The number one reason I bought this unit is it allows the use of alkaline, lithium, or NiCad batteries—two AA in this case. It is not recharge only. While elk hunting last year, I used a hunting app on my smart phone that, frankly, worked better than a handheld GPS.
In fact, it temporarily kept me from purchasing a replacement for my failed GPS unit. However, I hated I could not simply carry extra batteries. I don’t want to carry a heavy power bank to recharge my smart phone.
In the age of lightweight backpacking and hunting, I enjoy having this choice. Also, I like the barometric functions common in many GPS units. Additionally, handheld GPS units are very rugged. When on local hikes, I like I can use common rechargeable NiCad batteries.
It saves money and there is less undesirable waste. I use only lithium when backpacking or hunting. They are light and last a long time. Previously, I owned a Garmin Oregon 450t and loved it, although the touch screen left much to be desired.
Just prior to my hunt last year, I discovered it would not power up. The power button failed and upon contacting Garmin, they informed me they no longer support that unit. It gave me years of great use, but only after going through the frustration of learning the awkward menu system.
The menus in these units are confusing, and the documentation is only mildly useful. My recommendation is to read it to gain an understanding of its capabilities, but play with the unit to locate the various functions and settings.
Don’t expect the manual to guide you through. I want to pass on some tips that might help anyone new to Garmin products. Once it is understood how the PAGE, MENU, and QUIT buttons function, a lot of confusion will clear up.
From the Garmin support page: “Memory Card Required to Update New GPSMAP 64x Series Handheld” Also from their page: “Updating the maps is not required in order to use the handheld, but if you choose to update the maps Garmin Express will prompt you to insert a microSD card (maximum 32 GB).
For more details on microSD card requirements, see – Memory Card Size Requirements for Garmin Outdoor Handhelds. ” You will need a BLANK microSD card, and yes, there is no way of knowing this at the time of purchase other than the reviews.
To get to the Garmin link, search on: Garmin GPSMAP 64sx microSD requirements. The Garmin support page will come up. They warn against initializing the device for updates with a micro SD card that has maps preloaded.
Also, notice they describe what type of microSD cards NOT to use. NOTE: After installing the SD card and batteries, you first want to tell the unit what type of batteries you have installed. Power the unit on.
The opening screen should be the MAP. Press the PAGE button in rapid succession until it stops on MAIN MENU. No need to hit the ENTER button, it will enter automatically. If you don’t see a wrench symbol labeled “SETUP”, you may have entered the wrong menu.
Cycle through the PAGE button again until it stops on the MAIN MENU. With the SETUP box highlighted, press the ENTER button. Next, with the SYSTEM box highlighted, press the ENTER button. Cursor down to the AA BATTERY TYPE.
Hit ENTER. Select the battery type, ENTER. Then you can press the QUIT button to get out of that menu. Alkaline batteries never worked well on my Oregon 450t, but lithium and NiMhs did. Download Garmin Express, connect the 64sx unit to your computer, and follow the instructions to update the maps.
Assuming you have got through all that, you need to learn the unit and the best way is to explore the menus, but there are a few things to keep in mind. 1) The “MENU” button will not take you to the MAIN MENU.
The MAIN MENU and the MENU button are different things. I will circle back to the MENU button. When you power up the unit, it will take a while to load the new map updates. The opening screen is the MAP.
It will take a while to acquire the satellites. 2) Use the “PAGE” button to explore the menu system, not to be confused with the MENU button or the MAIN MENU. Things become bewildering immediately until you understand how the PAGE button works.
If you keep pressing it in rapid succession, it will cycle through the five branches of the menu system, beginning with compass: COMPASS TRIP COMPUTER ELEVATION PLOT MAIN MENU And then back to: MAP If you stop rapid pressing of the PAGE button, you will automatically enter the menu branch you just stopped on.
This is the best way to enter one of the five branches. You can also enter them by stopping then quickly pressing the “ENTER” button, but this can lead to more confusion. For instance, if you are using the PAGE button to cycle through the menu system and press enter, once stopped on the MAIN MENU, the unit might automatically beat you into the MAIN MENU branch just as you hit enter and you find yourself in the submenu without knowing how you got there.
So, to access the MAIN MENU, for instance, simply cycle through by pressing the PAGE button until it stops on the MAIN MENU. Wait a second, and it will enter that branch. If you want to back out of any submenus, press the “QUIT” button.
But this can lead to more confusion. 3) Continuing to press the QUIT button after backing out to a primary branch will lead to cycling through the menu system. At this point, the QUIT button behaves identically to the PAGE button.
For instance, if you are in MAP and press the QUIT button, you begin cycling through the menu system just as if you pressed the PAGE button. This leads to confusion because suddenly you are seeing the menu system cycling through again, so you stop to see what is going on and of course once you do it automatically enters that menu branch, and you are left wondering how you got there.
It took me a while to understand what was going on. It would be best if Garmin would change the QUIT button so it never functions like the PAGE button. The way it is now is leading to confusion. Now, onto the MENU button.
Anytime you are in a submenu and hit the MENU button, a list of options will come up. For instance, if you are in the TRIP COMPUTER branch and then hit the MENU button, a list of options comes up. Reset, Big Numbers, Change Data Fields, etc.
Go in there and start playing around. Change your data fields. Reset. If you don’t like what you have changed, hit MENU again and select RESTORE DEFAULTS. 4) The MENU button is how to change data fields in the trip computer, elevation plot, etc.
It is the portal to submenus of the primary menu branches only. The MENU button will not provide access to the five root branches. Again, the key here is to play with it, and do this at home before heading out on a big trip.
I didn’t go into the MARK button or the FIND button features. My goal was to illustrate how to get around on the unit. The MARK button is how to establish a way point. Play with it. The FIND button has all kinds of interesting things to explore, and there are lots to learn there.
To my knowledge, there are only two ways to get in trouble with this and other Garmin units and one is to accidentally delete all your way points. Be careful not to do that. It is easy to do while in the reset menu.
Why Garmin doesn’t move that hazard to another submenu, I don’t know. The other is changing batteries while the unit altimeter barometric pressure trending is set to “Save Always. ” This is a very interesting capability.
Iif you change the setting from “Save When Power On” to “Save Always,” a warning will flash that says, “WARNING: Do not remove batteries while this feature is active. ” Now, I don’t know what would happen if the batteries were to be changed with this feature active, but I have always been careful to make sure the batteries would not run out of power while using it for fear of damage to the unit.
On the battery subject, if you tap the POWER button once, a screen will come up with several bits of information, one of which is the battery level. Also found there is the adjustment for the backlight brightness level.
On a further side note, you can replace any of the data fields in the TRIP COMPUTER with this same battery indicator. I was worried all my information in my Oregon 450t was lost. I had years of way points for hunting spots, rafting take-outs, backpacking stream crossings, steelhead holes, game watering and bedding locations, etc.
Periodically, I backed up my Basecamp files and emailed them to myself. The new version of Basecamp did not recognize those files. I still had my old computer. Fortunately, it booted up. I connected my new 64sx and was able to transfer all my waypoints and routes to the INTERNAL STORAGE of the unit.
Then, I connected my 64sx to my new computer with the new version of Basecamp and imported everything. Perhaps it was worth buying a new stand-alone GPS unit, if only to recover all that information.
It may be possible to export all my way point information from Basecamp and then upload to a smartphone app. I don’t know. I just feel relieved I have all my hard-earned data. One potential negative is it appears there is no way to lock the controls.
My Oregon 450t had a lock function. To be fair, that touchscreen was sensitive when you didn’t want it to be. A time or two, inadvertent contact with the screen opened reset menus while in the field.
After a time or two of nearly losing data, I learned how to lock the screen. Perhaps this is less of a hazard with the button-based units.