Garmin 60CSx

Had a search on here but can't seem to find the answers to the following..

I'm after a gps unit that I can use as a normal automotive unit for the time being and then use as a navigator for a RTW trip planned for next year. The 60CSx seems to fit the bill but...

1) Is it easy enough to use for street to street navigation on UK roads and how do you enter said address details? Does it support any form of postcode entry (full or partial)?

2) Does the European base map contain enough detail to do the above without buying the additional maps?

3) If the answer to 2) is "no, you need to buy additional maps", then does it make a fat lot of difference if the unit has the US basemaps preloaded if you have to buy the other maps anyway?

The reason I ask is that you're looking at £400 for the unit in this country and £270ish if you import from the US. So if you need to buy the additional UK maps anyway, the saving can be used to buy them..

Advice and comments appreciated!

Pete

Pete, if you are planning to do a RTW next year, I really strongly recommend you don't buy a GPSR until perhaps 2 months before your planned departure date.

First off, that will ensure you have the newest version of GPSR with the largest feature set, and second, it will ensure you have the newest cartography. It's really quite pointless to buy the GPSR now, honest.

Michael

Appreciate your comments Michael and would normally agree but I need a gps unit for work as my current Medion thing is, quite honestly, cr*p.. not only has the touch screen started to fail in the centre making selections difficult, it keeps crashing randomly but regularly.. safe to safe it's going back for a refund as it's only about 10 months old! I don't fancy a replacement Medion and feel the simplest option would be to buy a unit that would be ok for both uses.

Being pushed into the decision really by the mistake of buying a cheap unit in the first place..

I'm a 60c user so I'll try to answer some of your questions...

In my experience (not sure if they changed anything with the newer version GPS)... the basemap is nearly useless for navigating with... Got some stories to tell over the 3 month period where I "resisted" purchasing CS6... But it is good to have to fill in for the tiles you can't load.. (not so much a problem with the X version)... and for having a look at the big (unloaded) picture... But as you say, if you are willing to shaft the tax man , savings are there to be had, and with a big memory card, you really don't need the basemap for Europe...

While I agree that if you wait a year, you will likely get a better GPS, and newer mapping... it is good to get it early enough, where you have time to play with it and get very familliar with its quirks.

Another issue that is kind of important to me, is you have no way of hearing the upcoming turn warning with the 60 series.. and it's all to easy miss the turn in my experience. Of course the GPS will recalculate (often a U-turn at the next exit) and get you back on track.

Not sure about Postal code search, I don't live in the UK.

That said, I have no intention of upgrading mine to either an audio out unit (automotive) or the x series... it's good enough for me for vehicle navigation. (I like the beeps over voice nags in the car, to be honest) It is a great unit for hiking, bicycling, kayaking, etc...

Al...

Cheers Al.. definitely answers my question re the base maps.. seems little point in having them in the first place..

Have you experienced the Garmin world map on the 60 series at all? Is it to the same level of detail as per the standard base maps?

Pete

GPSMAP60 CS series ...

I have found base map set ok in places where detailed maping is not yet available, eg Poland etc. But the lack of memory on the old series was its major flaw, although now addressed by the new x series.

Other than that the screen is a tad small, but the unit was designed for use by the SAS and thus is portable, fully waterproof, has an electronic compass etc & is a fully featured GPS unit.

Having said that I have now gone down the 2720 route primarly to get away from the base map. (Old series only had 56mb of mem) Switching off the auto re-route helps but it stil is hard to work with.

I will still keep the 60CS for its obvious qualities (Off road use, w/proof, internal batts etc)

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Richard

If you buy a 60Cx and the Garmin World Map it doesn't matter at all if you buy the US or the EU version. The world map will take you around on the main roads only. Same as the built in map in the EU-version. Note that the World Map is not a routeable map. It's only a background picture with roads and cities.

When traveling RTW the GPS with the world map will be a great tool to keep track on where you are but the map is not very detailed so you will still need to bring local road maps on paper.

To use it efficiently in Europe you need the EU map. Will cost you around EUR 180. Forget post code search with the 60Cx.

Thanks HMR.. so basically the 60csx is no good for my first intended use which is replacement of the medion heap for road routing and uk address searching..

As for the RTW thingy.. that was the intention i.e. to have gps for lat./long. reference for pin-pointing on proper maps and as a navigation aid.. otherwise I could see me spending more on gps map data than buying the 1200GSA!!