60CSx tips and tricks

[Borgie]

Might as well start a new thread to share usefull tips about our GPS...

To setup the track log...
press menu/menu/tracks (enter)/
setup (enter)/(check) wrap when full/record method (time)/
interval (00hrs 00min 01sec)/Data Card Setup (enter)/
(check) Log Track to Data Card

Your GPS will now record at every 1sec interval and automatically save your tracks in your memory card as a .gpx file that can be opened in Mapsource. Filename will be the year/month/date track was recorded. Reason why we checked "wrap when full" is that with the 1sec setting, the track log will be filled up fast as more points are recorded in the breadcrumb trail. Once full, it'll overwrite older tracks. But these older tracks will not be lost if you've set the GPS to save to the MC. 1sec records are preferred as they give a more accurate outline of the road/trail we are traversing.

Any other tips from 60CSx/76CSx/Etrex HCx users out there? Our units are very similar...

[Borgie]

Used to be i set my tracks recording to "Time" at 1 sec intervals. However, lots of wandering tracks are generated when the GPS is stationary or barely moving. Read that this is a common complaint with GPS' fitted with the SIRF III chips. Sort of the trade-off for increased accuracy are these wandering tracks.

Learned also that to minimize wandering tracks, a good track setting would be "Distance" set at every .01 km interval. This would translate to a point being recorded at every 10 mtrs. or compared with "Time", a point every sec. when travelling at 36kph, or a point every 2 secs. when at 18kph. So far it's been recording fairly well and and when i compared tracks recorded using the 1 sec interval to the .01km interval, no significant changes were noted, although tight turns and curves sometimes appear skewed. If ever i will be recording new tracks, maybe i'll switch to 1 sec intervals again. HTH

[Borgie]

Another tip: One of the least understood features of the GPS is it's tracking function and the save tracks function. Kailan ba natin kailangan mag save ng track? How often do we need to delete our active tracks?

If you've been using your GPS for quite a while and you've checked the "wrap when full function", you might notice that it overwrites older track points once the memory limit has been reached. For the 60CSx this is not a problem as tracks are written and saved automatically to the MC (if this feature is checked). For GPS without MC's, problema, as you will lose older tracks that are overwritten. So, it is a good practice to download to PC your tracks after every survey (or a couple of surveys), then delete all tracks in the GPS. Familiarize yourself also with the different track settings (distance or time) and how long (kms. or hrs.) the GPS will track before wrapping. That way, hindi ma-sayang ang tracks mo and you can select the appropriate settings.

Do the same also with the waypoints, delete all after downloading para hindi pa-balik-balik all your recorded waypoints every time you download. Make a .gdb file of your favorite waypoints and assign a category to these wpts (say category 1) so that after deleting all wpts. in the GPS, upload mo ulit only the favorite saved waypoints back to the GPS.

Now ano naman ang gamit ng saved tracks? Saved tracks are those tracks that you want to navigate again na wala pa sa map natin, that you can use via the "track back" feature. But take note that you can only save a max. of 20 tracks whose points must not be more than 500 per saved track. When you save a track, make sure you define a starting point and an end point for the saved track. Otherwise, all the tracks in your GPS will be converted to a saved track (default name is the date saved). That's why magtataka kana lang kung bakit dinugtong-dugtong yung lahat ng tracks mo with very long straight lines and downgraded/truncated yung no. of pts (limit 500).

For me, the best way to make a saved track is via Mapsource. Cut and link mo lang your tracks, changed the name (descriptive of the track) then upload back to GPS as a track. If the name is not the default name (i.e. Active track xxxx), the track will appear in the GPS as a saved track. If default name is used, it will be returned to the GPS as an active track. And this is the method you use if you find that the no. of pts. exceeds the max. of 500. Upload mo lang the edited track to the GPS with an active track name, then in the GPS, doon mo siya convert into a saved track, where it will be truncated automatically to 500 pts. Afterwards rename saved track in the GPS. But be sure that all active tracks have been deleted before uploading, otherwise, those active tracks in the GPS will be included with the uploaded active track when you save it at maging magulo yung saved track mo. Malabo ba? Hope i got the tip across.

Btw, the best way to minimize using the saved tracks function is too upload all your tracks to Roadguide.ph. Bakit mo pa i-save track, andun na siya sa map... . But the above methods works for those footpaths, trails or private roads that are for personal use only...

[Borgie]

Wala bang ibang mag-share ng tips?

[fyos]

Just got my new60 CSx, working my way through the "newbie" section and off the the PI on Saturday where I will try and start to map. Understand the diffence between waypoints and tracks. Is a "road" also known as a track in this terminology? What I intend to do to practice is walk down a long road (several KMs) which i know well and has numerous waypoints of lots of different descriptions on it which I will map. As we also do a lot of trecking/hiking/hashing across much uncharted map territory, to me that is a "track" when we are up in the hills in the middle of nowhere trying to get from point a to point b.

[Jan]

Is a "road" also known as a track in this terminology?

correctemundo

[fyos]

Thanks for quick reply - will start my "trial" mapping this weekend

[Jan]

Thanks for quick reply - will start my "trial" mapping this weekend

good luck. remember : 1s / wrap / write to card!

[Borgie]

Just got my new60 CSx, working my way through the "newbie" section and off the the PI on Saturday where I will try and start to map. Understand the diffence between waypoints and tracks. Is a "road" also known as a track in this terminology? What I intend to do to practice is walk down a long road (several KMs) which i know well and has numerous waypoints of lots of different descriptions on it which I will map. As we also do a lot of trecking/hiking/hashing across much uncharted map territory, to me that is a "track" when we are up in the hills in the middle of nowhere trying to get from point a to point b.

Check out this thread on how to record waypoints and prepare them for upload http://roadguide.ph/forums/showthread.php?t=64&page=2. Take note of which side of the road the waypoint is located.

Things to bring while mapping: paper and pen to record waypoint nos. & descriptions (voice recorder preferred if you have), extra batteries (rechargeable pre-charged batteries preferred), and other essentials (anong gusto mo pang dalhin). When treking/traveling on/offroad, remember to take note if the road is paved or all-weather (gravel fire road), and if passable by car, or 4x4, or motorcycle only. Mark the appropriate place where road condition changes (say: start of gravel rd/end of asphalt rd, then after a few mtrs/kms: end of gravel rd/start of trail for motorcycle, or something like that).

After you finish mapping, download survey data from the GPS to Mapsource in PC and edit the waypoints, moving them if necessary, labeling and assigning correct icons. Same goes with the tracks too. If you have questions, ask...

Happy mapping...

[Jan]

Check out this thread on how to record waypoints and prepare them for upload http://roadguide.ph/forums/showthread.php?t=64&page=2. Take note of which side of the road the waypoint is located.

Things to bring while mapping: paper and pen to record waypoint nos. & descriptions (voice recorder preferred if you have), extra batteries (rechargeable pre-charged batteries preferred), and other essentials (anong gusto mo pang dalhin). When treking/traveling on/offroad, remember to take note if the road is paved or all-weather (gravel fire road), and if passable by car, or 4x4, or motorcycle only. Mark the appropriate place where road condition changes (say: start of gravel rd/end of asphalt rd, then after a few mtrs/kms: end of gravel rd/start of trail for motorcycle, or something like that).

After you finish mapping, download survey data from the GPS to Mapsource in PC and edit the waypoints, moving them if necessary, labeling and assigning correct icons. Same goes with the tracks too. If you have questions, ask...

Happy mapping...

great post!

fek borgie, you helping or scaring'em away?

[Borgie]

great post!

fek borgie, you helping or scaring'em away?

Nope , best to teach them newbies how to do it right the first time they go out mapping, hit the ground running, as they say . If they run scared, they're not fit to be contributors then... ... just joking, we're here to help... and i'm just passing on your mapping instructions boss Jan

[Charlemagne M. Losaria]

Nope , best to teach them newbies how to do it right the first time they go out mapping, hit the ground running, as they say . If they run scared, they're not fit to be contributors then... ... just joking, we're here to help... and i'm just passing on your mapping instructions boss Jan

thanks for the useful info. please keep em coming

[Borgie]

Another tracking tip...

I've set my recording to 1 sec interval as it does give the bestest and most accurate track. However, when you stop for longer than a minute, the tracks start to wander and go off in different directions. This is one of the con issues with the 60CSx but in no way affects it's performance, it's just a minor irritant especially when you download tracks and it's full of these crazy lines. It also eats up the track points and shortens your tracking time considerably (remember - max. of 10,000 pts. and at 1 sec/pt. if we do the math adds up to about 2.78hrs of tracking only, meaning it starts overwriting the earliest recorded pts., ex. you've been tracking for 3.78 hrs, if you check your tracks in the screen, you'll see you've already lost the 1st hour tracks). Not that it matters as your tracks are automatically recorded to the MC (if feature is checked) and although it can't be viewed in the GPS, it can be downloaded as a gpx file and viewed in Mapsource. But sometimes you just like to see where you've been, the path you have taken and so on. Can't do that if your earlier tracks have been overwritten.

To overcome this minor irritant, what i usually do is to go the satellite page (in the GPS) and turn off the satellites when i need to stop for longer than say 2 mins. That way, tracking is stopped as well. Just turn on the satellites again when it's time to move. As it's a hot start, it re-acquires a lock very fast. Tracks will then pick off from where it ended. If planning to track (or use) the GPS for more than 2 hrs, what i do is to save the active tracks in the GPS after about 2 hrs. Then after saving, delete all the active tracks so you have a fresh 10,000 pts or another 2.78 hrs tracking time. Although the saved track is truncated to fit the 500 pts. limit, it's still much better than losing the older tracks in your map screen and can be used to "track back".

Take note though that before you travel or start tracking, it's preferable to have a clean slate with no active tracks in the GPS. Reason for this is if you do saved tracks, those old active tracks will be included and will help eat up the 500 pts of a saved track resulting to a more truncated track. Another reason is you can better determine your travel times (stop/moving/avg time), distance covered, the speed (average/max speed) and other trip data if that data is not added to the data of the active tracks you have previously recorded.

HTH

[jto235]

Tracks saved in the Data Card

I just noticed this, when I download date from my 60CSx using mapsource, mapsource will not download the tracks saved to the Data Card, just the tracks in the unit, is this normal? or do I have to changes some settings to be able to download the data from the data card using mapsource? I was able to download the saved tracks by using the 60CSx in usb mode.

[Borgie]

I just noticed this, when I download date from my 60CSx using mapsource, mapsource will not download the tracks saved to the Data Card, just the tracks in the unit, is this normal? or do I have to changes some settings to be able to download the data from the data card using mapsource? I was able to download the saved tracks by using the 60CSx in usb mode.

Yup that's normal. Data saved to MC is in GPX format and can't be read/accessed by the GPS or by Mapsource directly. Must be downloaded with GPS in USB mode and copied to PC before it can be opened in Mapsource and returned back to the GPS as a track if so desired...