Garmin GPS Receiver

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I can’t get over how well the 62s gets a satellite signal…even indoors! I’m in my home office with a couple of small windows and just turned on the unit, after having it turned off for a couple of weeks: It booted and acquired the first satellite in less than 60 seconds and can navigate in less than 90 seconds, with four out of 5 bars on my signal strength meter. When I turned it off and then on again, I was able to navigate as soon as it booted…in 20 seconds. It seems to “remember” what satellites are overhead and spends less time searching for signals if it has recently acquired a signal.

I used the 62s while hunting and found that I could always get a solid signal regardless of how dense the forest was. The 62s is so much better than the eTrex Vista I had been using since 2002…the 62s is in a different league.

The user interface took a little getting used to, when compared to the eTrex Visa, but the 62s has a lot more features. The technology has come a long way in 8 years.

By the way, Garmin’s web site only specifies that the 62s accepts up to 4GB Micro SD cards. However, 4GB Micro SD cards hard to find, but the 4GB Micro SDHC cards are readily available. I contacted Garmin Tech Support to confirm that the 62s supports both Micro SD and Micro SDHC cards up to 4GB max.

The power saver feature worked great, and I love the fact that the user interface can be customized.

I purchased a ZAGG screen protector for my 62s. ZAGG didn’t have one for the 62s yet (the 62s was too new when I purchased it) but the one that fits a GPSmap 60 can be trimmed and works fine.

I have absolutely no regrets at having purchased this product, and I’m a real picky consumer. Garmin scored another home run with this one!

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

Wow, I really LOVE my new Garmin GPSMap 62s. I bought this unit to replace a Rhino 110 that I had been using for Geocaching. I decided it was time to upgrade when the joystick on the Rhino started going out. I spent a lot of time researching various manufacturers and models, finally deciding on the Garmin GPSMap 62s, and boy am I glad I did! This unit is amazing!

Pros:
1) The satellite reception is incredible. It picks up multiple satellites from inside my house, even on “Normal” GPS mode. Way cool! The Rhino needs line of site with the sky to get reception, so it can’t pick up any signal in the house and using it in the car can be a challenge. But this problem is non-existent with the 62s. It works from anywhere inside the car or the house. Overhead obstructions (trees, overhangs, heavy overcast skies, etc…) don’t seem to pose any problems for the 62s. It always has a strong signal.

2) The 1.7G onboard memory is great, I’ve downloaded high resolution topo maps of both Arizona and New Mexico and haven’t made much of a dent in using up the storage space.

3) One of the prime selling points for me was the paperless geocaching feature. It used to take me hours to enter the geocache coordinates by hand into the Rhino, but with the 62s I download them directly into the unit in seconds. And not only the coordinates but the cache information, log records, and hints too. The unit manages the found caches in a separate space for ease in recording the finds on the geocaching website later. The accuracy of the unit in getting me to the cache sites is quite stellar. With the GPS mode set to Normal it’s getting me within 10 ft of the cache. With WAAS enabled it gets me within about 5ft. Amazing, considering the Rhino was only getting me within 20ft. Finding caches now is almost too easy!

4) The control buttons are easy to use and intuitive. The screen is large enough and bright enough that I have no problem seeing the maps and information, even when I have the unit mounted on my bike.

Cons:
1) I’ve noticed that when I’m near very large metal objects (bridges, rail cars, etc…) the signal starts to bounce and I can’t get a good read, even with WAAS enabled. This is only a minor irritation though cuz I’m usually close enough by then to find what I’m looking for.

2) While it’s awesome that the unit has multiple pre-loaded profiles and allows customization of screens and views, I’ve struggled with getting just the right view and data sets to suite my needs. Part of this is because there are SO many view options I have a hard time deciding what I really want. But creating a custom view is no slam dunk, it take guess work because the owners manual offers no help.

3) Removing caches from the unit is cumbersome because it can’t be done within the unit itself, you have to plug the unit into a computer and delete the files using the computer. The manual doesn’t provide guidance on this, the user has to figure it out themselves and be somewhat computer savvy to find the files to get rid of them.

Despite these issues, I highly recommend the Garmin GPSMap 62s for the trail and geocaching. I am really enjoying using the unit and am very, very happy with my purchase.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I absolutely love this GPS. I’ve used a Garmin Oregon 300, Garmin Etrex and vista, Garmin gpsmap 60Csx and a Garmin Rino 530 and this GPS is better than all of them. The accuracy is great on this, usually around 9 ft regardless of whether or not I’m under tree cover or near large metal objects. The unit is also incredibly sensitive and does a good job measuring speed whether walking (slow pace to fast pace), biking, or driving in the car. The screen is very easy to see in direct, bright sunlight or at night. The paperless geocaching is amazing. So far, I have mostly used it for geocaching and it generally takes me directly to the cache. There is a menu bar that allows you to add shortcuts you easily jump to by using the quit and page keys, which makes switching from map to compass, to geocaches to elevation plot extremely easy, especially while riding a bicycle. I had trouble navigating the touch-screen oregon on my bike, and this gpsmap 62s is a breeze.

The only issue I have had with this GPS was when I updated to the 2.70 software. It was loaded on, booted up then turned off after about 30 seconds to a minute. I reset the gps (by using the appropriate button combination, I don’t remember what it is at the moment) and since I reset it, everything has worked perfectly. I took this unit hiking yesterday and it tracked my route/elevation very accurately.

A lot of people have complained about this unit “squeaking”. Yes, mine squeaks too. Only near the power button, and only on the side the power button is on. I guess this would be a personal preference, but the squeaking doesn’t bother me at all. The gps still feels very rugged and tough. I took this out in the pouring rain and since the unit isn’t broken, I’m assuming the waterproofing isn’t comprised by the squeak. Also, I feel that the whole squeaking thing has been way over dramatized. To me it’s not a big deal at all.

I’ve only used the 60 csx once, but from what I’ve read about it, it seems that this gps is just as accurate (if not more so) than the 60 csx. If you’re into geocaching, I would highly recommend this unit because you can utilize the paperless geocaching, which is incredibly convenient. Previously I had used my phone to view logs/hints, but there is no way I would have been geocaching in the rain if I had to lug my cell phone with me. All around amazing gps unit, especially if a little squeak doesn’t bother you.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

This is a wonderful GPS.

Great for all outdoor activities.

I have had Garmin Oregon, Colorado, and Dakota units and there is no comparison.

This unit outperforms them all. Extremely high sensitivity. Locks on to the GPS satellites in no time. Holds the signal in heavy tree cover and canyons. The big antenna is the secret. Units with built-in internal antennas just cannot compare.

Sell your older unit and buy this. You will not be disappointed at all.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I’ve had my 62S for about 3 weeks. Like the reviewers before me – amazing performance. I downloaded a couple of aerial photos of my neighborhood using Google Earth. When I walk around the unit shows which side of the street I am using, and under ideal conditions even which side of the sidewalk I am using. I can “watch myself” go to the mailbox and tell which room of the house I am in. So good I feel like I am spying on myself.

The biggest appeal for me was the ability to download – maps at 24K, plus scans of anything that can be overlaid with Google Earth, and to top it off, actual aerial photos. I’ve got the entire state of Colorado and Big Bend National Park loaded, with apparently plenty of room left over. I haven’t even used my 4GB card yet.

So far, all operations work just fine with a Mac computer. I just finished updating the firmware to 2.80 with no issues at all.

The Cons (none of which are significant enough to deduct stars). I can’t enable/disable my personal downloads one-by-one. Its all or nothing for user supplied maps – unless they reside on micro SDHC cards. That could be a pain since the card lives behind the batteries and is hard to manipulate with my fat fingers. The other con – a rather small limit on total map pixels (called “tiles”) that can be loaded. Garmin is supposed to be working on increasing the limit.

Note to potential buyers: Garmin offers a thirty dollar subscription service for aerial photos. I don’t have it and the reviews are terrible so far. The free stuff is great so you don’t probably don’t need it.

My bottom line – no regrets what-so-ever.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I bought this unit three weeks ago and I have to say that it works great. The reception is something really amazing. The first time, I turned on the GPS inside of the office and after couple of seconds the unit had found the satelite reception. I am using for outdoor sports and even in a dark places, I mean, lots of trees, the reception keeps the same. Great !!!

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

As the next version of 60 series units, this one is a good one. I use it extensively for geocaching. After thousands of button pushes, the unit is still holding together. The unit holds 2000 geocaches at a time, and can be used for ‘paperless’ caching.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I have used many brands and models of GPS units. This unit, due in part to the new/upgraded model, is Garmin’s premier handeld GPS navigator. It doesn’t matter if you walking through the woods, downtown or on an unmarked trail, it will tell you where you are and where you need to go. Don’t bother trying to get lost while you have this in hand.

The features on this unit are plentyful and the readings accuate. In the past many of the units built in compasses were ok at best, the compass in this unit is accurate to withing a single degree. Almost every other unit I have had has been from poor to fair in the cover of tree canapies. This unit is as accurate as I have ever used.

The geocaching features are good and make marking and commenting a breeze. Now gone are the days of having a map for every cache. I had the fortune of it getting me to a cache while driving down a road. Of course my son ran there faster but I was victorius on the find.

My highlights
Using lithium batteries gives me at least 14 hours of use. Ni-Cad about 10.
The compass is accurate to within one degree.
The compass while tilted very accurate.
Relief maps are fairly accurate.
Paperless geocaching is excellent.
Accuracy in covered areas are excellent.
Update frequency, mind blowing without draining the battery.

If you are hunting, fishing on a boat or geocaching this is a must have.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

I found this ease to use and very accurate. I haven’t used it as much as I would like and still want to purchase a trail map for it. But so far I love it and will write another review when summer comes and I get out a little more.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62S 2.6-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

This gps was the most defective and most frustrating product I’ve ever purchased. Garmin representatives (3 of them) highly recommended it but it definently needs more work before it should be sold. The main problems were the frozen and non resetable odometor and elevation. It frequently stated “no satallite reception” in a really inconsistant manner. Stuff took FOREVER to download and was nonrefundable even tho the unit was defective. I was told to buy the 8 mg memory card but once I got it, I was told by the same Garmin reps that it would make the system crash- only use the 4mg or less!!!! I would not use one of these even if it were free, because the routes it records are nothing near where you really went…