BeatonNo1

Yeah, I didn't even think about stacking it. However I bet that would take more reworking of the code, and code is something I try to stay away from

...

I liked the weather idea, have the GPS be able to use GSM so it can access real time radar/satelite weather images and overlay them onto your screen. I have heard of this being done with PDAs on small private aircraft. Instead of just using flash cards why not just use a small hardrive like that in the Ipod. have a firewire connection for data and then you could just upload topo maps the entire western hemisphere onto your 40gig harddrive. with this much space you could just download maps off of the terraserver like with expertgps. that way you could have USGS topo maps and satellite photo maps at your disposal. Also I would like to see the distress beacon capabilities built into future GPSs. I dont know if you've ever seen those distress beacons that basically work in the reverse of GPS. but integrating capabilities like that in a GPS would be easy and useful.

Just because you have a schematic of your GPS does not mean you know the entire workings of the GPS. All that tells you is what is connected to what. I don't think there is an easier way than the way he did it. (replacing the stock flash memory chip with one that has more capacity but the same general interface) codeing would be the major problem, and it looks like that was the obstacle he faced. not only would the software on the GPS have to be reverse engineered so that it would know how to handle the added space. apparently the Garmin map software needs to be changed to, so that it will send more data than what will fit onto the stock memory size.

I bought my Sportrack Map back in 2002 and my GPS has yet to fall apart, disintegrate, explode, or vaporize. Since then It has been dropped on rocks, dropped in creeks, thrown, sat in my car through the searing hot Texas summers, been in -9 degree weather up in Colorado. And yet through all this, the cracks have not spread much further than the depth of the screws. After first reading about this problem, I opened mine up so that I could see how deep the cracks penetrated into the plastic. The cracks on my GPS Do not even go as deep as the screw holes. I have also tried to pry my GPS apart to see if the plastic will fail and it did not. At this point I am not concerned with the cracks in my GPS. The only damage I see is aesthetical. The only reason I think that Magellan has not corrected this problem, is that they did not see it as a problem. I still think Magellan is an excellent company and the SporTrak line is a reliable GPS. To this day, I still recommend SporTrek GPSrs to friends.

here is a very good article comparing different antenna designs http://www.gpsinformation.org/joe/gpsantennaspecs.htm However, I have found that the magellan quadifiler antennas seem to work better than other companies designs (maybe leaving out the r makes all the difference).

I saw it in either the Overton's or Cabellos catalogue.

The clip is similar (if not the same) used with many cell phones. There is a plastic knob on the back that slides into a plastic clip. to take the GPS off the clip you turn it sideways and press the button on the top of the clip. The case is a really good investment, it keeps your GPS (especially the screen) from getting all beat up when you drop it. Increasing its value if you ever decide to upgrade.

Like I said guys, these cracks do not pose any serious threats to your gps, it is very unlikely that they would spread much further than the depth of the screws. I have had my Sportrak for more than a year and the cracks have not spread any further.

You might want to upgrade the software on your GPS (new versions can be downloaded off of the Magellan site) It might have just been one of those odd hiccups. As far as position quivering when your standing still, this is common with all GPS devices. The problem with GPS is that it relies on the time it takes for the GPS signal to get to you from the satellite some of this can be caused by changes in air temperature, and signal reflections off of all sorts of things. A difference of 60ft is very small when considering how long it takes radio waves to travel that distance. I find that my gps seems to work better when I am moving. I think the owners manual talks about this.

One thing that is most inportant is signal strenght, and magellan's quadrifler/quadrahelix (i forget which) works alot beter. I rarely lose signal. As for software, the garmin software has better topo detail, where magellan's is more rounded out. However magellan has alot better street coverage. I have a Magellan SportTrak which I bought at Sams. It came with the GPS computer cable, mapsend topo, and cloth case and belt clip. after the 100 dollar rebate it was under 200.

I have owned my SporTrack for 1.5 years now and I didn't notice those cracks until I read this forum. The cracks, however, shouldn't be a problem unless you plan on taking your GPS scuba diving with you. When the front cover Is made the holes are a little bit smaller than the diameter of the self tapping screws that hold the two pieces of the GPS together. This is done so that the screws can get a good grip on the plastic, other wise your GPS would fall apart. Unfortunately, the design of the Sportrak series has the distance between the screw hole and the outside of the case to thin. Therefore when the screws are put in and the case swells in that area it causes a small crack. I opened mine (it was over warranty anyway) to have a look at the inside of the case and didn't notice any cracking on that side. The cracks also did not appear to go all the way to the screw hole either. I highly doubt any water will leak in from these cracks If you dropped your GPS into the water. One thing you can do to relieve the stress is to SLIGHTLY loosen the screws that show signs of cracking. Good Luck, Brian