Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: A GPS built for those who need something to take abuse
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my 60CSx about 18 months ago after rave reviews from friends who are in Iraq and Afghanistan talking about how great the 60CSx is. I can say without reservation that this is the finest piece of travel gear I have.
The SirfIII chipset means quick signal aquisitions, so even when my cell phone's GPS is struggling to get a signal, I've got one and am off to the races. When out and about in a foreign country, I'll mark my tracks so I can always find my way back home. It's quick and holds signal in urban environments (Chicago's the land of highrises) and the wilderness (I used this while on day hikes in Mongolia.)
The GPS itself isn't intiutive, and you really need to sit down with a manual (or rent GARMIN GPSMAP 60C; 60CS; 60CX; 60CSx DVD INSTRUCTION GUIDE from Netflix). Once you sit down with it for a good 30 minutes, you get the hang of it rather easily.
I also updated my GPS with a MicroSD card to have TOPO maps on it along with Garmin's North America maps. It's not as great as having a car GPS, but it is nice when I take this on long bike rides and get lost in unfamiliar territory (the suburbs.) The desktop software for Garmin has gotten a lot better (although it's still rather weak on the Mac.) On long rides, I'll lay out waypoints so I can not have to refer to a sheet while I'm riding. It's also nice to get Geocaching information so I can run around the city and play treasure hunt.
The best part about this GPS for me is that it runs on AA batteries. This is great when I'm out for a few days, I don't have to worry about plugging this in anywhere like I have to with the Garmin Nuvi 500.
Overall this is a solid device. Sure, the UI is lame and it lacks the sex appeal of Garmin's newer devices, but if you want a solid GPS, this is it. Even with the newer devices out, I'd still want the 60CSx.
Digital camera Review: A Geocaching must have
Summary: 5 Stars
While there are a lot of uses for GPS handhelds, this is such a great geocaching tool. Unlike my old eTrex, it is very accurate, picks up reception in trees, and has an electronic compass. Of course, you pay for all of this relative to an eTrex. Nonetheless, all of sudden I am able to find many more caches than I had previously.Digital camera Review: A Geographer's Two Cents
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a graduate student in the field of geography and would consider the 60Csx one of the better units available in its price range. Handheld Garmins seem to provide comparable accuracy to much more expensive mapping grade GPS units. The extra cost for the better antenna in the 60CSx is well worth it. I've been able to get a good position fix indoors and in pretty dense tree cover, something which I understand is difficult with the lower-end units. In addition, despite many reports to the contrary, I think Garmin's MapSource US topo software (sold separately) is a nice addition to the basemap provided on this GPS. Just don't expect it to completely replace paper maps in the backcountry.Digital camera Review: A Little tricky out of the box, but the learning curve is quick
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using this unit for a couple of weeks now to geocache with my sons. Since this was my first GPSr, I found that straight out of the box it was quite confusing to use. The documentation, while seeming exhaustive, is more about navigating the menus than actually using the unit. The manual sometimes points the user to the Garmin website, which too is often not helpful.
However, I found that there is a very active community of 60CSx users out there who are more than happy to help sort out the intricacies of this very powerful little unit. In my experience, a quick search usually yields an answer to anything I couldn't figure out from the manual.
After several simple cache hunts, I've quickly become accustomed to the way the unit works, though I am still discovering new features almost every time I use it.
As others have noted, the base map is nearly useless, being limited to highways and a few secondary roads. It lacks the detail to be useful for finding your way around unfamiliar areas (on- or off-road) without resorting to a paper map. You are also unlikely to find compatible free maps on the Internet, though I was able to find a very detailed one for New Zealand.
The included MapSource software is also pretty bare-bones, though it does the job for moving waypoints, maps, and other information between your computer and GPSr. Its interface looks, however, as though it hasn't been seriously updated since about 1995. At times it is not very intuitive, but like the unit itself, once you get the hang of how it works, it works fine.
That said, if you plan to use the unit to geocache, there are a wealth of programs and sites that will make playing the game with you 60CSx a snap.
Overall, I am very pleased with the 60CSx. I give the unit itself 5 stars, but only 3 stars for the software, manual, and basemap.
Digital camera Review: A Marines play toy!
Summary: 4 Stars
bought this for my husband for Christmas, he loves it. He has been a Marine for over 16 years and this is one of the best land nav. tools he has come across. He will be using this at 29 Palms in March. Plus we use it on long distance drives to show us alternate ways to drive just for the fun of it!