Four Wheel Drive Club of Southern Africa - GPS News from Kevin Bolton

Evaluation: Garmin GPS Map 60C / CS

Garmin last year launched their GPS MAP 60 C and GPS MAP 60 CS hand-held receivers, in their new rugged casing. The specification of these receivers is impressive but when evaluating the unit we found that the receivers exceeded all expectations. In a nutshell, Garmin have taken the best features from all their other series and built these features into one unit. The only difference between the 60 C and the 60 CS is that the CS has a magnetic compass and a barometer built in. The idea behind the barometer is to give barometric pressure data, which can be graphically displayed, or to give a better elevation accuracy and a profile of the vertical route.

Specifications

• 12 Parallel channel receiver
• General accuracy of 5 metres
• WAAS / EGNOS enabled, to improve accuracy when available in Africa (2-3m 95% of the time)
• Built-in Quad helix antenna with a capability to take an external antenna
• Unit size: 61 x 180 x 33 mm
• Weight: 153 g with batteries
• Screen size: 160 x 240 pixels, (38 mm x 55 mm), with new TFT 256 colour high resolution colour display
• 2 AA batteries with up to 30 hours under normal use, (Alkaline, NiMH, Lithium)
• 56 Mb memory for the downloading of detailed maps
• Auto-routing capability (Turn-by-turn technology)
• Data communication via a USB cable or serial port
• 1000 waypoints
• Capable of saving up to 50 routes with 250 points per route
• 20 Tracks with a maximum of 500 points per track, max 10 000 breadcrumbs
• Standard Garmin configurable "Trip Computer"
• Standard Garmin IPX 7 standard water proofing (1m of water for 30 min)
• Comes standard with a PC / USB cable

Optional Accessories

• Handle bar mount
• Dash mount
• Power / Data cable
• PC cable (Serial cable)
• 12 volt cigarette lighter cable
• External antenna · Carry Case

Findings

The receiver was found to be user friendly and easy to use. The clarity of the screen was far beyond expectations and does not bleed (fade) in direct sunlight as most other colour GPS screens. With the positioning of the control buttons at the bottom of the receiver the user does not block the screen when pressing these buttons, making it easier to use. A finer point is that the receiver fits comfortably in your hand when compared to other receivers.

Strong Points

• The colour screen has good resolution
• 56 Mb memory for detailed maps (The best in handheld units)
• Any MapSource product can be loaded including Garmap, Blue Charts (Marine Charts), SA City Select (SA auto routing maps), etc.
• Due to the USB data communication cable the transferring of data is quick and easy.
• The improvement of the battery life.

Weak Points

• Does not float in water like the MAP 76 series
• The standard price does not include any maps - these have to be purchased additionally.
• The games for the kids I consider to be a weakness.

Comments

The GPS MAP 60 series is an update of the much-favoured Garmin GPS V, which is widely spoken of and comes highly rated. This is the best of all the Garmin handheld receivers, designed for land, air and sea. The receiver is ideally suited for city and bush navigation and is good value for money

Kevin Bolton.
KJ Bolton Consultants