specs and user manuals on both units...this is where we need the help (please dont take cost into consideration). To us, other then the 2-way radio, the location reporting, and the lack of removable SD card from the RINO 530, I cant find any differences software feature wise between these 2 units. We have friends who use the FRS and GMRS channelsand wouldnt mind having them in one unit with the gps however, since we already have 2-ways we can carry seperately from the GPS this isnt helping or hindering or decision either way. We want the best unit (from the above 2 choices) for geocaching so replies from those of you who had experience with either/both would be greatly appricitaed.

 

PS - this is our very first post, if I had broken any rules in wording this, please let me know and I will be happy to edit. Also, if location makes a difference, we live in the Lehigh Valley, Pa area.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Muddy and Amused

[+Red90]

Other than what you have stated, the 60Csx has a SirfIII GPS receiver whereas the Rino has Garmin receiver. The Sirf receiver is more sensitive so prvide the ability to hold a position lock under more adverse conditions.

[+Red90]

Just having a closer look.

 

The 60Csx has a larger display 2.2"x 1.5" versus 1.7” x 1.3”

 

The 60Csx uses AA batteries and the Rino uses a rchargable Lithium-Ion battery.

 

The 60Csx has an external antenna port, the Rino does not.

[+SparkyInCali]

I would say the 60csx would be a better choice.You already have two ways yes it would be nice to combine into one nit but the 60 has some advantages at least to me The 60csx has the more sensitive sirf chip that holds a lock extremely well.THe removable microsd card gives almost unlimited storage and it uses AA batteries so if you forget to charge it before heading out you are not completely without options for power.The ability to transmit waypoints is nice but only if they have a gamin rhino also otherweise its useless and for me its easy enough to give the coords over the 2 way anyways.

[+Muddy and Amused]

I would say the 60csx would be a better choice...the 60 has some advantages at least to me The 60csx has the more sensitive sirf chip that holds a lock extremely well.

 

This is one item I neglected to compare. This is a big help and will certainly hold weight with our decision.

[+Muddy and Amused]

Just having a closer look.

 

The 60Csx has a larger display 2.2"x 1.5" versus 1.7” x 1.3”

 

The 60Csx uses AA batteries and the Rino uses a rchargable Lithium-Ion battery.

 

The 60Csx has an external antenna port, the Rino does not.

 

Although I did note the screen size differences: the 60csx larger screen actually has a lower resolution (38,400 pixels) verus the Rinos smaller screen w the higher resolution at 38,720 pixels. The slight screen size difference vs the resolution, to me anyway, washes each other out.

[+Red90]

it is a 50% difference in screen size. The 60Csx screen is 149% the size of the Rino.

 

The pixel size on both units is quite small, 0.2 and 0.23 mm and comparable to normal LCD monitors.

 

You asked for the difference and I'm just listing them.

[eaparks]

Muddy and Amused; Welcome to the forum!

 

After much research, when I upgraded I went with the 60CSx, therefore I am partial to it. I've been very well pleased with mine. I believe Crazyon2wheels and Red90 covered about all the differences in the 2 units. One thing I don't know and would want to know in considering both units is; is the Rhino waterproof to the same standards as the 60CSx? That would be of importance to me.

 

Since you are already familiar with FRS and GMRS and probably their inherent inability to effectively communicate in enviroments with obstacles such as hills, mountains, buildings, heavy tree cover, etc (in the line of sight of communications) I fully expect in the near future we'll begin to see communication devices that are more affordable for the average outdoors person that will communciate on a different frequency band that will not be dependent upon line of sight communications, thereby rendering FRS and GMRS more as kids toys. These radios have been available for a long time but technology is going to bring their prices down to the average outdoorsman affordabiltiy level. Due to the frequency that GMRS operates on it really isn't suited well for the outdoorsman. Fine for keeping up with the kids in the mall, talking over water, or any other situation where nothing blocks the line of sight of communicatons; this isn't normally the case in the real world. Regardless what the manufacturers hype is about being able to communicate 14, 16, or even 18 miles as some suggest, that is under ideal conditions (open water). I've experienced situations with some of the best GMRS made that won't talk to one another even when they were only 200 yards apart, around a hill in trees. So with all of this said I think you'll have an outdated radio on a good GPS in just a couple of years if you go with the Rhino. If your friends have Rhinos which would allow you to instantly see where they are then that might be an advantage, but that will only work if the GMRS radios are in an enviroment that doesn't have the line of sight of communications blocked significantly, so back to the problem with the frequency the GMRS operates on. I'd go with the 60CSx and get a good radio as new technology give us something more meaningful for the backwoods.

 

Oh, One other thought came to mind. The SirfIII chip is great. It will keep a satellite lock in dense tree canopy cover. I'm speculating now, but my guess is that if you are in very dense tree canopy cover the Rhino may not hold a satellite lock very well and the GMRS radio probably isn't going to communicate any meaningful distance either. Another reason to go with the 60CSx for the best possible GPS sensitivity.

 

Sorry this got so long, wasn't intended.

Edited February 7, 2007 by eaparks

[+Muddy and Amused]

it is a 50% difference in screen size. The 60Csx screen is 149% the size of the Rino.

 

The pixel size on both units is quite small, 0.2 and 0.23 mm and comparable to normal LCD monitors.

 

You asked for the difference and I'm just listing them.

 

I asked for software feature differences. As I stated in my original post, I read the spec sheets on both models. What Im looking for is differences users have expereinced in field use software (firmeware) feature wise. By the way the difference in screen size is 33.04%, not 50%, and certainly not 149%. Since these are both TFT screen (Thin film transister screens-known for problematically low resolutions) every pixel counts. Some people are willing to trade in a smaller screen for higher resolution, some arnt....as i said earlier, the minimal screen size difference compared to the gained pixel increase is a wash for me...i have good eyes so I don't need the absolute best resolution.

[+Muddy and Amused]

Muddy and Amused; Welcome to the forum!

 

After much research, when I upgraded I went with the 60CSx, therefore I am partial to it. I've been very well pleased with mine. I believe Crazyon2wheels and Red90 covered about all the differences in the 2 units. One thing I don't know and would want to know in considering both units is; is the Rhino waterproof to the same standards as the 60CSx? That would be of importance to me.

 

Since you are already familiar with FRS and GMRS and probably their inherent inability to effectively communicate in enviroments with obstacles such as hills, mountains, buildings, heavy tree cover, etc (in the line of sight of communications) I fully expect in the near future we'll begin to see communication devices that are more affordable for the average outdoors person that will communciate on a different frequency band that will not be dependent upon line of sight communications, thereby rendering FRS and GMRS more as kids toys. These radios have been available for a long time but technology is going to bring their prices down to the average outdoorsman affordabiltiy level. Due to the frequency that GMRS operates on it really isn't suited well for the outdoorsman. Fine for keeping up with the kids in the mall, talking over water, or any other situation where nothing blocks the line of sight of communicatons; this isn't normally the case in the real world. Regardless what the manufacturers hype is about being able to communicate 14, 16, or even 18 miles as some suggest, that is under ideal conditions (open water). I've experienced situations with some of the best GMRS made that won't talk to one another even when they were only 200 yards apart, around a hill in trees. So with all of this said I think you'll have an outdated radio on a good GPS in just a couple of years if you go with the Rhino. If your friends have Rhinos which would allow you to instantly see where they are then that might be an advantage, but that will only work if the GMRS radios are in an enviroment that doesn't have the line of sight of communications blocked significantly, so back to the problem with the frequency the GMRS operates on. I'd go with the 60CSx and get a good radio as new technology give us something more meaningful for the backwoods.

 

Oh, One other thought came to mind. The SirfIII chip is great. It will keep a satellite lock in dense tree canopy cover. I'm speculating now, but my guess is that if you are in very dense tree canopy cover the Rhino may not hold a satellite lock very well and the GMRS radio probably isn't going to communicate any meaningful distance either. Another reason to go with the 60CSx for the best possible GPS sensitivity.

 

Thanks for your info. I found it very useful..I am leaning very heavily towards the 60csx. I did look at the waterproof specs on both models when comparing and they are identical. Thanks again for your (and everyones) help to this newbie. Its greatly appreiciated.

[+Red90]

No need to act snarky to me. You really make someone want to help out.

 

The software is the same other than things to do with the micro SD card and the radio features.

 

2.2"x 1.5" = 3.3 square inches

 

1.7” x 1.3” = 2.2 square inches.

 

3.3 / 2.2 = 1.49 thus 49% larger.

[+Paulsan]

No need to act snarky to me. You really make someone want to help out.

 

The software is the same other than things to do with the micro SD card and the radio features.

 

2.2"x 1.5" = 3.3 square inches

 

1.7” x 1.3” = 2.2 square inches.

 

3.3 / 2.2 = 1.49 thus 49% larger.

 

Sounds right to me.

[+Muddy and Amused]

No need to act snarky to me. You really make someone want to help out.

 

The software is the same other than things to do with the micro SD card and the radio features.

 

2.2"x 1.5" = 3.3 square inches

 

1.7” x 1.3” = 2.2 square inches.

 

3.3 / 2.2 = 1.49 thus 49% larger.

 

My apologies. You are correct about the math. I treid to duplicate what I did the first time to come up with my original numbers and am unable to do it. I cant find where I went wrong. But as I said several times now...the screen sizes to me isnt what I am comparing due to my earlier statements of the resolution differences. All I am looking for is differences in the firmware. Thank you for your time and input. Next time I will double-check my math before posting.

[kb9nvh]

I own a 60csx and love it. I would like the ability to mark anothers position as the Rino's do, however.

I would have to have an actual rrequirement for the rino gps location marking feature for me to consider it.

I would not want to give my my sensitive SIRF chipset of the 60csx.

 

Police radios operate in the higher frequencies (as do gmrs and frs) and the line of sight thing is true but is overcome by raw power which is something a handheld will never have much of because of size constraints. What I'm saying is that the gmrs and FRS frequency band is not inherantly bad and that the only real solution to the "line of sight" problem is increasing the power. Police and emergency radio use something called repeaters (a fixed tower that recieves and rebroadcasts the signal) to ensure reliable communication. There are many reasons that FRS and GMRS is a better choice for personal communication and the limited range is really a feature since it eliminates noise and interference from far away stations taht can actually limit your range when trying to communicate locally.

 

CB radio operates in the longer wavelenghts (27Mhz) and it goes farther, in fact it goes so far that it is just about unuseable in the US because of the noise level. CB can skip off the atmosphere where a signal from ohio can reach me in IL.

 

 

Muddy and Amused; Welcome to the forum!

 

After much research, when I upgraded I went with the 60CSx, therefore I am partial to it. I've been very well pleased with mine. I believe Crazyon2wheels and Red90 covered about all the differences in the 2 units. One thing I don't know and would want to know in considering both units is; is the Rhino waterproof to the same standards as the 60CSx? That would be of importance to me.

 

Since you are already familiar with FRS and GMRS and probably their inherent inability to effectively communicate in enviroments with obstacles such as hills, mountains, buildings, heavy tree cover, etc (in the line of sight of communications) I fully expect in the near future we'll begin to see communication devices that are more affordable for the average outdoors person that will communciate on a different frequency band that will not be dependent upon line of sight communications, thereby rendering FRS and GMRS more as kids toys. These radios have been available for a long time but technology is going to bring their prices down to the average outdoorsman affordabiltiy level. Due to the frequency that GMRS operates on it really isn't suited well for the outdoorsman. Fine for keeping up with the kids in the mall, talking over water, or any other situation where nothing blocks the line of sight of communicatons; this isn't normally the case in the real world. Regardless what the manufacturers hype is about being able to communicate 14, 16, or even 18 miles as some suggest, that is under ideal conditions (open water). I've experienced situations with some of the best GMRS made that won't talk to one another even when they were only 200 yards apart, around a hill in trees. So with all of this said I think you'll have an outdated radio on a good GPS in just a couple of years if you go with the Rhino. If your friends have Rhinos which would allow you to instantly see where they are then that might be an advantage, but that will only work if the GMRS radios are in an enviroment that doesn't have the line of sight of communications blocked significantly, so back to the problem with the frequency the GMRS operates on. I'd go with the 60CSx and get a good radio as new technology give us something more meaningful for the backwoods.

 

Oh, One other thought came to mind. The SirfIII chip is great. It will keep a satellite lock in dense tree canopy cover. I'm speculating now, but my guess is that if you are in very dense tree canopy cover the Rhino may not hold a satellite lock very well and the GMRS radio probably isn't going to communicate any meaningful distance either. Another reason to go with the 60CSx for the best possible GPS sensitivity.

 

Sorry this got so long, wasn't intended.

[+stingray67]

First thanks to all who posts seemingly educated posts and replies to this forum. I have read pages and pages of this stuff and learned quite a bit. My wife and I are brand new to geocaching and had only one TOMTOM Auto GPS in the past. We are planning to purchase our first handheld GPS for geocaching use and need help determining which one to get. After days of researching we now have it narrowed done to 2 units, both Garmin, the 60csx and the rino 530. We have read all the specs and user manuals on both units...this is where we need the help (please dont take cost into consideration). To us, other then the 2-way radio, the location reporting, and the lack of removable SD card from the RINO 530, I cant find any differences software feature wise between these 2 units. We have friends who use the FRS and GMRS channelsand wouldnt mind having them in one unit with the gps however, since we already have 2-ways we can carry seperately from the GPS this isnt helping or hindering or decision either way. We want the best unit (from the above 2 choices) for geocaching so replies from those of you who had experience with either/both would be greatly appricitaed.

 

PS - this is our very first post, if I had broken any rules in wording this, please let me know and I will be happy to edit. Also, if location makes a difference, we live in the Lehigh Valley, Pa area.

Muddy,

 

stop wasting time here!! just get yourself the 60CSX... basically its the best one for its features Period! NOW GO AND GET IT!

Edited February 10, 2007 by stingray67

[+Muddy and Amused]

First thanks to all who posts seemingly educated posts and replies to this forum. I have read pages and pages of this stuff and learned quite a bit. My wife and I are brand new to geocaching and had only one TOMTOM Auto GPS in the past. We are planning to purchase our first handheld GPS for geocaching use and need help determining which one to get. After days of researching we now have it narrowed done to 2 units, both Garmin, the 60csx and the rino 530. We have read all the specs and user manuals on both units...this is where we need the help (please dont take cost into consideration). To us, other then the 2-way radio, the location reporting, and the lack of removable SD card from the RINO 530, I cant find any differences software feature wise between these 2 units. We have friends who use the FRS and GMRS channelsand wouldnt mind having them in one unit with the gps however, since we already have 2-ways we can carry seperately from the GPS this isnt helping or hindering or decision either way. We want the best unit (from the above 2 choices) for geocaching so replies from those of you who had experience with either/both would be greatly appricitaed.

 

PS - this is our very first post, if I had broken any rules in wording this, please let me know and I will be happy to edit. Also, if location makes a difference, we live in the Lehigh Valley, Pa area.

Muddy,

 

stop wasting time here!! just get yourself the 60CSX... basically its the best one for its features Period! NOW GO AND GET IT!

Actually im not wasting time...Im gald I posted as I learned quite a bit....things not in the owners manuals. I am happy to say I have decided on 60csx mainly due to the sirfstar III chip and the removable SD cards. I have received more answers (thank you all) on here in the last three days then any help, rather lack thereof, from garmins tech department in the past 3 weeks!

Edited February 10, 2007 by Muddy and Amused

[eaparks]

Actually im not wasting time...Im gald I posted as I learned quite a bit....things not in the owners manuals. I am happy to say I have decided on 60csx mainly due to the sirfstar III chip and the removable SD cards. I have received more answers (thank you all) on here in the last three days then any help, rather lack thereof, from garmins tech department in the past 3 weeks!

 

Don't think you'll be disappointed at all by the 60CSx, just don't expect to be able to hear the tones very well, they could be a lot louder. You'll probably have even more questions once you get it in hand; the manual does leave out some things, as you have already experienced.