Garmin GPSMAP 60C (Colour)

This is one fun GPS. This is my 3rd Garmin GPS, and I've used many others. Except for the slightly larger size, it is significantly better in every way to the eTrex series, which are still fine GPS units.

The boot time is fast, and the aquisition time is fast. You can program just about every thing you could imagine on the GPSMAP 60C, yet in spite of the functionality, this is the easiest to use GPS Garmin has ever made. Several things that really make it easy to use are (a) simple, clear menus, (b) all buttons (except power) are on the front, and have large, clear, high-contrast text labels (no tiny molded icons to squint at). In map mode, the pan and zoom buttons are always available - you don't have to go into a pan mode, and map redraw is much faster than on the eTrex series, which is nice. (c) display is big and clear - in the dark or in the sun, (d) very effective use of color in menus, maps, and status screens. You can even select among different color screens. The Quad helix antenna seems to work very well - at least as well as my old GPS12, and noticably better than my eTrex Vista, which had trouble in the trees. The USB interface makes downloading maps very fast, and 56MB holds more maps than you'll hike in a summer. If Garmin ever comes out with higher-resolution maps, the 56MB will be really nice.

I was able to figure everything out without the manual, but then read the manual cover-to-cover last night. It is well written, well organized, and has good illustrations. The manual is just the right size - small enough to be friendly, but has all the detail you need to get the most out of the unit in easy-to-read fonts.

On the downside, I found the buttons always getting accidently pressed when I had the unit in my daypack - I haven't found a keyboard lock-out mode for when I'm hiking and want the unit on for tracking (cell phones and ham radios often have this lockout feature). I don't use the belt clip, but the unit didn't come with the little plug that goes over the belt clip hole, yet the picture in the manual showed one. I noticed the demo unit at the local store also did not have this button.

The two biggest enhancements Garmin could make at this point are (a) higher resolution topo maps for Mapsource, and (b) a way to have the Mapsource topo and road databases in the unit at the same time.

I'm writing this to save other new users from the time consuming research and expensive lessons I've learned about the Garmin 60C, and Garmin GPS in general.

THE GOOD:
The Garmin 60C is a beautiful GPS. It is compact, fits nicely in the hand, has a clear color screen, has great battery life, is fast to acquire satellites, has a good antenna which works even in my truck, has clear button layout, has easy to navigate screens, and is intuitive despite its many many options. I love the basic machine.

THE BAD:
It is difficult and frustrating to expand its use beyond how it arrives in the box.

I *thought* GPS units were like friendly little computers that would connect to other devices, upload and download data, and otherwise be configurable however the user desired. They are not.

For example, contrary to what others have said, the included basemap is practically useless. It mostly tells you where the major freeways are. When I'm in the woods, I have very little use for knowing where I-5 is.

So, my first plan was to upload some detailed maps to it. After research, I really liked the TOPO series of maps. So I bought the TOPO for my state, and thought I'd upload whatever part of the state I wanted to the GPS. Uh-uh. Doesn't work that way. The ONLY map that will upload to the Garmin GPS is the Garmin series of maps. For those of you who know that already are probably chuckling at me. But I didn't know, and it made sense that you should be able to upload *any* geo-referenced map to your machine that you want. Why not? Garmin already got good money from me for the hardware. The software should be a choice, not a lock-in requirement. Okay, so another chunk of change to Garmin for their map-tax so I can upload maps to the 60C.

And, as if that's not enough of a discouragement, you can't simply go buy, for example, the City Select map software and upload it to your machine. You have to call or visit Garmin to register your device and unlock your GPS. Let me restate that: If you go buy a brand new top-of-the-line Garmin GPS, and brand new full-price Garmin map software, you are not allowed to load the Garmin software on the Garmin GPS until you call or visit Garmin to get *permission* to use your items together. And every time you buy a new GPS, you have to call or visit Garmin again to unlock your new device. Want to upgrade your map the the newest version? Call Garmin again. Does that seem fair?

Next, I wanted to connect the GPS to my laptop, to track in real-time my position on the laptop screen with a nice, big, color view of the map area. When I bought the 60C one of the selling points was the cool, simple, small USB connection. "New and Improved" I thought, over the slow serial connection. Those of you who know are probably chuckling again. The problem is the USB connection is a closed, secret, proprietary, locked connection by Garmin, that *only* allows the GPS unit to communicate with Garmin software. So, you can't use the software of your choice on your laptop and have the Garmin plot where you are. You have to use the alternate serial connection on the GPS device, which is bulkier, cumbersome, and requires the extra purchase of a serial to USB converter.

Why is the Garmin so locked down? I mean, it's a basic consumer device! It's not some fancy military or airline pilot device. I understand that devices for very specific markets are usually expensive and locked. But this is just a commodity device. Like phones, palm pilots, laptops, ipods, and cameras, I should be able to upload and download whatever I want to the device once I've bought it.

CONCLUSION:
I love the 60C. I hate being locked in to Garmin for every use of the 60C. Bad corporate policy. Five stars for the 60C, zero for the Garmin system.

I took this unit with me to the desert during a standard deployment. It performed perfectly even during sand storms and the other ambient conditions that affect satellite signals. I found the unit to be extremely well made and resistant to damage from the usual factors involved in combat operations in a desert environment. I only received a minor scratch on the screen, but considering the circumstances of that day it did pretty good. I now use it in patrol car as I work the roads. It has helped immeasurably to find addresses on calls that haven't seen daylight in years. Great piece of gear. Would be a great tool for a driver traveling alone and to give authorities specific information concerning their location. GPS has almost become an essential piece of our lives, and we are better off for them.

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