Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10039 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00422-01
• Released on: 2006-05-05
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .2 pounds

Manufacturer's Description

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The GPSMap 60CSx features the powerful SiRF GPS navigation chip for supreme accuracy in all conditions. You also get an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter.

You can use the 60CSx's memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products including BlueChart, City Navigator and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you're driving, and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more.

The 60CSx's 2.6-inch, 256-color TFT color display is designed to present mapping and trip information clearly and accurately in any lighting conditions. Plus, the case is lightweight, rugged, and water resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes). When using two AA alkaline batteries, you'll get up to 20 hours of battery life from the unit. The unit's barometric altimeter system features automatic pressure trend recording while providing current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, and average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Meanwhile, the electronic compass allows you to get accurate headings while standing still.

Another key feature of the 60CSx is the 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions. There's also a large-numbers option for easy viewing, as well as a dual-position display mode.

The 60CSx's trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more. Meanwhile, a fast processor allows the 60CSx to provide quick auto-routing, turn-by-turn directions, and audio alerts when you use the optional MapSource software, which can be stored on the unit's included 64 MB microSD card. Downloading information is quick with the USB or serial port interfaces. Using the dedicated serial port, the 60Cx can share navigation instructions with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots. The four-position rocker pad and dedicated high-use buttons make navigating through the unit's features easy, even when your fingers are cold or wet.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Accurate, reliable if a little expensive
The 60CSx is our 3rd Garmin Handhelp GPS. We started with the cheap eTrex yellow, which was good, but suffered from dropped reception under tree cover, progressed to a 60Cx (same as the CSx, apart from the electronic compass and baromoeter), and have now added the 60CSx to our arsenal!

Both the GPS60Cx and CSx are very accurate GPS'. We maily use them for Geocaching and walking and we have never been let down by either, normally 100% reception even in the woods with accuracy maintained at 20ft or less most of the time.

The built in mapping is as you would expect, towns and major roads only just marked, but we have also purchased the UK Topo Maps v2 which easily fit on a 2Gb card.

Combine these two products and the whole experience is very good. The maps have some limitations (they are not as complete as the OS maps they are derived from), but they are good enough to make a real difference. They are also fully routable, so you can use this in your car as a traditional sat-nav if you want, but it won't talk to you.

Good but software issues
I bought one of these units in Canada at the start of 2006 when they first came out. I've used it extensively in the last year as I work as an geologist and have logged over 10,000 km of tracks in N America plus Europe but mostly in Mongolia where I consider my GPS to be 'mission critical'. I've been using GPS units since 1993 and have gone through Garmin 12XL, 12CX, 48, etrex, 176c, 176, and 76 units.

The functionality, ability to customise the screens, the usually good (see below) lock onto satellites, the accuracy, the ability to record a 10,000 point tracklog at 100m resolution, and the ability to log the track to the SD card as you go along are winning points. The last point is the reason I bought this unit - if the unit breaks 6 days into a 7 day trip I can still recover all my tracklog from the SD card.

But I've had 2 apparent software issues with this unit. Originally the unit would randomly turn off if kept on the altitude screen - this was fixed after a software update downloaded from Garmin's website. I now reguarly check their website for software and firmware updates (make sure you install both). However, now the unit sometimes has a problem where it cannot hold a lock on to satellites at speed and has to re-acquire the fix every second. This means when driving you loose your speed and direction information, get a break in the tracklog on the GPS screen and when you download the track to a computer you have to join up 100's of individual track sections from the active log, all recorded at a few second intervals apart (thankfully this is easy to do with the latest version of Garmin's Mapsource software).

The unit gets 3 stars. It would have got 5 except for the unit's software issues, Garmin's international support (Garmin only accepts units for repair in the region that they were originally purchased in) and the high cost.

A modern day compass
I have been using this device with the GB Topo map installed on a 2gb SD card. I am very much an amateur walker and find one of the most aggravating features of off-road walking is trying to interpret the walking guides and/or map I am using - if I get off my chosen route it usually takes a long time for me to realise and a lot of toing and froing to get back. I could get better of course, but when I am walking I want to walk and enjoy the scenery! I hoped that a GPS device would provide the answer and I have not been disappointed. The tracking is good enough for me to know within 100 yards (and often much less) that I have taken a wrong turn and the compass feature tells me exactly the direction I should be heading. I can quickly retrace my steps, or decide to continue on because I can see where I will meet the path again - the topographical information is good enough to do that. The different screens provide an abundance of information on how fast I am going, how high I am, how soon I will reach my next point on the route, and even the expected time of arrival at the end of my route.

Planning routes is easy. I still use my old walking books to find a route. Using the PC I can plot this route either on the Topo map software or the Fugawi Ordnance Survey maps (which are compatible)then upload it to the GPS device, which takes only a second. Although I still take the walking book and map with me I find I am using the Garmin almost exclusively to guide me and have become far more intrepid for having the assurance that I am still on track!

The battery life of the device has been a very pleasant surprise. I have been using rechargeable AA batteries and found that one set will last for several lengthy walks without any need to conserve the batteries during the walk (4 days of 4-5 hour continuous use and the battery indicator was still at 50%).

All in all I have found that this device has delivered up to and beyond my expectations. I am striding out confidently and enjoying the scenery rather than fumbling about with books and maps and worrying whether I have gone the wrong way. I wouldn't be without it.