60CSX or Oregon 400t?

[+kwvers!]

I got a a great deal on my 60csx, and it's great, rugged and easy to use and like some others said you can load custom POI's but.... Like most people these days i have

an internet capable phone, i just go to the geocaching.com that i have bookmarked plug in the cache # im looking for and there ya go all the info plus all the logs. At least in my area there isn't anywhere now that you can't get even a little cell service. Iv'e had my hands on a 400t, nice unit kind of hard to see in direct sunlight IMHO. It's geocaching capablites are impressive i must admit, but i get the same results for ohhh 1/4 of the price

 

kwvers! here....Mrs.kwver was the first to get the Garmin 60csx...I have one now and enjoy it alot...While I go one direction toward a cache...Mrs.kwver will head in an opposite direction but before it's all said and done...We meet at the cache...romantic,huh!

 

I would be willing to field test an Oregon 400t...Wonder if Garmin would send me one? Thanks for all the posts regarding the merits of tthe Oregon 400t....

[+bunkerdave]

You try and us a Colorado/Oregon in the car and you'll end up in the ditch or in a head on.

 

Man...I hope I don't have THAT problem!

[+ArcherDragoon]

Just go buy a 60CSx ($300) and a Nuvi 200 series ($200)/with Pilotsnipes macro and you have everything you'd ever need plus street name turn by turn for the car w/o buying extra maps. You try and us a Colorado/Oregon in the car and you'll end up in the ditch or in a head on.

I haven't gone into a ditch yet...or even end up in a head on accident...

[+ARGUS.360]

Being that there seems to be so many problems with the Oregon series and working out the kinks is it better to go with the 60CSX or am I going to find I have a paper trail being that the 60CSX is not paperless? Just want to get off to the right start being a newbie! THANKS in advance for the help.

Hi BKH1972, I am also a newbie. I had a magellan explorist 400 and it worked great. I even got the cache size on the screen using GSAK. ........................but not paperless........................!

Now I have recently purchased a garmin oregon 300 with topo map quebec south. It works great. There maybe a few bugs but the geocaching part works wonders. and no more paper. If you do last minute caches once and a while, you will apreciate.

I have never owned the 60 series but I truely love the oregon. Why use a 60 csx and a pocket pc when you can have only one unit? You'll end up wanting only one unit in the near futur anyways.

Garmin have good service and will get everthing working even better.

Just my 2 cents

 

Argus.360

[+roundnround we go]

Like others have already said comparing the 60csx and the Oregon is like comparing apples and oranges. I have both and while I'm enjoying the Oregon I really miss some of the features of the CSX. They both have their Pro's and Con's and I'm sure one day I'll be saying the same thing about the missing features on the Oregon when I upgrade to the next new and improved unit.

 

Here's a short list of things I miss from the 60csx. I'm sure this list will grow since I've only had the Oregon for a week so far, but at the same time I wouldn't give up the Oregon either.

 

the ability to edit waypoint info in the field, this includes being able to change the coords while going thru the stages of a multi, deleting a waypoint after a find to declutter the map, or even being able to rename a waypoint.

 

I miss the custom Icons you can use with the csx. Although with the paperless caching on the Oregon you really don't need custom icons.

 

the quick mark button on the csx and the ability to average a set of coordinates

[+briansnat]

Now I have recently purchased a garmin oregon 300 with topo map quebec south. It works great. There maybe a few bugs but the geocaching part works wonders. and no more paper. If you do last minute caches once and a while, you will apreciate.

I have never owned the 60 series but I truely love the oregon. Why use a 60 csx and a pocket pc when you can have only one unit

 

Well for two reasons. First a 60CSX and a used PDA still come in well under the price of an Oregon. Second, many users of the 60CSX do not see the Oregon as an improvement. In fact it is missing many key features of the 60CSX.

 

If Garmin had kept the features of the 60CSX and added to them, you'd see an Oregon on my belt right now, but after learning about what is missing, there is no way I'd buy one.

 

As I said earlier in this thread, if you've never owned a 60CSX I think the Oregon would be a good choice because you won't miss what you never had.

[+ARGUS.360]

Here's a short list of things I miss from the 60csx. I'm sure this list will grow since I've only had the Oregon for a week so far, but at the same time I wouldn't give up the Oregon either.

 

the ability to edit waypoint info in the field, this includes being able to change the coords while going thru the stages of a multi, deleting a waypoint after a find to declutter the map, or even being able to rename a waypoint.

 

 

You can edit waypoints with the oregon. just use waypoint manager. Here you can rename, reposition, delete and much more. You can also turn a geocache into a 2nd waypoint and it will add a 1 at the end or just rename it and give it the coordinates you want or whatever.

I know the oregon is not a 60csx and I know the 60 csx ia realy good unit. But I also beleive you have to play with the oregon alot to get all the features figured out.

 

For those who do not have an oregon, please use one for a few weeks to discover how it realy works before saying its missing a lot of stuff. It's just has a different method of operation.

Edited December 16, 2008 by ARGUS.360

[+Mudfrog]

Here's a short list of things I miss from the 60csx. I'm sure this list will grow since I've only had the Oregon for a week so far, but at the same time I wouldn't give up the Oregon either.

 

the ability to edit waypoint info in the field, this includes being able to change the coords while going thru the stages of a multi, deleting a waypoint after a find to declutter the map, or even being able to rename a waypoint.

 

 

You can edit waypoints with the oregon. just use waypoint manager. Here you can rename, reposition, delete and much more. You can also turn a geocache into a 2nd waypoint and it will add a 1 at the end or just rename it and give it the coordinates you want or whatever.

I know the oregon is not a 60csx and I know the 60 csx ia realy good unit. But I also beleive you have to play with the oregon alot to get all the features figured out.

 

For those who do not have an oregon, please use one for a few weeks to discover how it realy works before saying its missing a lot of stuff. It's just has a different method of operation.

 

I thought waypoint manager was the program that installed on the computer. Can the editing be done in the unit by itself?

 

I'm not familiar with or had a chance to even use an Oregon but i still feel that i can safely say that, except for having cache pages loaded in it, like in my pda, there isn't any advantage to paying the higher price to use it for geocaching. I do know that in most cases, newer models of devices incorporate improvements (in the case of gpsrs, better reception, display, speed, etc,,,) over older models, but i don't believe that the Oregon helps with any of these. I know some people just want to have the newest devices out. They like things that are different and things like touchscreens, but none of these really improve the device or increase a person's ability to find a geocache.

 

Bottom line, if the touchscreen suits your fancy, go for it. If you want the ability to load cache pages into one unit, go for it. If you just can't bare to be without the newest thing out, then go for it. We all have our likes and dislikes and we should get what we want. But from a monetary standpoint and for, imo, what you don't get with the big price of the Oregon, it's simply not worth the extra money...

[+ARGUS.360]

Here's a short list of things I miss from the 60csx. I'm sure this list will grow since I've only had the Oregon for a week so far, but at the same time I wouldn't give up the Oregon either.

 

the ability to edit waypoint info in the field, this includes being able to change the coords while going thru the stages of a multi, deleting a waypoint after a find to declutter the map, or even being able to rename a waypoint.

 

 

You can edit waypoints with the oregon. just use waypoint manager. Here you can rename, reposition, delete and much more. You can also turn a geocache into a 2nd waypoint and it will add a 1 at the end or just rename it and give it the coordinates you want or whatever.

I know the oregon is not a 60csx and I know the 60 csx ia realy good unit. But I also beleive you have to play with the oregon alot to get all the features figured out.

 

For those who do not have an oregon, please use one for a few weeks to discover how it realy works before saying its missing a lot of stuff. It's just has a different method of operation.

 

I thought waypoint manager was the program that installed on the computer. Can the editing be done in the unit by itself?

 

I'm not familiar with or had a chance to even use an Oregon but i still feel that i can safely say that, except for having cache pages loaded in it, like in my pda, there isn't any advantage to paying the higher price to use it for geocaching. I do know that in most cases, newer models of devices incorporate improvements (in the case of gpsrs, better reception, display, speed, etc,,,) over older models, but i don't believe that the Oregon helps with any of these. I know some people just want to have the newest devices out. They like things that are different and things like touchscreens, but none of these really improve the device or increase a person's ability to find a geocache.

 

Bottom line, if the touchscreen suits your fancy, go for it. If you want the ability to load cache pages into one unit, go for it. If you just can't bare to be without the newest thing out, then go for it. We all have our likes and dislikes and we should get what we want. But from a monetary standpoint and for, imo, what you don't get with the big price of the Oregon, it's simply not worth the extra money...

 

Yes, you can edit waypoints directly on the unit .

Here are the thigs I like about my oregon and I am still discovering more every day:

-All the cache info is present and easy to view.

-can mark a cache as waypoint and do editing to it without affecting the original cache.

-can set up screens anyway you prefer

-Where to will give you the option of getting to the cache on DRIVING MODE (even if you do not have the navigation card)or WALKING MODE so you can easily drive to it and then switch to walking to use compus.

-Nice big screen and bright colors.

-you can lock the screen so you do not accidently touch it.

-easy to pan and very fast screen.

I'm sure there are more but I can't think of them all.

 

Hope this helps

[+The Ravens]

You try and us a Colorado/Oregon in the car and you'll end up in the ditch or in a head on.

 

Man...I hope I don't have THAT problem!

Just go buy a 60CSx ($300) and a Nuvi 200 series ($200)/with Pilotsnipes macro and you have everything you'd ever need plus street name turn by turn for the car w/o buying extra maps. You try and us a Colorado/Oregon in the car and you'll end up in the ditch or in a head on.

I haven't gone into a ditch yet...or even end up in a head on accident...

 

I was just joking and being a poop.

[+daddysbike]

Thanks for everyones advice on the different gps models. I purchased a 60 CSX and will use an old palm to download cache info!!! I'll let you know how things go...THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

As a soon to be Geocacher, I think that's what I'm going to do as well. I have a Zumo for my motorcycle which I love and the Oregon seems like it would be user friendly and pretty to look at as well but from all the reading I'm doing it seems the 60CSx may be the better/less issue prone device for me. I just want a good/reliable unit that will navigate me through the woods. I also think I'd like have the Palm or even just paper so I can have it in front of me while navigating.

 

Steve

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

I hear the stories from both sides. I have clocked over 1,000 caches on my 60Csx up untill I lost it in a cave at Mt. St. Helens a few months back. From that point on I have been borrowing an Oregon 400t from a friend. I was all about the glitter and glam from the Oregon at first, but eventually got to the point where I gave it back to him and borrowed his Etrex C which I have been using for the last two months and which is saying alot about my thoughts about the Oregon. There are obvious improvements that need to come to the Oregon line. But as far as me, when I get back from my deployment, I will be picking up another 60Csx.

[milkmancolby]

i have been looking for my first handheld gps, and i see a lot of info about the garmnin 60csx. What about the garmin 60 cx? can anyone give me any info as to whether the cx would be okay or not?

[+eagsc7]

I would HATE to throw another unit on this discussion, but I will Still say the eTrex Vista HCx, and 1 of the following(iPod, Blackberry, palm, Windows CE device...) is the Absolute BEST combination. 1 GPS(less your BB has a GPS integrated too) for navigation(On AND Off Road), and the other device has All your Paperless Caching taken care of.

 

1) What the Vista HCx Has: I could go down the entire list, BUT All the Bells and whistles of the 60 CSX, AND MORE!!! Longer Battery Life, Up to 4Gig SD card(I Know from experiance), And Its a Lighter unit. Also, the Vista HCx is CHEEPER than everything else in this thread.

COMPARE HERE!

 

2)Going Paperless: wap.geocaching.com, or www.bcaching.com for your web enabled phone. When NOT within Cel Range, Cacheberry(blackberry), or cachemate(palm/WIN), OR Macro(iPod).

 

Either way this is what I do.

 

Want to know more? steaks.hobby-site.com/cache

 

The Steaks

Edited April 8, 2009 by eagsc7

[+chuckflstc]

I'd stick with the 60csx

[+chuckflstc]

I'd stick with the 60csx

[+geofrandy]

Being that there seems to be so many problems with the Oregon series and working out the kinks is it better to go with the 60CSX or am I going to find I have a paper trail being that the 60CSX is not paperless? Just want to get off to the right start being a newbie! THANKS in advance for the help.

Hi BKH1972, I am also a newbie. I had a magellan explorist 400 and it worked great. I even got the cache size on the screen using GSAK. ........................but not paperless........................!

Now I have recently purchased a garmin oregon 300 with topo map quebec south. It works great. There maybe a few bugs but the geocaching part works wonders. and no more paper. If you do last minute caches once and a while, you will apreciate.

I have never owned the 60 series but I truely love the oregon. Why use a 60 csx and a pocket pc when you can have only one unit? You'll end up wanting only one unit in the near futur anyways.

Garmin have good service and will get everthing working even better.

Just my 2 cents

 

Argus.360

[+Nubster]

I am still new to all this and I opted for the Oregon 200 as my first unit. At first I thought it was the cat's meow but now that I have started expending my caching in to the woods a little I am finding that my Oregon leaves a lot to be desired. It seems that if there is even a little cover even bare branches my GPS is all over the place. I hate to see how it acts once the leaves are on the trees. That is why I am now searching old threads to see if there is a better unit for use in the woods because I am thoroughly disappointed at this time with my current unit. Perhaps it is because I have the bottom line unit and maybe the 300 or 400 is better, I have not checked yet to see if there is different technology used in the different models. But I will say that I love the touch screen and the interface. Very easy to use and I hate the thought of losing the cache pages but getting a PDA I guess will take care of that issue. So for now I am still on the fence but I am going to continue to research because I need better accuracy in the woods. I don't need to be spot on but yesterday with my 200 I was literally 500 feet off the mark and could not get any closer than that no matter what I did. Never did find the cache. I couldn't even get close enough to give it an honest try.

[+mrbort]

Wanted to comment that with the newest oregon beta software release, a lot of the features that were missing that people loved have made an appearance... most notably a very robust waypoint averaging feature. The nice thing about the oregon is that while it may be rough feeling sometimes, since it's their current flagship handheld mapping unit, garmin is constantly developing and refining and updating. There is a much greater chance that issues that you find with the unit will be resolved (even after you purchase it, via software release) with the Oregon than the 60CSX... Not advocating one over the other but just wanted to draw attention to the software update.

[+Nubster]

The update may give some of the features folks miss in their older units but can an update improve reception? Not being smart but asking seriously because at this point that is all that I feel is lacking in my Oregon. I really like the other stuff and this being my first unit ever I am not missing anything cause I never had it to begin with.

[+busterbabes]

I was a die hard MAP60Csx user. I decided I needed to go paperless on just 1 unit (instead of the MAP and a palm) so I bought an Oregon 400T...

The first trips out with the OR pretty much pissed me off...glad I had the reliable MAP with me..(accuracy, sattelite retrieval, compass, battery, lighting.. issues with the OR)

After a few months, with the Garmin firmware updates for the OR (Yes, I do BETA updates) I am having to dust the MAP60Csx off because it is neglected.

The OR has come a long ways since it hit the market, and I am a firm believer that this is an excellent unit, and Garmin is making it better everyday

Either unit will get you where you want to go, but for the money I suggest the OR.

[+mrbort]

The update may give some of the features folks miss in their older units but can an update improve reception? Not being smart but asking seriously because at this point that is all that I feel is lacking in my Oregon. I really like the other stuff and this being my first unit ever I am not missing anything cause I never had it to begin with.

 

Software updates cannot improve intrinsic hardware limitations. However, I doubt that the software is making the most of the hardware. So refinements there can certainly improve the output in terms of accuracy and reception (i.e. improved detection thresholds for satellites, etc). They're constantly working on understanding how to pull the most out of the raw data that comes out of the antenna and advances in signal processing subroutines etc can affect what the user perceives as reception.

[Neos2]

1) What the Vista HCx Has: I could go down the entire list, BUT All the Bells and whistles of the 60 CSX, AND MORE!!! Longer Battery Life, Up to 4Gig SD card(I Know from experiance), And Its a Lighter unit. Also, the Vista HCx is CHEEPER than everything else in this thread.

COMPARE HERE!

The HCx is a good unit, but it does not have all the features of the 60 CSx. Most importantly, and most unfortunately, the HCx does not have the same chip as the 60 CSx--and so it does not boast the same degree of accuracy in it's reception. It's an important difference: the chip is everything as far as the reception is concerned.

 

I also find the controls on the HCx less user-friendly. The body style of the HCx is the same as the Legend. The Legend body style is smaller than the 60 body style. Some folks prefer one type and some prefer the other.

 

I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. Because of the way the unit needs to be held, the HCx units cause me a great deal of pain and swelling in my hands by the end of the day. Also the click stick makes my thumb sore and using the tiny little buttons on the sides of the unit was annoying; they are small and hard, and not as easy to depress as I would like them to be, not nearly.

 

Funny thing is, I thought I would miss my click stick when I got my 60 CSx. Until I used the 60 CSx, I thought I really liked the other body style. Now I swear by the rocker!

[Neos2]

i have been looking for my first handheld gps, and i see a lot of info about the garmnin 60csx. What about the garmin 60 cx? can anyone give me any info as to whether the cx would be okay or not?

The chief difference is the Cx does not have the electronic compass and barometer/altimeter.

 

I use the electronic compass fairly frequently, especially in rugged terrain. Both units have a compass, but the CSx has the electronic compass, which will work accurately even when you are stopped or moving very slowly. With the non-electronic compass, you have to be moving at a fairly brisk pace to get the compass to operate with any accuracy.

 

On flat ground or paved paths, it doesn't matter that much if you wander about a bit because the compass isn't exactly accurate. On rough terrain, you'll appreciate being able to stay more directly on your path. It means fewer logs to step on and off, fewer ditches to cross, fewer trees to bushwhack around. A tiny inaccuracy can add up to a great amount of extra distance traveled if you are going to a distant location; it just makes sense to use the more accurate tool if you can.

 

I wouldn't spend more for just the altimeter, but it comes with the compass, and I consider the compass indispensable. I've only used the barometer/altimeter a few times. Sometimes just out of curiosity (how high is this mountain pass?), sometimes to finish a cache (Let's see, they have an elevation here, why is that I wonder? Oh, maybe it's on top the hill, not down here!). I've even used it to predict an approaching storm, as well (But I'm a science teacher and I'm geeky like that --I could have pulled up the radar on my cell phone instead just as easily).

 

If cost is a factor in your decision, you might consider getting the 76CSx, which has a different body style, but all the same internal features and all the functions of the 60CSX--but it tends to run a bit cheaper. That way you can afford the compass, which add accuracy to the features that point your path out for you.

[Trollman1956]

I bought my 60CSx last year. It was my first GPS unit and I wanted to start off with a good one. After a little research, I decided this was the best one for me. I got a pretty good deal on it through Walmart.com, compared to most other places. There can actually be quite a price difference for the same unit at different places. I wanted to get real familiar with it before I started getting too deep into the woods--I'm from the midwest and a recent transplant to the state of Wyoming. I'm very happy with it. I've just found my first two geocaches with it, and it appears to get me to within five feet of the location I'm searching for. I think this is quite impressive. I do think it takes a bit longer to lock in the satellites--and therefore my exact position--than I was led to believe, but hey, what's the hurry. No complaints, so far.