# GPS Use



## TankLT (Sep 7, 2011)

Who uses a GPS to chart new trails? What ones are good for it? (I'm ready to give up the compass and maps.)


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

There are lots to choose these days. Garmin makes one of the best. I use an old Garmin GPS 60cs. Lots of options, uploadable maps,downloadable track & waypoints, backlit, waterproof, lots of software options...ect. Mine has been with me on almost all my 3200 miles with no issues at all. I download my tracks to a master map and seperate maps so if I want to run a trail again someday, I can upload the track back to the GPS and follow it. It also has altimeter, compus, temp, ..ect.

Pretty cool.


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## J2! (May 8, 2010)

^^^ Agreed. I use a Garmin GPS 60 CSX and it has been AWSOME. Tough as nails and completely waterproof, submergable up to about 15' deep. You won't find a better one for riding atv's. Like NM said, set up camp and mark it as your home base and then track when you are riding and it will ALWAYS take you right back to camp. It's the most durable one I've seen yet. Only drawback is it's a little hard to figure out how to use it, but once you get used to it you will love it. And they aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for !! It also runs off of a cigarette lighter plug OR "AA" batteries., so I use it on trips for driving directions too, just have to buy city nvigator and install it.


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## gcfishguy (Nov 21, 2010)

60CSx here. They used to be 'the one' to have, then the fancier touch screen models came along. I'm thinking about upgrading but not sure I want to. It works amazing and having a glass screen on the Brute has got to be tougher than a touch screen...think, pawing at the screen with muddy, gritty hands...

Everything that NM said, plus a ton more. 

If you're a bit techy, a transparent overlay is awesome to work with. A gps will only hold x amount of tracks. Within an hour drive I have almost 3000kms of trails...some 'official' trails, some trails that have just always been trails, so on.... As I ride, and as I collect tracks from others I lay them overtop of the map on the screen. The end result is being able to lay ALL my tracks over the map, so if I end up in an unfamiliar area for the day, I have a map to follow. I searched for years for an easy way to do it, and finally found one...once you have the tracks, 3 clicks and you're done. Anyway, if anyone's curious. PM me for info.

With the 60 series, you can use the small USB plug into a lighter socket, but there's another plug also. The larger round plug is internally regulated and you can feed it anything between 5 and 32VDC. It's great to hook right to the battery, and is big and fits in snug so it doesn't come loose. 

The 60's are getting cheap now that there's so many new models out. It's a rugged, proven unit that fits the bill for me perfectly. You can get a complete RAM mount on ebay for around $40.....that's a must-have....and don't buy anything but RAM...I bought 2 cheaper ones, they both broke on the trail and nearly cost me my GPS.

It's great to be able to post on your local club's site, "Anybody got tracks for xxx region? Going there on the weekend..." A track file is small and is easy to email, etc.


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

Did we mention we can open our files in google earth? Another great feature.


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## TankLT (Sep 7, 2011)

Amazon has the 60CSx for $275. Does that sound reasonable? Does it come with any maps or do you buy those?


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## talleyman01 (Jul 13, 2011)

I also have a 60CSX and i use mine for everything including riding and my boat. It has been dropped, kicked, run over and it still keeps on ticking. I like the face that the cards are interchangeable and the fact that it plugs right into my laptop to keep track of everywhere it has been and then you can go right back to the computer and reload earlier trails when you want to go back to them.


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

TankLT said:


> Amazon has the 60CSx for $275. Does that sound reasonable? Does it come with any maps or do you buy those?


I don't know about the new ones but only came with a base map. I had to buy the ToPo or topographic map set. $275 sounds reasonable. I think I paid over 350 for mine but that was over 5-years ago....and it as before the "X" came out.


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## J2! (May 8, 2010)

Yeah it only comes with a base map, you have to buy any others. You will have to buy city navigator if you want to use it for driving directions. It has all the info about maps, gas, food, exits, stores, etc.. If you get the disc you can plan routes on your pc and then just download them to the device.. 275 is a good price, mine was about 350 a year ago but it did come with the topo maps including Canada and mexico. I bought mine at bass pro shops.. You will also have to buy a bigger sim card to hold all the maps it only comes with a 2mb, an 8mb will hold everything.


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

J2! said:


> You will also have to buy a bigger sim card to hold all the maps it only comes with a 2mb, an 8mb will hold everything.


Mine is so old it doesn't have a sim card. I just load the maps I need at the time. Still, it has enough base memory for me. I can hold about 2-days worth of tracks.


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## wcs61 (Jun 7, 2011)

No issue's when you go into thick woods? I had issue's before at our hunting camp whenever I went into deep hollows with lots of big trees.


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## TankLT (Sep 7, 2011)

Topo maps will be a must, I can't give up everything I learned all my life. How much are they?


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

TankLT said:


> Topo maps will be a must, I can't give up everything I learned all my life. How much are they?


 
About 87 bucks for a set. But you get a lot more then just maps. Check it out.

http://www.gpsdiscount.com/gpsdiscount/cart.php?m=product_list&c=59


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## gcfishguy (Nov 21, 2010)

Any of the newer Garmins, and the older Garmins with an H in their name all have a high sensitivity chip.
Other older units I've had would drop out under heavy tree cover, and could only get a signal in the house if they were right beside a window. The 60CSx has never lost signal, ever.

My 60CSx gets a solid lock sitting on my computer room desk, in my basement (6' cement walls), with no windows in the room. The only place it can be getting the signal is through the ceiling, walls and roof and out my door, up the stairs and in through the window of the main door, which is under a carport. Not sure how, but it does it. 

You have to be in one heck of a spot to lose signal now.

And for free maps, google ibycus. It's a guy that built tons of topo maps himself and has them available for download. 

Garmin's maps are great, but be aware....when you activate them, they're tied to the unit ID (internal serial number) of one GPS, and cannot be activated on another unit you buy. There was talk of this changing, and some of their map products are not locked to begin with, so go do some homework on that in case I'm telling lies now.


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

To wet your whistle, here is a track opened into google earth of our ride today. Only about 40 miles but lots of fun.


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## SWBF (Jan 12, 2012)

I'm using a Trail Tech Voyager GPS, very nice unit and it too is capable with Google.


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## gav09 (Feb 1, 2012)

I use a Garmin Oregon 450


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