+klien Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 both seem like very nice gps units.. the 60c mentions external antena where the 60cs does not but has compas and altimitar.... not sure the altimitar is that important but i would have thought 400 dollar+ gps would be able to tell which direction you are headed.? any thoughts on the two? the plug in antena sounds intresting becuase of the possiblity that i could have the gps unit on in a pack while hiking and still have it contunoulsy tracking my path or location... atm company i work for is selling the 60c for about 100 bucks cheaper then rei but same return policy. but no 60cs yet... are there other differences besides the altimitar and compas in the 60 c vs 60 cs? Quote Link to comment
flinnfamilyfinders Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 The 60C and CS are identical in form and accessories. An external antennae can be added to either. What makes a compass desirable is that a unit does not know which direction you are facing when taking a reading. It is possible that you will travel a significant/annoying distance in the wrong direction if you are not facing the direction you are intending to travel before the software realizes you are doing so. Recently Amazon had the best deal on the 60 CS, at $366.00. That's the price Santa got on the one he's bringing to me on Saturday. They also have the V6 City Guide software for $107.00, which is about $20.00 cheaper than I've seen it elsewhere. Again, Santa took advantage of this deal. Quote Link to comment
+klien Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 (edited) thanks for the info... actually just got done looking at amazon.. sooo tempted.. but at same time company i work for might be getting CS in on their sight.. not sure 500 bucks at rei is worth the life time warrenty specially if my work gets them in... amazon pretty good about warrenties and such? also does the external entana only work with car kit or is it something you can put the main unit in pocket and have the external anetna on pack or shoulder strap? Edited December 23, 2004 by klien Quote Link to comment
flinnfamilyfinders Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 (edited) I've only got good things to say about Amazon. I've bought everything from books to technology from Amazon and its affiliated sellers. I've only had one problem in dozens of transactions. They immediately refunded my money and handled it faster than just about any company I've ever dealt with. If you have warranty issues, you'd send it back to Garmin, but if they develop early in your ownership, they'd probably take it back without complaint. Santa hasn't given my mine to play with yet, but I believe the external antenna can be used by itself. From what I've read on other threads, though, the stock antenna is very good. Edited December 23, 2004 by flinnfamilyfinders Quote Link to comment
+klien Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 well i ordered the CS from amazon.. lol just watch costco my work will get it on website now that i made a decision.. oh well... i am really stoked... any links to where you can order the antena for this unit? looking to use it for keeping main gps unit in backpack while hiking / snowboarding or x-sking so cold does not affect the battery and i track my progress 100% well most time Quote Link to comment
+Klatch Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Gpsgeek.com I have purchased two different amplified external antennas from them. Excellent quality, great performance and quick delivery (and much cheaper than Garmin with lower current drain). I also purchased their neoprene case and am happy with it. Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 (edited) I use a Gilsson external antenna on my 60C. I ordered it from gpsgeek.com. You need the MCX/OSX jack to fit into the GPSr. It comes in white or black, and with your choice of 3' 9' or 16' cable for $19.95. I got the 9', but coil it up into my pack when I have the antenna on my shoulder strap and GPSr clipped on my belt. Never loose signal, even in the woods. Edit: By the way, you may want to take a look at the 60CS faq thread. Edited December 23, 2004 by Sputnik 57 Quote Link to comment
+aka Monkey Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 My recommendation is to go with the 60C. Unless you've ever had need for an altimeter before (and I'm guessing you haven't), you won't use it on the CS. As far as the digital compass goes, spend $15 and get a real one. It doesn't need calibration, it doesn't need batteries, and it'll help you find your way out of the woods if your GPS ever becomes unusable for some reason. Quote Link to comment
+robert Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 My recommendation is to go with the 60C. Unless you've ever had need for an altimeter before (and I'm guessing you haven't), you won't use it on the CS. As far as the digital compass goes, spend $15 and get a real one. It doesn't need calibration, it doesn't need batteries, and it'll help you find your way out of the woods if your GPS ever becomes unusable for some reason. The nice thing about the built-in compass is it shows the direction to the cache regardless of whether or not you're moving. With the 60C, you need to be moving for the pointer to orient itself properly. This is by far THE biggest advantage to having a built-in compass. A $15 handheld compass doesn't always point to the cache. Quote Link to comment
Neo_Geo Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 IF the cache owner's coordinates are precise... IF the satellite geometry is good... IF your EPE is very low... That's a lot of IFs! Chances are one of the ifs will be out of place. ...and how hard is it to move? Quote Link to comment
+aka Monkey Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 (edited) I've been Geocaching for quite a while now, and never had a GPS with a compass in it. I haven't missed it a bit. The extra cash could be spent on other things, like an external antenna, or a set of rechargable batteries. But, then again, it's not my GPS. Edited December 24, 2004 by Indiana Cojones Quote Link to comment
+robert Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 I've been Geocaching for quite a while now, and never had a GPS with a compass in it. I haven't missed it a bit. The extra cash could be spent on other things, like an external antenna, or a set of rechargable batteries. But, then again, it's not my GPS. I had one in my SporTrak color but wasn't sure how it worked, so didn't use it. I didn't have one in my Legend, so didn't use it (obviously!) I have one in my 60CS and won't buy another GPS without it. Until I got it, I didn't know what I was missing... kinda like you Quote Link to comment
+jbar Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 I have a 60c. I upgraded for a 76s about a year ago. I never used the compass or altimeter. It works great, locks on quick, easy to use. If you don't need the extra features it's good to save the cash. As for warranty, Garmin service has been great for me. A month ago it started shuting off randomly. I called Garmin, got an RMA. I shipped it in. They had it back in my hands repaired, with all my data(Tracks,waypoints) intact, in less than 5 days, no charge. While they had it they replaced the screen, had a big scratch. I didn't even mention the scratch in the warranty call. I was very happy with the service. I've always owned Garmin recievers and never had an issue before, it's nice to know the service is availible if needed. Quote Link to comment
+klien Posted December 25, 2004 Author Share Posted December 25, 2004 costco and rei have just spoiled me on return something if broke.... but i was happy to get 60cs from amazon well its not here yet cross fingers it arives at my parents house before head back to utah... but saved 150 or so from rei. Quote Link to comment
+Quoddy Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 Once you've used a GPSr with an electronic compass I doubt you'll ever ask this question again. I use the altimeter only occasionally, but the compass constantly. A separate compass is not the improvised answer for caching. Carry it as a back up for complete GPSr failure in deep woods (or if your unit doesn't have an electronic compass), but not as a substitute for a unit which is constantly in your hand. Quote Link to comment
+ElectroQTed Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 The nice thing about the built-in compass is it shows the direction to the cache regardless of whether or not you're moving. With the 60C, you need to be moving for the pointer to orient itself properly. This is by far THE biggest advantage to having a built-in compass. A $15 handheld compass doesn't always point to the cache. This is EXACTLY why you would want a built-in electronic compass for geocaching. Like the others, until I got my 60CS I didn't know if this feature would be useful or not - now I wouldn't be without it. I've got mine set so that the compass only turns on when I am moving less than 3Km/h for at least 15 seconds - that way, it doesn't use as much battery power. Quote Link to comment
+wickedsprint Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 I had a vista before my 76C.,..the internal compass is just another gizmo to fail, no matter where you are facing with q 60C..the BEARING degrees to target is the same, so look at the degrees it indicates...if it is 60 degrees northeast to the target..that is not gonna change..see where you are facing with compass..turn to gps bearing degrees and now the needle points at the cache...this is not rocket science. Quote Link to comment
+Phone guy Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 (edited) I had a vista before my 76C.,..the internal compass is just another gizmo to fail, no matter where you are facing with q 60C..the BEARING degrees to target is the same, so look at the degrees it indicates...if it is 60 degrees northeast to the target..that is not gonna change..see where you are facing with compass..turn to gps bearing degrees and now the needle points at the cache...this is not rocket science. To echo what others have stated, Once you use a GPSr with an electronic compass, you will see the benefits. I have owned 3 GPSr's, 1 earlier model without the electronic compass and then the 76cs and now the 60cs. I cant begin to explain how nice it is to have the electronic compass. Do not listen to anyone that says "just buy a compass". I have used both and the 60cs uses the compass for routing as well. LISTEN to those that have them to decide weather or not its worth it! I doubt you will find an owner of one that is not happy. Edited December 27, 2004 by Phone guy Quote Link to comment
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