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New to forum, new GPS

Started by triggerspring, November 23, 2010, 03:59:49 PM

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triggerspring

Hey guys,

After having a Magellan eXplorist for quite a few years, an unfortunate incident involving my gps, back bumper of my truck, and a one hour car ride has caused me to "misplace" it.

Anyhow, I ordered a Garmin 60csx today, and I'm waiting for it to come.  I did a few searches on the forum here and still have a few questions.  I know that I can download maps from this website, but they all seem to be regional, so that let me to a few questions.  I plan on downloading the states topo maps where I hunt/play.  So i see them on here to download, just wondering the following:

I know there is a limit to how many maps I can have loaded on the unit, but can I store more maps on the card to pull up later?

How is the turn by turn direction on the 60csx?

Is there a 50 state road map built in as the "basemap," or is it like the magellan basemap that only had major roads?


If there is a limited basemap. is there a full road map for al 50 states that can be installed?

What is the maximum size card that can be used?  I have heard 4gb as well as problems with Sandik Ultra's, but other forums say the new firmware allows up to 8gb?

Sorry to be a pain if any of these have been discussed, but after searching the forums, this was what I was left with.  Thank you for any help you can provide.

-TS

Boyd

I have a 60csx but don't really use it anymore. The basemap will be similar to your Magellan's - basically useless. If you want seamless mapping for the entire US, you'll want to purchase one of Garmin's products. Very few of the maps here are capable of routing (they cannot provide turn by turn directions). There are some routable maps, but they lack the full features of Garmin's City Navigator maps. Third party maps don't support address search and don't have the rich POI database of the Garmin product.

The 60csx doesn't have any internal memory for maps, everything must be put on the card. And it can only access one map file which is named gmapsupp.img. You can install multiple maps in that single file however, with a few caveats. Aside from storage capacity, the 60csx can only access a total of 2025 segments; these are the individual tiles that make up the whole map. Depending on what maps you use, you may hit this limit before filling the free space on a 4GB card.

If you purchase City Navigator, get the DVD version. This will allow you to combine it with other maps in the same file. If you buy the preloaded data card or the download version, you can't do that and would have to swap cards, which is a pain.

You could store extra maps in other files on the card, but the only way to access them would be placing the card in a computer and changing the filenames.

Never used a routable map on the 60csx myself, but am told it works fine. You won't get voice directions, and it will be a pain trying to enter addresses with the cursor key, but it should work.

Enjoy the new GPS!

triggerspring

Thanks for the info!  I appreciate it.  Does Garmin sell a 48 state topo map that can be loaded at once?

-ts

Boyd

Yes, they sell US Topo 100k. That means the scale of the map is 1:100,000 which is not very accurate. Most of the mapmakers on this site have created maps are are generally better than this, although the road data may not be any better.

I have used the Garmin 100k topo's for many years, and they are adequate for many uses plus it is convenient to have the whole US available. But that brings us back to the segment issue I mentioned. The DVD version of this map contains about 6,600 map segments so you will max out your 60csx before you even load 1/3 of the US. The full US map file is a little less than 3GB, but you would reach your segment limit by loading less than 1GB of data.

Just recently, Garmin started selling another version of the 100k Topo maps on a pre-loaded data card. They have used much larger segments on this version - it has less than 500. So you could have the full US available on your 60csx, but it's a catch-22. You can't add any other maps to one of these cards, and the 60csx can only have one map file, so you wouldn't be able to use other maps at the same time. These are unfortunate limits of the 60csx which is an older design. Newer Garmin models can use multiple map files and have internal memory in addition to the card slot.

Also, realize that the 100k map does not have routable roads. It will show your position on the map and allow you to search for points of interest, but you can't search for addresses or create routes.

Garmin also makes a series of 24k maps that are more accurate and have routable roads. They are pretty expensive - $100 for a map that only covers a couple states. If you are mostly staying in one region, this might be a good choice though. Again, get the DVD version if you want to combine these maps with others.

MichaelJ07

I have a 60csx and love it.  I know there are better more advanced models available, but I couldn't pass on the deal from Cabelas last year.  I believe you will enjoy many hours, days, weeks, months with your new device (I put a couple of 9mm in my old Magellan.  Worked just as well afterwards.   :)

Boyd has given you the best information on the 60csx's benefits and limitations.  Along with Boyd, the people on this forum are absolutely fantastic at helping you get the most out of your device no matter what it is.  Their maps are dead on and the support here is excellent.

Enjoy!

Mike
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

triggerspring

Thanks guys,

One more question about the maps. If I buy the map on the SD card (with the whole US) what limitations would I have? Can I still save waypoints and routes?

-TS

Boyd

Just to be on the same page... is this what you are talking about?

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=28229&pvID=67028

The map on these cards is copy protected and cannot be put on another card, so it would be unwise to put anything else on the same card because if you mess it up, it's gone. This will not be an issue for waypoints routes and tracks in most cases. They are stored in protected internal memory and not on a card. The only exception would be the 60csx function to save your track to the memory card. That allows you to save a longer track (internal tracklog is limited to 10,000 points). This option is disabled by default on the 60csx and you should not enable it if using the preloaded map.

With the DVD version, the maps are also installed on your computer. THis is not the case with the card, and it is not compatible with Mapsource at all. However, as an alternative, you can put the card into a USB reader attached to your computer and access it using Garmin's free BaseCamp program. That would also be possible by plugging the 60csx into your computer, however it uses a  s...l...o...w USB 1.0 interface, so map drawing performance will be terrible. Better to use a USB card reader.

Boyd

If you're interested in the DVD version of US Topo 100k, you can get it tomorrow (Nov 29) at Garmin's Cyber Monday sale for $70: http://www8.garmin.com/holiday/2010/bfcm/?utm_source=Garmin-Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=holiday&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=

When you register your GPS you will also get a code for a 10% discount at garmin.com. Not sure if it will work on sale items, but it's worth a try... that would lower the price to $63.