Re: Garmin 60CS or VistaC

Ksenia Golod wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to buy my first GPS unit, which will be used for
> autorouting and some hiking. Based on my few key requirements (color
> screen, autorouting, waterproof, handheld) and budget, I narrowed
> down the selection to Garmin 60CS or VistaC.
>
> Could somebody please recommend one or the other?
>
> From what I gathered, the basic feature set is almost identical.
> VistaC has less memory, cannot accept external antenna and has a
> slightly smaller screen -- but it is quite a bit cheaper! Do these
> few 60CS advantages justify the cost increase?
>
> I'll appreciate any advice / comments / recommendations...

And to balance "GSV", as another UK user, I went through the evaluation and
plumped for the VistaC.

My logic:
Unlikely to need serial interface (I don't want to connect it to a PDA or
other serial device).
24Mb of maps should be enough for my uses (so far it is; there are not
fantastically detailed topo maps of Europe, for topo maps you end up in the
"roll your own" or "use someone elses' home-rolls").
Weight and size suits me better.
Claimed battery life seems to be realised in practise.
So far its waterproof, and it has been out in a lot of rain, either sitting
on my shoulder or on the bars of my bicycle.

I have it primarily for use when mountain walking.
Its also proved useful for cycling trips, even without detailed road mapping
(say 100-150km per day).

I am not that bothered about car use, that's mostly something to play with
from the passenger seat on a long drive. However, my experience is that it
works fine in my car on the standard antenna; either clipped into the centre
air vent (home-brew coathanger arrangement), or sitting in a storage hole
between the front seats. The tracklogs from driving look completely
believable when plotted over a map, and the "beeping" when approaching
waypoints/junctions on routes also works. According to various website, my
car has a manufacturer's metalicised coating on the windows which would
impair the GPS reception (no idea if this is true or not), as well as a
steel roof.




- Nigel


--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/


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