Garmin 60CX/CSX Proximity Circle

[AZLumberjack]

A friend of mine has the Garmin 60CX and has had it for a couple of years now. He has questions about the blue ring (Proximity Circle) around the pointer on the map page. I downloaded the most recent operators manual and was able to find only limited information on the Prox Circle. My friend isn't positive about it being there when first purchased and wants to turn it off. We are able to turn off the alarms and change the area, but the circle still exists. There is only one picture of the Prox Circle which appears on page 30 of the manual.

A recent reply from Garmin via e-mail says that the prox circle is always present but disappears when you zoom out or move quickly (as in a vehicle). Has anyone else experienced this or is there more info out there? Is there a 'hard reset' available (as in holding a button down during startup)?

All replys are welcome.

[big_load]

Are you sure he's not referring to the circle that indicates the area of uncertainty in the current position? That grows and shrinks according to how many satellites you're getting and their geometry, among other things. I don't know of any way to make it permanently vanish (it's pretty handy), but you can temporarily ditch it by moving the cursor off the current position. That probably isn't what he wants to do.

[CannondaleKid]

the prox circle is always present but disappears when you zoom out or move quickly (as in a vehicle). Has anyone else experienced this?

I'd go with the response from Garmin. I had a 76CS for a number of years before I noticed the blue ring even when not in navigation mode and thought I had reset something by mistake. I too received the same response from Garmin, and sure enough, zooming out one notch and it was gone.

Now years later with my 76CSX I had forgotten about that tidbit of info until just last week when I noticed the blue ring again, but only when zoomed all the way in. After a few moments of frustration trying to get rid of it I remembered what it was and why it was there. From what I recall it's because at that high a resolution the blue ring covers the area of error.

In short, I'd say you have nothing to worry about, your GPS is working as intended.

[Grasshopper]

Are you sure he's not referring to the circle that indicates the area of uncertainty in the current position? That grows and shrinks according to how many satellites you're getting and their geometry, among other things.

blue ring (Proximity Circle) = the circle that indicates the area of uncertainty in the current position

From my previous discussions with GPSjoe on this same issue, big_load's understanding is the same as was GPSjoe's. As you zoom your map page closer-in (300',200',120',80',etc) the proximity circle for accuracy inside the circle becomes smaller and smaller thus one of the reasons why zooming in too far can be confusing and may be misleading how you interpret your map screen relative to your actual location on it. I recall GPSjoe saying his "rule of thumb" was anything below 120 to 200ft zoom was risky for interpretation. Also, on the Garmin e-Trex series, 76 series, 60CS & 60CSx I'm fairly certain you cannot turn-off this proximity circle from the map screen so just remember when it appears, just recall what it is telling you. It may be best to zoom out one or two levels and you will see the proximity circle grow larger and/or disappear completely off the screen.