60Cx VS Legend HCx…surprised

[+Fotocacher]

Interesting weekend.

 

I had a great weekend out and around a new location and found 10…it was great! The best part is that I hooked my brother to the addiction, and he ended up buying my Legend HXc, so I went out to buy and was put into the unique situation of buying again but with more knowledge about what I want and need. It came down to the Vista Hcx and the 60Cx. I ended up with the 60Cx…BUT.

 

We went out with the units side by side and something odd happened. The Legend HCx out preformed the 60 Cx …by a significant amount…7 feet on one Cache and over 15 on the next. What gives? I thought the more expensive unit would do better. I don’t want to be hard on the 60 Cx, and I’m sure I probably did something wrong with the new unit. But could there be a logical explanation? In the end I brought it back and went with the Vista HCx for the compass ability. Just wondering if anyone else has had the chance to do something similar?

[CoyoteRed]

I'd probably not worry about it. I've seen where two identical units pointed folks in different directions. It's just how the units do on-the-fly averaging to dampen the readings. Once their settle down, both read the identical readings. Probably something similar to what you were experiencing.

 

Additionally, I'd probably not put any stock in one unit being more accurate than the other unless you know the accuracy of the unit to took the waypoint for the cache.

[+briansnat]

How do you know your unit didn't perform better and the cache coordinates weren't off?

[+Fotocacher]

How do you know your unit didn't perform better and the cache coordinates weren't off?

 

So True!

 

I ended up going with the compass in the end, and didn't want the price tag for the 60CSx. Still found it interesting for the difference in the chip set. From what I have read, there isn't that much of a difference. Now I have to wait three days for the new Vista...seems long now!

[+XopherN71]

Had the same experience with a Geko 201 and the 60CSx. Side by side the Geko was closer than the 60CSx on 5 out of 5 caches.

[+briansnat]

How do you know your unit didn't perform better and the cache coordinates weren't off?

 

So True!

 

I ended up going with the compass in the end, and didn't want the price tag for the 60CSx. Still found it interesting for the difference in the chip set. From what I have read, there isn't that much of a difference. Now I have to wait three days for the new Vista...seems long now!

 

And when you cache along side your brother using identical units, you will probably still get different readings.

 

In reality differences of 10-20 feet are inconsequential in the geocaching world and quite normal. Almost counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and geocaching.

Edited May 20, 2008 by briansnat

[Neos2]

How do you know your unit didn't perform better and the cache coordinates weren't off?

 

So True!

 

I ended up going with the compass in the end, and didn't want the price tag for the 60CSx. Still found it interesting for the difference in the chip set. From what I have read, there isn't that much of a difference. Now I have to wait three days for the new Vista...seems long now!

 

And when you cache along side your brother using identical units, you will probably still get different readings.

 

In reality differences of 10-20 feet are inconsequential in the geocaching world and quite normal. Almost counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and geocaching.

So true. My husband and I used eTrex Legends for a couple of years, both bought withing about 6 months of each other. Our readings were almost consistently six feet off each other. We could hold them side by side and get two different readings. We could swap them with each other and get about the same amount of difference. It was so consistent, we started joking that one was a left-handed unit and the other was a right-handed unit!

 

My 60 CSx, however, beats the socks off every other gps I've ever gone out into the field against. I am always the first to point to the cache (now if I weren't so darned slow, I'd also be the first to get there!) --unfortunately, having good luck and good geosense has as much to do with actually getting to the cache as having the "bestest" coords when you are talking mere feet in difference.

[+Night Stalker]

Your problem is that you tell them where the cache is. If you would point in the opposite direction and then go for the cache yourself you would have a lot better luck.