Garmin 60cs Showing Me Off Highway

[+MisterNixter]

I'm sure a little bit of experience would answer this for me, but maybe someone here can help speed things up. Just got a Garmin 60cs with Mao Source CD, but have not installed any maps yet. In driving from Florida to Kentucky last week, just using the base map, I noticed the icon showed our location as being a bit off to the side of the actualy roadway marked for I-75. Is this normal? In this instance it was no problem, but I'm thinking if I was using it on city streets it might be a bit confusing.

 

I have used the unit to find one cache so far, and it was right on in that instance.

[+robert]

I don't have my GPS handy but go to the menu and look under "routing"... I believe there is a "lock to road" function.... not sure if it works when you're NOT routing though.

[+BlueDeuce]

Also, new construction is a couple years behind. I travel a four lane that shows only two, so I'm off road.

[peter]

It's entirely normal for the basemap to show significant errors. Keep in mind that the basemap is only 8 MB and covers a huge area. Therefore lots of compromises need to be made to conserve memory - few roads are included, the ones that are still lack detail of minor twists and turns, and all locations will be represented by a reduced number of bits in memory and therefore won't be as precise as on the more detailed downloaded maps that may use 8 MB for a single metro area.

 

That's what the "overzoom" indicator by the scale is trying to tell you when you zoom in on the basemap - the inherent accuracy is insufficient for that level of zoom and you'll be seeing significant discrepancies.

[+MWPinSD]

I would add that what MisterNixter is experiencing is not limited to the basemaps. I have a new 60cs with CitySelect 6 and experienced that drifting off the roads today on several roads - roads that have been here forever. I was also extremely disppointed by how it routes.. I looked up some waypoints I had previously set and hit "Go To" and the routing was just plain wierd.. sending me (if I would have followed it) several miles farther along minor streets, rather than major streets, including state hiways. I am experimenting with the routing, thinking that this unit could replace my iPaq w/Navman that I have used for the past 1-1/2 years. While I got the Garmin 60cs for primarily biking, hiking and geocaching, I had hoped I could use it all the time on the road - for regular use and picking up a few caches as I have time on each trip. I travel to 3 or 4 different cities per month, so rely heavily upon my GPS. Right now I would say that the 60cs does not make the grade with its wierd routing schemes. I have it set to lock on roads and it drifts significantly. I am experimenting with faster time, as opposed to shorter distance, but it has disappointed me so far. I have heard great raves about the 60cs here, which is why I bought it. I still think it's a great unit, but maybe not quite comprehensive enough software for the frequent traveler. It will eventually get you there, but not nearly as accurately as my Navman does.

 

Anyone else have experiences to relate.. positive or negative??

 

Mark

[+Sputnik 57]

My 60C, using CSNA ver. 6, does pretty well on routing. A number of freeways are being reworked around here, but it seems to keep me pretty much on the roadway. All but one recent route took me the fastest way, based upon my prior experience. The one exception took me along a fairly good local street that I happened to know was under construction. I took a freeway that was a bit off track, which was faster. As soon as my 60C figured out where I was going, it recomputed using the freeway route and led me right where I was going.

[+Team DEMP]

What you describe is what I experienced with my GPS V. Since there was only 19MB of memory, any long trip relied on the basemap which showed the same as you describe.

 

What you might be able to do in the future, assuming you have City Select, is load the route in City Select and then carefully select the map segments which cover the route.

 

This is one of the main reasons I went with the 76CS instead of 60CS as I fruently drive 635 miles from Northern NJ to Southeastern NC and I couldn't do what I described above in the 56MB of memory in the 60.

[peter]

What you might be able to do in the future, assuming you have City Select, is load the route in City Select and then carefully select the map segments which cover the route.

With the newest version of MapSource you can let it automatically select all the map segments along a route (or along tracklogs or sets of waypoints). A useful feature with units like the 76c/cs that can load a large number of map segments.

[+Team DEMP]

With the newest version of MapSource you can let it automatically select all the map segments along a route (or along tracklogs or sets of waypoints). A useful feature with units like the 76c/cs that can load a large number of map segments.

Son of a gun - neat feature. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

[+Ed & Julie]

Keep in mind that there is some error in accuracy with the units. You may be 17-30 feet off where GPS thinks (and shows) where you are, which is why is shows you off the road.

 

Ed

[+JohnnyVegas]

It could have something to do with how many lanes the highway has, there is a portion of hwy 80 not far from me that has 6 lanes on each side, if the map is ploted using the number one lane and I am in the number six lane, the GPS shows off the the side of the road, if I move to the number on lane it puts me on the line on the GPS screen, I use a Magellan meridian gold but I would guess the same holds true with Garmin

[+MWPinSD]

I guess the disappointing thing about the Garmin, again, is that it shows you off the road on major streets and highways - and it doesn't have to do with number of lanes. I can use my Navman/iPaq combo and it rarely shows me off the road - and the times it does is when I'm hitting new construction areas where traffic has been diverted or altered. The "snap to road" feature is implemented much more effectively on units designed for road use. The Garmin 60 series and 76 series are not designed for that, so they are not effective as road routing GPS's. On the other hand, my Navman will not allow me to enter anything other that addresses, intersections or POIs, so it is worthless as a caching/hiking/biking GPS. I had hoped to replace it with the 60cs, but the 60cs is not in the same class when it comes to road routing and directions.. and on road placement.

[+Rakusan]

Every GPS unit - Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance, whatever - uses a firmware base map that stores each road in its memory as a chain of connected points. The 'accuracy' of the base map is compromised by the need to economize on memory, so they can't portray every bend and wiggle as well as a product like Topo USA.

[BilgeRat]

Have you noticed the blue circle on the map around the location pipper when you zoom in? That is "The Circle of Accuracy". It automatically takes into account the accuracy of your maps and of your satellite fix to determine its size. I have noticed being "off-road" as described, but the road that I am on is always within the circle. Try this; drop the reciever deeper into your car to reduce signal strength, and watch the circle grow larger, then bring it back up to the windshield again and watch the circle grow smaller. The circle is also MUCH larger using the base map as opposed to using detail maps.

Tom

[Neo_Geo]

I would add that what MisterNixter is experiencing is not limited to the basemaps.  I have a new 60cs with CitySelect 6 and experienced that drifting off the roads today on several roads - roads that have been here forever.  I was also extremely disppointed by how it routes.. I looked up some waypoints I had previously set and hit "Go To" and the routing was just plain wierd.. sending me (if I would have followed it) several miles farther along minor streets, rather than major streets, including state hiways.

 

The drifting off the roads can be caused by poor signal reception. It happens to me and my 60C sometimes. And I also notice it always happens whenever I'm in one particular location. Someone mentioned in another thread a while back that electrical disturbances can cause interference to the unit's electronics, and perhaps cause the unit to show an error in position. It happens in an area where there is a combination of a power transformer overhead and a communications junction box at the base of the pole. My tracks always seem to drift about 15 to 20 feet off my known path. This is NOT to say that I only experience it in this one location. It happens EVERY TIME I'm in this location, and other times when I get poor reception.

 

As for the routing, check your GPSr's routing preferences - see if you have it set to something like "Avoid Highways". Another possible cause of faulty routing is not having the "Include Route Calculation Data" box checked in MapSource before sending your maps to the GPSr. That preference is hiding in plain sight in the lower left of the screen on the "Maps" tab. If the box is not checked, your GPSr will receive the maps, but it will not receive data necessary for proper routing instructions. If that's the case, your basemap will perform the routing (and basemaps are only really good for routing from city-to-city).

Edited December 22, 2004 by Neo_Geo