Garmin 60c Or 60cs

[+birddog14]

I am looking at getting the Garmin 60C or 60 CS. I have owned a Garmin 12 and an eTrex Legend. I was going to get the 60C, but with the rebate going on right now I can get the 60CS for what I was going to pay for the 60C. The only difference is the electronic compass and the barometric altimeter. The only feature I would use that the 60C doesn't have is the electronic compass, but do I really need it? I have done a search on the two here on the forums and have read the electronic compass is a drain on the battery, but it is easy to turn off.

 

Also I know the 60C has a larger screen size than my Legend, but it only has 240 X 160 pixels where the legend has 288 X 160. Will I notice any difference (besides color of course)?

 

Thanks...

 

going to get one or the other, just wanted a few opinions, some people say spend the extra 50 and get the 60CS and others say save the 50 and get the 60C and spend the 50 on something else

Edited May 2, 2005 by birddog14

[+briansnat]

The compass is not necessary, but its VERY nice to have. I went with the CS. I figured that I was spending that much anyway for a GPS that I will have for a long time, so why quibble over $50.

 

You will notice a major difference between the 60C(S) screen and that on your Legend. Color makes everything stand out much better. I have Mapsource Topo on my Vista and Legend and sometimes I can't tell the differece between a stream, road and contour line. They are easy to tell apart with the color screen.

[+birddog14]

I really like the click stick and one handed operation on my Legend. I duck hunt and fish often and sometimes when running in the dark it is nice to have the click stick (easy to find) to mark waypoints and stuff, I guess I will just have to get used to using the setup on the 60C(S) .

 

I already have the MapSource TOPO program

Edited May 2, 2005 by birddog14

[Raoul]

going to get one or the other, just wanted a few opinions, some people say spend the extra 50 and get the 60CS and others say save the 50 and get the 60C and spend the 50 on something else

Go for the 60c and spend 50 bucks on a normal compass, a couple of six-packs and a pack of smokes...

 

(seriously.....you can't go wrong with either,but like I said before.....$50.- will get you a great "normal" compass and then some.....)

 

Good luck!!

[+Tzoid]

I have had the 60C for 9 months. Never missed the compass. I mostly do urban caching. If you go into the wilderness you should bring a normal compass anyway, just for safety.

[cheecho75]

A couple of weeks back I had the chance to compare my 60c screen to a Legend screen side by side.Both units had mapsource installed so I zoomed in on the same lake at the same scale(200m).There was a big difference with the 60c being a lot better and easier to see,and it actually showed a larger area of coverage.The resolution(higher pixel count for Legend) isn't really noticable as the color screen outshine the black and white screen.Also with the buttons on the 60c being on the bottom,it's operational with one hand. Hope this helps.

[+birddog14]

I understand the 60c can be operated with one hand, what I should have said was the Legend had a very distinct button (click stick), making it easier to find (especially in the dark).

 

thanks for all the help,

 

I am getting the 60C

Edited May 3, 2005 by birddog14

[+Night Stalker]

The screen on the 60c/cs shows up much better in direct sunlight. unlike older models where the screen becomes hard to read in direct sunlight on the 60c/cs it becomes easier to read. As far as whether to buy the c or cs. I bought the cs because all my friends had them and thought they were great. I can count on one hand the times I have actually used the extra feature (compass). I cary a real compass with me and could have just as easily used it. In my opinion it is not worth the extra money, and it does use up the battery more quickly.

 

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

Birddog, my opinion is that electronic compasses are not really that helpful anymore. GPS's have improved a lot over the years and are much more accurate... the compass heading will pickup and correct itself in as little as 1/2 foot movement of your arm! They are that sensitive.

 

Therefore, the only real point of an electronic compass on a GPS is to waste your batteries that could otherwise be used to keep the GPS itself alive longer. Save your money and get a $2.00 compass at the store.

[+Ralphbongo]

Birddog I had the same trouble last month. Have a vista with the s setup and in 3 years never used them. Went with the 60c $357.00 + $50. back from garmin and I love it. The color screen will impress you. The only down side is the base map sucks. Over all the 60c is a 9.5 24 hrs on first set of batterys but I used the backlight a lot. Hope this helps

 

Ralph Bongo

[+birddog14]

I ordered the 60C last night

 

thanks again