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FastHiker
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I got bored the other day and decided to get another GPS receiver. My old one was a Garmin GPSmap 60CS. For the most part it has been great. I do have one complaint, the antenna. It can’t connect to any satellites when I’m under a bunch of redwood trees. Not that it matters, but it doesn’t work inside my house either.
The new one is the Garmin GPSmap 76CSx. In retrospect, I probably should have gotten the 60CSx instead. There isn’t much difference between the 76CSx and the 60CSx. The basic features are the same according to the Garmin web site. The 76CSx has twice the memory, it floats when dropped in water, and the case is different. I think the design of the case makes the 60CSx a better choice for hiking. Oh well, live and learn. I wanted to try one of the “x” models because they, supposedly, have better receivers. According to the propaganda, “this unit features a new, highly sensitive GPS receiver” [by SiRF] “that acquires satellites faster and lets users track their location in challenging conditions, such as heavy foliage or deep canyons”. That remains to be seen. I’ll give it a try next weekend. I can say two things about it. It does acquire the satellites faster and it works great inside my house. I don’t really expect it to work at Big Basin but I can always hope.
(Edited by FastHiker at 4:35 am on July 17, 2006)
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Total Posts: 256 | Joined Nov. 2004 | Posted on: 9:20 pm on July 16, 2006 | IP
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FastHiker
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I didn’t really feel like hiking today but I went anyway so I could see how well the new GPS receiver works under the dense foliage at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I took my usual route to Berry Creek falls by way of Howard King and Sunset trails.
The 2 features on my old 60CS receiver I use most are the Trip Display and the ability to create a track. I also use the Altimeter Display. When creating a track, the receiver saves information periodically. When you are done hiking this information is written to a file. The file can be downloaded to a computer and can be used to create a trail profile and to draw your route on the map. This feature seems to be as good on the 76CSx as it did on the 60CS. Typically, I create a track the first time I hike on a new trail. I don’t see the point in creating one on subsequent hikes.
That brings me to the Trip Display. This is the display I use on every hike. You can change the data fields that are displayed. I mostly use the default fields, which include total mileage, total time, average speed, time spent moving, time spent stopped, average speed while moving, and current elevation.
On the plus side, the 76CSx locked onto the satellites and never lost them. As I was walking down Howard King trail to Waddell Creek I kept waiting for the receiver to lose the signal. It never did. On the minus side, the numbers on the Trip Display were obviously incorrect. The Time Stopped indicator seemed to gain an extra 7-15 minutes per hour over and above the time I was actually stopped. I generally stop for 5 minutes once per hour. I walked non-stop from the junction with Sunset Trail Camp to the dirt road on the last ridge. The gauge had increased 9 minutes as I walked. Since this field is incorrect, the Time Moving and Average Speed While Moving fields are also incorrect. The total mileage was also a little on the low side. On the 60CS, the mileage on the Trip Display seems reasonable and the mileage associated with a Track is fairly accurate buy a little on the low side. On the 76CSx, the mileage associated with a Track is also a tiny bit on the low side but the Trip Display mileage is even less accurate.
When I got back to my truck, I walked around the parking lot with the 76CSx in my hand. I noticed a couple things as I looked at the Trip Display. I had to walk a ways before the Time Stopped indicator stopped incrementing. It also started incrementing again if I slowed down below my normal pace. It appears the accuracy of this field is connected to how fast I’m walking. If this is the case, the time I spent walking up the falls was probably interpreted as standing still.
As far as using the receivers at Big Basin, the 60CS doesn’t work at all. It keeps losing the satellites because of all the large trees. In that respect, the 76CSx is more accurate than the 60CS in areas where the 60CS doesn’t work at all. In all other areas I’m not so sure. I think I may give away the 76CSx and go back to using my old 60CS. In areas where there are too many trees, I just won’t bother using it. I suppose it’s possible the inaccuracies of the 76CSx are the result of processing signals that have been bouncing off all those trees. The more times the signal bounces off something, the greater the margin of error. I’ll have to hike somewhere like Rose Peak and take both receivers. It should be interesting to compare the numbers.
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Total Posts: 256 | Joined Nov. 2004 | Posted on: 6:26 pm on July 30, 2006 | IP
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Randy
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If you are unsatisfied with the performance of the unit, you may be able to take it back for a refund. Or perhaps when you do, if the salesperson is knowledgable, they can explain what happened and recommend a technique for getting around the problem. If not maybe I would like to buy it from you. My GPS is useless under heavy tree cover, and I have always thought that they all were. Well, not totally useless. The compass and altimiter still work, but the GPS looses reception, especially if stopped. Let me know how you make out with it.
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Total Posts: 147 | Joined Sep. 2004 | Posted on: 12:16 pm on July 31, 2006 | IP
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FastHiker
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I saw on the Garmin site the software on my receiver is several updates out of date. I sent a message to Garmin about the problem anyway. I didn’t see anything relevant in the release notes.
There was one person on Amazon that had the same problem. According to him it’s a known problem and Garmin is working on a fix. I believe the post was made back in February.
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Total Posts: 256 | Joined Nov. 2004 | Posted on: 9:33 pm on July 31, 2006 | IP
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FastHiker
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I heard from Garmin. They said exactly what I expected. Basically, they told me to go away until I had tried the latest software updates. I had hoped to bypass this step because nothing in the release notes is relevant to the problem I’m having with the 76CSx. Anyway, I upgraded the software in my 76CSx and 60CS. I now need to see if the software update makes the 76CSx usable or if it is still a piece of worthless junk. Given how poorly the Garmin update program worked, I’m not sure the 60CS still works. For a couple days there, all the 60CS display said was “Software Missing”. The Garmin update program downloaded the update, erased the existing GPS software, and started loading the update into the receiver but never finished.
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Total Posts: 256 | Joined Nov. 2004 | Posted on: 7:36 am on Aug. 10, 2006 | IP
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Gomboo
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My previous GPS (Geode) couldn't get locks under trees or in canyons. I have been quite happy with my Magellan Sporttrak Pro. I was hiking in the San Gabriel mountains one day, looking at the GPS when I realized that I was in a fairly narrow canyon, under trees and still had a lock. I can use it in my car with no problems too.
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Total Posts: 56 | Joined July 2001 | Posted on: 12:27 pm on Aug. 14, 2006 | IP
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FastHiker
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I finally gave up on the Garmin 76CSx. In addition to being extremely inaccurate, the 76CSx just wasn’t made for hiking. The shape is all wrong. The 60CS and 60CSx can fit into your pocket or clip onto a belt or strap. The 76CSx can’t. It’s too large.I went back to using my old 60CS. It may not work under the heavy foliage at Big Basin but it is much more accurate. I don’t want to have anything to do with any of the receivers that have that trailing “X” in the name. Sure the 76CSx works at Big Basin but the inaccuracy makes it useless, worse than useless. A map is much better.
I was going to have some fun smashing the 76CSx with a sledgehammer but a friend convinced me to give it to him instead. I didn’t think it was right to charge him for that worthless piece of junk so I gave it to him.
I took a look at the Garmin Colorado 400t. I got a good laugh when I read some of the reviews on the REI site. One review could have been written by me about the 76CSx. It said the trip display was useless, the speed indicator was wrong, the distance information was wrong, and the altitude data was wrong. Oh well, I’ll just keep using my 60CS.
For the record, I eventually used the 60CS and the 76CSx on the same hike. I went on the Flag Hill loop at Sunol. IIRC, it’s about 3.5 miles long. Even though the hike was short, the numbers on the two receivers were completely different, including the altitude gained. I took out my map and did my best to come up with the total mileage and elevation gain to the top of Flag Hill. As expected, the 60CS was accurate and the 76CSx was not. This was a short hike. On a longer hike the discrepancies would have been even greater.
At first I thought the 76CSx was inaccurate under heavy foliage but it would be okay in the open. Apparently this isn’t the case. It is always inaccurate. Flag Hill doesn’t have a lot of trees.
If I want a GPS receiver to tell me how far I went, how fast I went, and how much elevation gain I did, the old receivers are the way to go. On the other hand, if I plan on crash landing a plane in the middle of a jungle and want something that will give rescuers some idea of where I am the “X” models or the newer 400T and 300T are the way to go. Oddly enough, I don’t crash land very often.
(Edited by FastHiker at 8:01 am on Mar. 4, 2008)
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Total Posts: 256 | Joined Nov. 2004 | Posted on: 4:48 am on Mar. 4, 2008 | IP
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Bay Area Hiker Discussion Board
Another GPS Receiver
