Garmin GPSMAP 60Csx
Published on: Thursday, April 10th 2008 Written by: Ilse Jurrien - Photography by: Dennis Hissink
Garmin 60CSx review
The Garmin company produces navigation and communication products for consumers, aviation and marine. The company was founded in 1989 under the name ProNav. In 1991, the name was changed to Garmin which is a combination of the first three letters of the founder's Christian names: Gary Burell and Min Kao. Meanwhile, the company has put many GPS receivers on the market. This includes the Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, a GPS receiver that holds the top position in the Garmin handheld segment and is specifically designed for consumers. The Garmin features a waterproof housing and has been equipped with a built-in SiRF receiver, a barometric altimeter, a compass and a basic map. The GPSmap 60CSx also features a fairly large colour TFT monitor and a microSD card to store the routes.
Garmin outdoor GPS navigation test
About GPS - Global Positioning System
GPS stands for Global Positioning System and is no more than a navigation system that works through satellites. Originally, the GPS was meant solely for serving military purposes through a network of some 24 satellites. In the eighties the network became available to the public. The advantage of GPS is the fact that it works everywhere on earth, at all times and in all weather conditions. Each of these GPS satellites circles the globe, making two complete rotations twice a day whilst sending out signals to the earth. GPS receivers receive this information and are capable of calculating their own location and position with utmost precision. A 2D position can be calculated with the aid of three satellites. To enable deducing a 3D position, the GPS receiver has to connect to at least four satellites. Once a GPS receiver has calculated the exact current location, it is also capable of providing data such as speed, altitude, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset.
Garmin GPSmap 60CSx review
Garmin 60CSx Design & Package
As soon as you hold the Garmin GPSmap 60CSx you are aware of the fact that it is a high quality product. The waterproof and shockproof housing not only feels solid but also has a perfect hand-fit. The large 1.5 inch x 2.2 inch TFT monitor stands out and is a 256 colour high resolution reflective colour monitor. With its dimensions of 2.4 x 6.1 x1.3 inches, the Garmin GPS is a tad too big to carry around in your trouser pocket. However, Garmin offers a fine solution in the form of an included belt clip with an excellent click system that allows you to attach the GPS to your trousers. Personally I consider the belt clip a nice addition, since you will not be watching the GPS monitor continuously. I used the belt clip frequently also because I don't like carrying things around in my hands. Besides the belt clip, the Garmin 60CSx comes with a 64MB microSD flash memory card, a USB cable, owner's manual, quick start guide, MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software and a wrist strap. The only thing missing are two AA batteries. So; off I went to the nearest petrol station, which I was able to find without a working GPS system, to purchase some batteries so that I could start using the Garmin 60CSx…
Garmin 60CSx GPS receiver
Garmin GPS operating buttons
The Garmin GPSmap 60CSx has been equipped with some ten rubber operating buttons. The small button on top of the 60CSx serves to turn the device on and off. Once activated, this button lets you adjust the backlight of the TFT monitor in small steps. To save energy this light turns off automatically after a while until a button is pressed again. This time span can also be adjusted through the menu option: 'Settings'. The other nine buttons are found below the monitor with a large round navigation button placed in the centre. To the left and right of the latter, an 'in' and 'out' button is found to zoom in or out on maps. The 'Mark' button can be used at all times to insert a so-called 'waypoint'. Application of these so-called 'waypoints' offers you the possibility to store geographic locations in the Garmin GPS's memory. Did you spot something interesting en route? Create a waypoint and you will be able to find this location flawlessly afterwards. You can also find the exact spot of the location on Google Earth.
Garmin navigation operation
Garmin GPSmap 60CSx Main pages
Pressing the 'Find' button will make a menu appear with some six icons that serve to insert waypoints and allow you to find cities or other geographical points. Furthermore; the buttons 'Enter' and 'Quit' let you open a page, close it and confirm or cancel an action. Each page offers a number of setting possibilities; which become available upon pressing the 'Menu' button. Pressing the menu button twice will make the main menu appear. That leaves one button to evaluate; the 'Page' button. It lets you switch between the main pages. Standard some six main pages are set; Satellite, Trip computer, Map, Compass, Altimeter and Main menu. These main pages can be adjusted to preference, and if there is a page among them that you hardly use or not at all, you can deactivate it, to get quicker access to the pages you do use.
External GPS Antenna
Garmin USB Connection
External Data Port Connection
Garmin GPS Satellite status
Satellite page
The first main page is 'Satellite'; this page offers reproduction (2D or 3D, to be set manually) of satellite locations and the power of the signal. Connecting is an automatic process and in general it takes only a few seconds. If the GPS receiver does not find enough satellites, a menu appears automatically with the choices; GPS off, New position, Restart search, Maintain search. These choices are accompanied by some help texts. Indoors the Garmin GPSmap 60CSx encountered some difficulties locating a sufficient amount of satellites but as soon as I went outdoors the signal got stronger and my position was calculated. As soon as there is a connection with a satellite, it is given a specific colour. The power of the signal is rendered right below it by a vertical bar of the same colour. It's a nice extra to colour the various satellites, it offers a clear view on each satellite's reception status. No confusion whatsoever on the monitor; just a well-structured graph.
Garmin 60CSx Trip computer
Trip computer page
You can obtain a lot of information about your route through the 'Trip computer' page. For example; distance to your destination, direction, direction deviation, average speed, maximum speed, altitude, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, time of sunrise/ sunset and more. Standard some eight areas can be adjusted and you have the choice from a large scale of possibilities. A pity however that there is no help text available here; especially in the beginning you will have to experiment to find out the purpose of the various options. The Menu button offers access to extra functionalities on all the main pages, which makes things easier. You could say it works like a submenu.
Garmin GPSmap 60CSx Base map
Base map page
A base map is already installed when you buy the Garmin 60CSx. This map shows cities, highways, rivers and lakes all over the world. It's not a detailed map though. Garmin offers the possibility of purchasing additional detailed maps. With the aid of the MapSource City Navigator, the map is enhanced with streets and many 'Point of Interests' are available. The so-called MapSourceBlueChart is suitable for marine purposes and the MapSource TOPO 24K offers topographic information about national parks and forests among other things. You can purchase these maps for any region but the maps have a considerable price tag dangling from them. Prices vary from a 100 to 300 EUROS per map. It is also possible to purchase various kits, meaning; a Garmin GPSMap 60CXs together with one of the aforementioned maps. This is relatively cheaper than purchasing a separate map. Unfortunately I was unable to try out a detailed map for this review but I can imagine that it is worth purchasing one of them, certainly when you plan on making frequent use of the GPS receiver, because the base map is extremely standard.
Garmin GPS Compass
Compass page
Before you're able to use the compass it has to be calibrated. The instructions will appear on the monitor; turn the device twice, very slowly. As long as you keep the GPS device well balanced horizontally, calibration is a piece of cake. The compass page then shows navigation data and the direction. The GPS direction is reproduced as a compass ring. It allows you to set two types of pointers; geocaching and heading. The geocaching pointer is a fat arrow pointing at the destination. The heading pointer is an arrow consisting of three parts. The top and bottom part work the same way as the geocaching pointer. The middle part shows heading errors. When the arrow is 'broken', that is to say if the middle part finds itself to the left or right in relation to the top and bottom part, you have to go in the direction of the arrow in order to get on the right track again. As for me; I preferred working with the heading pointer because it shows deviation of direction and heading errors quite fast. Besides the compass ring, the compass page also offers a number of digital data fields that inform you about the current speed, the distance to the next mark on the route, the expected arrival time and the heading error in meters.
Altimeter page
T he Garmin 60CXs GPS receiver has a barometric altimeter at its disposal. An altimeter calculates the altitude by means of atmospheric pressure differences; when atmospheric pressure decreases, altitude increases. Internationally altitude is defined in feet compared to sea level. The Altitude page shows you what altitude you are at and what altitudes you have met during your route. Besides that it shows if you are heading for higher or lower grounds. Furthermore, the maximum and minimum altitude is rendered. Everything is visualized by means of a graph and two data fields. These data fields can be set to your own wishes; there are fifteen options to choose from. The information comes in handy especially when you find yourself in the mountains or other areas with altitude differences. I must say that even in the Netherlands, where the Garmin GPS was tested, there were vast differences in altitude and we all know the Netherlands as an extremely flat country.
Garmin 60CSx Main menu
Besides the many submenu pages, the GPSmap 60CSx also has an enhanced main menu. This main menu offers extra functionality possibilities such as; Tracks, Routes, Highways, Settings, Proximity, Calendar, Calculator, Stopwatch, Sun & Moon, Hunt & Fish and Games. Through 'Tracks' you can save and store your route with extreme ease by selecting 'on' or 'off'. In total you can save 10,000 track points divided over 20 tracks. The software lets you backup tracks so in fact a lot more than 20 tracks can be saved. Reproduction of the routes can be adjusted at will, for example, to give a route its own colour or to decide the interval. Upon doing so you can view the route on a map.
Highway menu
Garmin 60CSx Main menu
'Routes' offers the possibility of storing routes. Some 50 can be stored on the Garmin 60CSx. You can clearly define your route through the map or through the created waypoints. This enables you as a user, to go the same route twice without having to set everything from the start. One thousand waypoints can be created through the 60CSx. When you have made a route, you can also start navigation through this menu. The menu 'Highway' is able to show the same information as the Compass page, yet without rendering of the compass ring; instead it offers graphic support.
Proximity menu
Garmin 60CSx Settings menu
The 'Settings' menu takes you to a submenu where you can adjust all the settings in relation to the Garmin 60CSx, such as; image reproduction, map, time, battery type, desired display, calibration and more. The menu option 'Proximity' offers the possibility of giving an alert when you're too far off-track. You can choose from twenty signals to warn you. This is a very convenient function, especially when you don't want to watch the GPS every second, while remaining ensured you will be prevented from going too far into the wrong direction before realizing you're off-track.
Calendar menu
Garmin Calendar function
The 'Calendar' function does not offer an organizing function but gives you handy information such as when the sun rises or sets (rendering in time), what the moon's position is and whether or not fish catching is recommended under the current moon position. The 'Sun & Moon' function lets you select a specific day for which more extensive information on the position of the sun and moon becomes available.
Sun & Moon menu
Garmin Hunt & Fish function
Besides that the 'Hunt & Fish' function predicts the best times for fishing and hunting. Giving a date and location will give you a prediction, in the form of a small text plus the best times to hit the road for a fishing or hunting trip. It doesn't work the other way around unfortunately, which means you can't see the best day at one glance; you always have to insert a date. And if you get really bored en route, you can always play a game on your Garmin GPS device. The 'Games' menu has some six games available.
Garmin MapSource software
Garmin outdoor GPS Field test
After thoroughly studying and trying out all settings, it was time to use the Garmin 60CSx in practice. I started with installing the free firmware update through the Garmin Webupdater, which only cost a few minutes and equipped the GPS receiver with the latest software version. Then I created a few waypoints through the Garmin MapSource software in combination with Google Earth. This took me some more time than I had planned and I really had to search before I was able to place the correct coordinates in the Garmin. But practice makes perfect as the saying goes.
Garmin 60CSx test
Walking my route
When I had finally finished setting a route, I took the Garmin 60CSx and my camera and got in the car to drive to the Veluwe, a woody area in the Netherlands, to go for a long walk. After walking for a couple of hundred feet, a heading error occurred. This is rather logical if you consider the fact that the Garmin does not count with hedges, fences etcetera on your route, but just lays out a crow-fly distance. I was very grateful for the heading pointer to help me stay on-track.
Published on: Thursday, April 10th 2008 Written by: Ilse Jurrien - Photography by: Dennis Hissink
Route projection on Google Earth
Open Field Vierhouten
Arriving at my destination
Once I arrived at my first destination, an open field with some beautiful, mature trees, I heard a beep coming from my GPS. At the same time the GPSmap 60CSx notified me through its monitor that I had arrived at my destination. The location was the exact location I had selected through Google Earth, right in front of one of the trees on the sandy area. An even more precise position fix can be obtained by purchasing an external antenna. The standard quad helix antenna is up to 32 feet precise. When I finished walking the complete route, 1.5x larger due to heading errors, I connected the Garmin to my pc via the USB cable, to download the route with the help of the included software.
Vierhouten forest
Projecting my route to Google Earth
After downloading the route it was a piece of cake to project the route on Google Earth and to see the created waypoints. I had initially made waypoints to create a route, but I also created more waypoints during walking this route, mainly at places where I took pictures. Despite the fact that uploading the route was somewhat difficult, everything else that came after that was easy. The Garmin GPSmap 60CSx in combination with the MapSource software and Google Earth is an extremely powerful and enhanced GPS receiver.
Garmin GPS software
Garmin MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager
The Garmin MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software comes standard with the Garmin GPS. This software helps you transfer waypoints, routes and tracks via USB from the Garmin 60CSx to a computer and vice versa. A USB cable is included for this purpose. Just like the GPS receiver itself, the software package offers many functionality possibilities. Personally, I found transferring the route to Google Earth the most beautiful function. Immediately after every route I used the software to project the route in Google Earth. Using Google Earth makes your route a lot more visual, certainly when you use the non-detailed standard map that comes with the 60CSx. After having used MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software for a while, I would call this software user-friendly.
Garmin GPSmap 60CSx manual
User friendly GPS receiver
You will have to play with the GPS receiver for a while before you are familiar with its operation. And that's no wonder when we look at the many possibilities the device offers. The manual will help you with this, although there is no comprehensive explanation as to what every function does exactly. General items and where to find a certain function are described in the manual but specific field information is lacking. However, once you are used to the navigation possibilities the menu is quite user-friendly and you will find out that frequently used functions are accessible by pressing the button once or twice. Garmin deserves praise for keeping an enhanced device such as the GPS 60SCx, this user-friendly.
Garmin GPS receiver
Garmin battery / memory compartment
Varta batteries
Garmin 60CSx AA batteries
The battery compartment is positioned on the back and can be opened and closed with a D-ring lock. This is a very handy system; it makes it easy to open/close the compartment without giving water a chance to get in. Two AA batteries suffice to get the Garmin 60CSx working. Unfortunately they are not included in the box. This is very surprising for a product in this price range; you'd expect batteries to be included. It would prevent disappointed consumers from having to go to the store to purchase batteries before being able to use the 60Csx. How long batteries last depend very much on the type of battery that is used. At first I purchased some generic batteries which lasted for just one weekend when I used the Garmin GPS receiver intensively. The second lot of batteries, Varta batteries, lasted twice as long. I'd recommend using rechargeable batteries especially when the device gets used on a frequent base.
SanDisk memory card
MicroSD flash memory card
The Garmin GPSmap 60CSx comes with a 64MB microSD memory card for storing routes among other things. The memory can be enhanced with a higher capacity memory card which is an improvement compared to its predecessor, the GPSmap 60CS that did not offer this possibility. During the test period the 64MB card sufficed but if you want to download additional maps or when many routes are stored, it is wise to purchase an extra microSD card. Their prices have dropped drastically so that should not be a problem. microSD can be considered as the ultra compact version of the standard SD card. Thanks to the compact size - 1/4 of a standard SD card - it fits perfectly in the battery compartment right at the bottom. In addition, there are more accessories available for the Garmin 60CSx. First of all the detailed maps we mentioned before. On top of that Garmin offers; car and maritime navigation kits, adapters, antennas, mounting supports, cables, a carabiner keychain and various protection covers.
Garmin 60CSx conclusion
According to a recently published study, carried out by a research company called Canalys, Garmin is the market leader in the field of portable satellite navigation systems and the number of sold devices. In 2007 Garmin sold more of these navigation systems than any other producer. The GPSmap 60CSx will strengthen Garmin's position. The Garmin 60CSx does not only look professional, it also offers every possibility a consumer can think of. If you are on the road a lot, walking, climbing or sailing; the GPSmap 60CSx will lead you to your destination in all cases and offers many additional functionalities on top of that. Besides the solid and waterproof design, the Garmin 60CSx is very user-friendly. The possibilities offered by MapSource software in combination with Google Earth are a unique experience. Any product is bound to have a minus point or two, but the GPS receiver's minus points completely disappear when looking at the plus points of the device.
With its prices varying from 300 to 480 US dollars the 60CSx is not a cheap device and you also pay a rather large amount for additional detailed maps, but with the many extra possibilities this GPS receiver offers, there is only one conclusion possible: the Garmin GPSmap 60CSx is absolutely worth every penny!
Garmin belt clip
Positives [+]
• Solid design
• User-friendly
• Comprehensive functions
• Extremely precise navigation
• MapSource software with Google Earth
Garmin GPS software
Negatives [-]
• Base map not detailed
• Batteries not included
Garmin USB cable
Review score %
• Score : 85%
• Highly recommended
