60cs

[+Wrong Way Ron]

I've got a concern. For best results aquiring sats you should hold the 60cs vertical since

it has a quadhelix. However if you have the compass on you should be holding the

unit horizontal. Wouldn't this conflict with each other? How can you have the best of both worlds?

Don't tell me to buy a magellan

[+Criminal]

Buy a real compass.

[+Wrong Way Ron]

Doesn't the defeat the purpose of having a compass on the 60cs?

[+Team Trout]

This is my one disappointment with my 60cs. When I use the electronic compass I have to hold it flat and when I do that, my satellite reception gets bad and my margin of error climbs way up. It seems like a really dumb design. I wonder why Garmin doesn't use the 3 axis compass system like Magellan does in the Meridian Platinum?

[+as77]

Sounds like a major design flaw in the 60cs.

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

I don't see what the big deal is.... Yes it is an engineering overlook on Garmin's part, but it doesn't really effect the way it works that badly.

 

You only use the compass for brief readings, right?? You stop, need to see where to go, so you look at the compass. Holding the unit horizontal for that brief period is not going to lose all satellite signals! Maybe if you held it horizontal for a long period of time, you might get a decreased signal strength, but it should still work.

 

My experience with these, like when I had my Vista, is that I usually set the compass shut down speed to 2 mph, and the time to 5 seconds (in setup menu). With these settings, I'd be using the GPS compass most of the time while I was walking, and when I stopped, I'd take a look at the built-in compass for direction. After that I kept walking with the GPS compass.

 

This method seems to work well. You shouldn't be looking at the built-in compass during your entire trip... they aren't going to be accurate while your moving since the unit has to be held perfectly level and steady to get a correct reading... just stop, read and go.

[+as77]

That's where the Magellans' compasses are clearly better. You can use those while moving, in any orientation of the unit.

[+Centex Trekker]

This is my one disappointment with my 60cs. When I use the electronic compass I have to hold it flat and when I do that, my satellite reception gets bad and my margin of error climbs way up.

I'm a courier and often have to go to places I've never been to before. I use my 60CS with CitySelect v5.02 to autoroute. I have the GPSr lying on my armrest on the driver's door horizontally, and I've only lost satt lock twice in the past 2 weeks. Once was yesterday while it was raining.

 

Besides, if I want to check the compass that closely, I'm going to stop walking. When I start walking again, the GPSr takes over (set to switch at over 2 mph).