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| Garmin Map 64 MB 60Csx With Barometric Altimeter & Compass | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $535.99
Buy New: $281.92
You Save: $254.07 (47%)
New (89) Used (3) Refurbished (6)
Avg. Customer Rating:  398 reviews
Sales Rank: 295
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Tracks: 20
Batteries Included: No
Native Resolution: 160x240
Display Size: 2.6
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 1.5 x 2.2 x 2.6
Array:
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 010-00422-00
Model: 010-00422-00
UPC: 753759049126
EAN: 0753759049126
ASIN: B000CSOXTO
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Outstanding accuracy and versatility December 11, 2006
44 out of 45 found this review helpful
I cut my GPS teeth on an eTrex Vista (a great little handheld in its own right) for a couple of years before stepping up to the 60CSx. After five months of use, I have only positive things to say about my latest purchase. I was aware of some owners' early concerns about "wandering" and the seeming inability to enable WAAS, but figured Garmin would eventually address such firmware issues, and so decided to take the plunge. The first thing I did (the first thing any purchaser should do) was to download all of the available updates from Garmin's website, and my 60CSx performed flawlessly from the get-go. So yes, I can enable WAAS, but I don't bother to use it because for me the slight increase in accuracy isn't enough to justify the additional battery drain. Consistently getting within ten feet or less of a waypoint is good enough for me. I'm not doing cadastral surveys, after all.
I replaced the supplied 64mb micro SD with a 1 gb card and have installed selected maps from both City Navigator and US Topo 24K Western National Parks (both relatively pricey extras). I recently used the former to navigate a familiar route all the way from western Colorado to Cincinnati and back, and the directions it generated differed from the route I've long been accustomed to in only one minor way: it chose a different bridge (the MLK) across the Mississippi River at St. Louis than I usually use. That switch obliged me to exit the interstate and wait at one traffic light for a minute or so, but also saved me a couple of miles, so I guess the net effect was zero. On the return trip, I was unable to make a necessary lane change due to heavy rush hour traffic and was forced onto an exit from the Interstate at Louisville. The 60CSx and City Navigator automatically recalculated and got me back on course in a jiffy via a route through the downtown area that would otherwise have been anything but intuitive. The I-70 route through the Colorado Rockies features numerous tunnels, and only in the longest of them did I lose my satellite signal. In those few instances, the unit promptly reacquired the signal upon exiting the tunnels.
I am a retired National Park Service ranger and now volunteer at Colorado National Monument, where I spend a lot of time in the backcountry identifying and plotting the location of cultural sites. The 60CSx and US Topo 24K are incredibly useful for that. I particularly like the unit's ability to average satellite fixes for increased accuracy over whatever interval I choose. I'm regularly able to mark waypoints to within 3 meters, even in forested areas and in the depths of the area's many canyons. The MapSource software that came with the 60CSx lets me print topo maps of the Monument with those waypoints clearly delineated and labeled.
In the early fall, I carried my 60CSx on a recreational climb to the summit of 14,048-foot Handies Peak in Colorado's San Juan Range. Once on top, I photographed the display to document the precise location and elevation of the summit for my records. Since then, I've learned that it's also possible to transfer a bitmap image of any 60CSx display screen directly to my computer using the xImage application available as a free download on Garmin's website. That's a neat way to build a file of memorable waypoints and to share them graphically with others.
I've found the Garmin 60CSx to be a most capable unit. Teamed with an accesssory 12V cable and City Navigator software, it works well as a vehicle navigator at relatively low cost. Used by itself, with or without US Topo 24K, it's a great hiking companion. It has a great color display, commendable acquisition and refresh speeds, myriad useful functions, a long battery life (months, if you don't leave it on continuously to mark tracks), decent ergonomics and superb accuracy. Finally, the additional storage afforded by removable memory cards is a definite plus with this sophisticated unit. The only change I'd urge Garmin to consider would be to add a temperature sensor.
If you can afford it, and even if you can't, get a Garmin 60CSx.
 Routing, recalculating very frustrating December 5, 2006
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
All the raves by the others are true...fast satellite acquisition, big color screen, huge memory (if you buy the chip) but one thing makes me want to throw it out the window: the routes it calculates to navigate from one point to another absolutely suck. I have yet to get one that was even close to useful--some backtrack, some will take backroads the whole way (even if you've selected "fastest" route), some will end in three places. And the system recalculates the route as you're driving, which you think would help since it should see that you're on a road heading directly toward the destination, but it will still route you miles out of the way. And don't think you can load a route you made with Mapsource and follow that like I used to do with my Etrex Vista. The GPS will only acknowledge the beginning and end points and calculate a useless route between them, even if you've designated midway "via" points. For example, a route a take often to my friend's house is 108 miles. The GPS will calculate a route that is 189 miles, once even 247 miles. If there's a way to shut off automatic routing, it's not the least bit obvious...I've read the manual a dozen times and haven't found a way. And Garmin customer service never answered my queries about it.
So get it for geocaching or hiking, but do not get it you're thinking you'll ever use it in you car. You'll be frustrated.
Complete Versatility December 3, 2006
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
I am nothing less than completely impressed with this GPS unit. I have been using this model for over a month now and I am totally and completely satisfied with my purchase. I travel all over the US for my work by airplane and I was interested in purchasing a GPS that was versatile and portable without being too bulky and cumbersome to pack when traveling through airports. Now that I have acquired all the various parts and pieces (i.e GPS unit, software, mounting bracket, and charging cable) I have a complete and portable set up that I carry with me on all of my trips. This allows me to save over $10/day on rental cars by not having to rent a car with a GPS unit. With the Garmin Street Navigator software for the US and the purchase of a 2GB mini SD card, I have the entire US road system on board and ready for travel anywhere in the country including Alaska and Hawaii.
The other major selling point for me was that with this unit not only do I have a highly accurate GPS unit for traveling and navigating the nations highways, but I also have a compact hand held unit that can hold topographic maps allowing me to hike and explore the countryside anywhere in the US (or the world). This all-in-one strategy was perfect for my needs not to mention that this unit is about half the cost of a unit specifically designed for an automobile such as a TomTom Go or other similar device. I love the fact that I can mount this to the windsheild and go and then when I arrive, just pop it loose and throw it in a back pack and I'm good to go for a hiking adventure on the trail. However, I should mention that this particular unit does not feature audible voice directions which are commonly found on units specifically designed for automobiles. This may be part of the reason why there is such a drastic difference in cost. Even though this unit doesn't talk, it does provide audible warning tones and flashes on screen pop up advisories when you are approaching your turns and exits.
As other reviews have mentioned, the main thing to be aware of with any GPS unit is the fact that you will probably have to spend additional money than the original purchase price for the unit to get the full functional benefit from the device. As I've mentioned, in addition to the actual cost of the unit I have also spent a minimum of over $250 on software and other accessories to give me full advantage of the capabilities that I needed. If you do your homework, you will find that this is true for any GPS unit and not just this one. Realizing this ahead of time will help you to avoid any unpleasant realities later on that you will probaly need to spend more money on additional equipment. You can think of the GPS like purchasing a computer - it represents only the hardware. The other half of the equation is the software needed to make it complete.
With that said, I would also say that even though this is a very fast and highly accurate GPS unit, it is not without a couple of design flaws and it certainly has room for some improvement. None of these items warrant enough for me to lower my score of 5 stars, but are worth mentioning for prospective buyers to be aware of. The most important one is the glare problem with the screen. Under very low light and night time viewing conditions there is no problem at all with the screen. But, when trying to view in high ambient light levels or indirect sun conditions in an automobile, the screen can be quite difficult to see and exhibits a lot of glare and reflectivity. However, in direct sun light conditions, with the sun shining directly onto the screen, the graphics are quite easy to see and there is no glare problem. The second issue is the brightness level of the back light. It could stand to be significantly brighter for better viewing. Even at 100% the screen is still relatively dim by my estimation, but I am assuming it is scaled back like this to help conserve battery power. Other than these two issues, I can find little wrong with this powerful GPS unit. If you are looking for a versatile device that works excellent as a cross country highway navigator, or as a personal step by step guide when trekking through the woods and mountains, you will be very happy with this unit. Just be aware of the fact that you will probably have to invest in some additional add on equipment to get the full use and enjoyment out of the unit.
Git-R-Done with the 60csx ! December 2, 2006
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
If all you are doing is navigating to a campsite or back to your car in fairly open country the Etrex units will do just fine at a much lower price. Plus the 60csx is bigger and heavier than an Etrex. However if you ever need a gps in steep or heavily wooded country the 60csx is amazing. Being a GIS (geographic information systems) professional the thing that gets me excited about the 60csx is that it starts to bridge the gap between recreational grade and mapping grade gps units without having to bother with differential correction or the significant added expense of a unit that will allow you to do that (not to mention being three or four times as big and heavy). As WAAS satellites are added units like the 60csx will continue to move closer to the accuracy of the differentially correctable units.
I have used it quite a bit to map trails and except for a little clean up at the ends of the lines the gps files hardly need any editing and what little editing that may be necessary can be done with the included MapSource software. This unit is a great tool used in conjunction with say Google Earth or Google Maps. GPS data can be saved as gpx files and there is a menu item that will open your GPS file in Google Earth. (I imagine all the Garmin units will do this now with this included MapSource software but the 60csx produces much higher quality results)
I have used the unit on the handle bars of a mountain bike in the woods and it will keep a good satellite fix the whole time. I have also tested the 60csx side by side with a several thousand dollar industry standard 2006 Trimble GeoXT and an Etrex Legend in steep heavily wooded terrain, inventorying potential land slide areas. In the most challenging scenarios there, even with the PDOP set the to the max, the GeoXT typically would not be able to get a fix at all, the Legend would be at plus or minus 80 feet after taking several minutes to get a fix and the 60csx would quickly lock in at about plus or minus 20 feet.
The other astounding bit of technology as other reviewers have mentioned is being able to load all the roads in the US and Canada on a 1 Gigabyte Micro SD card the size of a finger nail for under a hundred dollars.
If only Garmin would make a unit like this that you could add more attribute information to the GPS data without having to have it hooked up to a laptop or tablet PC and specialized software.
They don't get much better than this November 28, 2006
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I purchased this model after losing my old 60CS, and while I would have originally preferred not to spend the extra cash to replace it, I am now convinced it was worth the money. I didn't have much to complain about on the 60CS, and I certainly have nothing to complain about with this model.
Some highlights compared to the 60CS:
I love the microSD card. I certainly don't need to store all of North America in my GPS, but it was nice to be able to load my entire home state of California as well as a handful of other states I occasionally visit.
The display seems brighter, and the maps/icons easier to read in sunlight.
The satellite lock is lightning-fast. Even after a "cold start" in a different area, it only takes a matter of seconds. Moreover, it retains satellite reception under tree cover and around buildings much better, though of course all GPS units will still have their limitations in heavily urban areas.
The "walking" problem that was mentioned in several older reviews seems to have been fixed; although I was worried about that happening, I have yet to see it occur. Either they got their firmware fixed or I happened upon the right setting.
All in all, the 60CSx is an excellent GPS and is certainly worth the cost.
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