Garmin GPSMAP 62 Series

The Garmin GPSMAP 62 Series was released almost two years ago. I have heard very little about it except what I could pick up from the reviews on Amazon. Has anyone broken down and purchased one yet? Has anyone on VftT compared it to the the "60"?

I am still extremely happy with my 60, but a new toy with some Christmas cash might be nice.

My 60 is still going strong, and I am not currently inclined to "upgrade" it. If I did I might be thinking of the new Etrex 10/20/30 series, which track both GPS and GLONASS satellites. Would probably go for the 20, but as I said not currently shopping.

As best I can determine, the 62 doesn't offer any substantive enhancements/improvements from the 60. A few months ago I saw a good deal on a lightly use 60CSx and bought it. My older 60CSx, while still going strong, has seen lots of wear. Other than a quicker satellite lock, I can't see much difference.

Maybe buy a new 60CSx with the spare cash?

I've posted comparisons between the 60CSx and the 62 series in the past. The 62s (the closest one to the 60CSx) adds a few features and subtracts a few features and I'm not convinced that it is overall better than a newer* 60CSx and given that I have a newer* (and an older*) 60CSx, it is not worth the money to upgrade. Obviously, others may disagree.

The following search should find the comparsions: http://www.google.com/search?q=60cs...ftt.org&hl=en&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=images

If I didn't have a GPS and were buying my first, I'd probably be happy with a 62s.

* For info on newer vs older 60CSx's, see "60CSx battery lifetimes" http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38355

Doug

Mohamed Ellozy said:

My 60 is still going strong, and I am not currently inclined to "upgrade" it. If I did I might be thinking of the new Etrex 10/20/30 series, which track both GPS and GLONASS satellites. Would probably go for the 20, but as I said not currently shopping.

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Adding GLONASS will probably only have a small effect on the accuracy. Given that the 60CSx seems to work quite well in the backcountry, the biggest advantage will probably be in urban canyons where only a small part of the sky is visible.

Doug

Like Doug Paul, I have an old 60CSx and thanks to a lead he provided bought a 'new' one that was on deep discount where Doug saw it and let me know.
Both have the SirFstar chipset which was discontinued on newer 60's and probably on the latest upgrade models.
The old chipset has fantastic satellite lock but Garmin developed their own or purchased a different chipset for newer 60's. I was told that Garmin didn't want to pay the higher licensing fees for the SirFstar chip but can't verify that.
I'd enjoy trying a 62 if I had the cash for a 3rd GPS, but as DP mentioned the 62 has some nice new features but subtracts others.
Speaking for myself, I am uncomfortable with the touch screen feature on many of the new Garmin units. Both in bitter cold weather, the ability to use it with heavy winter overmitts, and bumping the screen thru the carry on bushwhack branches. Perhaps if I tried a touchscreen I might feel differently.
Using one on a trail in fair weather would not be an issue.

I bought a 62 as a backup to my 60 for the Yukon 1000 race last July. One was set to view course direction for next planned waypoint in compass view along with speed, the other in map view to show me what to expect after next. From my previous years experience on the Y1K I knew I wanted to navigate with both views simultaneously rather than to be constantly swapping views on a single unit and missing paddle strokes doing so.

I must say that I like the 60 overall much better, although if I had never seen the 60, then the 62 would be fine. Functions are roughly equivalent, especially for what I really need. The 62 has much more stuff that I'll never use. I also think it burns batteries faster than the 60.

But my biggest complaint is actually the stupid mounting method for the 62. The 60 has a nice clamp handlebar style mount that firmly grips a handlebar or canoe thwart. Since I paddle/train/race in several different canoes (except for the Yukon, the GPS's main function is just for monitoring and maintaining speed), changing the 60's mount is fast, easy and secure. However the only mount available for the 62 (from Garmin or from 3rd party) requires plastic cable ties to hold it in place, and it does not do that very well. With the 60 I can easily move the mount from one canoe to another with a stubby phillips screwdriver that I always keep in my PFD pocket. But the 62 requires a pair of cable nippers and an unending supply of plastic ties. Stupid. I'm glad I bought another 60csx at discount just before they completely disappeared. It remains in the box saved for if and when my current 60 dies.

The photos show both mounted side by side. Left photo also shows a SPOT (required by Y1K rules) in my almost empty food bin, and a book of 95 paper google earth maps showing planned course with 738 waypoints plotted and correlated to the GPS.

I (as well as 2 other of my friends) own 60Cx's. My Friend Mike owns a 62. We all seem to like our respective GPSes. When combined as a duo/trio/quartet things work out rather well. What is funny is the thing Nessmuk likes about the 60 and hates about the 62 is completely flipped for me. Since we use ours only for hiking (well, also geocaching, but in that case there isn't much need for a holding device) the carabiner set-up of the 62 works very well for my friend Mike, and I am sometimes envious. I have yet to find a method for holding my GPS to a pack I like other than what I use now....which is basically a nalgene bottle parka (like you used in winter) which holds it safely and securely, but means you have to zip and unzip all the time to get to.

So bottom line from my perspective......

If you have some cash to burn and want a new toy to fiddle with I say go for the 62 (never hurts to have more than 1 GPS in the house ). But if we are talking about should you replace you 60 with a 62 because the 62 might be better then I would say don't bother.

But as always YMMV.

Brian

NewHampshire said:

I (as well as 2 other of my friends) own 60Cx's. My Friend Mike owns a 62. We all seem to like our respective GPSes. When combined as a duo/trio/quartet things work out rather well. What is funny is the thing Nessmuk likes about the 60 and hates about the 62 is completely flipped for me. Since we use ours only for hiking ... I have yet to find a method for holding my GPS to a pack I like ...

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Interesting difference in use. Unless I'm on a SAR mission I have little to no desire to use or even bring a GPS while hiking, as map and compass do just fine for me even deep in the backcountry, so whatever mounting feature is of no issue. When on SAR I might use GPS to find an assigned obscure initial point, after that it most often lives in my radio chest pack as no more than a tracking device for later ranger download and debrief. On the other hand when canoe racing/training I find the GPS most useful for locating fastest current and verifying I am on my speed goal. When in new or extensive territory (such as the Yukon), competitive navigation in complex broad waters takes on a whole different meaning - hence then I simultaneously use two of the dang things - and they had better mount securely.

NewHampshire said:

But if we are talking about should you replace you 60 with a 62 because the 62 might be better then I would say don't bother.

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Agreed.