Any hints for a new 60cx?

[+carolnbarney]

Well it finally got here.

 

I got my new 60cx in the mail yesterday and I've been reading the owner's manual.

 

As well, I went to a bookstore yesterday and bought the "Complete Idiot's Guide To Geocaching" and have been reading that.

 

I put in the batteries and went into the yard to "initialize" it expecting it to take a bit of time, but was pleasantly surprised that it only took a very short time. Don't know if that's normal, but it impressed the heck out of me!!

 

I'm still reading and trying to learn about it, but as you can imagine I'm becoming overwhelmed with all the things I'm reading. So, I was wondering if anyone could/would suggest some type of order of what I should concentrate on learning/understanding? What's the most important at first for a newbie with a new GPS? General topics as well as 60cx specific items!

 

My first impulse is to run right out and start hunting, but I know I need to learn how to do certain things first!!

 

Thanks for all of your time in the past, now, and in the future.

 

From - - carolnbarney in beautiful Piedmont NC!!

[+joranda]

You just need to load a cache coord into it and go find it. That's the best way to figure it out. That's what I did. Also, if it has the auto compass on it like the 60 CSX, you'll want to turn it off. Good luck.

[+kraushad]

I did it kinda the way you are doing it. I had that same book a few weeks before my GPSr came, and tried to read on here as much as possible.

 

Keep in mind that book is fairly old, so much of the technology has changed with regard to the GPS technology it talks about.

 

As far as a basic undertanding of hunting caches it continas some very good info. I stopped being as interested in the latter parts of teh book talking about using map & compass, but I will go back to that in a few months and spend more time with it later.

 

Since you have the Garmin you can download directly into the GPSr from geocaching.com, all you have to do is allow it to install the Garmin Communicator software on your PC first. Then search, select, download, and hunt!

 

As far as the GPSr goes, I have a Vista so it may work a bit differently, but there should be a find waypoints/geocaches function - it should also highlight the caches in order from closest to farthest from your current location.

 

That's it! Go get a find! If you are like me you will be embarassingly excited about the first find (I am talking fist pump in the air, Tiger Woods' style and everything).

 

I am sure others will talk about the specifics of your GPSr.

Edited January 10, 2008 by kraushad

[+obxWaMi]

I consider myself the poster child for the technologically challenged, but I bought a Garmin eTrex Legend a week ago and I found my first cache only 30 minutes after opening the package (in the car). Since then we have located a total of 13.

 

Enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

[+carolnbarney]

You just need to load a cache coord into it and go find it. That's the best way to figure it out. That's what I did. Also, if it has the auto compass on it like the 60 CSX, you'll want to turn it off. Good luck.

 

You know I started out looking at the 60csx because it had the compass and altimeter, but decided to get the cx instead after hearing what folks said about the compass and all running the batteries down. I'm going to get a "boy scout type" compass one day. Haven't found an affordable altimeter yet.

[+jeffster220]

The biggest problem that I had finding the first couple cashes with my new 60CSx was not putting the unit in "Off Road". I have City Nav. maps on it and didn't know that I had to put the unit in the "Off Road" mode. I thought I had a bad unit and was going to send it back and just keep using my old GPS 12. Thanks to the people on this site I have figured my new GPS out.

Also the user manual is useless.

Good luck with your new 60 and go have some fun with it.

[+Chuy!]

You just need to load a cache coord into it and go find it. That's the best way to figure it out. That's what I did. Also, if it has the auto compass on it like the 60 CSX, you'll want to turn it off. Good luck.

 

You know I started out looking at the 60csx because it had the compass and altimeter, but decided to get the cx instead after hearing what folks said about the compass and all running the batteries down. I'm going to get a "boy scout type" compass one day. Haven't found an affordable altimeter yet.

You can turn off the electronic compass part until you need it; that's what I did with my 60CS and do now with my Etrex. On the 60's press and hold the page button; on the Etrex', press and hold the turn-page button (upper right).

[+Annie & PB]

Well, we got the Legend HCx (rather than your model) and we ran right out and started hunting!!! Had found our first two caches with the hour from memory.

 

The store assistant showed us how to 'mark' our current co-ordinates and then change that to the co-ords we wanted to find, and we were good to go!!! We found out everything else as we went along - and we still haven't read most of the manual!!!! It actually wasn't that helpful - we got a few hints from the quick start guide that were useful, rather than the main manual.

 

On our model the button on the top right side flicks you between map page, compass page and menu page and that was the most useful thing we found out pretty quickly and after than its just select whichever option you want and click - using the switch on the front that is like on some laptops for the mouse.

 

Eventually we got set up to download co-ordinates directly but we didn't bother with that at first.

 

I think the time has come for you to load the co-ords for a cache nearest to your house, by hand (so long as it is a reasonably easy traditional cache) and get out there hunting!!!

[+carolnbarney]

I think the time has come for you to load the co-ords for a cache nearest to your house, by hand (so long as it is a reasonably easy traditional cache) and get out there hunting!!!

 

Did that today with no finds times three.

 

I'm pretty sure I was in the right area, but just not attuned to where to look, what to look for, and how to do it stealthily.

 

I was sure I would return home with three finds!! Yea... Right!!! Huh???

[+Annie & PB]

Hmmm.... first thing to check is that you have the co-ordinates set to the correct map datum. Go to the menu page - assuming that the 60cx is similar to the Legend , then 'set-up', then 'units and make sure it says WGS 84 in the 'map datum' area. There have been many a post that I have seen about this.

 

Then let us know how you go again.

[+YeOleImposter]

Also, if it has the auto compass on it like the 60 CSX, you'll want to turn it off. Good luck.

 

Agreed, 100% -- hold the page key down until it says the compass is off. You will still have the arrow -- just wont have the problems associated with the electronic compass pointing you the wrong way. Once you get a feel for using the thing, then you can turn the compass on and do the bumble bee dance each day before caching.

[+Okiebryan]

I think the time has come for you to load the co-ords for a cache nearest to your house, by hand (so long as it is a reasonably easy traditional cache) and get out there hunting!!!

 

Did that today with no finds times three.

 

I'm pretty sure I was in the right area, but just not attuned to where to look, what to look for, and how to do it stealthily.

 

I was sure I would return home with three finds!! Yea... Right!!! Huh???

 

Here's another possibility. If you are set up to enter coords in Decimal Degrees (35.4560 096.3456) but you are entering Decimal Minutes (35 46.334, 096 33.234) or HMS then you will get a very different location with all 3. Make sure your GPS is set for Decimal Minutes, as that is what is shown on the cache pages.

 

In surveying, we use HMS in a decimal format. It can get a little confusing, and can easily cause you to be around 600 feet off.

[+carolnbarney]

Hmmm.... first thing to check is that you have the co-ordinates set to the correct map datum. Go to the menu page - assuming that the 60cx is similar to the Legend , then 'set-up', then 'units and make sure it says WGS 84 in the 'map datum' area. There have been many a post that I have seen about this.

 

Then let us know how you go again.

 

That part is set right. I'm pretty sure I was in the right place from having read previous logs, looking at gallery pictures, and looking at Google Maps. I feel that the problem is not with the unit, but with the operator of the unit being a very rank amateur that needs to learn how to think like a cache "hider" as to what kinds of places something would/could be hid in. I've read so much about being "stealthy" that I'm a little hesitant to "poke around" in places.

 

How many folks had a string of DNF before they started "finding" on a consistent basis?

[+kraushad]

I can't tell you that I had a string of DNFs first. I actually have found around 12 before my first DNF, but then I found out that the one I couldn't find was actually missing anyway - talk about funny!

 

BUT, what I did do, was read a BUNCH of posts on here about hiding, read a BUNCH of websites that popped up when I Googled creative cahe ideas, or cache containers, etc. You will start to read about other people's thinking when they hide the cache.

 

ALSO _ MOST IMPORTANT - find ones that are medium size with a very low difficultyl rating to start with. Even micros are okay, if they are easy. Check the logs to make sure that they have been found recently and that they do not have a string of DNFs (Did not finds).

 

Also, I am not sure of the specifics of the 60CX, but make sure you have zoomed in the map as you get close to the cache, to the smallest scale possible. If your map is zoomed out to far, it could show you right on top of the cache, even though you may still be hundreds of feet away. Once you zoom in completely (my Vista gets down to a 20 foot map distance on screen) it should lead you right to the cache area with less than a 10 foot or so margin of error.

 

Keep trying it - you will figure out what is wrong, if anything, and experience the fist pump in the air (sometimes accompanied by the victory dance which can resemble a football player after scoring a touchdown!).

 

Good Luck!

[+DanOCan]

You know I started out looking at the 60csx because it had the compass and altimeter, but decided to get the cx instead after hearing what folks said about the compass and all running the batteries down.

 

Something to keep in mind is that the 60CSx has an automatic compass setting that turns it off when moving and then turns it back on again when you are stopped or traveling under a certain speed for a certain amount of time.

 

I adjusted the default settings on mine so that the compass is off when I am at normal walking speed but if I drop below that for 30 seconds it comes back on. Now if I could just remember to calibrate each time I change the batteries I would be OK.

[+ShowStop]

Hmmm.... first thing to check is that you have the co-ordinates set to the correct map datum. Go to the menu page - assuming that the 60cx is similar to the Legend , then 'set-up', then 'units and make sure it says WGS 84 in the 'map datum' area. There have been many a post that I have seen about this.

 

Then let us know how you go again.

 

That part is set right. I'm pretty sure I was in the right place from having read previous logs, looking at gallery pictures, and looking at Google Maps. I feel that the problem is not with the unit, but with the operator of the unit being a very rank amateur that needs to learn how to think like a cache "hider" as to what kinds of places something would/could be hid in. I've read so much about being "stealthy" that I'm a little hesitant to "poke around" in places.

 

How many folks had a string of DNF before they started "finding" on a consistent basis?

Try contacting other Geocachers in your area and see if they will let you tag along on a geocaching trip. In the mean time, look for the easiest caches in your area. Use the hints if available and even preview the location on Google maps so you know you are in the right area. Even some of the 1/1 rated caches in my area I would consider difficult for a beginner.