60 CX always off by 30+ feet

[+johnnycakes!]

My Garmin 60 CX is always off by at least 30 feet every cache I look for. Wether I use .loc files or custom POI .gpx files via Gsak it is still always off. My brothers Magellan 400 puts him dead on everytime. I know when you get close to the cache it is time to put down the GPSr and start looking, but it would be nice to get a little closer to the coordinates.

 

A fellow cacher mentioned that Garmins will do that in battery saving mode, but I can't seem to find that feature in my unit.

 

Any ideas?

[+BlueDeuce]

...nevermind

Edited April 13, 2009 by BlueDeuce

[+hogrod]

A fellow cacher mentioned that Garmins will do that in battery saving mode, but I can't seem to find that feature in my unit.

 

To see if your unit is in Battery saver mode, goto: Main Menu, Setup, system, Check and see if the top drop down menu(GPS) is set to normal or battery saver mode.

 

Another thing to check is if the unit is set to the correct datum, WGS 84. You can check that from: main menu, setup, units, then check the datum is on WGS 84.

[+Red90]

I have no idea as I've never seen one being off.

 

Is the firmware up to date?

 

Otherwise you have a bad unit.

[+Tequila]

Make sure you have the correct datum set. WGS 84

[+PeoriaBill]

Compass ON or OFF?

[+Red90]

Datum and compass can have no effect on the problem if he is sending the coordinates to the unit.

[+Tequila]

Datum and compass can have no effect on the problem if he is sending the coordinates to the unit.

 

If he is sending a set of WGS 84 coordinates to a GPS set to NAD83, he will be off when he tries to find the cache. That is the whole point of synchronizing the datums.

[Grasscatcher]

Datum and compass can have no effect on the problem if he is sending the coordinates to the unit.

 

If he is sending a set of WGS 84 coordinates to a GPS set to NAD83, he will be off when he tries to find the cache. That is the whole point of synchronizing the datums.

 

Tequila,

You are Right On with the concept,

but you picked a bad pair of Datums to use as an example.....because WGS84 and NAD83 are so close to being the same that coordinates might not even change appreciably. However, between WGS84 & NAD 27 or other Datums there can be BIG differences in coordinates.......

 

.......Red 90 must have just had a mental lapse, because he knows better.

[+smithdk]

Red90 is correct. If you send the coordinates to the unit, it will be placed in the correct place and automatically converted to the format the unit is set up to. If you were to do this manually, then yes the coordinates could be off.

Edited April 14, 2009 by smithdk

[+Red90]

.......Red 90 must have just had a mental lapse, because he knows better.

 

I have this t-shirt. It says "I might be wrong.....but I doubt it".

 

I know of what I speak. When you send waypoints electronically to a unit, the datum of the coordinates goes with them and it can not be done wrong. The only way to mess up datum wise is if you are manually entering the coordinates. The OP says he used GSAK to send the coordinates, thus this can not be the problem.

[+GPSlug]

A key question here is: Is it always off in the same direction?

[Grasscatcher]

Red,

Excuse me ,

but the OP DID NOT say that he transferred /sent the coordinates by GSAK.

...he may have , but didn't say it....

 

Transferred electronically, you are correct...but if he just got the files with GSAK and transferred manually, or manually entered into GSAK without having datums correct, then transferred....

 

I'll still bet that the problem is datum related....but I'll shut up.....

Edited April 14, 2009 by Grasscatcher

[+Red90]

but the OP DID NOT say that he transferred /sent the coordinates by GSAK.

...he may have , but didn't say it....

 

.....Wether I use .loc files or custom POI .gpx files via Gsak it is still always off.....

 

He can come back and clarify, but that is what I read.

[GeoBobC]

30' off. That may be lots of things besides those mentioned (datum, for example). Is the distance random or in one direction always? How large a sample are you referencing? I've been off by more than 30' in some cases like heavy tree canopy.

[+johnnycakes!]

First off thanks to everyone for thier help on this problem. Here are some answers for your questions, hopefully they help.

 

I tried 8 caches today with both battery saver and normal modes. Unfortunatley it made no difference. The closest I got was 32', once I was 64' off. While my brothers Magellan had him on top of them each time. Datum is set to WGS 84. The files were loaded from geocaching.com as a zipped pocket query in .gpx format. Although, I have tied .loc and single .gpx files, but it has made no differene. I can't seem to find what datum I am sending them as in either goecaching.com or gsak, but the GPSr is set to WGS 84.

 

One thing I forgot to mention. The compass needle is broken up on the compass screen...the pointer will be in one spot, but the rest of the needle is not lined up with the pointer. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but thought that may be some sorth of symptom.

Thanks again.

[+johnnycakes!]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention I'm running the most current firmware 3.90.

[+3card]

 

One thing I forgot to mention. The compass needle is broken up on the compass screen...the pointer will be in one spot, but the rest of the needle is not lined up with the pointer. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but thought that may be some sorth of symptom.

Thanks again.

 

Go to the compass page. Hit "menu", then change from "course" pointer to "bearing" pointer. The couse pointer you are currently using may be trying to get you "back on course" instead of going to the cache. I dunno, might be worth a try.

[+Dave Found It]

I have the same problem with my new 60CSX. Garmin told me to do th efollowing:

make sure the WAAS is enabled. Then with the GPS off , Hold down the zoom out and power on. place in clear view of the sky for 15-20 minutes to reboot gps. then it should get you within 17-20 feet. good luck

[+johnnycakes!]

Here's an update for those of you helping me through this problem.

 

I did a hard reset. I've tried finding a few caches that I know are in the open with no tree cover. If I go to them using the files sent via the send to device feature on geocaching.com it puts me directly on top of the cache, but I don't get any hints, logs, etc.

 

If I use the gpx files loaded as a custom pio via gsak I'm off by roughly 60 ft for the same cache.

 

I assume the problem is with the way I'm sending the files to/from gsak. I really want to use gsak since I can get a lot more info for the cache.

 

Thanks again.

[+Red90]

As stated, make sure you are using bearing pointer and not course pointer. If that is not it your GPS is broken.

 

It is not possible to send them to the unit incorrectly if you do it from GSAK.

 

Also, is the GPS firmware up to date? Not the unit firmware. This is only updatable via Webupdater.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Red90

[Grasscatcher]

Compare the ACTUAL numbers ie coordinates .........are the coordinates (that actually end up in your GPS) sent by one method the same as the numbers sent by the other?

 

Send an example...

Post the coordinates for one specific point (the same point for each method) exactly as you read them off your GPS after sending to the unit by each of your methods.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Grasscatcher

[yogazoo]

I'll go ahead and back Red90 up on the datum bit. If you're transferring them electronically without a manual step then it's without a doubt NOT the datum. The unit will automatically do the conversion from what is uploaded to whatever you have set on the unit.

 

All programs that send point to units will convert to WGS84 before the transfer. It's the same as the output, take a GPX file for example, it's ALWAYS in WGS84 regardless of what you have set on the unit. Same concept only on the way out instead of on the way in.

 

The POI loader is the exception. If your lat / longs arent in WGS84 in your CSV file your points will be all over the place.

Edited April 17, 2009 by yogazoo

[+smithdk]

Here's an update for those of you helping me through this problem.

 

I did a hard reset. I've tried finding a few caches that I know are in the open with no tree cover. If I go to them using the files sent via the send to device feature on geocaching.com it puts me directly on top of the cache, but I don't get any hints, logs, etc.

 

If I use the gpx files loaded as a custom pio via gsak I'm off by roughly 60 ft for the same cache.

 

I assume the problem is with the way I'm sending the files to/from gsak. I really want to use gsak since I can get a lot more info for the cache.

 

Thanks again.

 

Which macro are you using? If you are using the macro to load most of the cache page to the unit and then you sort the pages of the POI, it will put you off by 60 feet. I use this macro and discovered the problem while out caching. The person that made that macro must be busy and hasn't corrected it yet. I went ahead and modified the macro so that it works properly. Here is a link to info about the macro:

 

http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=8926

 

If you want it to work correctly, you can either use an earlier version of the macro or send me your email to send you the modified POI macro which I have been using successfully.

[+johnnycakes!]

Thanks smithdk. After reading the info in the link. It seems that is the problem I am having. If you could send me your modified POI macro that would be awesome. mrjohnnycakes@yahoo.com

Thanks.

[+smelly_shoes]

i had a 60 CX and had the same problem, always off by about 10 to 15 feet. I cached with the parents who had a old xTrax (b&w) and it took them basically on top every time. i was so jealous. My gps took care of it's issues on it's own one day it would simply not turn on anymore. It was my second CX that this happened to, the first was only a week after purchased and the store exchanged it, the second time was after a year and a half so i bought a different brand. I plan on turning the old garmin into a travel bug of somekind.

[Grasscatcher]

Red 90

"It is not possible to send them to the unit incorrectly if you do it from GSAK."

.......oops!

 

YogaZoo

"The POI loader is the exception. If your lat / longs arent in WGS84 in your CSV file your points will be all over the place.".....

So, you're saying, it can't be the Datum, but then again it can be.........is that right?

 

Never say never........No item or action can be totally Foolproofed.........

[+BurgeoGull & MrsGull]

I have a Garmin 60cx..I got no problem at all.99% of the time I walk right on top of caches.All depends how good the coordinates are byt the one who places the cache.I love the unit.