sinned
18th December 2009, 05:57
I like toys – GPS units are nice toys and they do have some use in the real world. This review is of a nice to have toy that works really well.
Shortly after GPS units for use in cars came onto the market I bought what was then a top Navman model. It cost close to $1000 and worked well in the car – with a pleasant female voice to keep me on route. From time to time I set the Navman up on the bike but for a multitude of reasons it was never satisfactory.
When the Zumo550 came on the market I had a bit of a yearning to get one but thought – why not wait awhile for the price to come down and for an improved model. About a year ago I put the Navman on Trademe and sold it as I could see the investment was about to be totally lost. Garmin had promoted a new and yet to be released model, the Zumo660, to replace the Zumo550. In New Zealand the price of the 550 was coming down and supply was limited. I decided I didn’t want to buy an old model and would wait for the 660.
It was a long wait. When the Zumo660 was released in the USA a number of GPS geeks on the Zumo forum (http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php) who had bought the units posted about all the problems with the new model. The new model was missing some of the functionality that was in the 550, had a lot of bugs and there were issues of reliability. So I watched the forum and waited to see what fixes Garmin would provide to the firmware and for a newer release of the model to be released in NZ. In mid year I was told the model may not be released in NZ and yes, I could have bought one from the USA but given the problems with it decided the risks were too high.
In the end I gave up on the idea of a Zumo660, reassessed my needs and did more research. My desire (not need as who really needs a GPS) was for a GPS that will work on a motorcycle, in the car and as a portable/handheld unit. The GPS I selected was a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx. It is reported as being one of the best handheld units available. Read a review here (http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/review/0058/garmin-gpsmap-60csx/).
The GPSmap 60CSx is an excellent unit and it provides me all I need in a GPS for the motorcycle. I am not saying it is better than a Zumo. For motorcycle touring the Zumo has a number of features that would make it a brilliant bit of kit for a tour of distant lands (Europe or the USA).
Garmin provide with their GPS units a free software program ‘Map Source’ to plan routes and save tracks of where the GPS has been. The trip logging feature is what I use and value highly with the 60CSx. When I return from a ride the trip log is downloaded to Map Source in the PC and I can view every part of the trip on a map display in Map Source or, with one click, display the trip in Google Earth. This allows to me review every section of the road travelled; how fast was I going when I passed the truck, my average speed, top speed, time stopped at traffic lights, etc.
While the bike is fitted with a RAM mount for the GPS most of the time the GPS is not on display. I put the GPS in the tank or tail bag to record all my significant rides.
Map Source provides similar functionality to Google Maps for planning a route and once the route is planned in Map Source it is uploaded via USB to the GPS. I sourced NZ road maps from the NZ Open GPS Project instead of buying the Garmin map. These free maps are very good and are updated as changes are advised by users.
I use the navigation feature (‘go to’) on most rides as it provides instant information on progress towards the destination. The screen can be configured to display up to 37 different data fields. I have selected to display with the road map graphic fields for: ‘distance to next’ turn/road, ‘distance to destination’, ‘time of day’, ‘ETA at destination’. This provides all the information I need. The ‘distance to next’ is sufficient for navigation and when nearing the turn a graphic of the turn and text instructions pop up. There are no voice prompts with this unit and in my opinion they are not necessary and there is already too much noise for my ears to deal with. The GPS unit is fitted on the bike just inside the line of sight and the screen is very clear in any lighting conditions. You would have to be asleep at the bar to miss a turn.
See photo of GPS on the bike and displaying my navigation screen.
There is a trip computer screen which has 8 fields. Speed freaks could use this to display speed, max speed, average speed, moving average, velocity made good, etc. The information displayed on each screen is easily changed by the user. You may not want to display maximum speed but the data is saved if you want to have a look. To view all the standard screens see these pages (http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/review/0058/garmin-gpsmap-60csx/page8/) in the review mentioned above
Powering the unit and battery life is important and I wanted a unit with sufficient battery for a long day ride. The 60CSx uses 2 AA batteries and has a cable for 12V connection to a vehicle. While connected to the computer the unit is powered through the USB cable. I have bought 2 sets of NiMH rechargeable batteries and they will run the GPS for 20 – 30 hours. For night time rides I will use the power cable to an outlet on the bike so the backlight can be run all the time.
In summary the good points of the GPSmap60CSx as a motorcycle GPS are:
Compact, good shape, waterproof and rugged
Clear screen, big letters, works in any lighting, wide viewing angle
Excellent battery life, replaceable batteries and ext power cable
Navigation with NZ free maps works well
Extensive points of interest file provided with the NZ maps
Log file provides a record of all your trips.
As an in car GPS it also works well. The receiver is super sensitive and the GPS keeps locked on to satellites when almost any where in the vehicle. Because of my experience with the Navman I bought an extension aerial for mounting on the windscreen. It wasn’t necessary (a waste of money) and the GPS works fine sitting in the junk compartment between the front seats.
If you take photos the log file provides the location where you took a photo; based on the log time and photo taken time. There is software that will match images to coordinates from the GPS log.
As a hand held it is the best.
Shortly after GPS units for use in cars came onto the market I bought what was then a top Navman model. It cost close to $1000 and worked well in the car – with a pleasant female voice to keep me on route. From time to time I set the Navman up on the bike but for a multitude of reasons it was never satisfactory.
When the Zumo550 came on the market I had a bit of a yearning to get one but thought – why not wait awhile for the price to come down and for an improved model. About a year ago I put the Navman on Trademe and sold it as I could see the investment was about to be totally lost. Garmin had promoted a new and yet to be released model, the Zumo660, to replace the Zumo550. In New Zealand the price of the 550 was coming down and supply was limited. I decided I didn’t want to buy an old model and would wait for the 660.
It was a long wait. When the Zumo660 was released in the USA a number of GPS geeks on the Zumo forum (http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php) who had bought the units posted about all the problems with the new model. The new model was missing some of the functionality that was in the 550, had a lot of bugs and there were issues of reliability. So I watched the forum and waited to see what fixes Garmin would provide to the firmware and for a newer release of the model to be released in NZ. In mid year I was told the model may not be released in NZ and yes, I could have bought one from the USA but given the problems with it decided the risks were too high.
In the end I gave up on the idea of a Zumo660, reassessed my needs and did more research. My desire (not need as who really needs a GPS) was for a GPS that will work on a motorcycle, in the car and as a portable/handheld unit. The GPS I selected was a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx. It is reported as being one of the best handheld units available. Read a review here (http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/review/0058/garmin-gpsmap-60csx/).
The GPSmap 60CSx is an excellent unit and it provides me all I need in a GPS for the motorcycle. I am not saying it is better than a Zumo. For motorcycle touring the Zumo has a number of features that would make it a brilliant bit of kit for a tour of distant lands (Europe or the USA).
Garmin provide with their GPS units a free software program ‘Map Source’ to plan routes and save tracks of where the GPS has been. The trip logging feature is what I use and value highly with the 60CSx. When I return from a ride the trip log is downloaded to Map Source in the PC and I can view every part of the trip on a map display in Map Source or, with one click, display the trip in Google Earth. This allows to me review every section of the road travelled; how fast was I going when I passed the truck, my average speed, top speed, time stopped at traffic lights, etc.
While the bike is fitted with a RAM mount for the GPS most of the time the GPS is not on display. I put the GPS in the tank or tail bag to record all my significant rides.
Map Source provides similar functionality to Google Maps for planning a route and once the route is planned in Map Source it is uploaded via USB to the GPS. I sourced NZ road maps from the NZ Open GPS Project instead of buying the Garmin map. These free maps are very good and are updated as changes are advised by users.
I use the navigation feature (‘go to’) on most rides as it provides instant information on progress towards the destination. The screen can be configured to display up to 37 different data fields. I have selected to display with the road map graphic fields for: ‘distance to next’ turn/road, ‘distance to destination’, ‘time of day’, ‘ETA at destination’. This provides all the information I need. The ‘distance to next’ is sufficient for navigation and when nearing the turn a graphic of the turn and text instructions pop up. There are no voice prompts with this unit and in my opinion they are not necessary and there is already too much noise for my ears to deal with. The GPS unit is fitted on the bike just inside the line of sight and the screen is very clear in any lighting conditions. You would have to be asleep at the bar to miss a turn.
See photo of GPS on the bike and displaying my navigation screen.
There is a trip computer screen which has 8 fields. Speed freaks could use this to display speed, max speed, average speed, moving average, velocity made good, etc. The information displayed on each screen is easily changed by the user. You may not want to display maximum speed but the data is saved if you want to have a look. To view all the standard screens see these pages (http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/review/0058/garmin-gpsmap-60csx/page8/) in the review mentioned above
Powering the unit and battery life is important and I wanted a unit with sufficient battery for a long day ride. The 60CSx uses 2 AA batteries and has a cable for 12V connection to a vehicle. While connected to the computer the unit is powered through the USB cable. I have bought 2 sets of NiMH rechargeable batteries and they will run the GPS for 20 – 30 hours. For night time rides I will use the power cable to an outlet on the bike so the backlight can be run all the time.
In summary the good points of the GPSmap60CSx as a motorcycle GPS are:
Compact, good shape, waterproof and rugged
Clear screen, big letters, works in any lighting, wide viewing angle
Excellent battery life, replaceable batteries and ext power cable
Navigation with NZ free maps works well
Extensive points of interest file provided with the NZ maps
Log file provides a record of all your trips.
As an in car GPS it also works well. The receiver is super sensitive and the GPS keeps locked on to satellites when almost any where in the vehicle. Because of my experience with the Navman I bought an extension aerial for mounting on the windscreen. It wasn’t necessary (a waste of money) and the GPS works fine sitting in the junk compartment between the front seats.
If you take photos the log file provides the location where you took a photo; based on the log time and photo taken time. There is software that will match images to coordinates from the GPS log.
As a hand held it is the best.