tubemonkey

At $40-50 each? I don't think so. Garmin managed to do their upgrades with AAs. The problem with their units though, is a lack of SD. Add SD to either a Legend C or a 60C; or add AAs to an eXplorist 500 and I'd jump on any them. Sorry, but this is one long term hiker who refuses to be tethered to a battery charger. Out of curiosity, how many folks out there wish that Garmin would've shoved Li-Ions in their new series (60C/CS, 76C/CS, Legend C, Vista C) instead of AAs?

They missed the mark with outdoorsmen who remain in the great outdoors longer than the charge of the lithium (~17 hrs). Maybe Magellan plans on installing thousands of charging stations in the wilderness so us outdoorsmen types can use their otherwise wonderfully new eXplorists? Wonderland Trail + charging stations = new eXplorist 500 Wonderland Trail + no charging stations = old Legend

Some other thoughts on this. If you really need the backtrack info to get back to your truck, then place a fresh set of batteries in your GPSr before leaving. You can use the partially used set later in a flashlight or for urban caching. Also, take a reading of your truck and write the coordinates down on a piece of paper for added insurance. And don't forget, electronic devices can fail. So always bring map and compass with you whenever you're in unfamiliar territory.

I still haven't. The 100/200/300 all use AAs; so if there wasn't enough room to add SD, then make the units just a tad bit larger. Magellan knew from the start of their eXplorist project that they'd be releasing six units to the public and that all of them would use the same case. It's obvious that case size had nothing to do with it or they would've designed one that did. For whatever reasons, they were bent on marrying this newer technology with a rechargeable lithium power source. Funny how Garmin managed to do it with standard AA batteries; and with substantially greater battery life. Legend C (2x AA) = 36 hrs 60C (2x AA) = 30 hrs 76C (2x AA) = 30 hrs 500 (Li-Ion) = 17 hrs Why build the perfect GPSr, when you can add an "improvement" a year or two down the road and get folks to buy a new one? Until either of these companies can get it right (AA, SD, TFT, USB), I'll just stick with my Legend.

That sure is quite a bit of hassle to go through just to power up a GPSr. Especially in light of the fact that there are plenty of units out there that take widely available "AA" batteries. The Quest is fatally flawed because of its' sealed Li-ion battery. It's bad enough that it uses an expensive Li-ion battery to begin with, but to then have it sealed inside the unit is just ridiculous. Consumers should have the ability to readily change batteries themselves. That would give them the option to carry a spare battery for longer forays away from a power source or to replace a dead battery when it finally gives up the ghost. I'd hate to think how much Garmin charges to replace the battery or how long the unit would be out of commission while it's being serviced. Apple charges an absurd $99 to "replace" an iPod battery. What a racket. Why Garmin went the sealed battery route like Apple did with the iPod is beyond me. It's a deal breaker.

Imagine buying a computer and the only software that could be downloaded, had to come from that computer manufacturer?

Jamie Sorry about the loss of your GPSr. In case you're interested, Costco.com is selling the Meridian Color Traveler package for $350. It includes the Mer Color - windshield mount - car/pc combo cable - 64mb SD card - MapSend DirectRoute. The sale ends tomorrow (Sun 4-3-05).

No advice on what to try, but I had 3 Magellan's die on me and all 3 went back to the store. An ST Pro kept shutting itself off for no apparent reason, and a Mer Gold and an ST Map instantly died after I placed batteries in them for the first time. I replaced the ST Map with another one and it's working great according to my son. Then I picked up an ST Color for him as a replacement for the ST Pro/ Mer Gold and it's also working great. Lemons happen; though it does strike me as odd that my first three Magellan purchases were all defective. So far, purchases 4 & 5 are doing great. Good luck.

If I'm going to spend that kind of money, then the GPSr must pull double duty and serve as a car navigation system for cross-country travel. Ideally, I want to load both city and topo maps of the western US. This is the region I travel in most and I don't want to keep swapping out map sets every time I hit the road. Besides, 56mb is totally inadequate for longer trips. As long as I'm limited in the memory department, I may as well save the bucks and continue using AAA maps for road trips and my Legend for local hikes (western Washington). I see no advantage in upgrading to the 60C if I can't put the maps in it that I want.

Which version of MetroGuide -- v4 or v5 -- should I use for an eTrex Legend? I have both versions (NIB) and only need one. Any help would be appreciated.

60C ... if only it had an SD slot. Until then, the Legend will be my primary GPS.

Legend: $ 60C: $$$

Days ... 2 or 3, sometimes longer. There is no car around and I've yet to encounter a tree with an AC outlet. If Garmin would've slapped an SD slot in either the 60C or the Legend C, I'd have gotten one; and I would've been one happy camper. Unfortunately, they didn't. So I waited to see what Magellan was going to counter with. When they released the 100/200/300s using AAs, things looked promising. Now that we know for sure that AAs are incompatible with the 400/500/600s, I'm left out in the cold. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that many of you are pleased with the Li-ion route Magellan took; but for some of us, it's a deal breaker. I'll continue to wait ... and wait ... and wait ...

Not really. 60C -- 2x AA = 30 hrs Legend C -- 2x AA = 36 hrs Explorist 500 -- Li-ion = 17 hrs And I'm gonna run around the back woods with solar panels, dynamos, or battery packs? I don't think so. Not when I can slip a 4-pack of AAs in my pocket and be gone for days. Also, just how many miles would I have to hike in search of a car? Some of us use our GPSrs out in the boonies where power sources are non-existent. Exotic batteries have no place here. Magellan almost got it right; just like Garmin almost got it right. Unfortunately, almost right doesn't hack it. Until someone combines AA, SD, TFT, USB in a handheld unit, I'll continue to use old technology (Legend) and AAA maps.

Thanks for the info on the Li-ion. They should've gone the Garmin route and used 2x AA instead. Lot's of battery life and they're available everywhere. Li-ion's have their place (cell phones and other urban gear), but they don't belong in field gear. AC outlets tend to be a bit sparse out on the trails. Besides, if the battery dies (and I've had that happen before), you now have a paperweight until you can get a replacement; which I might add, is extremely unlikely in a small town. As far as carrying spares, they're too spendy. I'll wait until someone gets it right.

Great! So much for hoping that Magellan would get it right the first time. I knew they'd end up doing this. Is it asking too much to have Li-ion's shaped like 2xAA? What's it going to take for a company to have -- AA, SD, TFT, USB -- all in the same unit? Garmin has 3 of the 4 (AA, TFT, USB) and Magellan has 3 of the 4 (SD, TFT, USB). Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep using my Legend for the local stuff and keep relying on AAA maps for my road trips. I was so hoping for a handheld I could use for both cross-country car navigation and hiking. It looks like the next move belongs to Garmin.

What's wrong with wanting the following in a high end GPSr? -- 1 GB built-in memory -- memory expansion slot (SD or xD) -- high speed connectivity (USB or Firewire) -- AA power supply -- faster processor -- TFT color display Your criticisms about battery life, bulk, and loss of a water-tight seal are totally unwarranted in light of the existence of the Garmin 60CS. Not only did Garmin upgrade to modern technology, but they did so with an increase in battery life. Where I fault Garmin is their lack of memory. If they would've just added an SD slot to the 60CS, I'd already own one. As is, I've been waiting to see what Magellan was going to do to counter Garmin. When Magellan finally releases the eXplorist 500/600, we'll be able to compare them with the 60C/60CS and see which company has the better product. Since they haven't been too forthcoming with details, speculation abounds as to whether or not AA's can be used in the new eXplorist's and how long they'll last. All things being somewhat equal, I'd readily get the 600 over the 60CS just because of the SD slot alone; but the 600 must have the ability to use AA batteries or I'll write it off just as I did the 60CS for it's lack of an SD slot. These are not pie-in-the-sky wishes. They're reasonable features that are easily accomplished without sending prices through the roof or sacrificing size, battery life, and waterproofness. Why be an apologist for an industry that always seems to lag behind the rest of the consumer electronics industry by several years?

Why manufacturers can't include the features that true hobbyists want in their devices has always been a puzzle to me. There's either a disconnect on their part or it's a deliberate attempt to force the consumer to upgrade with each new feature change. My biggest pet peeve in regards to GPS units is lack of memory. In this day and age of MP3 players sporting 512 MB for $100 and 1 GB for $150, I fail to see why high end units like the Garmin 60/76 and eXplorist 500/600 aren't being sold with at least 1 GB of built-in memory; in addition to a memory expansion slot. It's certainly economically feasible and wouldn't add that much to the overall cost. Kudos to Magellan for adding SD to their Meridian and eXplorist 400/500/600 series, but where's the large internal memory? It would seem that GPS is the bastard child of the high tech revolution. They're always lagging behind in terms of technology. The year is now 2005 and Magellan is just now adding USB support for the very first time to their latest handhelds. What's with that? The rest of their line is still using antiquated serial connections. And what's with Magellan using 16-color TFT when Garmin is using 256-color TFT? But then, both are lagging severely behind when compared to the displays being used in cheap cell phones. Unbelievable! I swear, if new technology hits the market in a consumer device, expect the GPS industry to adopt it 5 years down the road.

How about adding a realistic amount of memory in your handhelds? 24-56-112mb is rather lame for a mapping device in the 21st century. It's not asking too much to expect units selling for $300-500 to come loaded with 1GB of built-in flash memory and to have a flash memory expansion slot (SD or xD). Sorry, but lack of memory was the sole reason why I didn't go with a 60CS.

I like the set-up found in my 2-way radios (Motorola T5950) -- in-unit rechargeable battery packs that can be easily swapped out for 3 AA batteries. Considering the amount of "electronics" one takes into the field these days -- GPSr, digital camera, 2-way radio, flashlight, etc -- standardization in batteries is essential. For me, that means "AA" only. If these new eXplorist's won't take AA, then Magellan just lost a potential buyer.

Picked up the following for myself and my two sons: 3 x eTrex Legend w/ PC Cable 3 x Forerunner 201 w/ Charger-PC Cable 3 x eTrex Yellow 1 x MetroGuide USA v4.02 3 x Neoprene Cases 3 x 12V DC Adapters 3 x AC to 12V DC Wall Adapters 3 x Panasonic Battery Chargers w/ AC & 12V DC & USB Adapters 6 x Panasonic Rechargeable Batteries - 780 mAh AAA 42 x Panasonic Rechargeable Batteries - 2300 mAh AA Split 3 ways, the total cost was just under $310 for each set.

I have a full color six page brochure from Magellan on the eXplorist's and I was a bit disappointed to see these two specs on the last page about the 300: Antenna Type ... Patch Electronic Compass ... 2-Axis I predict strike three will occur when we learn that the Li-Ion's are indeed permanently sealed; ala the Quest and iPod ..... pity.

Sounds like you need a GPSr with SD capability. With SD cards, you can carry the entire country with you and swap out mapsets as needed. So that means getting either a Magellan or a Lowrance. You can forget Garmin, since they neglected to include this feature in their handhelds. If you can wait, Magellan is supposed to be releasing newer models in their eXplorist line next spring with such features as TFT color, USB, and that all important SD. Why these guys just don't integrate 1GB of flash memory in their GPSr's is beyond me. It's certainly feasible and not that expensive; especially in light of the fact that newer generation GPSr's sell for $300-400 and up. I just picked up three 1GB SD cards at Fred Meyer for $40 each (after $20 rebate) last Friday. I'd certainly pay another $40-50 for a GPSr to get 1GB of memory onboard.

The 500 is supposed to be a 300 with the addition of TFT color, USB, SD, and Li-Ion. Do you know if they plan to upgrade the 300's 2-axis compass to 3-axis and the patch antenna to a quad-helix?

Thanks for the heads up. They were passing out $10 coupons at the door, so I was able to get two units for $100 each and one unit for $110. These Legends were "newly overhauled" and came with a PC cable and a one year warranty. They look new to me, so I'm quite pleased. Coupled with previous Target clearances and a Costco sale, I'm now able to give each of my two sons a pretty good hiking/running/geocaching starter kit for Christmas. Total cost was $300 (give or take a few dollars) for each kit. eTrex Legend w/ PC cable eTrex Yellow Forerunner 201 w/ charger, PC cable, wrist strap MetroGuide USA v5 -----(plus car adapter, neoprene case, nylon case) Panasonic 3-Way battery charger Panasonic NiMH batteries (16 x AA 2300mAh & 2 x AAA 780mAh) ----- (plus AC adapter, car adapter, USB cable)