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Garmin 60csx


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The Garmin GPSMap 60 series units only have high resale value if you are selling to someone who specifically wants a Garmin GPSMap 60 series GPSr.

 

I am not sure why you would compare a GPSMap 60 series GPSr with the very new eTrex series... They are worlds apart in features and functionality.

 

Wile every GPSr will provide some level of frustration for the user over time (even yours), I am quite sure those who have the new eTrex GPSr's are also enjoying features you will never experience with your aging GPSMap 60cs(x).

 

I enjoy using my Colorado 400t, Dakota 20, Oregon 300 400t 450 550t, nuvi 3790 and my favorite, a Montana 650, much more than I ever did my GPSMap 60csx (which I sold some time ago).

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I have noticed that the Garmin 60 series,especially the 60csx holds an high resale value even if they are discontinued.I own both the cs and csx and I can see why they do.Does anyone else agree or are they still dealing with the new etrex series frustration?

 

They actually also have some capabilities that the new ETrex series doesn't have.

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

 

So long as it is just opinion, and stated as such, that is just fine and dandy.

 

However, if anyone is interested in fact, they may wish to read this.

 

I love how the 'old timers' cling to their GPSMap 60xxx as if they were the Holy Grail. I will concede, they set the standard all other GPSr were compared to, in their time. But that time has long since passed.

Edited by Atlas Cached
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I have noticed that the Garmin 60 series,especially the 60csx holds an high resale value even if they are discontinued.I own both the cs and csx and I can see why they do.Does anyone else agree or are they still dealing with the new etrex series frustration?

 

They actually also have some capabilities that the new ETrex series doesn't have.

 

Again, why are we still comparing the GPSMap 60xxx to the new eTrex series? Is not the 62xxx the current replacement for the 60xxx? Let us remain objective.

Edited by Atlas Cached
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I have noticed that the Garmin 60 series,especially the 60csx holds an high resale value even if they are discontinued.I own both the cs and csx and I can see why they do.Does anyone else agree or are they still dealing with the new etrex series frustration?

 

They actually also have some capabilities that the new ETrex series doesn't have.

 

Again, why are we still comparing the GPSMap 60xxx to the new eTrex series? Is not the 62xxx the current replacement for the 60xxx? Let us remain objective.

 

Whatever's current in the range it never hurts to compare models to older models. Sometimes it shows how far we've come, other times it shows that an older model is better than its replacement.

 

I've still got my 60CSx, my wife uses it now and I love my Montana. Having used the 60CSx and the 62st the only reason I'd take the 62 is for the paperless geocaching functionality, and I wouldn't upgrade the 60 for the 62 just to get paperless.

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Garmin's page for the 60CSx claims "military-grade reliability" in my language. If that's even remotely true, it simply cannot even be compared to for instance the new eTrex or Dakota lines, which both have their fair deal of software oddities going on.

 

So probably, the 60 Csx series are showing a high resale and after market value because the devices work well.

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

This is something that has puzzled me for quite sometime. Everyone raves about the 60CSx but you never hear much about the 76CSx which I have. According to Garmin it uses the same engine as the 60, is as accurate and as sensitive, has marine features, doesn't have the clunky antenna sticking up, and floats if dropped in the water.

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

This is something that has puzzled me for quite sometime. Everyone raves about the 60CSx but you never hear much about the 76CSx which I have. According to Garmin it uses the same engine as the 60, is as accurate and as sensitive, has marine features, doesn't have the clunky antenna sticking up, and floats if dropped in the water.

 

Shhhhh !!.....don't let that out!(I have a 76CSx) The "innards" were exactly the same.(same chipset and antenna type) Shaped differently but almost exactly the same overall length and width. On one, buttons above the screen, on the other, buttons below the screen. WOW....what a major difference!

 

Opinions are like belly buttons....everybody's got one, but GPS accuracy under EXACTLY the same conditions is a different story.

 

I map trails (carrying all three) with a 76CSx, an Oregon 550, and a 78S. I have a good idea before I start, which unit will most likely produce the highest quality tracklog. That knowledge is based not on opinion but on past actual performance. Different units are known to perform better even when under exact same conditions. I still carry all three simultaneously.

 

It is determined and dependent on type of terrain and the logging conditions that day.

 

When old vs new is professed in relation to "being better", the FACTS prove that to be pure B(lowing) Opinion S(moke).

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I have noticed that the Garmin 60 series,especially the 60csx holds an high resale value even if they are discontinued.I own both the cs and csx and I can see why they do.Does anyone else agree or are they still dealing with the new etrex series frustration?

 

I have a Sirf 3 60 CSx and 62S ,among others, and have made thousands of hunts with each.....for geocaching I like the 62 far better and my wife prefers the Oregon 450 ( the Oregon is not quite as accurate but paperless features more than make up for it).......the 60 along with my Magellan Platinum are my back-ups.

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I own a 60cx and a 62s. I like the paperless capabilities of the the 62s, though I carried a pda which served that purpose before, this means I have to carry less. I am slowly learning how to do some of the things that were natural to me on the 60. Eventually I assume I will be able to do everything with the new GPS that I did with my older one. I have one huge issue with the 62. I cannot see the screen inside the car unless the backlight is on. I had assumed that since the 62 did not have a touch screen that the screen would be easily visible while navigating on road to a cache. It is not. I have removed the background color from the maps, and it is a little better, but not good enough to view while driving.

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I have a 76csx and have read alot about all the features of the newer GPSr - I bought the 76csx because I want the basics to stay put while gravy gets added on. I do not like to hear that the new units have great features like bad battery power, hard read screens and less accurate tracks. My tracks only sometimes drift but I can read the screen and have never lost power. I really really really want to read the screen. I hate my camera and phone for the same reason - can't see the screen. We can go to Mars but can't see the screen on a phone. Forget the res - give me something I can read. I really really really want to see what is going on. The 76csx also floats. It also has some neat Marine features to play with at the beach.

 

Sometimes you have to compare a GPS to itself to understand better b4 you compare it to anothe GPS. Do the same track over and over again with the same GPS and watch what happens. Not the same but still impressive. Sometimes my Forerunner out performs my 76csx - is this because it is further away from my signal blocking body! I don't see much drifting on my Forerunner. ???????? Very interesting!

 

Track on!

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

 

BINGO. Mine's been rock solid for years. Very accurate (SiRF), too. I have newer, "better" units, but if I absolutely had to rely on just one, it would be my trusty, dusty 60CSx. That thing has been all over the world with me in the Navy. :anibad:

Edited by sviking
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I have a 76csx and have read alot about all the features of the newer GPSr - I bought the 76csx because I want the basics to stay put while gravy gets added on. I do not like to hear that the new units have great features like bad battery power, hard read screens and less accurate tracks. My tracks only sometimes drift but I can read the screen and have never lost power. I really really really want to read the screen. I hate my camera and phone for the same reason - can't see the screen. We can go to Mars but can't see the screen on a phone. Forget the res - give me something I can read. I really really really want to see what is going on. The 76csx also floats. It also has some neat Marine features to play with at the beach.

 

Sometimes you have to compare a GPS to itself to understand better b4 you compare it to anothe GPS. Do the same track over and over again with the same GPS and watch what happens. Not the same but still impressive. Sometimes my Forerunner out performs my 76csx - is this because it is further away from my signal blocking body! I don't see much drifting on my Forerunner. ???????? Very interesting!

 

Track on!

 

@GPS Hermit,

I too have a 76CSx, and for "overall performance" it has not been exceeded.(I also have an Oregon 550, and a 78S) Some features have been improved upon for use in playing games (GC) but that's not GPS features just game controller features.

 

I agree, comparing a GPS unit to itself is the only way to establish true repeatability. If it can't repeat with it's own self, how can you know the source of errors when it differs with other units? I have a 5 mile narrow single track loop hike that I use as a test. I have logged more than 20 copies of the exact same track with multiple GPSs (3) carried simultaneously (exact same sat conditions)on multiple days (different sat conditions)and carried in same and/or multiple positions, and some with ext antenna and some without. .....as you said....VERY interesting data.

 

Your assessment of the Forerunner/76CSx is along the correct lines. The Sirf chipset along with the Quad helix antenna is the most sensitive......but sometimes being "more sensitive" can be a bad thing. It can be more sensitive to bad (reflected) signals due to multipath error as well as being more sensitive to picking up weak signals under canopy. So....use that sensitivity and your knowledge to your advantage by varying carrying position to help block bad signal or better expose to good signal. After all, a GPS is supposed to be a "thinking person's" tool.

 

You'll also probably note that your 76CSX(and/or 60CSx series units) will log more bad "random" points when "stopped". That's also due to the chip/antenna sensitivity.

 

Newer units have different chipset/antenna combinations (it definitely IS the combination) and Garmin has had to really walk a fine line with software/firmware revisions to maintain an acceptable level of all the combined capabilities of accuracy/sensitivity. They created a high standard with the 60 / 76 series with Sirf lll and Quad helix.

Edited by Grasscatcher
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Wonder what the going rate for a used 60csx is. I've had mine since it came out and to be honest it has been the most rock solid unit out of three other Garmin models I've had. Just sold my Montana 650t (w/ my motorcycle) and am glad to see it go. I like the 62 series but am not a fan of the display. The demo unit's I've played with all appear to have a fuzzy looking display. I'd love to so AMOLED in these someday.

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Just sold my Montana 650t (w/ my motorcycle) and am glad to see it go.

 

I recently took advantage of Amazon's return policy and "played" with a Montana for two weeks or so because I could not find one locally to physically look at. It was pretty slick and one nice GPS, but not $550+ "nice", so it went back. My 60CSx still does exactly what I need a GPS to do and it still does it quite well. I'll pick up another Montana when the prices eventually drop to sub $250. And, they will...

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In my opinion (and apparently the opinion of some others), Garmin's 60x series were the zenith of performance, simplicity, and durability. I've owned various Garmin models since 1995, including some of the contemporary models, and have not found any that can outperform the 60x series where it counts for me: accuracy.

 

BINGO. Mine's been rock solid for years. Very accurate (SiRF), too. I have newer, "better" units, but if I absolutely had to rely on just one, it would be my trusty, dusty 60CSx. That thing has been all over the world with me in the Navy. :anibad:

I cached with a guy who had the 60csx. He was walking right up to caches while (with my Oregon 550) I was doing my usual drunken-bee dance somewhere else! I've tried entering coords into the 60csx (for Geocaching 101 events), and had a terrible time with that, and really need all the paperless info at hand. But I've still considered the 60csx, simply for accuracy, and might pick one up if the price ever drops.

Edited by kunarion
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... I've still considered the 60csx, simply for accuracy, and might pick one up if the price ever drops.

 

Is Garmin still making the 60csx ?

 

No, and thats a mystery. Garmin is a company that stocks dozens of older units all inferior to the 60. Why not continue to offer the 60 ?

Yes it would compete with the 62 but the 62 is a great unit and paperless and would still sell well.

 

Mint 60 CSx's with box and all accessories ( used ) are selling for as much or more than I paid for mine new.

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I cached with a guy who had the 60csx. He was walking right up to caches while (with my Oregon 550) I was doing my usual drunken-bee dance somewhere else!

 

Walking right to the cache, eh?

 

Well, if the person hiding each cache was using identical equipment, and they were both running at their very best (~7 feet), the user would still have an error range of about 15 feet. And this is assuming absolute best performance by two users, at two different times. Real world error is closer to 30 feet in most cases.

 

If the 60csx guy was walking right to each cache, it is probably because they had hundreds, if not thousands of finds to their name and their 'Geo-Sense' was just finely tuned.

 

My GPSr never takes me right up to a geocache, it just gets me very close. Then I put the GPSr down and use the supercomputer between my ears :)

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I cached with a guy who had the 60csx. He was walking right up to caches while (with my Oregon 550) I was doing my usual drunken-bee dance somewhere else!

 

Walking right to the cache, eh?

 

Well, if the person hiding each cache was using identical equipment, and they were both running at their very best (~7 feet), the user would still have an error range of about 15 feet. And this is assuming absolute best performance by two users, at two different times. Real world error is closer to 30 feet in most cases.

 

If the 60csx guy was walking right to each cache, it is probably because they had hundreds, if not thousands of finds to their name and their 'Geo-Sense' was just finely tuned.

 

My GPSr never takes me right up to a geocache, it just gets me very close. Then I put the GPSr down and use the supercomputer between my ears :)

There was a time when the "sticky issue" affected many Garmin GPSr's causing frustrating geocachers a lot of trouble in locating GZ or even the general zone. I have, and use, units that were affected and resorted to using my two 60's more often, which never had the problem. It's true, geo-sense kicks in when getting close anyway, but I walked by, and returned, and walked by again, too many times causing me to think that indeed the newer units were less accurate and less reliable. That "sticky issue" has long gone from my 450 and 62s and, with my new eTrex 20, I love using them all.

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I cached with a guy who had the 60csx. He was walking right up to caches while (with my Oregon 550) I was doing my usual drunken-bee dance somewhere else!

 

Walking right to the cache, eh?

 

Well, if the person hiding each cache was using identical equipment, and they were both running at their very best (~7 feet), the user would still have an error range of about 15 feet. And this is assuming absolute best performance by two users, at two different times. Real world error is closer to 30 feet in most cases.

 

If the 60csx guy was walking right to each cache, it is probably because they had hundreds, if not thousands of finds to their name and their 'Geo-Sense' was just finely tuned.

 

My GPSr never takes me right up to a geocache, it just gets me very close. Then I put the GPSr down and use the supercomputer between my ears :)

There was a time when the "sticky issue" affected many Garmin GPSr's causing frustrating geocachers a lot of trouble in locating GZ or even the general zone. I have, and use, units that were affected and resorted to using my two 60's more often, which never had the problem. It's true, geo-sense kicks in when getting close anyway, but I walked by, and returned, and walked by again, too many times causing me to think that indeed the newer units were less accurate and less reliable. That "sticky issue" has long gone from my 450 and 62s and, with my new eTrex 20, I love using them all.

 

You are exactly right. A couple of years ago ( before the sticky fix ) we would run in to folks on the trail using 450's and 62's and they wondered around no where near the cache.....my wife had the 60 CSx and I had the Platinum and we were near dead on.

I thought they were junk and delayed buying paperless units because of it. We then got a 450 and its bizarre operation made me want to throw it in the lake. Then I got a 62S which worked better than the 450 but still had the sticky. New firmware made both of these excellent units......after a few thousand side by side searches we find the 62S to be more accurate ( about the same as the 60 and Platinum but with all the paperless features).

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Hi, don't post here much, but I thought I would give my two cents-

I'm in grad school for the earth and environmental sciences, and our department uses the 60csx in the field. Our department bought them brand new, and loan them out to students who are doing field work. We love them. The screen is highly visible, they are accurate with a fast lock on, and have a long a battery life. All of these things are important for what we are doing.

 

When the Oregon/Dakota series came out, I bought a 60csx and an Oregon to decide which to keep. I liked the paperless geocaching, and i liked the screen display. the touchscreen was also nice. So, I kept the Oregon and have regretted it. The first time out in the field the batteries started to die very quickly, mostly because the screen was a pain to read unless the backlight was on. The batteries were almost dead by the next day, and that was with minimal use. The guys/women using the 60csx had no such issues. They plotted large areas by walking the perimeter, set waypoints, etc. and still had battery power to spare. They could read the screen with no problem, with no back light. the compass worked pretty well.I learned why professionals in the field like it so much.

 

My point is that Garmin's last greatest GPS for outdoor use was the 60csx. They seem to have caved to people who don't use their gps for anything more serious than geocaching. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I still have the Oregon and like the paperless mode. However, I would never, ever count on the recent GPS offerings a from Garmin if my life depended on it, in the outdoors. I don't need shaded relief and hi-res maps at the expense of battery life. I need a solid chipset and good antenna to pick up my location.

 

I think that a lot of people like me are willing to pay for that, even used. That is why the price remains so high. Of course it also does geocaching really well, too. But the recent GPS units coming out have a lot of eye candy and useless features, like loading satellite photos. Who cares?

Chris (sorry about the length)

Edited by cboscari
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Hi, don't post here much, but I thought I would give my two cents-

I'm in grad school for the earth and environmental sciences, and our department uses the 60csx in the field. Our department bought them brand new, and loan them out to students who are doing field work. We love them. The screen is highly visible, they are accurate with a fast lock on, and have a long a battery life. All of these things are important for what we are doing.

 

When the Oregon/Dakota series came out, I bought a 60csx and an Oregon to decide which to keep. I liked the paperless geocaching, and i liked the screen display. the touchscreen was also nice. So, I kept the Oregon and have regretted it. The first time out in the field the batteries started to die very quickly, mostly because the screen was a pain to read unless the backlight was on. The batteries were almost dead by the next day, and that was with minimal use. The guys/women using the 60csx had no such issues. They plotted large areas by walking the perimeter, set waypoints, etc. and still had battery power to spare. They could read the screen with no problem, with no back light. the compass worked pretty well.I learned why professionals in the field like it so much.

 

My point is that Garmin's last greatest GPS for outdoor use was the 60csx. They seem to have caved to people who don't use their gps for anything more serious than geocaching. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I still have the Oregon and like the paperless mode. However, I would never, ever count on the recent GPS offerings a from Garmin if my life depended on it, in the outdoors. I don't need shaded relief and hi-res maps at the expense of battery life. I need a solid chipset and good antenna to pick up my location.

 

I think that a lot of people like me are willing to pay for that, even used. That is why the price remains so high. Of course it also does geocaching really well, too. But the recent GPS units coming out have a lot of eye candy and useless features, like loading satellite photos. Who cares?

Chris (sorry about the length)

Today's cell phones had very humble beginnings but modern technology has created a compact and powerful multi-media device that does a lot more than make and receive phone calls. So, are they as good at being a phone as my old '87 Audi's 2-watt analog Motorola? For sure.

I also own, besides my two 60's, a 62s and an Oregon 450 and my newest aquisition, an eTrex 20. The 62s has a similar quad-helix antenna which has all the 60CSx features and more. I have no problem seeing the screen on any of my GPSr's and I always carry spare batteries for all the units. I've had to replace batteries in my 60's, too.

I really like my 60's, still use them, and won't part with them. Yes, it's true, there are features in my cell phone that I don't use and the same is true for my newer Garmins but I doubt they're less accurate or reliable.

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Bumping a 9 y/o thread with a request and then leaving the topic hanging was indeed a bit weird.

The bit decay in these 15+ year old devices means that a lot of the links you can find (maybe to gawisp, gpsworld, gpstracklog, or many others that are just plain gone instead of decaying) don't work. Some of the links you can find are in such sketchy corners of the world that it'd be wise to question their content.  Builds like 4.20 for CSx that never even hit Garmin's own site are particularly hard to find.

It's likely the above request isn't coincidental with https://www.gpspower.net/garmin-receivers-firmwares/243359-gpsmap-60csx-chipsets.html#post1220015 . I'm not registering to see if any of those links pan out, but they at least look llike warm leads, but there are a lot of forum links referencing this version number that ultimately brick their units, too, so maybe it's hard to find for a reason. /shrug

Even in my mad stash of a quarter million messages and files from various yahoo gps groups, I can't find a downloadable/executable form of that update.

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