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cterres

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  1. These are Zip-Files. You need to uncompress them with your PC or Mac and the the unzip function all modern operating systems contain. You get multiple files, especially a PSF-File. This one (and the others) copy to a microSD- card in a subfolder named MapRegions, that you need to create first. If british dealers are no help, try a search with google (or a preferred search engine) for a Lowrance dealer from outside U.K.. First try should be in France cause you want to ask for a map for this country. Additionally the german user board leader is a Navico Employee (Mathias Binder aka Matz) http://forum.in-touch-with-adventure.de Maybe he can help you with direct contact to a useful map dealer. You need to sign in to the german forum, but you can post there in english too. And dont forget the Groundspeak-User "LowranceLady", also a official from Lowrance Headquarter U.S. You can send her a message via geocaching.com
  2. The German Customer Service made many free maps based on OpenStreetMap data and let you download it from here: http://in-touch-with-adventure.de/?page_id=300 You can use Google Translate to look at the page in english or a different language, because there is not only France available. So this might be interesting for more people. Prepare a blank microSD-Card with a subfolder \MapRegions and extract the zip-files into it. The commercial maps for France from Lowrance can be ordered by any Lowrance dealer. (even marine dealers) http://www.lowrance.co.uk/upload/Lowrance/Forms/Lowrance_UK_Ireland_Marine_Dealers.pdf Best regards from Germany Christoph
  3. Too bad that DeLorme still doesnt offer maps for europe. Anyway, you need to hold down "Menu"-Key on your Endura for a couple seconds to get to the Info-screen. Since the official latest software is still 1.4 since April ... (Hello Lowrance, its November 2010 now and this stupid brick keeps stopping navigation on waypoints 10 meters before arriving. And it does since Summer 2009 when you start selling it.) ... i think no one gives something on the fact, that the "latest" software is installed. But there are two hardware versions for the Endura available. The old one shows as "V1" and the newer, slightly faster model shows as "G1" in partnumber. To get a newer "G1" is interesting (but has the same software issues).
  4. Yes, all Colorado 400 were only released in the U.S. The european topo-map preloaded on a garmin-unit was introduced first with the Oregon 400t. For europe the only available Colorado was the 300. Both, the Oregon 400t and the Colorados are discontinued today. Bundled with a topo map you can actual get a Oregon 450t or a Oregon 550t or the GPSmap 62st. Garmin doesnt sell a device bundled with a local Inland Lakes map or a coastal sea map like the U.S. Colorado 400i, 400c, Oregon 400i, 400c or the newer GPSmap 78sc. All of these are not available for europe.
  5. If you want to buy five units, you should contact some shops and ask for a special price. I wouldnt pay the same price as for a single unit if i were you.
  6. There is a u.s.-version and a european version of the GC available. Both have a basemap that contains streetlevel-details of north america and western europe. The u.s.-version contains a 1gb-basemap, the european version got a 1.2gb map with additional map details for eastern europe. So for england it is pretty much the same. I have both versions in use/test here (germany), but i cant find any dealers for england, so afaik you need to look for a dealer outside britain. In France or germany you could find a shop.
  7. As far as i know, there is no or no active distributor for Magellan in U.K. With release of the new eXplorist x10-line (510, 610, only for u.s. 710) distribution will be done by MIO for Europe. (www.mio.com) So some retailers (maybe big ones too) will list Magellans again as available from them. There are some little differences between a european eXplorist GC and a american one. But if you get one from the U.S. (eBay f.ex.), you need to pay taxes for, but because of the weak Dollar, you still save some money. If you look for a online shop in germany, that sell one to you, you get a valid warranty, cause Magellan only gives service fur U.S.-units, if the customer lives in the U.S. too. So for europe, germany is one option, maybe france too. All units contain a basemap for U.S. and europe, so from where ever you get it, its both the same. End of october Magellan start selling the new eXplorists. Maybe they will advertise more in the UK and for the GC too?
  8. Did you guys set up the units energy bar for using with alkaline-batteries? Factory default is "lithium", cause new units shipped with a pair of that. These are very powerful batteries, so if you replace them later with cheaper alkaline-cells, the energy-bar falls rapidly, if the unit still thinks it has lithium-cells in it. Using alkaline or rechargeable s should be good for a 12-14 hour period. But you need to tell the GC, wich type of cells you choose.
  9. Do not forget about, that Turn-by-Turn is for the U.S. only. The eXplorist 710 dont come to Australia, Europe or even up to Canada. So you can cancel this feature from your list. For me it looks like a good handheld device and some public beta tests are already made by the people who bought an eXplorist GC, cause most software-parts are quite the same. I am sure to get my personal eX 610 for Europe as soon as i can find one. Otherwise i take one from the u.s. for a descent price in U.S.-Dollar instead of Euro. Buying from the americans is much cheaper for me, in Europe, Magellans are mostly 30% more expensive here. If this really is a good unit, i will see then later. If not, i dont care much about. I will post a review in germany and kick the little brick up on ebay.
  10. You could, but you don't need to remove the preloaded topo map from the 62st. Save some money and get a 62s. If you need more free space, get a bigger memory card. Garmin claims, it uses up to 4GB cards, but you can use 8GB and most 16GB cards too. You can get a 16GB card plus a gpsmap 62s for less money then the gpsmap 62st.
  11. As a little help: GPSmap 62, 62s, 78 and 78s contains 2GB of flash memory with 1,7GB of free space available. GPSmap 62st and 78sc contains 4GB of flash memory with various free space wich depends on what local maps are preloaded. On a european model, the european recreational map uses 3,4GB plus 150MB for unit software, basemap and documentations (stored on memory now). So you have about 400-500MB free space now. You can expand the memory by using MicroSD-Cards with up to 8GB within the GPSmap 62s, 62st, 78, 78s and 78sc. The GPSmap 62 doesn't have a MicroSD card slot available.
  12. Sure it does, this is part of the SiRF software. The SiRF firmware is modified by Magellan, so it's a slightly better version of SiRF's "Instant Fix II". The Magellan software is optimized for more accuracy, so some SiRFstar-III receivers might be faster, but not much.
  13. There should be a satellite in the list with a "W" instead of a number. This is how the Triton displays a WAAS-Signal. The Tritons are truly slow in getting a WAAS fix, but with 9+ birds in the sky, you really don't need WAAS. This will bring you maybe 3-4 ft. more, but the geocache might be 5 ft. off too.
  14. WAAS can't be disabled for the Triton, but the accuracy for those units is pretty good, so maybe you need a little more warmup. Did you install the latest (and last) software update? In addition you should place the Triton (like every new GPS) for 15-30 minutes under the open sky, maybe in your garden. But only once. 16-18 feet acc. is a good result. Maybe your older Garmin Legend can do this too, but compare it by walking under tree canopy. If there is no Tree or some larger buildings near your testing area, a newer gpsr wouldn't be more accurate. (for example: deserts, lakes, sea, high mountains)
  15. This will apply on all maps loaded on internal and external memory. But 4000 map tiles are a lot of topo maps. It should last for the whole country.
  16. You can get more maps and even free maps for the Garmins. The Satmap screen is larger and brighter, more features like are included with the Satmap, like a really good nightvision mode in redlight. The service is better with Satmap, cause they offer a service flatrate for a new housing if you dropped it accidently. So you don't need to worry about scratches on the plastic parts. For England, you get the same maps for Satmap as you get for Garmin - the O.S. raster maps, only the garmin version can do autorouting on streets. There is a vector streetmap included. Whole England cost you £199 for both systems. You have to decide if you prefer a small handy unit or a big one with a big screen. For Garmins Discoverer maps, the Oregon has a better screen size. On the Dakota, the maps doesn't look that good. On the pro-side, the Dakota is a little bit smaller, lighter, batteries last longer and it is cheaper. The more maps you want, a Satmap will be more expensive.
  17. What were the Triton disasters you're referring to? The unit crashed alot and was near unusable for the first months they came out. The Triton 200-500 (the smaller without touchscreen) have a defective beeper wich you cant hear exept you press your ear onto it. (referring to a technician, its a design failure and cant be fixed by a software update) Up- and download can only be done by using a windows software called "vantage point" wich crashes a lot, especially when you upload geocaches. This issue can be fixed by using a tool called "GSAK" and convert a Groundspeak pocket query into a triton-friendly form. Today the Triton is a much better unit then it was just two software releases before, last year. The last and final embarressment is the "Trips" Section in the main menu screen on every Triton model. Since 2007 it is drawn in grey color, leaving space for a future function to join audio, pictures and waypoints to a complete trip description. Since 2007 the f.a.q.-page on magellangps.com replies this will be added in a future software release. A few weeks ago on the magellan outdoor page on facebook was a new post asking for a future update for the Tritons and answer was, there is no new update planned and we should look aout for the great news magellan is showing this year. So the blank section in the Triton menu is there for all times. The Triton is a great toy, but for geocaching you can find much better ones. Try to understand people who payed $600 for a Triton 2000 in 2008 and now there is a buy out at ebay for refurbished (magellan stock) Triton 2000 for $150 each. But for the new eXplorist-line (there comes a bigger one later this year) a new company owner (Mitac bought Magellan and keepd the brand name) and a different developing team (i think the triton guys got fired) is in charge. Its hard to recommend a new Magellan GPS after using a Triton for a while.
  18. You misunderstood me, the official launch for the Endura in Germany, Austria, Swiss and some other countries was at the end of september 2009. Since then there were maps for these areas available and localized units. In magazine reviews the Endura was always the worst new unit they compared, mostly because of a bad map detail quality. A local company makes new maps this year, exclusively for Germany and Austria and Navico (Lowrances head company) promised to give out free map updates for early buyers of the obsolete first edition. Compared to Garmin, wich hold about 90% of outdoor gps market in germany, the price of a Endura is higher. So only a few people bought one so far. I got my Safari from USA (thats why i know the EU-Basemap doesnt work) for 60% of the local price in Germany (350 Euro = $465). But i can get a Garmin Oregon 450 for 320 Euro ($425), use free maps with it, my own raster image maps and can find commercial maps for every spot in europe like eastern europe too. This year is soccer world cup in south africa. Thounsands of people traveling to there, but only Garmin has street- an topo-maps available. So if you stay at home, the Endura lacks on features and firmware updates and costs more than a comparable Garmin here. If you like to travel to foreign countries, you cant get any maps. Most people i know use the Endura as a win mobile pda with 3rd-party software like ozi explorer. Installing your own programs on the Endura is quite easy. The first edition of the "Lowrance Outdoor Germany for Endura" topo-map is on sale for 75 euros (thats 50% discount) and still available, cause only a few people use the Endura with its original software. Again, the Enduras are in shops since seven months now. EU-Model. This is the first edition map of germany, since september 2009: This is the second edition map of germany, in shops maybe end of may (we wait on fw 1.4): Oh, and this is a home made free map from OpenStreetMap.org-Data (on the right) compared to the new topo (left). You need prefessional mapping tools to render for Endura in *.psf-fileformat. Just a small bunch of enthusiasts playing around with their toys ...
  19. Lowrance ist getting ready to launch? In Germany we can buy Enduras since October 2009. Maybe in some countries this isn't the same situation. But only a handful shops sells the Endura here, so i would not call it a "launch" it's more like a gently throwing. The basemap is hardlocked against the units serial number, so you can't change it by yourself. If you take a U.S. Endura with you, europe is mostly blank on the map. A free map, like from Openstreetmap.org is possible to use, but you need to build the map in Navteq NSF file format and lock it with the serial number of one specific Endura. The Endura uses only dongled maps with DRM.
  20. This will bring you to a new cellular phone (in case it's simlocked or uses only american frequencies) and power converters or new electric devices (we have 230V/50Hz, so your washing machine can stay at home ...) Choosing a new gpsr was easy compared to this.
  21. WAAS is available in Europe, it's called EGNOS here. If a receiver claims to support WAAS, it receives EGNOS too. You need to know, that some gps receivers only available in the U.S. will not have any maps available for Europe. So don't take a Bushnell or DeLorme with you. Best maps for all over Europe are available from/for Garmin, for most countries from Lowrance and Magellan too. For example, in germany Lowrance brings out a new topo map next month with much more details and colours than the previous version (wich was like the maps Lowrance sells for the U.S.). If all you want is geocaching, you can take a Magellan eXplorist GC, that holds a street map covering U.S. and Europe. For a Lowrance Endura, these have local base maps, so better choose one after you moved over. Or take a Garmin. You still have a Garmin, if you like a newer model with a touchscreen (simple use) the actual Oregon 450 might a good deal. At a reduced rate you get the Dakota 20. Later in summer you can get a newer GPSmap 78 or the new eTrex-Model. Both are familiar to the Dakota but comes without a touchscreen. All newer Garmins, Magellans and Lowrances gives you near the same accuracy. So all you need to check is, if you want additional maps and how much do you want to spend for. You can save some money if free maps are ok for you (less details outside from cities). Check out your new location in www.openstreetmap.org for map details you can get with free maps (mostly Garmins). Short list: - Garmin Oregon 450 - Garmin Dakota 20 - Garmin eTrex Legend (or Vista) HCx (same look and feel as your actual Legend, but new receiver) - Magellan eXplorist GC (you cant follow a user added route or manage tracks, so all you can do with that is geocaching only) - Lowrance Endura Out&Back, Safari or Sierra (Sierra comes with local maps card in Europe, so only take one (or all Enduras) in the new country)
  22. GLONASS uses a different frequency than GPS. You can buy receivers, but best usage is in central asia where the most satellites are located. The few recivers that uses GLONASS are not for such a mass market than GPS receivers are, so they are way more expensive. With such a dual-receiver you get around 10 GPS-signals and additional 4 GLONASS-signals wich brings you to an accuracy of below one meter in most cases. Example link to existing product: http://www.inovagis.com/gbr/gps-receiver.htm
  23. first to know: there is more then only one chipset named "SiRF III", it's a family of chips since a couple of years now. the actual model is still called SiRF III and scans 64 channels. SiRF IV is more expensive and mostly used in some later car navigation units but was designd to use in cellphones. Mostly called "SiRF IV" is in some advertisements not the gpsr-chip, there is a system controller with the name "SiRF Atlas IV" (contains a SiRF3-Decoder) and Navigon for example say, their mobile units contain a "SiRF IV chip". But it's not the "SiRFstar IV", it's the Atlas SOC-Controller. (System on a Chip = SOC, a CPU, memory and peripheral controllers on one chip). By the way, GALILEO, the european navigation system is far away from a usable status. Took more then 5 years to go, this might be a point for a future "SiRFstar VI".
  24. There are some handheld computers with dual frequency receiver that uses GPS and GLONASS, but they are for professionals and priced around $10k. Yes, you get a better accuracy with this, but you need to pay the big price for this too.
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