Why Do You Prefer Your 60c Over Lesser Garmins?

[Smaug1]

I'm just curious.

 

The responses to an earlier 'Which Garmin?' post showed the 60c to be the honey of Geocachers.

 

It is obviously a high-end handheld model. I've read the stats on Garmin's website.

 

But I want to know why the end-user likes his/hers so much vs. lesser Garmins.

 

I'm curious because I just bought an eTrex Legend, and I wonder:

• Does the quad-helix antenna offer noticeably better reception or stronger satellite lock?
  
• Does the color screen make it easier to distinguish one item from another?
  
• Was it worth the hefty price in your opinion?
  
• What features/traits does it have that make you like it so much?
  

I am thinking of starting to save up for one. I know this is horrible since I have just bought my Legend and haven't even done any geocaching with it yet. (too busy with work, school work, snowboarding, domestic stuff lately) I just had to ask this since so many of you love yours so much.

 

Thanks!

[+Volwrath]

I have a Legend as well, and I love it for its size, but these are the reasons my 60C is great!

 

Autorouting, color screen and autorouting. Long battery life is also good. USB high speed connection.

 

Autorouting is so useful when driving to a cache site in unknown territory. Its much harder navigating with the Legend. In addition if you travel, no need to worry about directions. Just load up the maps and waypoints and go.

 

The size of the screen is better. The legend's basemap is better, but that really doesn't matter. My 60C is currently in for repairs to Garmin. (The USB input slid out on me) and I miss it terribly.

 

The only downside is the 56meg capacity, but that is not THAT limiting of a factor, but it would still be nice to have 512 or a gig of maps loaded

[+tirediron]

I wouldn't discount the Legend, it's a great unit. I have a 76CS, and I do like the colour screen, it does maintain somewhat better lock (same AE as the 60) under heavy cover than my old Legend did. Since I travel a great deal, the selling features for me were the USB connection and the 115 mb of memory. That and I really did not like the "Clik-stick".

[Smaug1]

That and I really did not like the "Clik-stick".

I'm still hot/cold about the 'Clik Stik' myself. I generally do not like things that have fancy, intentionally misspelled titles.

 

When compared with other eTrex models, it seems to make navigation through menus more efficient, but it also seems to ruin the smooth, snag-free profile of the original eTrex design.

 

Jeremy Z.

[Neo_Geo]

I went with the 60C for the 56MB of memory and autorouting. The color display added a few drops to the drool as well. Had I known at the time that they were gonna come out with the 76C/S, I'd have waited for that and gotten the 115MB of memory. But as it is, the 60 has served me well and I am very happy with that choice.

[+royta]

Thanks for that Neo_Geo. You've made my 76CS purchase seem like the right thing to do. Plus, the fact that I have both US Topo and CS6 maps loaded up at the same time really taxes the memory.

[+BlueDeuce]

I wouldn't discount the Legend, it's a great unit.  I have a 76CS, and I do like the colour screen, it does maintain somewhat better lock (same AE as the 60) under heavy cover than my old Legend did.  Since I travel a great deal, the selling features for me were the USB connection and the 115 mb of memory.  That and I really did not like the "Clik-stick".

I don't mind the click stick, but I agree with everything else.

 

I own the 76cs (Yes I know you were asking about 60 owners). My wife just took it on a trip to San Antonio, Tx. I was able to include CS mapping from Eastern Iowa all the way down, and that included several large cities like KC and Dallas, plus a bunch of mid-sized ones as well. I was impressed, I didn't think I could get it all in. I'd say it covered 50 miles in each direction of the interstate down. (about 950 miles)

 

As for the Legend I recommend them, if I 'lost' it I would definately buy another. It may not auto-route but it has everything you need for most geocaching. It's a tried and true unit.

 

When caching in a new city, I auto-route with the 76 and have a excellent chance of getting exactly where I need to be without checking a street map. Park and hop out carrying the Legend for the trail.

Edited January 6, 2005 by BlueDeuce

[+GOT GPS?]

Ive had many Garmins and Magellans, and find that the Map60C, the most functional, capable, and easy to use of all the other GPS units ive had.

[Boxer Crew]

I haven't got a 60C, I have a legend. The legend is excellent.

 

I want autorouting.

 

I am getting a 60C.

 

Hope this helps

[+Cabinwood]

As others have said, autorouting is great. I had a Vista before -- the 60CS screen in color is so much easier to read. The battery life is way better than my Vista (though I think my Vista had something wrong with it regarding battery life.

 

I like it has more memory and I can load lots of maps. The only thing I would like different is for it to accept memory cards for more maps! Also I like using USB opposed to serial...

[+Joe Smith]

I started with a legend. It was and still is a great unit, at a good price. I took it all around western Pa, a trip to missouri, and a trip to alaska.

 

From the start I wanted an autoroutig GPS. I get lost way too easily, and hated missing out on events because I couldn't find my way there. For a while I was looking at the gps V because it fit what I wanted. Then the 60's came out and I started to drool.

 

I loved them right from the start, but was still considering the V because it was cheaper, and had the mapping software. Thankfully my mother-in-law picked up a street pilot III. That proved to me that I needed a new gps, and also provided the maps that I needed.

 

So i asked for the 60cs fo christmas, and finally got it. After using it for a few weeks I cannot believe the change.

 

now I don't get lost, and the reception is much better than the legend (That I was more then happy with). They added alot of little features that make geocaching easier.

 

It's just the perfect unit for me.

 

Joe Smith

[+Red90]

The question should really be comparing the Legend C versus the 60C.

 

Most of the discussion is autorouting and colour, which both have.

 

Differences are:

1) Price ($295 versus $360)

2) Memory (24M versus 56M)

3) Screen Size (2.0" versus 2.6")

4) Button layout

5) Patch versus Quad helix Antenna.

Edited January 6, 2005 by Red90

[+Phone guy]

Don't settle for the 60c, get the 60cs! You wont regret it. It is more useful than I ever would have imagined.

[+Volwrath]

The question should really be comparing the Legend C versus the 60C.

 

Most of the discussion is autorouting and colour, which both have.

 

Differences are:

1) Price ($295 versus $360)

2) Memory (24M versus 56M)

3) Screen Size (2.0" versus 2.6")

4) Button layout

5) Patch versus Quad helix Antenna.

 

I dont think 24 megs is enough for an autorouting GPS, but thats just my opinion.

 

Also the 60CS would be great but I find carrying an analog(?) compass better and the barometer has problems as well

Edited January 6, 2005 by Volwrath

[+BlueDeuce]

Additional thoughts:

 

Don't settle for the 60c, get the 60cs!

I know what the 76cs people are thinking!

 

The question should really be comparing the Legend C versus the 60C.

Not a bad idea for a discussion, but I do like the OPs topic. It's interesting to see that a low end model and a high end model can be recommended by both users. There is no real us-and-them camps on these units.

 

Also the 60CS would be great but I find carrying an analog(?) compass better and the barometer has problems as well

I still carry a compass, but the barometer gets a bit heavy to carry.

Edited January 6, 2005 by BlueDeuce

[+Cymbaline]

60 vs. "lesser units"?

 

I wouldn't necessarily call the Legend a lesser unit, but..

 

For me, it was initially the autorouting, hands down. Color was a plus.

 

The geocaching mode was originally just a "cool" item, but I've come to appreciate it's usefulness of clicking "found", and it won't show up anymore in the "unfound" list.

 

I've never owned a patch antenna unit, so that comparision didn't enter the picture.

 

One con for the 60: Unlike others, I actually prefer the click stick for input, as I'm faster with it as opposed to the big button on the 60cs. (My other units are a Rino 130, with a Rino 110 to back both of 'em up just in case).

[+GrnXnham]

We have both. We geocached with the Legend for a year before buying the 60c.

 

My wife uses the Legend now when we geocache. I use the 60c.

 

Best things about Legend.

 

1) Buttons on the side. It's just more comfortable for me.

2) Click stick. I got pretty fast with it.

3) No antenna sticking out that can break off. YES I have already broken the antenna off my 60c and had to send it back to Garmin for a $135 repair.

 

Best things about 60C

 

1) Color screen much easier to see with better contrast esp. during bright sunny days.

2) Processor speed MUCH faster than the Legend. Screen redraws are much snapier.

3) Reception better than the Legend under tree cover.

 

Surprisingly, I really don't use the autorouting all that much. I still prefer to pick my own route when geocaching like when I was using the Legend.

 

I'm glad we kept both units.

[+Renegade Knight]

The screen is a lot better. I was truly impressed when I compaired it to my GPS V screen. The legend would be on a par with the V. Satalite lock comes very fast, and much stronger than the V, I haven't checked it out against a Legend.

 

That's all the comparison I can tell you.

[+Ratsneve]

Most of the discussion is autorouting and colour, which both have.

 

I dont think 24 megs is enough for an autorouting GPS, but thats just my opinion.

 

Also the 60CS would be great but I find carrying an analog(?) compass better and the barometer has problems as well.

I want to be clear on this autorouting...please... This feature means that the GPS will direct your travel to a destination--by in this case audible signals--you don't have to look at the map display to tell whether you are turning left or right but can tell from the audible signal(s)?

 

If a GPS, like the new Magellan eXplorist 600 doesn't have autorouting but can be loaded up with surfaces maps and the like in its SD cards how does it work? Is it only showing where you are located on a road and isn't much more then a glorified paper road map? If this is true then autorouting has got to be a 'must have', ah... for me IMhO. And why wouldn't Magellan include it in the eXplorist since they have the SD card room? A million tradeoffs...how do I come up the winner?

 

Maybe the Vista C is once again my best choice? Surely Magellan has another line that does autorouting. Darn, I don't want to buy two GPS's. The eTrex Vista C would give me autorouting and geocaching abilities--just not top of the line--less the kitchen sink? Plus the more controversial patch antenna instead of quad helix. Only 24 MB of RAM--less then the 60CS but if I travel with the laptop and map CDs I need do I care?

 

How tough is it to stop at a rest stop somewhere and load in and manage new maping into the Vista C from a laptop? And I trust there is no reason why I can't use Ni-MH rechargeable cells if I want to? Also, how much harder is it to load numerous geocache sites into the laptop and run that info from there, write down notes and clues about a cache and go off looking for it instead of loading all the geocache site information into the eXplorist 600?

 

I'm going to bed. Thank you for all this information.

[+geobc]

I want to be clear on this autorouting...please... This feature means that the GPS will direct your travel to a destination--by in this case audible signals--you don't have to look at the map display to tell whether you are turning left or right but can tell from the audible signal(s)?

If the GPS can't output voice directions to a speaker (like some of the Street Pilots or the Quest or iQue's), then it uses beeps to warn you of an upcoming turn. These beeps do not indicate the nature of that turn (ie: left, right, etc). They only grab your attention so you know to look at the screen for the upcoming turn directions. I've used a Street Pilot 2610 and while the voice directions were really cool to have, the graphic display of the upcoming turn provided the most concise information, particularly when roundabouts and other non 4-way intersection type turns were required.

 

If a GPS, like the new Magellan eXplorist 600 doesn't have autorouting but can be loaded up with surfaces maps and the like in its SD cards how does it work? Is it only showing where you are located on a road and isn't much more then a glorified paper road map? If this is true then autorouting has got to be a 'must have', ah... for me IMhO. And why wouldn't Magellan include it in the eXplorist since they have the SD card room? A million tradeoffs...how do I come up the winner?

If a GPSr supports maps but not autorouting, then that GPSr can only tell you where you are. Using one to figure out how to get somewhere, like on the other side of town, can be VERY difficult because of the small screen size. Plotting a route requires a large map with all the details, so I would always need a paper map even if I had a mapping GPSr. That's how I used my Garmin III+. I also did some street navigation using only its built-in maps but that was for nearby stuff, like trying to find a way onto a freeway that was 5 or 6 blocks away.

 

But if you have auto-routing, then it is very possible to use a GPSr as you sole means of navigation. I drove all around the Boston area for a week using nothing but the 2610, and I was a total stranger to that area.

 

Only 24 MB of RAM--less then the 60CS but if I travel with the laptop and map CDs I need do I care?

If you've got a laptop with you, 24MB of RAM should be fine.

 

How tough is it to stop at a rest stop somewhere and load in and manage new maping into the Vista C from a laptop? And I trust there is no reason why I can't use Ni-MH rechargeable cells if I want to? Also, how much harder is it to load numerous geocache sites into the laptop and run that info from there, write down notes and clues about a cache and go off looking for it instead of loading all the geocache site information into the eXplorist 600?

 

Loading maps into a GPS via the USB cable is very easy. And yeah, you can use Ni-MH batteries. I use them in my Garmins. It's also very easy to upload geocache waypoints into the GPSr from your laptop. As for the clues, writing them down would be a PITA, imo. Printing them would be my choice BUT since I have a PDA (Palm T3), I just keep all the cache data on my PDA (I use Cachemate now but prior to that, I just stored everything in the built-in Memo program). Considering that you could buy a used Palm PDA and data cable for under $100, I'd recommend that option. If you want to get fancy and use Cachemate (smittyware.com), it only costs around USD$8 or so. If your laptop doesn't have a serial port, you'll probably want to buy a Palm that uses USB for its data cable.

[+John_n_Jess]

I had a legend for about a week found several caches with it with no problem. Then I hit a home run on Ebay and had some extra bucks, so I bought the 60CS with the street mapping software. This totally changes geocaching. Load some caches into the unit and click find geocache "on road" and it will take you to the closest road route, then click find geocache "off road" soon you will be there....very simple. I did have what seemed to be a better lock on the legend though, sometimes my cs has a hard time finding the birds. Oh one more thing the electronic compass is worth every bit of the difference in price. Those of you who have this Im sure will agree. You can do the same thing with a compass but this makes it much easier. Only my 2 cents

[+John_n_Jess]

I had a legend for about a week found several caches with it with no problem. Then I hit a home run on Ebay and had some extra bucks, so I bought the 60CS with the street mapping software. This totally changes geocaching. Load some caches into the unit and click find geocache "on road" and it will take you to the closest road route, then click find geocache "off road" soon you will be there....very simple. I did have what seemed to be a better lock on the legend though, sometimes my cs has a hard time finding the birds. Oh one more thing the electronic compass is worth every bit of the difference in price. Those of you who have this Im sure will agree. You can do the same thing with a compass but this makes it much easier. Only my 2 cents

[+Stylerod]

I just got my first GPSr for Christmas and it's a Legend C. I really don't have anything to compair it to but so far I love it. I was able to load a complete drive from O'Hare Airport in Chicago to Iron River, MI in it (it used every bit of the 24 meg but it fit!) and can autoroute to Caches. I do wish it had support for memory cards but besides that I think it works for me perfectly.