Life Expectancy of GPS units

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx that I purchased in August 2006.

It worked flawlessly until three weeks ago when it simply failed while I was out on a trip. I hadn't dropped it or dunked it and the batteries were fine - the screen went blank and it started making a buzzing sound. It worked a couple of times after that but the same problem occurred again and again. Also seemed to take forever to acquire satellites whereas in the past it would have locked on within a minute or so.

So here's the question - is there a life expectancy with handheld GPS units?

Should they be replaced every X number of years even if they appear to be working fine?

I've got an original Garmin eTrex I bought when they first came out, so figure it's at least 10 years old. It still works just fine, even after living on my snowmobile for most of its life. It doesn't have a high sensitivity receiver or WAAS (or mapping for that matter), so accuracy and satellite acquisition suffers a bit. However, it's still close enough with tracking and waypoints that I've never had an issue finding my way back.

Like most things, electronic items love to "s**t the bed" when you need them most. It's that whole Murphy's law thing. That's why it's always best to have some kind of backup.

Like most people, I rely heavily on GPS units nowadays, but I also still like to take out my map at major trail intersections and take note of where I am and the direction of travel.

Like most Electronics made today I expect them to last 5 years. If you get a few more out of then you are doing well. I have had a number lose their screens and a few toggle switch failure. All my really old ones have failed. I have also had a number of participants complain of screen going, this seems to be the biggest failure point.

My GPS's get used in Wilderness Navigation classes and I use them a lot in the bush so they may get a little rougher work then most GPS Receivers. I do not replace them until they start to fail, but nearly every year I buy a new one and put the older one into my class box for participants to use. This means that now I am rarely using one more than two years old.

I too have a Garmin 60CSx and it is operating like the day I bought it. I'm still running it on alkaline batteries, will switch to NiMH next battery change. Make sure the correct battery is selected in the set-up menu and that you are not using lithium primary batteries. The 60CSx is not designed to handle lithium primary batteries.

Other than that, it's an electronic devise and while some may go on forever, others will fail earlier. The Garmin GPS V that I've had since 2002 still works.

I expect it's just a function of electronics in general, not anything specific to a GPS.

Most of the time my GPS is just a nice addition to my landnav loadout. But there are times when the GPS is more critical, like when I'm exploring an area completely new to me and I have very important waypoints programmed in that I want to find. Examples would be water sources, unique campsites, critical trail junctions, etc. In those cases I take a second GPS, which isn't too hard since it's a Garmin 401.

This is why I keep my old GPS units after upgrading.

Most electronics won't warn you that they are about to fail. That is why I think it is best to have at least two units in a group that is traveling.

In addition to my mapping GPS I also tend to carry a Garmin Geko, which is real tiny - basic, but tiny.

Of course folks will rightfully say you should never be reliant on anything electronic.

This is why I keep up on map and compass skills.I have heard to many stories of GPS units dying when some one needed them most.A friend said "using GPS you are already lost.You just don't know it yet." They are a nice tool but not one to bet my life on.....


BOATMAN
John

I would bet my life on a GPS ... while it was working. There's not much that is more accurate and convenient for determining your location.

I would always have a map and compass and the skills needed to use them as a backup though.

But if the GPS was working, sure, I'd trust it and bet my life on it.

Haertig,I can agree with what you are saying.But as you said,"while it is working" is the point I was trying to make.I think it is not an "either or" situation.They(map and compass/GPS)should be used in tandem.If the GPS should fail,you are ready and situated with map.GPS can be a great tool to confirm your orienteering skills also.Will I use/own one?Sure.Will I completely trust it? NEVER!I have seen a friends GPS showing we were looking at the Pacific ocean.We were at the Little Creek Naval Base in Virginia.There are many stories on this forum that has strengthened this opinion.I was just stating what is JMHO.If I had offended you I am sorry.

BOATMAN
John

There is also the "green factor."

Tin-lead solder formulas are very well known and very reliable.

For green reasons the lead is being removed from the solder formula used in consumer products.
This has resulted in a drop in the reliability of solder connections and the opportunity for consumers to experience failures due to 'tin whisker' growth which causes spontaneous short circuits.

Lead-free solder is prohibited from use on spacecraft and critical military equipment because of this unreliability factor. But you the consumer can tolerate these failures.

(I had a Rino nearly melt down in its very early usage. Probably due to a stray solder ball from manufacturing shorting the battery. Was under warranty so was replaced.)

I'm going on an expedition this weekend and taking a backup GPS because being unable to record points and tracks would seriously hamper the goals of the project.

i've got a Garmin that's at least 15 years old. still works fine. i think it was just a problem with your unit. did you leave it in the hot sun on the dashboard, or get it wet? otherwise, i think you just had some bad luck.

Pete2

I have gone through 3 e-trexs. One, my cousin sent me instructions on repair, had to take it apart and resolder something. Then it worked, but very slowly,, too slow.
They do seem to have a lifespan of about 8 years.

Could also be a failure by design,also known as planned obsolesence.How can they sell you a new one if your first one keeps on working.


BOATMAN
John

All my Garmin units all work fine and show no signs of planned obsolescence. The software gets out of date and even with updated maps, my newest Nuvi works better than the older unit. But electronically, they're all good. Stuff breaks; I too carry a back-up.

Nope, no water, no excessive heat, no drops preceding the failure, right kind of batteries.

I wish there had been something that happened that I could point to and say - "That's why it happened."

I don't intend to badmouth Garmin, I've had 3 or 4 of their units over the past 20 years and never had a problem. But I do think that 6 years is the longest I've kept one - I usually sell the old ones when I upgrade.

Oh well - time to shop for another on - unfortunately it looks like the 60CSx has been discontinued so I am going to have to wade through their product line and see what's comparable.

I just treat mine a precision instrument; carefully.

I have one on hand that I bought around 1999.

My current GPS is the Garmin 62S.

I do concur with the comment about having several units in the hiking group.

Izzy is right about the cable with the older models.

Blake

www.outdoorquest.blogspot.com

From a features/outdated technology standpoint yes.

From the inherent reliability of correctly designed and manufactured electronics - no. If this is your expectation then you are being abused as a consumer.

My cellphone is 10 years old and still works. (but I'm crossing my fingers for the battery)

My laptop is 11 years old and has seen a lot more use then my GPS.

An eleven year old laptop is like a 50 year old car. My hat, sir, is off to you. The longest-lasting laptop I ever had made it to about 7. And it spent almost all of its days stationary on my desk.

Mine has lived on the arm of the couch and carried back and forth to work every day from 2002 to 2011 or so when it became a secondary system. I think I've upgraded the hdd 4-5 times.
I always buy the business grade machines, its like buying a truck instead of a cheap car, they are built to last.

Nowadays I treat laptops as disposable, since they aren't as easily user serviceable anymore (nor do most offer any kind of RAID options). I use them when I need to, but I try not to rely on them.

My main computer is a desktop (one I specifically built with Xeon processors and data redundancy). If some piece of hardware dies, other than the motherboard, I can get parts either that day or the next day and fix it myself.

Business laptops. Big companies buy them by the hundred, buy 10 non working for a couple hundred dollars and have a decade or more of spare parts. I have no desk for a desktop.

I have a Garmin GPS 12 that I bought in 1997 or 1998 that is still running strong, yet I have an original eTrex that I bought 4-5 years later that has failed to work (my only GPS unit that has failed).

In my experience, GPS units tend to have a longer life than many other electronics devices. The only real reason to upgrade is to get a GPS with more/different features.

The higher sensitivity receiver was a good reason the upgrade, but my older Garmin Geko and GPS V still work fine. The older ones are just slower to pick up satellites and the newer receivers seem to see more satellites.

+1. Especially on last-minute clearance. A demonstrator or gently used business machine will outlast the shiny biodegradeable junkers by a factor of five.


Or even get them free at a public drop-off (snagged them for parts but what do you do when they are all perfectly functional?). ThinkPads are especially modular and designed to be refurbished endlessly. And the classics like T60s, T61s, T400s are quite capable if you can bump up the RAM and are generally indestructible otherwise.

All of my "trail" Garmin GPS units still work like the day I got them. That includes my first unit - a GPS III+, a Geko 201, a Geko 301, and my current main unit - a GPSMAP 60CSx.

I've gone through two Garmin NUVI units for my car. My first one stopped working suddenly one night in a pouring rain in an area of Detroit that I was not familiar with. I turned it on, the screen flashed a bright white, and then nothing - ever. My smart phone had barely enough battery power to allow me to find my way to the interstate so I could figure my way back to my hotel on my own.

I'm now using a second Garmin NUVI. So far so good.

Checking my inventory spreadsheet says me Garmin is from 2007.