60CSx vs SporTrak Question

[+Thot]

I used a Magellan SporTrak Pro for several years, and bought a Garmin 60CSx a few months ago.

 

You can find my review of the 60CSx vs the SporTrak here

 

I was particularly troubled by an experience I had a few days ago.

 

I was out hunting a cache in an area where it was hard to move around. In this situation I occasionally use a bearing to locate the cache. I put the GPSr in a fixed location nearby with the most sky I can reasonably get and let it determine a bearing to the cache. I then use a compass (a real compass) to sight along that bearing line and use the distance to figure where the cache should be.

 

I tried this trick for the first time with the 60CS a few days ago. The bearing simply wouldn’t settle down. It kept fluctuating in a range from 25 to 175 degrees. Wow! That’s like saying “It on your left.” Not much help. Am I doing something wrong?

 

With my Maggie, anytime it stopped moving and left it in the same location for a couple of minutes the bearing became quite stable – and often quite accurate. I began to believe the difference between the units was because the Maggie starts averaging automatically when it stops moving and this averaging over time causes it too become stable, while the 60CS is continuously calculating new independent locations so it never settles down. The Garmin has to be “put” in the averaging mode manually, and I couldn’t come up with a way to change screens while it was averaging, so I could read the bearing. Nor could I figure out how to add bearing to the averaging screen. Whatever the reason it was useless for this trick that worked so well with the Maggie.

 

Does anybody know if the difference is really the fact that Magellans begin averaging anytime they stop moving?

[+Thot]

Bump

[+Semper Questio]

I've seen the same behavior on my 60CSx, but I have nothing to base a comparison on. I moved up from a SporTrak Map. I've gotten to the point that I just don't use my compass much at all and when I do I sure don't completely trust it.

[dawangumu]

I'm having the same problem. I had a Sportrak Pro and I'm using a 60CX now. Does anybody know a way to put the garmin60's in averaging mode automatically? It would be very usefull.

 

I know I can do averaging on a waypoint and than I have to save that waypoint. But I would like my 60CX to do an averaging on my position, so that my position gets more and more accurate. Instead of bumping around from place to place.

 

Who knows a trick how to solve this problem?

 

Thanks!

[+Thot]

But I would like my 60CX to do an averaging on my position, so that my position gets more and more accurate. Instead of bumping around from place to place.

 

Who knows a trick how to solve this problem?

 

I don't think the 60CX can do be made to do that.