GPS Unit Way Off

[+crpadiem]

I just got a Garmin 60CSx as per the overall reviews I've seen. I went out to look for one cache and there were another 2 on the way. The two on the way were both easy caches by difficulty but I didn't take a map or anything, just went by the GPS and after about 45 minutes on each no luck finding them. By the way I was spiralling out from where the GPS unit centered on and I ended up about 100 feet out radius on both. I then went to the cache I was intedning to search for, of which I had a map, and the unit was off by about 140 feet when I found the cache. If I didn't have the map it would have been very unlikely I would have found the cache there too. Is this common? I know the units are not exact, but this far off in little cover? How would I go about checking the accuracy of the unit, going to a benchmark? What's the best place to find benchmark locations also? Thanks and be good.

[+fratermus]

It is a very rare occurrence for a new cacher to have an inaccurate GPS. Occam's Razor points to other, simpler problems like datum, inaccuracy of the original cache coords, or misunderstanding about how accurate civilian commodity GPSr are, etc.

 

You may want to turn off Battery Saver and turn on WAAS to see if it helps.

 

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[+Timpat]

The Map 60CSx is an awesome unit and should be quite accurate in positioning. It's very hard to judge by searching for caches. Your thought to check into a benchmark or two is a great verification. On a cache page for a cache close to you, go to nearest Benchmarks, and look for ones that say ADJUSTED vs. scaled. When adjusted the BMs have been verified by survey methods, either by GPS or conventional, and should give you excellent results. My bet is your unit will get within 2 meters (6.5').

[jmundinger]

Are you sure that your GPSr was set up to the same units as the coordinates of the cache that you were looking for?

[+brew15]

I have the same thing happening with my 60csx. The tracking seems off. Both when you zoom the unit in or when you download the data to the computer (using Mapsource software as well). If I track, like while driving it shows me about 50ft (average) off of the highway I am on. I can seem to find most geocaches, though it shows them off. I sent my unit in and Garmin checked it and said nothing was wrong with it, they sent me a different unit back though. It does the same thing. It is very annoying, my older 60c showed the tracking right on. Called Garmin and the tech said it would read off of a road wouldn't show it right on but I don't think that is right. Anybody have any suggestions???? on fixing this or why it is doing it.

[+crpadiem]

I did what Fratermus said, turned the WAAS on, the battery saver was already off though. I didn't want to wait till morning so I found two adjusted benchmarks about a quarter mile from my house, went to them was happy that one was about a foot off, the other about 6 foot off, so it's not the unit I would say. I'm going to go out early tomorrow and do ten benchmarks, get the distance variance of each and see what I come up with. Thanks for the help though, makes me feel a lot better.

[+Mudfrog]

I have the same thing happening with my 60csx. The tracking seems off. Both when you zoom the unit in or when you download the data to the computer (using Mapsource software as well). If I track, like while driving it shows me about 50ft (average) off of the highway I am on. I can seem to find most geocaches, though it shows them off. I sent my unit in and Garmin checked it and said nothing was wrong with it, they sent me a different unit back though. It does the same thing. It is very annoying, my older 60c showed the tracking right on. Called Garmin and the tech said it would read off of a road wouldn't show it right on but I don't think that is right. Anybody have any suggestions???? on fixing this or why it is doing it.

 

On my 76S, under map setup, there is a setting to "lock to road". The 60 series may have this same thing and if so, turning it on will probably solve your problem.

[+brew15]

Tried that. No good. Took a 25 mile drive while tracking. Put one track down.....off the highway about 50 to 75 feet. Tracked back on the same road without turning off the unit and put another track down different than the first on the return. Going to check a benchmark to see next.