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60c Now Or 60cs Later?


MrPeabody

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I pre-ordered my 60CS way back in early December (late November?), hoping that it would ship by about now. I have just been informed that the delivery date will now be pushed back to sometime in March.

 

So, here is my dilemma. My dealer can ship me a 60C today, or I can continue to wait for a 60CS.

 

What would you do? Are the sensors worth waiting for? I need you all to help me make a decision here.

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I am waiting for the CS also. I am like a kid waiting for a new toy!! I reallly wish Garmin would put the C and the CS on their own "Product Comparison Sheets" and that way you could get a better idea of what your actually waiting for. I don't know where you have yours ordered from but I did order mine from GPSdiscount not because of the best price but I felt the most confident in them having theirs as early as the rest of the retailers but having the most on order. I was told by the guy that he had 500 coming. He promised me I would get mine in the first shipment which was expected in the next two weeks. The other retailers told me that they already had more orders than what they ordered from Garmin and I would have to wait for the second shipment sometime in March. Is the CS worth waiting for?? Just not sure but know I can change my mind if I have to. I can go back and get my old Vista back if I need to.

 

murph

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:D:D

I did print out the specs for both models because I also was torn between which to get. All indications are that they are exactly the same except the CS has the Electronic Compass and the barometric altimeter feature which includes the Elevation Computer. All other features are exactly the same. Now this is only my opinion but I bought the Vista a year ago because I felt I had to have the Electronic Compass but now I see that I never use it and actually have it turned off. I always carry a regular compass and the Basic Etrex compass works when I'm moving. As far as the Elevation thing that's not a big deal to me but everyone has to decide what's important for them. I think I'll be going for the 60C. :D

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:D:D

I did print out the specs for both models because I also was torn between which to get. All indications are that they are exactly the same except the CS has the Electronic Compass and the barometric altimeter feature which includes the Elevation Computer. :D

I did print out the specs myself some time ago and I thought there was something else the CS had over the C, not sure though. The compass isn't a big thing to me especially after owning a Vista but I was on the understanding the compass in the CS was of much better quality. My Vista you had to be moving in order for it to be accurate where I am told the CS you won't have to be moving????

 

murph

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I pre-ordered my 60CS way back in early December (late November?), hoping that it would ship by about now. I have just been informed that the delivery date will now be pushed back to sometime in March.

 

So, here is my dilemma. My dealer can ship me a 60C today, or I can continue to wait for a 60CS.

 

What would you do? Are the sensors worth waiting for? I need you all to help me make a decision here.

You've already determined to spend the money for it, and this is something you'll be using for years to come. Wait a few more weeks and get what you really want. You'll regret it later if you don't.

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If it were my decision to make, I'd get the C, and not the CS.

 

Two reasons:

 

The C does NOT have the compass, which I find a benefit. I've played with a Vista, and used a Map76S at some length and found the compass to be more annoying than anything. I'll tell you what you can do with that "Hold Level" warning. (Of course, on the Vista since you hold it flat, it's not that big of a deal, but when you get a quad-h antenna, you need to hold it up so you can either get the signal, or have a correct compass. I'm just not patient enough to deal with that.)

 

The CS does not have tidal information. The one outstanding benefit we had with the Map76S was the tidal charts. They were fabulous. I'd opt for the CS if they had the charts (and probably turn the e-compass off and hope the warning would not display).

 

Now, if they were saying the tide info would be in an upcoming firmware upgrade, I'd have to think long and hard abt it, but, eh.

 

The C would probably be good enough for me!

 

-=-

michelle

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The marketing tactic that Garmin is using to sale the 60C and the 60CS is an old automobile strategy used back in the 1960's.

You offer the unit with less features first and impatient people buy them up.

When the sales fall back or a given date has past you offer the other unit with more features to create a whole new market of sales. Heck even some people with the new 60C will buy a 60CS and sale there 60C at a loss, just to have the best.

Think about it you offer two units at the same time and one is fancier than the other, the basic model will not sale good and your stuck with a lot of basic model units. this is the reason for the different release dates on the units. These big companies know how to work the public for the best sales. I say wait for the 60CS, If you don't you will wish you had when March rolls around.

Edited by RockyRiver
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...The one outstanding benefit we had with the Map76S was the tidal charts.  They were fabulous....

Oh well. I guess I'll have to wait for the 60CS-Tide to come out. You know it will!

 

As for the original question. If you don't use a compass now, you won't miss it later. The Altimeter is no big deal. If you are asking it sounds like you could save a few bucks and be just as happy.

Edited by Renegade Knight
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From hearing others that own a Vista on this forum, most say that they don't even use their built in compass. To me it is just a gimmick, I don't even care about the altimeter the elevation the GPS gives you is close enough. Others will claim the barometric pressure is useful to determine when a storm is coming, never mind the drop in temperature, the smell of the air, or the dark clouds rolling in :D I bought the 60C and won't have one regret not getting the 60CS

 

Dnmeistr

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What would you do? Are the sensors worth waiting for? I need you all to help me make a decision here.

I'm waiting for the CS. Here's my reasoning. I expect to have it for a long time and want a single unit that has as many features as possible without sacrificing quality. I agree with the comments about the compass needing to be held flat. But if that bothers you, switch it off while moving and on while stationary. In fact, it does this for already automatically. I like the idea of the map rotating around as you change your orentionation. As for the wait, considering how long you may own it, is a couple more weeks that much longer to get what you really want? BTW: If they offered a model with a temp sensor in May, I'd wait for that.

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I'm waiting for the CS. The poster who said who you bought from was important because those dealers who commited to larger initial orders from garmin will have more to sell in the first wave. My dealer has arranged to have mine drop shipped from the distribution center rather than wait for it to be in their stock. If it works, it should save some time! I guess i'll see about that.

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I've had my Vista for about 2 years, and only lately have I been using the compass. It's not a necessity, as I also carry a standard compass, but it's convenient having the compass integrated into the GPS for those caches that demand both GPS and compass. I'm running across more and more of these types of hides as local cachers try more sophisticated hides. Yes, the compass is a battery hog, and it's a ridiculous pain in the ear to re-calibrate the thing after each battery change, but it comes in handy now and then.

 

I agree on the tide table feature - we have several caches in tidal areas here in CT and it's handy to have that info. Autorouting is one reason I would like to get a 60, but for less than the price of that GPS alone I can get a V with the maps, a car mount, and battery charger. Heck, the V's may start showing up on eBay as people migrate to the 60. But I'll bet those 24K topos look wonderful in color....

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There is more to the CS than just the two sensors. If you look closely at the manual for the C at Garmin you'll find the same senario as the 76 and 76S.

 

The CS will have full vertical data including total assent,max elevation, avg decesnt, etc. That data will be available in the vertical trip computer,as well as on some of the pages in data box's.

 

There might be more but that's what I'm looking at right now is to replace the 76S and keep the extra info available and get a better screen.

Edited by capt caper
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We ordered a pair of C's. They arrived yesterday and my fingers have been as busy as those of a 6-year old with a scab on his knee. I didn't and still don't see any advantage to having an integrated compass, much less an altimeter. I didn't consider paying more (a bunch more) for features I have no use for. Our Suunto compass will get me within a degree of magnetic north and I can mentally correct to true with enough precision to find a cache within a dozen feet. If I had enough money to pursue every frill offered, I would probably be breeding pet rocks for a living. :D

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I would wait for the CS. (I wish I could afford a new GPS).

The compass would help trying to find a difficult cache.

 

One thing: Do you want to order now, or wait until the folks buying the first copies shake the bugs out. Like the various Rino problems they finally corrected.

 

Being the first to own a new model also means you may encounter various difficulties.

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I like the altimeter because when you are in a presureized plane you cant tell your altitude any other way. I had a problem with my 76S awhile back with this.

I'm not sure what you mean by this statement. If you were in a pressurized plane, the barometric sensor altimeter would not read correctly because the pressure in the plane is different than the pressure outside. You would have to get your altitude calculated from the GPS Sats. RM

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I don't know where you have yours ordered from but I did order mine from GPSdiscount not because of the best price but I felt the most confident in them having theirs as early as the rest of the retailers but having the most on order. I was told by the guy that he had 500 coming. He promised me I would get mine in the first shipment which was expected in the next two weeks.

This is promising news for me since I finally broke down a few days ago and preordered a 60CS from GPSDiscount. I hope that the initial shipment of CS's are still slated for sometime in the next couple of weeks. Maybe the end of Feb/early Mar shipments are second shipments for the companies that only ordered a few in their initial shipments.

 

As far as having the electronic compass goes, I disagree with the general consensus here. I currently own a Vista and I find the electronic compass to be a big plus. I think that some people don’t realize that it is not the same as having a separate hand held compass. The GPS e-compass is linked to the GPS pointer and the map, so when you are navigating the pointer and map are oriented via the e-compass. This means that your pointer and map will always be oriented correctly, even when standing still and spinning. I find the e-compass particularly useful when I am trying to zero in on the cache. The standard GPS pointer doesn't work very well when you are bouncing back and forth around and small area looking for the stash. The e-compass pointer keeps right on working all the time.

 

Having to calibrate the e-compass once in a while is a little bit of a pain, but it is really easy to do. I leave my electronic compass on all the time, but if for some reason I want it off, all I have to do is hold down one button to do so. I will definitely be waiting for the CS, even if it is not shipped until April!

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The pain of waiting disappears the second a new unit arrives to I'd think the wait should be taken into consideration.

 

You could then ask yourself if $47 is too much to spend for an electronic (and battery eating compass) and the barometric altimeter w/vertical trip computer.

 

The question I ask myself is $47 good insurance against having regrets or the cost of upgrading after making the wrong decision.

 

I'm waiting. :blink:

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I like the altimeter because when you are in a presureized plane you cant tell your altitude any other way. I had a problem with my 76S awhile back with this.

I'm not sure what you mean by this statement. If you were in a pressurized plane, the barometric sensor altimeter would not read correctly because the pressure in the plane is different than the pressure outside. You would have to get your altitude calculated from the GPS Sats. RM

I have a 76S and my friend has a 76. His Altimeter showed we were at 8000 feet on a plane trip awhile back(actual altitude was around 36000 feet). Mine showed the same thing except on one screen it gave 36000 feet. No where did his give the true altitude like mine. Maybe his was turned off in the menu, he didnt seem to mind and I was to busy looking at other things going on on the plane and drinking to want to try and find if it could give actual GPS height on the plain old 76.

I think if you go ahead and get the best you have no regrets latter. Thats my opinion.

Edited by RockyRiver
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I have a 76S and my friend has a 76. His Altimeter showed we were at 8000 feet on a plane trip awhile back(actual altitude was around 36000 feet). Mine showed the same thing except on one screen it gave 36000 feet. No where did his give the true altitude like mine. Maybe his was turned off in the menu, he didnt seem to mind and I was to busy looking at other things going on on the plane and drinking to want to try and find if it could give actual GPS height on the plain old 76.

I think you're mistaken here. The Map76 doesn't have a barometric altimeter. In the situation you describe, it's the Map76, not the Map76S, that will give the more accurate reading.

 

The 8,000 ft level is the standard pressurization on commercial passenger aircraft (the new Dreamliner, if built, will pressurize to a more comfortable 6,000 ft level). Only a GPS with a built-in barometric altimeter (the 76S) would give this reading. The other GPS would give a more accurate reading based on the satellite signals.

Edited by Prime Suspect
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yes on the satellite status page both units should have indicated 36000 feet - for his (76) to show 8000 feet something must have been wrong. as others have mentioned that is the standard max elevation in-cabin on a commercial flight. only a unit with a barometric altimeter (76s) would show the in-cabin elevation (pressure).

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