Eddy [UK]

Hi Smartee, GPS Utility will do this for you. It works straight from text files. It will talk directly to your GPS. I use it all the time. Eddy [uK]

Daylight Saving Time is irrelevant - the units always work on UTC internally. Setting the local time only affects the display on the unit. The satellites themselves do not know about Daylight Saving Time (or even day of the week - they just go on a day number). You said that this was the first time it had been used for a few months - all the almanac and ephemeris data would have been way out of date. You reset it, but if it got a single wrong data bit during initialisation it may have needed several data cycles to get a completely correct set of data. A data cycle from the satellites takes about 15 minutes. Now you've used it a few times and it's suddenly reading good, I suspect it'll continue to read good. Instead of storing it next winter, try letting it get satellite data once a week for 15 minutes to keep "topping up" the data.

Hi embra, I emailed Magellan on 1 April 2005 and received an automated reply straight away. The real reply was sent on 12 April 2005 (11 days later) and included the V4.06 file. V5.34 has been out for over a year, so I also asked them: > On your new V5.34 page you have yet to list the "Enhancements and > Fixes". This would be appreciated by many users. Please add this. > > Is a successor to V5.34 imminent? Should I wait for that? I have > read of V5.38 and V5.40 but are these officially released? What do > they add or fix? to which they only replied: > Concerning the version 5.34, we don't have information yet about > changes and improvements, that's why you can't find anything about it > on our website. The only thing I can tell you is that the version > 5.34 helps the unit to be compatible with new software. I've writen commercial software. You can't "not have information about changes and improvements" a year after it's been released to Customers. Eddy [uK]

I have had a SporTrak Pro for a year with no problems apart from some firmware bugs which I can live with (everything comes with some bugs these days). It came with V4.06 firmware. I wanted to try the latest V5.34, but was worried about not being able to revert back to V4.06 if I didn't like it - I had read of some serious new bugs. I emailed Magellan asking for a genuine copy of V4.06 and they sent it to me. This has enabled me to switch back and forth between the 2 versions so I could properly try the new one out. This has been my only contact with Magellan, so I've no complaints about their actual Service to me. I WOULD LIKE THE BUGS FIXING, but that's another subject.

Hi daniel1948, I've found with my Magellan Sportrak Pro that the altitude and trip counter are both affected by how well the unit is carried - much more so than the Lat/Lon. My unit has a quad-helix antenna so wants to be carried vertically. The Explorists have a patch antenna so yours will want to be carried horizontally i.e. face-up. The unit ideally wants a perfect view of the sky from directly above you down to the horizon and for 360 degrees around you. GPS was designed for controlling flying bombs - our use for walking is beyond it's original concept. If you put it in your pocket your body is shielding it from about half the sky so you will get a poor altitude log. If you hang it on a cord around your neck your body will shield it AND also it will be vertical. If you hold it in your hand so you can conveniently look at it, your head, neck and shoulders are covering part of the sky. A reasonable compromise is to attach it to the shoulder strap of your rucksack so it sits on your shoulder - don't forget that in your case it wants to be level. To put some numbers:- if I carry my unit in my pocket I have seen +/-10% errors in the trip counter and frequent errors of 40m or more in altitude. With it on my rucksack shoulder strap I get about +/-4% errors in the trip counter and a few errors of 20m in altitude. With the unit having an unobstructed view of all the sky I typically get about +/-1% errors in the trip counter and tiny errors in altitude (well within the Spec for the device). After much experimenting I now walk with my unit on a short pole sticking up above my rucksack so the top of the unit is level with the top of my head. Yes I look a Geek, but I get excellent tracks for Lat/Lon AND for altitude and the trip counter. It's also actually very convenient in use. We'd never have got to the moon etc. if we were worried about looking like Geeks. And it's a good conversation starter when I meet other country walkers. If you want to accurately measure the distance of your jogging routes, set the track to record every 0.01km and then download the track into mapping software like GPS Utility or similar and get it from that - this will be much more accurate than the distance reported by the unit. Enjoy your new GPSr, but be aware of its limitations. There is a big learning curve to get the best from it. All the best, Eddy [uK]

Poor condition battery contacts will cause the unit to think the batteries are exhausted due to the volt drop across the contamination. It is important to keep the battery contacts really clean. Use "cotton-buds" (or whatever) and a little switch cleaner to clean the spring terminals inside the unit. Then also clean the batery end terminals as well. NEVER touch any of the battery terminals with your fingers. Sweat has an amazing number of corrosive chemicals in it - acids, proteins, oils etc. While you're at it, also clean the terminals of your charger so you don't transfer any dirt to the battery terminals when you charge them. Cleanliness is good - at least for electrical contacts!

The Magellan Sportrak and Meridian have a good reputation under tree cover.

Hi Jazzerboo, Don't know about Garmins, I'll leave that to others. I've had a Magellan SporTrak Pro for just over a year and I love it. It's incredibly accurate and I've never lost lock under trees. I do not regret buying it for one minute. You mentioned the new Explorist 200 & 300. These DO NOT connect to a PC so you cannot up/download waypoints, routes or tracks or detailed maps. If you want to do that you'll need a 400 or higher which are newer and cost more. The 400 or higher Explorists have a USB connection not an RS-232 serial port, so if you go that route make sure your PC is compatible. Some people have had teething problems with this connection. You mentioned the case cracking problem. Mine has a couple of tiny surface cracks near the screws. These have not deteriorated in the year and I've read enough in several forums to believe that they're just cosmetic. Magellan will replace yours if you complain, but I've not bothered. All the best, Eddy [uK]

Please take this in good spirit: According to Magellan history Magellan was an American company founded in 1986 and only aquired by Thales in 2001. According to Magellan locations Magellan's Corporate Headquarters are in Santa Clara, California, and their GPS receivers are manufactured in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to their Careers page their only current Engineering/Manufacturing job vacancy is in the US. Only the recent parent company is French. But I am British and am equally happy to buy a French or American product. What I really wanted to say is that I bought my first and only GPSr a year ago after reading many product reviews and chose, with no prior brand affiliation, a Magellan Sportrak Pro. I'm very pleased with it. It is awesomely accurate, holds lock under wet trees and has all the features I think I could want. Having said that I haven't tried a Garmin to compare. I've read many postings about both brands and I'm quite sure they both produce excellent products, albeit each with their own "quirks". I don't know what Magellan's support is like because I've had no need to contact them. I've read the occasional good and bad posting about both, but I'm sure they both generally provide very good support. To kachadurian , forget the Magellan eXplorer 300 - no PC connection. For a magnetic compass I use one with a magnetised needle on a mechanical pivot - very cheap, no batteries to run out and if the GPSr fails I've still got a compass (and a map of course). My 0.02 pence, cents, euro or whatever. Eddy [uK]

My first GPS - Sportrak Pro - love it.