Garmin GPSmap 60CS

“anyone got one of these, if so then what do you think of it?”

“anyone!”

“Dont have one..but i sell them.

freakin awesome.”

“You think it's better than the new explorist 600?”

“My new Explorist 600 arrives today, according to UPS. I chose that over the Garmin because the Magellans use memory chips that can be switched out, so if I go to an area that is not already on my maps I can download the map I need onto another card and just switch cards.

The two seem very similar, although I have not sifted through all the technical parameters in fine detail.”

“Thanks Geo, you'll have to let me know. I like the expandable memory on the Magellan - but I wasn't sure about the rechargeable battery in it. Can you get replacement battery packs?”

“I expect so Y2. I decided to wait on that one and see how things go before forking over more $$$ for batteries and other accessories. I still have my Meridien Gold too, so not to worry.”

“Just checked and the battery is not listed on the list of accessories at the GPS Store. I thought when I ordered it that AA batteries would work in it as well, but I will know more by tomorrow for sure.”

“I just looked at the manual on the magellan site geo, looks like you're stuck with the mobile phone battery, but at least you can switch it with a fully-charged one for an extended trip.”

“From what I saw, the thing charges up in the unit.”

“seems to be geo, but it looks like the battery is replaceable”

“I thought all my cables for the Meridien would work with it, but in the manual it looks as though they have come up with a redesign. Had I know that I would have ordered the car charger as well.

The b@st@rds!”

“lol, you should have known better by now Geo. You get a good deal on it?”

“Yeah, the GPS store (www.gpsstore.com) seems to have pretty good deals on most stuff. The 600 was not a special deal because it is a new model, but the price was lower than the list price.

It comes with lots of bells and whistles. I'll contact the company about a spare battery or two later.”

“Well, U Pick-It-Up-Yourself Sucker said the package would be delivered today, but they lied mightily. No package and no info notice.”

“U Pick-It-Up-Yourself Sucker saw fit to deliver the unit today. Good for them.

There is going to be a learning curve, I see. The maps I had for the Meridien are not working on this one. I hope I don't have to buy a new map disk. The unit is charging right now. Gotta load the software onto the computer.

Initial reaction is that the color is neat. The compass and weather functions appear as though they will be useful. I was not planning on forking out more for accessories though, and that appears to be the case. I will need a new car charger, an extra battery or two, and perhaps mapping software as well.

So the jury is out right now, at least until sometime next week after I get back from the camping trip and have a chance to order what I need and have the U Putzy Sucker truck deliver it whenever they happen to get in the mood.”

“Came out a few bucks ahead and ordered the Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, which is the new kid on the block. It now comes with a micro SD card to store maps on, which is why I went with Magellan instead of Garmin.

I put a 1 gig micro SD card in it and stored the topo map for the whole East Coast on it from Maine to Key West, from the coast to the western borders of West Virginia and North Carolina.

I like the fact it uses two AA batteries, which makes it a whole lot more portable. They claim it will run 30 hours on a set of Alkalines. I'm using NiMH batteries in it at present.

I'm not as happy with the mapping program as the Magellan. The Garmin program does not carry street names, while Magellan does.

The ergonomics are good. Controls are below the screen, which is very large. The maps also go larger than Magellan, which provides more detail, easier to see.

It's fairly easy to use. I had no problem going from the Magellan to this or back again.

It is supposed to do better under tree cover. I have been using it in my apartment, where it pulls in the signals from the satellites a whole lot faster than the Magellan.

www.thegpsstore.com has a special with the GPS unit and mapping program for $10 more than the list price of just the GPS, and just $90 more than their discounted price for the GPS. You have to click on the icon to put it in a shopping cart to get the amount of the discounted price.

The GPS Store is a pretty good outfit with which to do business. They carry all the GPS units and they carry accessories.

Their data cards are expensive though. Those can be had far cheaper elsewhere.”