Garmin GPSMAP62stc

Most Popular GPS   

If you are an avid outdoor adventurer and are looking for the best handheld GPS Unit available -- look no further than the Garmin GPSMAP 62stc. It is definitely one of the best and most popular handheld GPS units on the market and is another first-rate Garmin GPS System being offered with an impressive array of advanced features.

The bright LED screen with a backlit keyboard for nighttime use, easy buttons, 5 MP camera and rugged design make it a must have for any trail or outdoor adventure. The 62stc's 2.6-inch, 65K color display is designed to present mapping and trip information clearly and accurately in any lighting condition. Plus, the case is lightweight, rugged, and waterproof. When using two AA alkaline batteries, you'll get up to 16 hours of battery life from the unit.

The unit's barometric altimeter system features automatic pressure trend recording while providing current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, and average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Meanwhile, the electronic compass allows you to get accurate headings while standing still.

Excellent Rating

The Garmin 62stc received a 8.7 out of 10 rating and received excellent reviews like "It's finally here ... The Garmin GPSMAP 62st brings a long-awaited update to the fabled and much-loved GPSMAP 60CSx, which has reigned supreme as the gold standard handheld GPS for more than four years. With the 62 series (and the boater friendly 78series, which shares the same interface), Garmin has married the best features of the 60 and 76 models, with many advantages of the Oregon line."

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OVERVIEW:

Garmin GPSMAP 62stc ADVANTAGES:

• Excellent menu system; fast access to features
• Bright screen
• Ability to load Garmin custom maps and BirdsEye aerial imagery
• Paperless Geocaching
• Tri-axial compass
• Extensive customization options
• Advanced track navigation
• Pre-loaded 1:100,000 scale topo maps
• Wireless data transfer with compatible units
• Accurate total ascent readings
• 5 MP Camera

Garmin GPSMAP 62stc DISADVANTAGES:

• Small screen
• Text entry more difficult than a touch-screen
• Relatively heavy (compared to the Oregon series)

Versatile:

Outdoor enthusiasts often ask what single unit is recommended that will provide turn-by-turn directions in the car, guide you to your favorite dive spot using nautical charts and also guide you along the backcountry trails using topo maps. The 62stc covers all of these activities skillfully and others you may never have even heard of, like geocaching, the increasingly popular game of hunting for hidden “treasure” using GPS. The 62stc actually sports a dedicated geocaching mode. Simply stated, Garmin’s GPSMap 62stc is the most versatile GPS unit found.

Specifications & Reviews:

Just view the specifications and User Reviews below, to have some concept of the advantages & potential offered by this top rated Garmin GPS System.

Specifications
Weight:	9.2 ounces with batteries
Dimensions:	2.4” W x 6.3” H x 1.4” D
Screen:	1.6” W x 2.1” H, 2.6”-diagonal,transflective TFT 65K Color (160 x 240 pixels)
Memory: GPS: Camera:	3.5 GB internal memory, microSD Card Reader Quad helix antenna; WAAS 5 MegaPixel Autofocus
In the Box: Warranty:	62stc unit, 2 NiMH batteries, Carabiner clip, Battery Charger, USB interface cable, owners manual, and quick-start guide One Year Limited Warranty

Reviews:

Garmin GPSMAP 62ST

LFTO Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Live For The Outdoors rating
Owners' rating

A high-end unit with traditional controls from Garmin. Next to the touchscreen models it can feel a little old fashioned, although its capabilities are far from outdated. The menu system can be a little bit awkward to get used to initially, with so many buttons, but after a little playing around, control is very straightforward with the main menu system operated via a single button. Other buttons on the front make it a little easier to get to regularly used functions without having to scroll through the entire menu system. Single-push waymarking, for instance, makes it fairly easy to plot routes. The menu system gives you quick access to the usual range of GPS extras that make owning one that much more exciting; things like trip computers, altimeter and electronic compass. Hidden amongst the larger main menu are the fancy extras common to Garmin units, but that are often a little superfluous – hunting and fishing times, anyone? But cleverly, road navigation has also been tucked away too. You can set the unit to act as a sat nav and guide you to an address whilst sticking to roads. Of course, it’s no match for an out-and-out sat nav (or the Garmin Montana) relying on beeps and arrows to indicate turns, but it is useful in an emergency, and managed to navigate us to B&Bs tucked away in the Welsh hills.
The screen is smaller than others, and although the size is fine, a bigger one would always be welcome. Refresh rates for the mapping aren’t too bad,
but there is a short lag time when zooming in and out a great deal. It is one of the quickest models to launch and get a first fix from a satellite, and it keeps the signal well. Battery life is good, with various options to power-down the screen and reduce brightness to save juice. It feels suitably rugged and fits well in the hand, or clips to a bag with the included carabiner clip.
VITAL STATS
Dimensions (cm): 6.1x16.0x3.6
Weight: 216g
WAA/EGNOS-enabled: Yes
Waterproof: Yes – IPX7
PC/Mac-compatible: PC and Mac
Battery: 2xAA
Battery life (claimed): 20 hours

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Amazon Customer Reviews:

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Full-featured GPS, Basic Camera, December 4, 2011

By

Allan Metts "Software Executive, Nearshoring ... (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 62sc Handheld Navigator (Electronics

I purchased the 62sc after considering the other 62-series models, and also the Oregon and Montana lines. The Oregon models got bad reviews for readability in sunlight, and the Montana devices seemed too big and bulky for my tastes. What's more, I'm still not sure I completely trust touch screens in a rugged environment -- I guess I've seen too many dead Palm Pilots and cell phones.

The 62 series feels good in your hand, and the buttons allow one-handed operation. I opted for the 62sc because I wanted the latest model with a camera and extra memory, but I didn't want to pay for the 1:100 topo maps in the 62stc (instead, I used that money for 1:24 topo maps of the Southeast).

The excellent GPS performance of the 62 series is documented in other reviews, so I won't cover that here (suffice it to say, it's awesome). What's unique about this model is the camera, so that 's what I'll describe here.

The 5MP camera could best be described as "capable, but basic". It can certainly document and geotag your journey, provided you have good lighting conditions.

The photos are clear and colorful, and the 5MP resolution is enough to allow significant cropping in Photoshop (and still have a photo with reasonable resolution).

The camera has a "low light" mode, but even with this enabled I had a little trouble in low light conditions -- particularly if the subject was silhouetted against a bright background.

What's more, the photos are all pretty saturated from a color standpoint, and there's no adjustment to tone this down. Speaking of adjustments, there really aren't any -- other than the low light mode, resolution, and storage location. I'd be okay with this if the camera could write RAW files (which would let me make all of the image processing decisions on my computer).

Given that this is a GPS, it's a little unnatural for taking photos -- but I managed okay. I found myself holding the antenna with one hand, holding the carabiner out of the way with the other (you can remove this), and pressing the Enter key (to snap the photo) with my thumb. At times, it's a little difficult to see your subject on the screen (if there's bright sunlight on the screen or behind your subject).

There's one other aspect I'll cover, because I couldn't find it mentioned in the manual or other reviews when I researched this purchase: What's it like on a bicycle?

I have a Garmin Edge 500 for my bike, but I wondered how the 62sc would work on longer rides when I wanted on-screen maps. It took me a while to figure out the details, but the 62sc holds up pretty well.

The device uses the same bike mount as the Oregon series, and I had no trouble getting my heart rate monitor and cadence sensor to connect. There's a "fitness" profile that integrates the stop watch and trip statistics, much like a bike computer.

Stopping the stopwatch saves a track with your ride details in an "Archive" folder on the device. If you MANUALLY upload this GPX file to Garmin Connect, you'll have graphs of your heart rate and cadence on the site (the Connect web plugin only uploads the basics). None of this is documented, as best I can determine.

What you DON'T get on the 62sc is the "Workouts" feature that tells you how far and fast to ride, and for how long. And unlike the Edge and Forerunner series, there's also no awareness of target heart rate zones on the device -- all you get is a basic BPM, and you can't set up alerts based on your heart rate.

But overall, I'm extremely pleased with the purchase (it's a bit unfair for me to compare a general-purpose GPS to specialized cameras and fitness devices). I kept my last GPS for 14 years, so I expect to get lots of use out of all of the features this device has to offer.

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Amazing Performance and Function
Written: Nov 08 '10 (Updated Nov 30 '10)

Pros:- Satelite imagery is great
- Battery life is amazing
- Very accurate
Cons:- Battery life indicator needs fixed
The Bottom Line: This is a great GPS for field work and has a lot of nice features for avid geocachers.

I had been wanting to replace my, very, very old Delorme GPS for a long time but was very picky about making the change since I wanted a unit that would cover all my needs both for work and outdoor recreation. I am an environmental consultant for the mining industry and an avid hiker so I wanted a unit that I could use in the field for cataloguing geologic information with enough accuracy to incorporate into my geophysical reports but one that would be small enough to use for fun on the trail. No one product could reasonably be expected to have survey grade precision and be small and simple enough for hiking and geocaching but this model strikes an acceptable balance.

The model comes loaded with Garmin's 100k US topo maps and can be upgraded by purchasing their 24k series, which I have since done. The 100k is good for establishing the general lay of the land but I like the 24k because I need to pinpoint some of the more subtle features in the topography.

The two things that I like most about the unit is the very long run time (when powered by lithium batteries) and the ability to display high-resolution satellite photography via the available Birdseye subscription (about 20 bucks a year). I can leave the unit on all day long for three days in a row (turning it off at night) without draining the batteries, a huge improvement over my old model which would devour a set of alkalines every two or three hours. Turning on the battery save mode will shut down the screen to save batteries, you can turn it back on by hitting any button. I do not know how much longer the batteries will last with this feature, since my tests were at full screen brightness running full time. The satellite imagery allows me to navigate right to individual buildings, trees or even large rocks that I want to investigate. The topo alone does not provide that sort of info. There is an available slot for a micro-sd card that allows you to upgrade the device's built in 500 megs of memory.

The waterproof rating of the device meets the standard of one 1/2hour submerged one meter deep. This means that you can have it out in the nastiest rainstorm with no fears of damage, so long as the water resistant port cover is securely closed.

The interface is the standard push button type and I have successfully worked the buttons with gloves on. All of the navigational screens can be customized with large or small windows that allow you to add data to your screen of choice. My personal favorites are distanced travelled and distance to destination running on the map screen. Having any more than two added windows severely cuts down on your ability to see the map so it is best to customize an additional screen with the other features that you want handy. One of the selling points of the unit is the ability to go "paperless geocaching" I have yet to use this feature and would appreciate hearing from anyone that has. There are also settings for foot or auto travel, both of which I have tried, although my main use is for when I am on foot. The auto feature provides a slightly different view which I find awkward but their road system coverage is more than adequate for finding your next turn. Of course the GPSmap 62st has all the usual features including sun and moon, hunting and fishing, average speed etc. Those features can be found on many other models so if that is all you want this is probably too much GPS for you. The things that set this unit apart, for me are the quad antenna which very quickly establishes position (even indoors!) and improves accuracy, the large screen which is very easy to read, especially when looking at satellite photos, the water resistant feature, the large amount of memory (when equipped with the sd card, not included), satellite imagery and the impressive run time for lithium batteries

The unit works with many different software platforms including Terrain Navigator Pro (the most recent version) and the data is readily imported into GIS programs like ArcGis. If you do not have an existing program, just go to Garmin's website and download their Basecamp software for free. The casual user will get all the utility out of that program that is needed and Garmin provides regular updates, once again at no charge. It is with the Basecamp program that you can access the Birdseye features, for a very small yearly fee. I can't stress how much more useful this feature makes the unit, it is like having Google Earth in the palm of your hand and the extra micro-sd card allows you to store literally thousands of square miles of satelite info.

The unit comes with a usb interface cable and a very sturdy carabiner clip so you can hang it from your belt or packstrap.

I rushed out and got mine the first week they were available (July 2010) and have used it almost every day since then with absolutely no problems, even after having dropped it a few times.

As with many units available these days the 62st is loaded with a huge array of places to visit from points of interest to shopping malls. I just used this feature the other day to find an outdoor equipment retailer in a large city that I would never have found without it.

The only very minor negative point is that the battery meter does not seem to recognize the power drop for lithium batteries until they are nearing exhaustion, hopefully they will put out a software upgrade to remedy this.

Recommended: Yes 






Garmin GPSMAP 62stc Handheld Navigator