Am I Expecting Too Much (60 CSX)

[+TruckDuck]

I have an old Lowrance iFinder H20 I bought for fishing a few years ago. It works fine but keying in waypoints is a pain (so I thought) and it has a bad "drift" problem. We've been using to geocache and it will get us to the vicinity then the displayed distance to the coordinates just starts going up and down, sometimes up to 50' or more. We decided to invest in a new unit.

 

I did the research and decided, based on all the comments I've seen, that the Garmin 60CSX is about the best for our price range. Picked one up on sale bundled with the 2008 Mapsource Topo US. Got it all up and running, downloaded some maps and caches and headed out. First thing I notice is that in the car, in daylight, I can barely see the display. Every time I turn it on I have to set the backlight all the way up just to use it in any sort of shade whatsoever.

 

Next, I plugged in 12V power and the active external antenna I bought for the Lowrance. All the caches disappeared from memory. I decided to key them in and 9 out of 10 times (yes, I counted) when I press the right side of the rocker button the cursor goes up or down. The same happened about 5 out of 10 for the left side. My blisters really ruined the day.

 

As we're travelling I notice that the maps aren't even close. I turn on the tracks and we're all over the place. Streams and such look good but most of the time we're WAAAAAY off the road, even paved roads. In addition there's virtually no information on the maps. Roads that do show up aren't named, no geographic information, few parks, nothing. My Lowrance MapCreate maps had tons of information and almost always had the Forest Service and BLM roads and facilities.

 

On the positive side, the thing can pick up satellites just about anywhere. With the antenna plugged in the signals are all maxed out. Other than that, in terms of mapping, I had to pull out a BLM map just to try to figure out where we were. It was ridiculous. I'm seriously considering taking it back as it's really not useful unless I'm on flat terrain where route is not an issue.

 

What am I missing? Are there decent maps comparable to my Lowrance maps? Am I going to fight this thing every time I try to key in points? It just doesn't seem, so far, to measure up to the reviews. Am I just expecting too much?

[+sduck]

Why did you plug that lowrance 12v power adaptor into the garmin? It sounds like you may have blown out something - there are 2 1.5v batteries in it that make it run, that might be a clue.

 

Maybe if you play innocent you can return it to garmin and have it replaced.

 

Sorry, I can't help you with the maps question - there are a ton of options available, depending on what you're looking for, probably someone here can point you in the right direction.

[+TruckDuck]

I plugged in the 12V power plug I bought with the Garmin, not a Lowrance plug. I used the external antenna I originally bought for theLowrance which is compatible with both.

 

Why did you plug that lowrance 12v power adaptor into the garmin? It sounds like you may have blown out something - there are 2 1.5v batteries in it that make it run, that might be a clue.

 

Maybe if you play innocent you can return it to garmin and have it replaced.

 

Sorry, I can't help you with the maps question - there are a ton of options available, depending on what you're looking for, probably someone here can point you in the right direction.

[+sduck]

Oh. Still, it sounds like something major has gone wrong, and returning it to have it fixed while under warranty would be a good idea - I've never had any problems like yours with either of the garmins I've owned. You might want to try resetting the unit also.

[O-Mega]

I have an old Lowrance iFinder H20 I bought for fishing a few years ago. It works fine but keying in waypoints is a pain (so I thought) and it has a bad "drift" problem. We've been using to geocache and it will get us to the vicinity then the displayed distance to the coordinates just starts going up and down, sometimes up to 50' or more. We decided to invest in a new unit.

 

I did the research and decided, based on all the comments I've seen, that the Garmin 60CSX is about the best for our price range. Picked one up on sale bundled with the 2008 Mapsource Topo US. Got it all up and running, downloaded some maps and caches and headed out. First thing I notice is that in the car, in daylight, I can barely see the display. Every time I turn it on I have to set the backlight all the way up just to use it in any sort of shade whatsoever.

 

Next, I plugged in 12V power and the active external antenna I bought for the Lowrance. All the caches disappeared from memory. I decided to key them in and 9 out of 10 times (yes, I counted) when I press the right side of the rocker button the cursor goes up or down. The same happened about 5 out of 10 for the left side. My blisters really ruined the day.

 

As we're travelling I notice that the maps aren't even close. I turn on the tracks and we're all over the place. Streams and such look good but most of the time we're WAAAAAY off the road, even paved roads. In addition there's virtually no information on the maps. Roads that do show up aren't named, no geographic information, few parks, nothing. My Lowrance MapCreate maps had tons of information and almost always had the Forest Service and BLM roads and facilities.

 

On the positive side, the thing can pick up satellites just about anywhere. With the antenna plugged in the signals are all maxed out. Other than that, in terms of mapping, I had to pull out a BLM map just to try to figure out where we were. It was ridiculous. I'm seriously considering taking it back as it's really not useful unless I'm on flat terrain where route is not an issue.

 

What am I missing? Are there decent maps comparable to my Lowrance maps? Am I going to fight this thing every time I try to key in points? It just doesn't seem, so far, to measure up to the reviews. Am I just expecting too much?

Did you connect to the internet and see if the unit had all the current updates? I have had a 60csx for some time now and have not experienced any of the issues you mention. I don't have the TOPO 08 though, I have the older version with ibycus' free road maps and most time the roads a dead on.

[+roadrage64]

Yes, definitely call Garmin. I've never experienced anything close to what you are reporting.

[+TruckDuck]

Yes, definitely call Garmin. I've never experienced anything close to what you are reporting.

 

Thanks, I'm going to load up some new points and see if the process repeats in terms of losing them. If so I'll definitely be returning it or something. It seems Garmin is the GO-TO GPS manufacturer which is why I'm so disappointed.

[+IBcrashen]

have you tried the free Utah map? It gives road names a lot better than Topo, which really doesnt label to many roads, with more topo detail ( City Navigator or Metroguide is better at this). You can load both and switch back and forth.

 

What level did you have your Detail set to? Menue/setup/map/ N highlighted and third one down.

 

Are you sure all the caches disappeared? did you do a search by the name or gc#( however you had them entered)? The unit will only show caches within so many miles of where you are unless you search by name ( sorry I cant remember what the mileage limit its but I notice from your home town to Strawberry Res is over 50 miles away).

Edited August 26, 2008 by IBcrashen

[+Prime Suspect]

The reason you don't see the roads match up, is because you're not using road navigation maps. As for the waypoints, you may have inadvertently deleted them. For example, if you're on the "computer" screen, and take the option to reset everything (odometer, max speed, etc.) you can also clear out all the routes and waypoint, if you don't pay attention to what you've selected. Waypoints are stored in non-volatile memory. They don't generally just disappear.

[fmajor007]

I am a first-time GPS user and bought the 60CSx and it rocks! I also bought the 12v adapter and use it in my car with no problems whatsoever - even with a protective case that has a clear cover over the screen.

 

I followed the advice i got here and updated to the latest firmware ASAP and only then did i take it outside to play around a bit. I've NEVER had a problem so far (only been about 2 weeks though...).

 

Definitely either return or exchange yours - you got a lemon!!!

 

frank

Edited August 26, 2008 by fmajor007

[ao318]

I also own a 60csx and have never had any problems with what you are dealing with. I do have topo and North america NT. Topo doesn't list as many names on streets as the NT but it is very accurate for me. If you do load new maps onto your unit frequently you erase the old ones you already had on it. Whenever you load new maps onto the unit, you need to install the old ones at the same time.

 

An example for me is hsve Sacramento county north and south on my unit and I am going to a neighboring county and need to install those maps on my unit I need to select Sacramento county north and south along with my new selections otherwise it will load my new selection and delete my Sacramento county norht and south. If this has happened than your GPSr is running of the base maps which aren't very accurate and may not have any street names.

 

I agree with the other posters that I believe your unit is defective and I would contact Garmin for a return. This is another reason why you purchased a Garmin, because of their excallent customer service.

[+Klatch]

Are you sure all the caches disappeared? did you do a search by the name or gc#( however you had them entered)? The unit will only show caches within so many miles of where you are unless you search by name ( sorry I cant remember what the mileage limit its but I notice from your home town to Strawberry Res is over 50 miles away).

I think IBcrashen is right on the money. After you press "Find", press "Menu" and select "Search by Name" and I bet your geocaches will be there.

[+MacFlash]

One thing you are complaining about is a problem with the Topo 2008 maps. The roads are often off by hundreds of feet. That has nothing to do with the 60CSX- suggest you download IBYCUS maps if you want accurate road placement.