Garmin GPSmap60CSx – Review as Motorcycle GPS

[Gremlin]

Well in reality it appears to have a whole lot more features than the zumo as far as mapping and navigation goes. Its good for hiking (carrying extensive altitude information and even a barometer with trend graphs), boating (carries navigational charts) and road adventures. It'll even route offroad which i'm told the zumo wont do (from someone who owns the zumo and the 60csx).
It's even more rugged.

Downside is it doesn't have the big flash screen of the zumo, or the bluetooth stuff.
Still a kick arse unit. I'd get the 60CSx just because it's more versatile. HOWEVER the zumo is some nice bling...

It really depends what you want from a GPS I guess. I find the touch screen on the zumo handy, its bigger, allowing you to see more of the map etc, and has music playing, including a SD/SDHC card slot.

It is definitely confined to bikes or cars as such. Short battery life, more limited re barometer (just elevation, compass etc), but if you turn on track logs, you can see where you have been etc.

Rugged? My zumo has had a pretty hard life on top of the KTM, couple of bails, lots of rough gravel roads, lots of wheelies etc, and it still performs flawlessly... couldn't imagine needing anything tougher.

[Steve Hanmer]

GPS and Coordinate Systems
Being a surveyor I can explain what is up.
The geodetic datum is the shape of the earth we use for our surveys-maps.
The map projection is how that is going to be shown on a flat surface or your GPS screen.

GEODETIC DATUM - New Zealand changed to Datum 2000 (from an old system based on star observations) which is now compatible with WGS84, the system GPS are based on.

See
http://www.linz.govt.nz/geodetic/dat...000/index.aspx

MAP PROJECTION - Historically NZ used NZMG (New Zealand Map Grid) which is a clever mathematical projection unique to NZ. Historically we had to tell GPS units to adjust themselves to the NZMG system. When you set up NZMG in a GPS the machine knows automatically to transform the WGS84 data -> about 200m to the New Zealand geodetic datum -> to output as NZMG coordinates.

Currently if you have the availability in your GPS you use NZTM2000.

NZTM2000 - Means New Zealand Transverse Mercator (the latest map projection) using the Geodetic datum 2000. The GPS knows (as the digital map files downloaded identifies this as part of the data) what geodetic datum to use and also the correct type of map projection.

The old NZMG (New Zealand Map Grid) maps are in theory 200m difference in position. BUT having said that the map specifications were based on printed maps, prepared from aerial photographs with an accuracy based on plotting the lines (for example a road) on a large scale map. Which could hundreds of metres off but fine for the purpose of a map. It is fair to say that modern GPS are more accurate than the topographical mapping data available underneath.

Over time the mapping data will just get better and better. The points that you save such as favourite coffee shop, garage and place to 'powder your nose' will remain correctly identified on your GPS until they are moved on the ground.