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Garmin GPSmap 60CSx
The Garmin GPSMap 60CSx reigns as the top consumer grade GPS device at this time. It has loads of features, capabilities and offers a lot in a handheld GPS. The unit comes with a large screen that makes things easy to read as well as the internal capability to make the 60CSx a reliable trail partner. The SiRF star III chipset is fed through the large helix antenna for excellent reception in all kinds of situations, and the expandable micro-SD card storage system allows you to take a lot of maps and data with you on your trip.
A well used Garmin GPSmap 60CSx over 4 years and 3,000 miles of use. No problems to report.
Features and Capabilities
The Buttons The on/off button is placed at the top of the unit next to the antenna. The unit has a series of buttons across the bottom that allows you to access the most used features easily and quickly. At the top of the arc on either side, you get a “+” and a “-“ button that allows you to zoom in and out on map pages. Going down the left side you have the “Find” button which brings up dialogue for finding waypoints, and Points of Interest, like towns, geographical features, etc. The Mark key allows you to mark your location as a waypoint. “Enter” and then “Menu” are software navigation keys that are very handy to have access to. Lastly the “Page” button allows you to flip through the various pages On the backside of the unit you have three ports: 1) The Mini-USB connection, 2) an aux antenna port, and 3) a serial external data port. The unit also has a lanyard holder and the battery door where you access the two “AA” batteries, under which there is the tiny microSD cardholder. The unit is waterproof to IPX7 standards (1 meter of water for an hour), which essentially keeps you safe only in rain and splash situations. The 60CSx is rated for 15 hours of use on a pair of batteries, which is pretty good, but is probably driven down by the big screen it’s using.
Endless Information Available The Garmin Handheld systems are based on offering you several “pages” of information. So, for instance on the 60CSx you can get a map page, then an altimeter page, a compass page, a menu settings page, etc. The 60CSx has a configurable interface that allows you to put in or take out any of the many information page views as you wish. This means that you can insert information pages into the queue or take them out if you don’t need the information presented to you on a regular basis. You can see the following main pages: Satellite status, Trip computer page (lots of settable fields that allow so you to see key data quickly and easily), map page, compass page, altimeter, and the main menu page. Don’t want to see all of these you can go into the settings and deselect any of the ones you don’t want. On each of these main pages, there are several things you can do to use this powerful GPS to its maximum capability. The trip computer page is a good example, with 8 data fields displayable, and 48 data options, you get the picture of what you can observe while using the 60CSx. A lot of these are easily understandable and useful in almost any situation: speed, average speed, odometer, etc. Then there are some that are very specific to the application or what you are doing at the moment, like: Off course (the distance off the course you have already set), total descent, heading (either in letter format, or in degrees), velocity made good (the velocity that you are making towards your destination), or glide ratio! Llots of information for the taking when you need it The Map page is where the most time will be spent. You can set the top fields to include any of the selectable information that is available in the unit. You can also select to see none, 2, 3, or 4 fields of information. NOTE: The more fields you select, the less of the map area you will see. There are also numerous customizations that allow you to get the map to look just the way you want it: North up, direction of travel up, turn guidance text on when you are navigating a route, set the amount of mapping details you want shown on the screen, turn on/off track recording, etc Data entry on the unit is through a rocker button moving around an ABC listing and pressing enter when you get to a letter. At best it’s ungainly. But it does drive you to make efficient naming choices.
Altimeter The Garmin 60CSx has a built in barometric altimeter, and some associated capabilities. You can create pressure plots over time, meaning you can get either your total ascent and descent for a trip displayed over time (or distance), OR you can display pressure changes over time. Pressure changes are minimal if you are ascending a small hill or mountain, but can be useful when looking at weather and storm fronts coming in as pressure changes can be dramatic in those situations.
Review and Summary of the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx
Specs and Numbers for the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
Waterproof construction keeps unit functioning; meets IEC 60529 lPX7 standards (submerge 1-meter for 30 minutes)
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