Bought a new gadget: the Garmin GPSMAP 60CS

rob_wijhenke · 06-17-2004, 06:38 AM

This will be fun, great little device. Does autorouting from city to city, even door to door. Can upload your own routes, great for bike trips, great for hiking, just love it!

badger · 06-17-2004, 07:03 AM

The 60C/60CS will be my next GPS. Awesome unit. I like the 2610 also, but it's alot more for the touch screen convenience (and voice prompts) which I can't/won't use on a motorcycle.

BTW, my eTrex Legend is starting to have display problems. I contacted Garmin and they said they'd fix it for the low, low price of $99. Not sure I'm willing to put 50% of the original purchase price back into a 4 year old GPS unit...

Kam · 06-17-2004, 07:10 AM

I also own this unit, and had to have it fixed by Garmin. Check your battery prongs to see if they have the foam padding. Mine originally did not, and one of them kinked and broke off. Sent back to Garmin and fixed under warranty. Interestingly the battery prongs are now foam backed. I'm also using markjenn's advice and have a folded up business card wedged between the batteries to prevent any motion. Worked fine on my last overnighter.

badger · 06-17-2004, 07:13 AM

My problem isn't the shutting off/battery problem. I get a series of horizontal lines on the display, but the unit works fine. It's not a problem now, but if the screen gets any less readable, then it won't be much use!

GotRoad? · 06-17-2004, 07:14 AM

I have the Garmin eTrex Vista, which is waterproof & shock resistant, works great on my bike and is small enough to drop into my pocket for 2 legged adventures as well. When you combine it with the MapQuest software it is an awesome package. My only gripe is that it uses a serial cable to communicate with the mothership instead of USB. Oh well.

markjenn · 06-17-2004, 07:47 AM

I've been using my unit for a few months - very happy. I fashioned up my own mount and it has been very secure. I get about 4-5 days on tour with 2x disposable batteries, so no needd to fool with power dongles.

- Mark

Moybin · 06-17-2004, 07:50 AM

Any of those units support Macintosh for downloads?

Bob in Tucson · 06-17-2004, 08:37 AM

What's a Macintosh?

repoe3 · 06-17-2004, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob in Tucson
What's a Macintosh?

its a type pf apple, but i fashion granny smith's myself :P

repoe3

Kam · 06-17-2004, 09:40 AM

Mark, thanks for the battery wedge tip. On the S I just keep the unit in the map compartment of my tankbag (with the trusty old map underneath) easy enough to read at a quick roadside stop, or on a longish straightaway. Got a RAM mount from cycoactive.com for the tuono.

Have any of you been frustrated with the "route tool" on the cd rom. It can sometimes be a PIA when setting up routes through busy intersections.

Moybin · 06-17-2004, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by repoe3
its a type pf apple, but i fashion granny smith's myself :P

repoe3

Repoe3:

I see you are using one of those PCs for the spelling challenged!

Seriously, I can do most anything on my Macs that you can do on your PCs, except high end gaming (that's why I own an S, for a fix of reality, not the virtual).

I've found the Mac to be easier to use and service than a PC. It doesn't crash as often, and software is more compatible across system changes than Windoze. Besides, Bill Gates has too much money already and hasn't shared any with me. And I will save you the typing by saying that Steve Jobs is cut from the same cloth as B.G.

One must pick one's poisons.

ps: when ALL the PCs at work can't open a file guess who usually gets it open with a Mac?!!!

Bob in Tucson · 06-17-2004, 10:43 AM

Moybin, I was kidding! Really! You mac guys are so darned sensitive ...

In a feeble attempt to actually contribute here, I would be surprised if macs could not talk to these things. As GotRoad mentioned, my older Garmin talks serial, which I suspect macs do (or can); and there are several freeware apps available that can do the transfer, likely one for macphiles too.

rob_wijhenke · 06-17-2004, 11:30 AM

I'm waiting for the City Select cd's to arrive (hopefully tomorrow) but the 60CS does autorouting on the basemap and has all major and secondary roads as well as most cities already installed. Awsome. You can even navigate by using a 3d map layout. And it will tell you go left in 100 meters. Colol! Cant wait to have door to door navigation!

Moybin · 06-17-2004, 11:30 AM

No Mac offense taken.

Apple ditched serial ports when the G3 processor came along. They are now up to the 'dual' G5 processors, so it's been since about 1999 that you couldn't buy a Mac with serial. They went USB before anyone else did, and now FireWire is standard, too.

I don't know how you PC guys can live without FireWire, guess it's one of those "never had it so I don't know what I'm missing" things.

I can transfer 20MB of data from my laptop to an external FireWire drive in about 3 seconds. And that's not FireWire800 or whatever.

I just know that some of the GPS units don't talk to the Macs because the makers never got around to creating software for Macs. When I'm posed with this dilemma I usually switch to VirtualPC and run Win98 (gasp, cough) on my Mac. It's kind of weird having Windoze running on a Mac, but it works. Rather slow, though, and it still can't play the high end games.

And I'm a case cracker; all Macs are easier to get into and work on than PCs, desktop and laptop alike. Macs are also more forgiving on RAM. My sons build their own desktop units and every time they change motherboards the RAM won't work, but snaps into my Mac G4 and runs great. Standardization has its benefits. I've got almost 2GB RAM in the home machine for free!

ErricZ · 06-17-2004, 11:39 AM

Some of us are in the know and talk to a little company called Belkin who makes 400MB/s 4-port Firewire cards so they can transfer music to their iPods from their PCs.

Macs are for people who don't want to troubleshoot their systems everyday. I'm sure you can point me to the companies using Mac Networking in an IT environment, right?

repoe3 · 06-17-2004, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Moybin
Repoe3:

I see you are using one of those PCs for the spelling challenged!

Seriously, I can do most anything on my Macs that you can do on your PCs, except high end gaming (that's why I own an S, for a fix of reality, not the virtual).

I've found the Mac to be easier to use and service than a PC. It doesn't crash as often, and software is more compatible across system changes than Windoze. Besides, Bill Gates has too much money already and hasn't shared any with me. And I will save you the typing by saying that Steve Jobs is cut from the same cloth as B.G.

One must pick one's poisons.

ps: when ALL the PCs at work can't open a file guess who usually gets it open with a Mac?!!!

from a hardware point of view, i am a mac fan. they not only make good boxes, but good looking boxes at that. i was just kidding and i type fast at work, rarely backchecking spelling.

i would assume macs are supported by most GPS manufacturers as many hikers and other ecentric people are ma users. goes with the whole frog-licking, granola bar-eating, tree hugging, etc.

all those are jokes as well.

repoe3

Moybin · 06-17-2004, 12:12 PM

Actually, granola bars taste better if you lick the frog FIRST!

Moybin · 06-17-2004, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ErricZ
I'm sure you can point me to the companies using Mac Networking in an IT environment, right?

Actually, I can't. Here in mudlump Iowa they can't spell kumpooter let alone use them. And I do get to troubleshoot a PC most every day, my boss's laptop which he can't get to do email twice the same way!

It's really great to have a bunch like you helping me laugh at the state of mudness that I'm stuck in. Mudness just sounds nicer than madness, doesn't it? Sort of soft and gooshy, like a really expensive spa treatment.

sfarson · 06-17-2004, 08:55 PM

Bought a 60CS two months ago. Agree it is one of the finest around... long lasting AA batteries, outdoor viewable color screen, built-in and downloadable maps, and it is versatile for motorcycling, hiking, etc.

Firebolter · 04:04 AM

Got road,

I bought a serial to USB cable from a place on line for 15 bucks, hooked my Etrex legend to it and no issues, sync'd right up

Got it from here:
http://www.sfcable.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?page=SC/PROD/72/UB30-40

Mobyin,

I am on a G4 Powerbook....love it. My GPS, camera etc. hook right up with no stupid install scripts like in the "Win" world......I still have to use Win at work for some of the specialized 6DoF analysis tools but agree, the Mac kicks ass on Win platforms. I run my Mac right on the existing PC network with no issues......

And go look at the high end graphics/video editing guys, they'll be on Macs too....