Quick 60CSx questions

[+xakdublin]

I'm a starting geocacher and just recently got the 60CSx, for that purpose, for trail riding on my bike, and driving (although I can't afford the City Navigator map yet, but soon). I read through the manual and it tells me once I've found a cache, that it will be logged in my calendar (or at least I read the option in the settings and I set it to do so), and yet when I change a caches marker to found, its not listed in the calendar. I haven't found another option to switch the cache to found other than changing the icon, so I don't know what the deal is. It's not entirely important because I write the ones I've found down in a little notebook I carry, but it would be nice to have that feature working.

 

Another question is; is it possible to have the compass guide (or whatever you'd like to call it when the compass shows the arrow to the next waypoint) or any 'route' to just be a direct route to the cache/waypoint? Each time I try to direct myself to a cache, it tries to take me on some highways that take me all around the area, even when the cache is in the middle of nowhere. I'd like to just have something that will allow me to follow the arrow to the general area and let me find it from there. I've checked options in the settings but nothing seems to make any difference.

 

Finally, were I to purchase the City Navigator maps and install them on the unit, would it give me the same functionality and reliability as a unit designed specifically for road navigation, or would it be somewhat gimpy? I know it doesn't feature voice, which is OK by me, as if I really wanted it to read my directions to me I'd hook it up to my laptop and run it in Delorme, but that's not any sort of necessity at all. And how is the quality of the maps? I know the basemap is pretty undetailed as for locations of roads (even if the intersections and exits are on perfect location), if I were driving on a curved road would the map show the curve and that I'm actually on it or would it be not completely exact, sometimes showing my tracking off to the sides of the road on the map of a completely different shape?

 

thanks in advance for helping a new guy

[+Whittling Fisher]

I'm a starting geocacher and just recently got the 60CSx, for that purpose, for trail riding on my bike, and driving (although I can't afford the City Navigator map yet, but soon). I read through the manual and it tells me once I've found a cache, that it will be logged in my calendar (or at least I read the option in the settings and I set it to do so), and yet when I change a caches marker to found, its not listed in the calendar. I haven't found another option to switch the cache to found other than changing the icon, so I don't know what the deal is. It's not entirely important because I write the ones I've found down in a little notebook I carry, but it would be nice to have that feature working.

 

Another question is; is it possible to have the compass guide (or whatever you'd like to call it when the compass shows the arrow to the next waypoint) or any 'route' to just be a direct route to the cache/waypoint? Each time I try to direct myself to a cache, it tries to take me on some highways that take me all around the area, even when the cache is in the middle of nowhere. I'd like to just have something that will allow me to follow the arrow to the general area and let me find it from there. I've checked options in the settings but nothing seems to make any difference.

 

Finally, were I to purchase the City Navigator maps and install them on the unit, would it give me the same functionality and reliability as a unit designed specifically for road navigation, or would it be somewhat gimpy? I know it doesn't feature voice, which is OK by me, as if I really wanted it to read my directions to me I'd hook it up to my laptop and run it in Delorme, but that's not any sort of necessity at all. And how is the quality of the maps? I know the basemap is pretty undetailed as for locations of roads (even if the intersections and exits are on perfect location), if I were driving on a curved road would the map show the curve and that I'm actually on it or would it be not completely exact, sometimes showing my tracking off to the sides of the road on the map of a completely different shape?

 

thanks in advance for helping a new guy

 

 

In order for the cache to show up in your calendar, you do not need to change the icon manually. If you are searching for a cache, the compass page (the one with the arrow pointing towards the cache) will have "found", "note", and "stop" at the bottom of the page. You have to be routing in "off road" mode. In order to route "off road" (this just means a direct, straight line route, not following roads) you need to go to the main menu (hit the menu button twice). Next, go to Setup, the Routing. Under Guidance Method, you can select "prompted" if you want it to ask whether to route on roads or off road when you select a cache to find. Or if you want it to alway route off road, you can select off road. Once you get City Navigator, it is best to select Prompted. This allows you to navigate along the roads at first, then when you park your car you can hit Menu while on the Map page, select Recalculate and tell it to calculate Off Road (so you can walk a straight line to the cache.)

 

As far as the maps, City Navigator is a lot more detailed than the Base Map. You can go to Garmin's website (http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/ontheRoad/ )and click on the Mapsource Map Viewer in the top right corner. You can select City Navigator and it will let you use the map program and see what type of detail you are going to get. I have City Navigator and love it. If the cursor does stray a little from the road, there is an option on the Map screen. While on the map screen, hit menu, go to Setup Map, the top left tab should have an option called "Lock on Road". Just turn this feature on to make the cursor show up on the road instead of beside it sometimes.

 

Hope this helps some. Enjoy your 60csx and have fun caching.

[+JSWilson64]

As far as the maps / routing goes, it's trying to route you on the base map, since that's all you have.

 

A less-expensive alternative to City Navigator is MetroGuide. City Navigator is locked by a code to the unit you install it on, meaning if you get a new GPS, you have to pay to install CN on your new GPS. Metro Guide is unlocked. Metroguide doesn't auto-route out of the box, but there's a program called MetroWizzz that will re-index the map so it can be used to do routing. The program comes in a free version and a $6 version. The free version is limited (to 1 GB, I think) in the amount of data you can transfer to your GPSr, the paid version is unlimited.

 

So, if you're cheap (like me) you can get a used copy of MetroGuide, the free MetroWizzz program, and roll with autorouting maps on your 60CSx for considerably less than a new copy of City Navigator will cost you.

[+xakdublin]

Thanks to both of you, that answered my questions perfectly. Now that I have that direct route thing down I think this all will come a lot easier. I'm going to try that MetroWizzz thing too, at least to see how well it works, but I think sometime down the road (hopefully soonish) I'll still be getting CityNavigator.

 

One more question too though; I read that you can use usb phone chargers with the mini-USB port (like the Motorola RAZR has) to power the unit. What I'm wondering is if I could go and get the usb tip for my iGo car charger and use that as my car power cable, or if it would not be safe to use depending on voltage levels? It would save me $20 or so in getting a power adaptor if it's capable of working.

[+Miragee]

Do a Search of the Forums to verify that the mini-USB cigarette-lighter adapter for your phone will work. I believe I have read that they do work.

[+TrailGators]

Do a Search of the Forums to verify that the mini-USB cigarette-lighter adapter for your phone will work. I believe I have read that they do work.

They do work because I use one!

[+xakdublin]

Got a couple of new questions now for you all.

 

First, I've seen Topo 2008 for $70-80 in various places. It says it includes roads, so what I'm wondering is if you can do directions like you can in City Navigator with turn-by-turn instructions on the unit, or if CN would still be the optimal map to use for that (for use in car for travel)?

 

Second, recently when I go to turn off my 60CSX it will shut off the screen and the tone that occurs as it shuts off will just keep going as a long continuous beep til I take out the batteries to kill it off. I haven't really been rough on my unit, so I don't think it could be a hardware issue unless faulty from the factory, but it hasn't done it til the last couple of weeks. Sometimes, more recently and less often, it will stop loading on the startup screen, and it won't continue past it til I remove the batteries also.

 

Any ideas what might be causing it? I'm not sure if it's something I have on my card, as I have Ibycus's 1.4 loaded for about 6 states, and I suppose it might be something to do with upgrading from the 1.3 version but I don't know how I could find that out without removing everything on my unit.

 

I guess I could ask in that thread too though.

[+roadrage64]

Do a Search of the Forums to verify that the mini-USB cigarette-lighter adapter for your phone will work. I believe I have read that they do work.

They do work because I use one!

I'll second that one! Works very nicely

[jimlarkey]

I've got Garmin's Topo08 and you cannot use the Topo08 roads for auto-routing.

Cheers,

Jim

 

<snip>

First, I've seen Topo 2008 for $70-80 in various places. It says it includes roads, so what I'm wondering is if you can do directions like you can in City Navigator with turn-by-turn instructions on the unit, or if CN would still be the optimal map to use for that (for use in car for travel)?

<snip>