Garmin GPSMAP 60 Personal Navigation Unit

Garmin GPSMAP 60 Personal Navigation Unit Review

Garmin GPSMAP 60 Personal Navigation Unit Feature

• WAAS-Enabled, 12 Parallel-Channel GPS Receiver
• Large, Grayscale Display With Bright, Backlit Led
• 50 Reversible Routes, 10,000 Track Points With Tracback Technology & 1,000 Waypoints With Additional Graphical Icons For Location Identification
• Serial & Usb Connections For Fast & Versatile Download Transfer
• Built-In Basemap With Automatic Routing Capabilities & Turn-By-Turn Voice Prompts

Optimized for both land and marine navigation, Garmin's handheld GPSMap 60 includes a built-in Americas basemap with automatic routing capabilities. The 12-parallel-channel GPS receiver is designed to provide precise GPS positioning using correction data obtained from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

Map page. View larger.

Compass page. View larger.

The Garmin GPSMap 60 packs GPS navigation into a compact, waterproof device.

The GPSMap 60 also features 24 MB of internal memory for detailed maps that you can load through a speedy USB interface, and it's fully compatible with Garmin MapSource products such as BlueChart, 24K Topo, and City Select, which provides detailed streets for turn-by-turn guidance. However, it is important to note that the GPSMap 60 does not provide voice notification.

The device offers a high-contrast, four-level grayscale LCD (160 x 240 pixels) with backlighting for the display and the keypad. A large-numbers option provides easy viewing. You get 1,000 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol and 20 reversible routes; position formats include Lat/Lon, UTM, Loran TDs, Maidenhead, MGRS, and user grid. Memory is non-volatile for permanent user data storage, requiring no memory battery.

A handy trip computer provides an odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more. The unit also comes with a 10,000-point automatic track log, and 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions.

Other features include course and speed filtering; built-in celestial tables for best times to fish and hunt (plus sun and moon calculations); an alarm clock wake-up and stop watch; audible alarms for anchor drag, arrival, off-course, and proximity waypoint; and a geocaching navigation mode. Navigation instructions can be shared with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots using NMEA protocols through the serial port.

The GPSMap 60's rugged, fully gasketed case is waterproof to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards, meaning it's submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. The device derives up to 28 hours battery life using 2 AA batteries (not included).

What's in the Box
GPSMAP 60 receiver, basemap (Americas Recreational), MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager CD, PC/USB interface cable, wrist strap, belt clip with button, quick-start guide, and owner's manual. The GPSMAP 60 is completely waterproof, with up to 28 hours battery life using two AA batteries, this new product will target the marine and outdoor recreation markets. The GPSMAP 60 has up to 24 MB’s of internal memory for detailed maps that can be transferred to the unit using the USB interface. The GPSMAP 60 also includes a built-in Americas basemap with automatic routing capabilities. The GPSMAP 60 is fully compatible with MapSource products like BlueChart, 24K Topo and City Select, which provides detailed streets for turn-by-turn guidance (there is no voice output). The GPSMAP 60 provides separate serial and USB interfaces. Navigation instructions can be shared with repeaters, plotters and autopilots using NMEA protocols through the dedicated serial port. Includes: unit, USB interface cable, lanyard, belt clip, manual, quick start guide