60CSx -- Newbie Questions

[tomaskuehn9]

Hi everyone. I am new here, and I recently bought a new Garmin 60Csx. I originally had a 60Cx, but I returned it and got the 60Csx because of the electronic compass and barometric altimeter. I did my research first and decided that those features were good for me because I do a lot of hiking, which will require me to stop and take rough bearings. I carry a magnetic compass, but I have a couple of questions about the interaction between the electronic and satellite based compasses on this unit. (I have not yet used the 60Csx in the field).

 

1. I know that the electronic compass "kicks in" when I am stopped (I have set the unit up to use teh electronic compass when I am going less than 1 MPH for more than 3 seconds or whatever). How can I tell on the unit which compass is working? I want the satellite compass to come on when I am moving, but the electronic one to come on when I am standing.

 

2. If I "turn off" the compass by holding down the page button, does that mean I am also turning off the functioning of the satellite based compass?

 

I also have a general question about Mapsource, and transferring data to the unit and back. I have the Topo software because I do a lot of trail hiking. I just bought a 2 GB Micro SD card.

 

3. Should I simply load the entire western US topo map onto the unit, or is it better to do smaller areas on a trip-by-trip basis?

 

4. What is the normal method of adding waypoints and routes to the unit, once I have figured those out on Mapsource? Do people generally keep one main document saved on their PC, and then just update the GPS unit when they have added new routes and waypoints, or is this again something that most people do on a trip by trip basis? So, for example, let's say I set up some routes for my upcoming trip in Yosemite, and after that, I want to add some routes for a trip to Idaho, do you replace the routes on the GPS unit, or do you simply add these to the Micro SD card?

 

Sorry about all of the questions. As I said, I am new at this. Thanks for reading!

[+Miragee]

Welcome to the Forums!

 

Someone who is more technologically-oriented will have to address your first two questions . . . I could only guess at the answers.

 

As for loading the Topo maps, there is a segment limit, so you cannot load more segments than that. I don't know if you bump up against that when you try to load the entire western U.S. or not.

 

As for adding waypoints, I am a Premium Member, which gives me access to the .gpx files on the individual cache pages. I can also create pocket queries.

 

Because those 500-cache PQs have a lot of data, I use a database program to manage, filter, slice, and dice all the waypoints. From GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife), I can Export data for my Mapsource maps, and Export in the correct format for my Palm so I can cache "paperless." I send the "filtered" waypoints to my GPSr from GSAK.

 

After each adventure, I download the tracks and waypoints from my GPSr back to my computer. I save each of those with the date and location so I can revisit those trips, should I ever need to.

 

I have never loaded a route into my GPSr. I just let it "calculate" along the way. I have loaded tracks from a previous hike to an area and those were very helpful to follow.

[+Thrak]

I'll answer the first two questions that Miragee passed on answering.

 

1. I know that the electronic compass "kicks in" when I am stopped (I have set the unit up to use teh electronic compass when I am going less than 1 MPH for more than 3 seconds or whatever). How can I tell on the unit which compass is working? I want the satellite compass to come on when I am moving, but the electronic one to come on when I am standing.

 

You have the compass set up fine. It will automagically switch between the two compass modes. When you are below your set speed for your specified time the electronic compass will kick in. Otherwise the movement based compass will be used. You will, however, use batteries faster even though you aren't using the electronic compass much of the time. Get some good rechargeable batteries and carry a spare set. I do that with my 7CSx and I don't have an issue with the battery usage.

 

2. If I "turn off" the compass by holding down the page button, does that mean I am also turning off the functioning of the satellite based compass?

 

You can't turn off the movement based compass (unless, of course, you turn off the unit). Turning off the electronic compass by holding down the "page" button will have no effect on the movement based compass. It will save on battery usage and disable the electronic compass so that the arrow won't point to the cache when standing still.

[tomaskuehn9]

Thank you both for your replies! Obvioulsy, there is a lot for me to learn. This helps a lot and I guess the best thing to do is just get out there and learn through experience.

 

Thanks again!

[+GreenMountainTreasureHunters]

I hope the OP won't mind me piggy-backing on this thread, but my son just got a 60csx also, and we were a little confused by something. We set the GPSr in goto mode, got near the cache, and then stopped moving. The GPSr seemed to "think" we were moving, walking past the cache, turning around, etc. What are you supposed to do when you are close to the cache and want to zero in on a direction a little more finely? I thought stopping was the thing, but maybe we have to set it for the electronic compass to kick in? I know, I need to RTFM. Since it is my son's unit, I left him to read it, but he hasn't mastered all the fine points yet.

 

Thanks!

[+Miragee]

Since that GPSr has the sensitive chip, it might "wander" more than another GPSr like my Vista C.

 

A couple of times, when the GoTo arrow kept switching directions, saying 10' one way, 12' another way, as I was trying to zero in on a cache hidden high up on a rockpile, I looked at the coordinates of the waypoint, remembered the last three digits of the Lat and Long, then changed to the Satellite page to "match up the numbers."

 

Generally, once you get within 30 feet of GZ, you should just put the GPSr away and start looking for likely hiding spots.

[+GreenMountainTreasureHunters]

Generally, once you get within 30 feet of GZ, you should just put the GPSr away and start looking for likely hiding spots.

 

That's what we did, and we did find the cache (a micro, even).

 

I was just wondering about the wandering behavior of the GPSr, and if there's some other way we should be using it at near range.

 

Thanks!

[+Thrak]

I hope the OP won't mind me piggy-backing on this thread, but my son just got a 60csx also, and we were a little confused by something. We set the GPSr in goto mode, got near the cache, and then stopped moving. The GPSr seemed to "think" we were moving, walking past the cache, turning around, etc. What are you supposed to do when you are close to the cache and want to zero in on a direction a little more finely? I thought stopping was the thing, but maybe we have to set it for the electronic compass to kick in? I know, I need to RTFM. Since it is my son's unit, I left him to read it, but he hasn't mastered all the fine points yet.

 

Thanks!

 

If you want to stop and still have the arrow point to the cache site then you need to enable the electronic compass. You also MUST recalibrate that compass from time to time - especially if you change the batteries. Recalibration is extremely easy and fast. You simply tell it to recalibrate and then turn it in a circle slowly a couple of times.

 

NOTE: You only need to turn the unit around in a circle in your hands. You don't need to hold it and turn yourself around in a circle! (Don't laugh - many people take a long time to realize this is the case.)