GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
UPDATE: The 62, 62s and 62st are all now available from REI.com.
UPDATE 2: GPS City now has all three models in stock…
UPDATE 3: Check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s.
UPDATE 4: I’ve also got pages up for the GPSMAP 62 and GPSMAP 62st.
At least one vendor has a couple of the much anticipated Garmin GPSMAP 62 models in stock. Hit the links below to grab one of these bad boys:
UPDATE 3: Read my hands on review of the Magellan eXplorist 510.
UPDATE 2: Read my hands on review of the Magellan eXplorist 710.
UPDATE: Here’s some screenshots and a discussion of capabilities and accepted map formats.
As expected following the success of the Magellan eXplorist GC, the company today announced several new additions to their updated handheld platform: the Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710.
When the Oregon 450 came out, I was surprised that the visibility was significantly better than the flagship (albeit older) 550 series. I found that odd, and it now appears that Garmin is remedying the situation, with newer Oregon 550 series production runs receiving the 450’s improved screen. At least that’s the sense I’ve been getting, the latest evidence coming in a recent Groundspeak post.
I gave Garmin the opportunity to comment, but received little more than what they told me when I asked about the improved 450 screen…
…we’re continually striving to make great products even better through continuous software and hardware improvements.
I’ll take that as a non-denial. I assume Garmin is doing this because they want to retain the 550 series as the top of the line Oregon model (for the time being anyway). But such a move creates confusion among consumers. If I buy a 550 today, which screen will it have? At least when they changed the chipset on the 60CSx, you could tell which it had by the firmware version. This could be good news if you really want the geotagging camera found on the 550 series, but good luck determining which screen you got, unless you can do a side by side comparison with a 450 or older 550 series unit.
Late last year, Garmin rolled out new track navigation features for the Dakota and Oregon lines; these capabilities are also being rolled into the new 78 (and presumably 62) series. So let’s take a look at how it works and some ways to get the most out of it.
Basically, it allows you to follow a track, giving you an accurate estimate of remaining mileage, instead of the “as-the-crow-flies” distances typically associated with routes. IMHO, this is one of the nicest features added to handheld units in recent years.
On the Oregon series, just select Where To? > Track and then select the track you wish to navigate. The highest and lowest elevation points, along with any of your waypoints along the track, are used to create a route.
If your trek takes you into terrain you’ve never explored before, try searching the Web for a track posted by someone who has already been there. My favorite search terms are the trail or park name plus .gpx. There are a ton of track sharing sites out there to check too, such as Garmin Connect and EveryTrail. UPDATE: Here’s a whole post on this subject.
The Garmin GPSMAP 78s
But patience has its rewards and Garmin did well not to rush things. With the 78 (and the forthcoming 62 series, which shares the same interface), Garmin has married the best features of the 60/76 models, with many of the advantages of the Oregon line. Before we get into the details, lets look at some closely…
UPDATE: Check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s. I’ve also got pages posted for the GPSMAP 62 and GPSMAP 62st.
UPDATE: GPS City is showing an estimated stock date of July 23.
As expected, Garmin has announced a successor to their most popular handheld, the 60CSx. The new GPSMAP 62 series marries the best capabilities of the Garmin Oregon line with much of the functionality of the 60 series. The three models announced this morning include the:
The so-called Forest Defenders is a group (or more likely, an individual) conducting a “personal war against Letterbox and Geocache littering in eco-sensitive areas.” This drives me absolutely crazy; it’s people like this that give environmentalists a bad name. If you want to limit impact in natural areas, a good start would be to ban people and trails period. But hey FD, in case you haven’t noticed, humans are part of the ecology too.
UPDATE 2: I’ve now posted my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 78s. I also have a review/resource page up for the GPSMAP 78.
UPDATE: GPS City now has the 78s and 78sc in stock.
I’ve had my grubby little hands on the Garmin GPSMAP 78s for a few hours now and I wanted to give you a sneak peek at what you can expect from Garmin’s newest handheld platform, which seems to be a hybrid — taking the best features of the Oregon line and marrying them with the oh so popular 60/76C(S)x series. Before I go any farther, let me say that handheld units are complex beasts and can be very challenging to review. So I have a request; add your comments below and let me know what you want covered in my full review. Some things I’ll be able to answer right away in the comments here; other things might just be beyond my experience to be able to answer at all. But hey, please do chime in.
UPDATE 5: Check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s. I’ve also got pages posted for the GPSMAP 62 and GPSMAP 62st.
UPDATE 4: For a sneak peek at the 62 series interface, check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 78s.
UPDATE 3 – It’s official!
UPDATE 2 – I’m now doing hands on testing of the GPSMAP 78 series, which seems to be the same platform as the forthcoming 62 series.
UPDATE – Here are specs (and a new pic above) from Bass Pro. They are showing a price of $499.99 for the 62st and $399.99 for the 62s.
The king is dead, long live the king. We now have visual evidence of the existence of the Garmin GPSMAP 62 series, including the successor to the long-reigning 60CSx, which has served as the gold standard for handheld GPS receivers for several years. read more
UPDATE: Now available for the GPSMAP 78 series (scroll down for pics).
I received an email a couple of weeks ago from a fellow in Idaho who hand manufactures a new style of mount for the Garmin 60 series. It looked interesting enough that I agreed to test it out, and I came away pretty impressed.
Made from Concealex (a modified form of Kydex), the mount seems very rugged, and doesn’t appear to block GPS signals, allowing the unit to be almost completely enclosed. Dave Jankowsky, creator of the mount, has dubbed it the Buzz Bomb Cradle. You need to use a RAM diamond mount with it; I used the RAP-274U.
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