5 comments about Garmin GPSMAP 60CS 56MB Handheld GPS.

1. Nice enough for the trail when you're on foot and not depending on it to tell you how to get somewhere. But it has turned me the wrong way on the road more times than not, one time it told me to turn right when the route it was displaying turned right.
   
   Also its plug locations are just plain stupid. You may want to pop for a bracket if you do use it in the car.
   
   Otherwise the software is quirky and the maps quite expensive.



2. A very accurate GPS and works everywhere, also a great tool for Geo Cashing



3. This GPS is great. A color screen is a must and we have need no problems viewing the screening in direct sunlight. This unit is very durable too with a sporty look. The best part you can take it everywhere (hiking, biking,walking, running, even on trips). Money Well Spent!!!



4. Good product. Updates now available for Mac users also online. I like this one, better battery life than some of the newer ones. No SD card slot.



5. I upgraded to the 60CS after my M4 cracked the screen on my Etrex while out marking UXO (unexploded ordnance). This is a great little GPS that is easy to use and highly accurate. A few of us had and used them all over Iraq while escorting convoys and running patrols. Choose your own icons to mark checkpoints, the latest IEDs you encounter, small arms fire, etc. Then when you get back to base, share your points with your buddies by just uploading them onto your computer. It is much easier to use than the crap the Army gives you. Its nice to have something that works when your life depends on it.
   
   One down side is that you cannot get a signal through the ballistic glass on a Humvee. You have to buy the external antenna. If you're out on a foot patrol it works just fine though. (I know, not an issue for 99.9% of people).
   
   If you use it all the time at night like we did either carry a lot of batteries or use a flashlight to look at the screen. I couldn't get through one convoy without changing batteries. I finally wired in cigarette plug in my humvee and bought the car adapter for my Garmin. Problem solved!
   
   More storage space would be nice for tracking routes. You can only store a few routes before its full and you need to delete something. Granted, we were using it on convoy runs over 100 miles long. If you just use it for hunting, hiking, or fishing, you're going to be just fine.
   
   This thing is very durable. Wile escorting a convoy through Baghdad my humvee was hit by an IED that blew everything inside to bits. Every piece of electronics (radios, Army GPS, etc) was blown up and quit working. Everything except my Garmin that is. Other than a small nick in the screen from a piece of shrapnel, it works just fine. Even the external antenna survived, and that was outside the humvee. I am definitely sold on Garmin, and this GPS.

2 comments about Garmin StreetPilot c340-R Vehicle GPS Device - REFURBISHED.

1. This is my second one. Bought one in Oct and went to Chico Calif for Thanksgiving. My wife drove out with son and used it from finding lodging to resturants to historical sites. When wife picked me up from Sacramento airport, it was 5pm. half hour we were in Woodland and son asked if we can have chinese food. We stopped and looked at Garmin it told us thaere was one 1 mileaway so we followed directions and found the resturant.
   
   With the second one, I found that using webupdate, I was able to load the latest version and fixes so it's like it was brand new like the first one; only $70 cheaper. On the one we use in a New Beetle, the wind screen mount was not good (too far to reach from driver's position) so I switched to the friction mount ($19 from Amazon). The refurbed one worked great on windshield mount.



2. I didn't have a pressing need for a GPS, since I rarely drive in unfamiliar territory. But I decided to get one anyway because (1) I might have occasional use for it and (2) I was suffering from a severe case of gadget lust. Having used an entry-level GPS in a rental car once before, I wanted an affordable model with text-to-speech capability, one that would actually tell me the name of the next street to turn on, instead of saying "turn in 200 feet." This Garmin seemed to fit the bill. But I still didn't want to pay even discounted retail for it, so I shopped online for a refurbished unit and bought one from Amazon.com[...]. I've been very satisfied with the c340's performance to date.
   
   I find that it's very easy to use; the touch-screen directions and menus are simple and intuitive. The directions are good. I've tried it out on routes I'm already familiar with and it has consistently guided me along the quickest routings to my destinations. In addition to the text-to-speech feature, I especially like this model's estimated-time-of-arrival feature. Once you tell it where you want to go, it displays your ETA in a box in the lower-left-hand corner of the map-view screen. The estimated arrival time adjusts continuously through your trip, according to your progress. I've found it to be pretty accurate. I suppose this could be useful if you want to let someone else -- like an anxious relative -- know when to expect you.
   
   My only gripe with the c340 so far is that the instructions that come with it, and even the downloadable online manual, don't clearly explain how to charge its internal battery. When I first got my GPS from Amazon, I tried to turn it on, only to have it immediately turn off. It wouldn't turn on again when I tried a second time. Following the minimalist instructions, I pried the face plate off and pressed a little reset button and tried to turn it on again, with the same frustrating result. Finally, after doing some online research, I figured out that I needed to plug the USB cable that came with the unit into my computer and charge the battery through it. This took about three hours, and the c340 has worked like a charm ever since.
   
   Garmin does not provide an a/c charging adapter with the c340. If you want to be able to charge it from a wall outlet, you have to buy one separately. In normal use, the unit will charge while it's plugged into your car, and supposedly is able to operate on its own for up to eight hours. But for times when the internal battery is low and there's no computer handy, I think the a/c wall charger is a must.
   
   Garmin provides a suction-cup windshield mount for this unit, but the manual notes that it's illegal to use it in California, where I live. Fortunately, I got the dashboard friction mount as well.
   Garmin StreetPilot c340 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

4 comments about Garmin compatible PC Interface Cable with Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter for StreetPilot III, 60C, GPSMap 60C & 60CS, 72, 76, 76C, 76CS, GPS V, etc. (4-pin connectors).

1. the cable is great and works perfectly. i paid for 3 day shipping and it took over a week to get here from the shipping notice i was emailed



2. Product works as advertised, build quality seems good. This cable set allows use of 12 volt DC power with any Garmin GPS that has the round 4-pin DIN connector. I purchased this cable for use with a 60CX. The 9-pin Serial connector provides RS-232 connectivity of the GPSr to other devices, typically a laptop computer. On my 60CX, the RS-232 connection is used only for NMEA-0183 communications, all other I/O is via the USB connection.
   NOTE: NMEA-0183 allows your GPS to send navigation position data to devices like a Marine autopilot or chartplotting software. This cable would be a good choice for using a 60C series or similar Garmin GPSr on a boat or RV where the owner is running real-time navigation software on a PC, or wants to connect a 60C to a marine autohelm or tiller autopilot device.
   This cable can also be used in a automobile or RV to provide 12 volt power only to the GPSr, without using the RS-232 connector, although there are other low-priced power-only cables available for this purpose are are less bulky.



3. The cable works flawlessly. I used the cable on a long trip (14+ hours) with no problems. I have also used the data adapter to provide data to an APRS beacon radio and that worked fine.



4. This is fairly bulky, but it works great. I wish it had a USB instead of serial port. The connections fit securely which is appreciated since the last one I purchased for a diff't model had very loose connections.

2 comments about Garmin City Navigator NT Mexico microSD card with maps of Mexico for use with your Garmin navigator.

1. The unit is OK, what I had problems with is with the order. The box it came in was missing a cable to charge the item. In order to work it MUST be connected directly to my bike's battery. The adapter provided was not the adequate version and so I have had trouble loading software since I must either charge the unit by having it hooked on the bike or at my desk being loaded with map software. It's a bummer.
   
   If you purchase this unit be careful to ask for the right a charging cable.



2. We used this map to drive down to Veracruz and then up along the coast to Campeche. We found the map useful but outdated - several important highways, some of them several years old, were missing. By the time we got to Veracruz, we purchased a Guia Roji road atlas to supplement the GPS. Where this map shines is in the city and town maps - we were surprised that even remote mountain villages had their streets mapped. Even with the GPS and paper atlas, it is possible to get really lost, for instance we spent the better part of an hour trying to cross Tampico - the GPS helped a lot in showing us where we were within the city but the changed street directions and construction zones were too much for the routing to work. Another caveat, and this may be an issue with GPS navigation in general, but be aware that in mountainous regions the routing software will blissfully send you across a mountain range instead of around it. This happened to us and luckily we had good weather and plenty of gas, but the 2 hour segment turned into more than 3 hrs of very intense driving on deserted mountain roads. Overall the map is worth the price but you will still want a new road atlas to plan your inter-city routes and use the GPS for its time of arrival feature as well as driving within the cities.

5 comments about Car Vent Mount for Garmin Nuvi 750 760 770 650 660 670 680 200 200W 250 250W 260 270 350 360 370 GPS.

1. This mount has a major flaw in its design, you have to use the Nuvi cradle that came with your GPS, but the problem is the cradle does not fit correctly into the mount with the power cable attached to the back of the cradle. My work around is to make sure the Nuvi is fully charged when I need it and use the side USB connector when the battery gets low. The side USB connector works if you're navigating to a destination, but otherwise, the Nuvi thinks you're trying to connect to a computer. Also, this vent mount easily moves from center to left or right when you turn the car, it's too loose and there's no way to tighten to minimize this swivel action. The two stars for me is the mount fits well in either center vents of a 2008 BMW 328i.



2. I bougth one of these about two years ago and was pleased with it. In Dec. 2007 I purchased two more. The new ones have a different design that is totally useless. It is a sawtooth friction that will not allow you to adjust the friction and it will not support the weight of the Garmin 650. It just falls all the way forward. When I rotated it 90 degrees so that it would only have to support rotating it horizonally I had similar problems.



3. I was excited to receive my mount just 3 days after ordering it (the fastest I'd ever received anything off of Amazon doing standard shipping!) As soon as I ripped open that little box, it wasn't but just a couple of minutes that I had the vent mount assembled and ready to go - I really didn't even need to read the directions, but made sure to double check them before I attached the mount to my vent (I have an '06 Corolla, which luckily comes with horizontal slats on the vents).
   
   I only bought a GPS (Nuvi 660) for an upcoming vacation to a different state. After buying such an expensive piece of equipment, I was rather unimpressed with the suction cup mount that it came with. I checked into the beanbag mount at local retailers, but found they were $30+ to purchase. I didn't like how they looked and thought they might fall off just as easy, plus it seems like a huge attraction to thieves that my GPS is just sitting up there for all to see. So, you can imagine my surprise when I jumped online and found something that attaches to my vent and for only $10! Even if it didn't work, it didn't seem like such a big waste of money & time.
   
   The vent mount turned out to be worth my money. It was easy to clip on, pop on my GPS, and go! They say the stabilzing bar is optional to use, but I definitely had to use it to keep the vent from moving downward because of the weight. It was easy to remove the GPS off the mount and just as easy to detach the mount off the vent. I don't have much advice to offer if you have vertical slats on your vents, but when looking at the mount, it doesn't seem like it would be hard to adjust with a little bit of creative maneuvering.
   
   All in all, I highly recommend this product for the price it sells at. I couldn't be any happier with my purchase!



4. I got this product because some states (like California) have made it illegal to use the windshield mounts. It does snap into the cradle alright, but not with the car charger cord installed. I consider this a design flaw, so be advised if you're going on a long trip where you'd need to charge the unit with the car charger.



5. I just got my car vent mount for my Nuvi 650 and installed it in my Highlander in about 30 seconds - I love it!!! So much better than the suction cup that came with the unit and I didn't like the "bean bag" look. Highly recommend!

No comments about Garmin 010-10987-03 Nuvi 800 Series Replacement Ba.

5 comments about Harman Kardon GPS-510 4-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator and Media Player.

1. Picked this up on a Gold Box deal for $200.
   
   My wife was especially interested in the MP3 capabilities, but unless you happen to have a stereo with RCA input jacks, the only way you can listen to the songs you put on it would be using the little speaker on the GPS. (I guess if you have a mini-jack plug in, you might be able to convert the two RCA's to mini-jack and plug it in that way.) But if you have neither of these options, it might just be better to get a new stereo.
   
   Okay, what about the GPS capability? I'd give it a 95% thumbs up. A few times it screwed up where it would "merge in the left lane, now prepare to turn right"??? Also, we took it on a trip to a concert in Manchester, TN. We stopped in Brentwood, TN for our hotel, and it took us to xxxx Lane instead of xxxx Street, and we had to stop and ask for directions.
   
   On the positive side, it's great to have in a city where you have no idea where you're going, and don't have to stop a look at a map to figure out where you're going.
   
   There's plenty of restaurants, stores, tourist site, etc. programmed into the unit too. Just type in an address, location, whatever, and you're ready to go. Plus, there's a battery so you can do all of this in your hotel room.
   
   Something I would like to see on it is a better way to look at maps to plan a trip, and a way to say to it, "Hwy X is backed up, find a way around it"
   
   For the price I paid, it's great, and the feeling of confidence it gives you driving around an unfamiliar city is well worth the money.



2. The Harman/Kardon gps 510NA is a GPS that gets the job done and more. The navigation is really intuitive and easy to use. I live in the Midwest and seems to me that I get a GPS lock really quickly even from a cold start. The text-to-speech is a great feature, I love it for when I have no idea where I am. When I do know where I am I like to change the voice to the British person, it just sounds cool.
   
   After reading some of the other reviews I was a little worried about purchasing this device expecting the navigation to be lacking. I've used a TOMTOM before and this works just as well as a TOMTOM it goes to the same places it even gets lost in the same places. Yes it does it lost, but all GPS's get lost, roads change. If you have ever driven before you should be able to figure it out by just reading the road signs, so don't worry about it getting you lost it rarely happens if at all. The maps on the device are still really good, just as good as TOMTOM. I am surprised by how many POI it has. I was really impressed by that, I would buy for that ability alone. I only wish you could save the spot you were currently at, otherwise the navigation is great.
   
   I use the music feature every time I go on a long trip, I plug the device into my car system and listen that way, it sounds really good. One downside is the playlists don't work. You can create playlists but they are never in the order that you created they sort alphabetically in the device. Whenever I get some where before I have to, or if I have to wait for someone, or even just sitting around at home I use the movie feature. I like to always have at least two movies saved on my memory card to watch whenever I need to. It did take me awhile to find the right AVI format that looked the best and worked.
   
   PROS: Watch movies, navigate while listening to music, text-to-speech, store media on large SDHC card, tons of POI, and it is easy to use.
   
   CONS: No power saver, no new updates until 2009(says company), the manual isn't very useful, onboard speaker isn't great.
   
   Overall: The navigation will get you from point A to point B while looking good. It sounds great using headphones or other speakers. The movies look great, and I can watch entire movie on one battery charge.



3. I bought two GPS from amazon one for myself and one for my friend. After opening package i followed the process suggested by Harmon Kardon to start the GPS for the first time. First GPS froze while initial setup only. Even after several resets it never completed initial setup. Second unit was also facing problems in initial setup but it completed initial setup after several resets. I used that GPS for a testing it lead to wrong destination. It asked me turn on dead end streets. I could never access its music and video functions. Then I tried to call HK for its firmware update but they asked me to return device to reseller.



4. Paid around 160 for this.
   Pros :
   Good screen size, Media and Traffic capabilities
   Cons :
   Couldnt get map icons to work
   No user manual at all in the pkg(couldnt find it online too)
   Screen too sensitive to touches (double clicks very often)
   Froze once (had to press the hard reset button) in the first few weeks of usage
   Takes a min or two to latch on to satellites.



5. I bought this GPS because it does what my girlfriend's doesn't, play music from the SD card while navigating. This was something I required due to not being able to hear the GPS over the radio. So, I just plug the head phone jack into my car stereo to reroute the sound. While it works I have been unable to get the play list to work even after extended e-mails with tech support. This is a major issue for me as it makes listening to things like audio books impossible. If all you want is a music shuffle this issue will not affect you.
   
   I also live in Michigan where we have a unique road feature we call the Michigan left, this is, as far as I know, unique to Michigan. In order to turn left you either go past and make a U-Turn on a small connecting street or go right and do the same, no turns at the actual intersection. The GPS-510 seems to be hit and miss when you need to do a Michigan left. The problem is that normally this is on two or more lane roads and being in the wrong lane is a big issue as you can't make a left and need to make a right.
   
   The girlfriend's Magellan GPS is more granular for directions, if there is a possibility of you going the wrong way it will tell you where you need to be, to include navigating a clover leaf interchange. This GPS believes that once you are on the right road you will stay there until it tells you otherwise.
   
   I have found with both GPS units that for local trips you probably know a better way to go, either due to traffic flow or light timings.

No comments about Garmin 010-00596-01 Astro Bundle.

5 comments about Remanufactured Garmin Quest Pocket-sized GPS Navigator.

1. I consider myself quite capable when it comes to electronics, however I could not figure this one out at all. The dvd was not helpful and kept me on the computer downloading useless garb for about an hour, and the tutorial at the beginning of the manual couldn't be used without downloading all sorts of maps...which apparently costs money. I talked to the Garmin people and they said that this product has been updated due to complaints and misconceptions. It only has enough memory to download 3 states worth of data...so forget about taking it on a cross country trip. Also, because you have to download the maps before you go anywhere you have to know where you're going.
   I purchased this product to make my life easier, but it's quickly become the biggest hassle of my day!
   If I could do it again I'd spent the extra money up front and get a higher quality one. I have a friend with the touch screen and she swears by it. Make sure you really do your research before buying a GPS.



2. I love this Nav with all of the features and PC interface. But the screen is too small for me to see so I had to give it to my son.



3. i use this unit on my bicycle and in the car. It is very robust. I have dropped it a few times no problem (try that with a Nuvi!). Despite the old chipset and antenna, this little gem has the most customizable feature. I love the display: it's much more visible (with backlight OFF) in direct sunlight; in comparison, the Nuvi series cannot be viewed w/o back-light in the sun - this is a very important power-saving feature for bicycling and motorcycling if not plugged in. It's not really the easiest unit to own, but it beats the Nuvi in terms of sophistication and function: very good mapping, customizable display, tracking of where you went (for off road and back country rides and such). For example, i have simultaneous display of "speed" "gps accuracy" "elevation" and "time of day" display next to the map on roaming mode, then automaticly switch to "speed" "accuracy" "time to destination" "distance to destination" on routing mode. Every display field can be customized, as well as clear showing of POI and custom POI. In contrast, the Nuvi (i owned a 660) has dumbed this down to a idiot-proof-non-customizable display with very little detail: great for simplicity and get to the point, but not much fun factor given the powerful capability of a GPS.
   At the blow out price currently, this probably is the best GPS deal around right now. In short: if you love features and gadget, this is the cat meow. If you prefer simplicity and don't care for reading the manual, avoid this one.



4. I have had an older Quest for over 2 years. It was time to upgrade its maps for $75. Instead, I bought this 2nd one for little more than the cost of the new maps. Altho Amazon doesn't particular tell you so, Garmin will upgrade your unit to the latest software if the software comes out within the 1 year of free updates.
   
   My unit was still recorded in the Garmin system from its first sale (remember, this is refurbished) and I had to email their customer service to get the prior ownership record deleted so I could register it to me. They did, and I upgraded the unit to the new 2009 MapSource online with no trouble. I did have to contact Garmin a second time to get them to remove the old purchase date, but they did do so.
   
   I use this unit walking, on my motorcycle, in cars and even in the motorhome. It is extremely adaptable to any situation. The old one is now left on the motorcycle.
   
   Do not think that you can "share" the updated MapSource data. It only works on the new unit.



5. When I first purchased this re-manufactured unit I was skeptical about the low price but I thought I would give it a shot. The screen looked smaller than most I have seen and I was afraid I would not be able to see it. I was proven wrong on this and the unit is very user friendly within a couple of hours. I also have a motorcycle and bicycle which this has adapters for. The drawbacks to this unit are the smaller screen and the limited memory. I travel all over the country and I have to download the maps if I switch coasts. This is not a big problem but the newer models don't have to do that. This has been a great initiation GPS to become familiar with the advantages of having a GPS without spending a great deal of money.

5 comments about Garmin Belt Clip for Geko 101, Geko 201 and Geko 301 (010-10380-00).

1. I had bought a Garmin GPS60cs at an inventory reduction sale, and unfortunately, since the box was open, the little 'button' that the belt clip holds on to was missing. Amazon had the lowest price on the replacement, so I bought it here.



2. The bad: I've broken two of these already (with a Garmin GPSMAP 60Csx, but I doubt that matters)...not by any harsh use, but just by bending over. They are not very sturdy. They break in exactly the same way, the track cracks just above where the button sits. Once this happens, the GPS can pop out easily without you even knowing it. They really should be made stronger.
   
   The good: They work great (until they break). Very quick to attach/detach GPS.
   
   I'm considering ordering a Carabiner Button Clip (Garmin 010-10481-00) as an alternative, but I have not tried that product.



3. Works great. But I did have to buy this as a replcement since the one it replaced broke somewhat easily. I think it might have been due to the cold, in part.



4. I've broken 3 of these, twice when I didn't notice, and my GPS was on the verge of falling out. All times in winter, so cold may be an issue. Still I don't know of any alternative. I love how the clip works.



5. I have been using this clip for about 5 years with Garmin 60 series GPS units (it fits most Garmon models, despite what the product description above says). I use it to mount the GPS on my shoulder, clipped to a backpack shoulder harness. In that location I have never had any issues with breakage, etc. I occasionally use the clip as a belt clip, again with no problems. The design clip makes it easy to remove and re-attach the GPS one-handed. Use a little blue Loctite or similar on the button threads to make sure it doesn't unscrew.