Crazy compass on my Garmin 60csx

[+private pudding]

Is anybody else having trouble with thier compass on a Garmen 60csx? I have to recalibrate it at every cache! I discoverd that the compass seems to lock up when I plug it into the car power cord between caches. It seems to work better when I do not use the car power adapter and just let it run on the batteries. Is thier possibly a fix for this?

[+keehotee]

It seems to work better when I do not use the car power adapter and just let it run on the batteries. Is thier possibly a fix for this?

 

Yep. Just let it run on the batteries.

 

How long are your caching trips? I'm pretty sure the batteries will last at least a day, so why bother with the power adaptor?

(Ok- unless you're using it at night and want the backlight to stay on....)

[+Walts Hunting]

If the concern is battery life how about making an investment in rechargeable. You carry a spare two with you and no problem for a while day.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Walts Hunting

[+zoltig]

Are you turning the compass off (press and hold 'page' button to switch compass on/off) after you are in your vehicle? With the compass on, the gps needs to be flat and relatively level. In the off position the gps can be placed verticle since it will then be reading info from the sattelites for orientation.

 

You may also log into Garmin and check for updates to your GPS.

[+helix149]

my 60 csx compass has to be calibrated if i power off the unit no biggie to me but annoying to many. I have seen several say they just shut it off. I also find that making sure the gps is being held level helps. Idno I guess for me I look at it like this, when I get close to ground zero ( being an impatient unmedicated ADHD 30 yr old) it is nice to have to stop for 15 or 20 secs to calibrate the compass as it lets the gpsr get a better location on itself if I make sure I do so with a clear or relatively clear view of the sky. This helps me slow down just a little and make sure I am where the coordinates actually are instead of trapezing all over always a few seconds ahead of my gps and chasing my own tail.

[+Hayward Cheezehead]

I turn mine off and always carry a pocket compass.

[Skippermark]

Just turn it off (hold the page down button for a few seconds). The compass won't know where to point when you're standing still, but it will point to the cache once you've walked couple feet.

[+Prime Suspect]

Is anybody else having trouble with thier compass on a Garmen 60csx? I have to recalibrate it at every cache! I discoverd that the compass seems to lock up when I plug it into the car power cord between caches. It seems to work better when I do not use the car power adapter and just let it run on the batteries. Is thier possibly a fix for this?

What batteries are you using? Any chance the battery type setting doesn't match the type of batteries you're actually using?

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS and Technology forum.

[+private pudding]

THanks. I did download a update from Garmen. One of the listed fix's was the compass calibration. Can't wait to see if it works better after the update. If not I will use it in the batteries and not the car power cord.