MAP60CSx Confusion..............

[+infiniteMPG]

Just upgraded from a MAP60C to a MAP60CSx to get the expanded memory and have a few things that hopefully I can get more quickly and clearly answered here rather then by RTFM...

 

1) On my 60C when I was seeking a waypoint OFF ROAD it would immediately jump to the compass/pointer screen and when seeking something ON ROAD it would jump to the map page. With the 60CSx no matter which way I seek a waymark it switches to the map screen. I saw the settings for switching to compass when under a certain distance but tried several things and didn't seem to change anything.

 

2) With the dynamic compass I expected more reliable pointer accuracy then the 60C but even after calibrating the compass it would rarely point in the direction the target was and several times would be pointing directly behind me. This was while holding the unit level while searching. And how often do you have to calibrate it??? I think the pointer was more stable and accurate on my 60C withOUT the dynamic compass.

 

3) Is there a way to turn OFF the dynamic altimeter? Seriously, I live in Florida and if it's required to change more then 50-feet it's because I'm in an elevator.

 

4) When searching for a waypoint, I see the screen with the waypoint names on it. I select a waypoint to seek and select it how to search (on or off road). I now have several screens of information available like the TRIP COMPUTER screen and the GEOCACHE NAVIGATION screen with the compass pointer, BUT no where do I have the waypoint NAME available anymore. I can click on NOTE and see the notes for the waypoint, or I can eat up one of my data fields with WAYPOINT AT DESTINATION, but is there any way to see the NAME of the waypoint I am currently seeking???? Same was true with the 60C.

 

Not sure the firmware or software loaded on the unit so maybe an update will help out, but right now these things are a bit of a pain.

 

T'anks!!!

[Fschwep]

You can switch the compass off and on by pressing and holding the Page key. Calibration is needed quite often, certainly after a battery change. You can also set the compass to work only when you have been below a certain speed for a certain length of time (i.e. set it really low, and you'll always be using the GPS heading as soon as you move, even when walking).

 

I don't think you can turn off the altimeter. Of course nothing will stop you adapting the order of pages shown so that the altimeter screen does not show up, and to adapt the trip computer screen to avoid showing altitude. It's a pretty good altimeter, by the way, even compared to a dedicated aeronautical alti/vario combo.

 

Waypoint at destination does give you the name of the waypoint, doesn't it? In map view it shows the name quite large: North to XXX.

 

It's true that the 60CSx has more options than one can throw a stick at and maybe simplicity of operation suffers.

[+Prime Suspect]

 

1) On my 60C when I was seeking a waypoint OFF ROAD it would immediately jump to the compass/pointer screen and when seeking something ON ROAD it would jump to the map page. With the 60CSx no matter which way I seek a waymark it switches to the map screen. I saw the settings for switching to compass when under a certain distance but tried several things and didn't seem to change anything.

There's no setup to change this. After switching to Off-Road, press Quit and you're back on the navigation screen.

 

2) With the dynamic compass I expected more reliable pointer accuracy then the 60C but even after calibrating the compass it would rarely point in the direction the target was and several times would be pointing directly behind me. This was while holding the unit level while searching. And how often do you have to calibrate it??? I think the pointer was more stable and accurate on my 60C withOUT the dynamic compass.

If the compass is pointing south when you're facing north, and you have it turned on, calibrated, battery-saver is turned off, and the unit is held horizontally so that the Hold Level message goes out, then yes, you have a problem. Now, you do realize that the compass is the ring, not the red arrow, right? Where the arrow points is influenced by the usual GPS errors. If you used a handheld compass, and were able to shoot the calculated bearing on a second-by-second basis, you would see the handheld compass exhibiting the same behavior you see with the navigation arrow. However, since it's not really possible to do that, you don't see that "crazy" behavior with the handheld. Just remember that the navigation arrow is dependent on an accurate GPS solution of your current location, just have a little patience. If the unit is having problems positioning the arrow, its because it's having problems figuring out your coordinates. As those coordinates jump around, so will the arrow. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just mathematics.

 

And, of course, the closer you get to the target, the bigger the arrow change. That's normal. Imagine you're on the 50 yard line of a football field. You first point your finger to the left goalpost upright, then to the right one. The angle of change in your arm is relatively small. Then do the same thing from the 10 yard line. The angle of movement is much wider, but you're still pointing at the same two positions. Likewise, normal GPS errors get magnified the closer you get to GZ. That's when you clip it to your belt, and start looking.

 

3) Is there a way to turn OFF the dynamic altimeter? Seriously, I live in Florida and if it's required to change more then 50-feet it's because I'm in an elevator.

Just set it automatic calibration, and don't worry about it.

 

4) When searching for a waypoint, I see the screen with the waypoint names on it. I select a waypoint to seek and select it how to search (on or off road). I now have several screens of information available like the TRIP COMPUTER screen and the GEOCACHE NAVIGATION screen with the compass pointer, BUT no where do I have the waypoint NAME available anymore. I can click on NOTE and see the notes for the waypoint, or I can eat up one of my data fields with WAYPOINT AT DESTINATION, but is there any way to see the NAME of the waypoint I am currently seeking???? Same was true with the 60C.

That's what the data fields are for - to show you information that you've selected. I have the On-Road screen set to show Speed and Dist to Next, because that's what's important to me when I'm driving. I have the Off-Road screen set to Accuracy, Dist to Next, and Next (waypoint). That's what I want to know when I'm on foot. Life's good.

[+JSWilson64]

Well, if you don't need the altimeter and the compass drives you buggy (a real compass is MUCH better anyway), you might consider taking the CSx back and getting a 60 Cx instead. Same receiver, same capacities, just no barometer/altimeter and compass. Battery life's probably better, too...

 

Oh, you can eliminate the altimeter history page (whatever it's called - can't remember now) by editing the Page Sequence in the unit setup.

Edited May 15, 2008 by JSWilson64

[OGBO]

The flux gate compass suffers from the same problem that many of the flux gate compasses in small electronic widgets do (including the Suunto "wrist computers") - they lose their calibration fairly easily from such things as being in a magnetic environment (near high voltage power lines, from RF radiation from being held near cell phones, FRS radios, ham radio gear, and even the control computers in certain cars, like the Ford Explorer I used to have), and even sometimes static electricity discharge nearby (like the zap you get on a dry day sliding out of the car or shuffling across a carpet). Besides which the ones in Garmin "S" GPSRs (60CS, 60CSx, 76CSX, etc) chew up a lot of battery real fast (leave the compass turned off and just get a $10 baseplate compass).

 

A quick way to check on whether you need to recalibrate, if you insist on using it, is to hold the GPSR as level as you can and rotate it (horizontally, of course) back and forth through 90-180 degrees. If the card is "sticky", it needs recalibration (same thing shows up on pocket electronic compasses and wrist computers with compasses in them, like the Suuntos). This is a real pain, of course, if you are in a blizzard or dense woods or anywhere else you need a compass heading in a hurry, since it takes a couple minutes to do the recalibration. But, you should always carry a pocket compass with you in the woods and hills (and blizzards) anyway - they never need batteries and never need recalibration.

 

As already mentioned, Garmin does not allow shutting off the barometric altimeter. The altitude shown (except on the calibration page or the satellite page when you select "GPS Altitude") is always the barometric altitude, which can be way off.

 

As you were already advised, you would be better off returning the 60CSx and getting the 60Cx instead - longer battery life and fewer other problems.

[+Prime Suspect]

This is a real pain, of course, if you are in a blizzard or dense woods or anywhere else you need a compass heading in a hurry, since it takes a couple minutes to do the recalibration.

A couple of minutes? In quicksand, maybe. 30 seconds is a bit more accurate.

 

Oh, and BTW, modern GPS units don't use flux gate compasses.

Edited May 17, 2008 by Prime Suspect

[+julianh]

Besides which the ones in Garmin "S" GPSRs (60CS, 60CSx, 76CSX, etc) chew up a lot of battery real fast (leave the compass turned off and just get a $10 baseplate compass).

 

As already mentioned, Garmin does not allow shutting off the barometric altimeter. The altitude shown (except on the calibration page or the satellite page when you select "GPS Altitude") is always the barometric altitude, which can be way off.

 

As you were already advised, you would be better off returning the 60CSx and getting the 60Cx instead - longer battery life and fewer other problems.

I have a Summit HC (not a 60 CSx) so my findings may not be identical, but:

 

1) Battery consumption for the magnetic compass is negligible - I have tested it with the compass turned on and off, and could not see any significant change in battery current. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3312626 In any case - I can EASILY get a full day out of a single pair of NiMHs, so it really doesn't matter to me if the battery drain IS marginally higher with the compass on, because I will be changing batteries overnight regardless after a full day in the field.

 

2) The compass seems to stay well calibrated more or less indefinitely. I routinely do a calibration every time I change batteries, or just before I need an accurate magnetic bearing, but I have NEVER seen the sort of "compass wackiness"" that so many 60 CSx and Vista HCx users complain about. I don't know if it is because of different hardware (although I would have thought the Vista HCx and Summit HC at least had the same kit), or just because I am careful to use it properly.

 

3) Likewise, I get MUCH better accuracy with the barometric altimeter than I do with GPS elevation alone. For my work, this is very important, and there is no way that I would ever go back to a GPSr without a barometric altimeter. It is important to calibrate at the start of the day, and to have auto-calibrate on, and this should then give excellent results. (Oh, yes - according to some reports, it might not work well at high latitudes such as Antarctica! )

Edited May 18, 2008 by julianh

[Hertzog]

 

I have a Summit HC (not a 60 CSx) so my findings may not be identical, but:

 

1) Battery consumption for the magnetic compass is negligible - I have tested it with the compass turned on and off, and could not see any significant change in battery current.

This is true for the 60CSx and 76CSx as well (the 60CS an 76CS and earlier models did consume a signifcant amount of power, but Garmin evidently redesigned the electronics starting with the CSx models).