hacksaw_sportrak

Buy used off of Ebay. They have great resale value. I have done this several times, and it's a cheap and fun way to move up in features. So far: Magellan Sportrak Map Etrex "Yellow" Etrex Legend Magellan Meridian and Meridian Gold (about $60 each - and I LOVE them) Meridian Platinum - IMHO the cadillac of cheap GPSrs. Best advise is to stay away from the Mag Explorists that don't have a PC connection. Awesome reception and stuff, but if you are going that route look at the 210 or 400 up. I saw the 210 going for $120 off of Amazon (shop around, then search there - they check cookies to see if you have been shopping and offer lower prices based on that). Good luck.

just sold my magellan sportrak map, so now i've ONLY got: Meridian Yellow Meridian Gold Etrex Yellow (ol' yeller)

Just a suggestion: Assuming that you are running XP. Right click the icon, go to properties, click on the compatibility tab. Try the optiions until you find one that works.

theres a guy on the yahoo magellan meridian groups selling a mericolor with bad buttons. you could make an offer there.

I've had 6 magellan & 2 garmin..... I won't buy another magellan again. Everything bad you hear about magellan is true, maybe some people are lucky and don't get a bad one but based on my experience I would say that 1/2 are defective when new. Well, I have 3 magellan and 1 garmin. The mag's work great, but the customer service is ASTOUNDINGLY bad. Thick Indian accents reading from a script, telling you their name is "Ricky". Aside from that, I like both brands, but find the magellan software products (maps) to be easier to use.

N40°13.029' W74°45.986'

PM'd.

I have a few Meridians. I would have kept the MeriGold. I use an SD slot in my printer for map loading so there's your few minute load time, and it plays so nicely with EasyGPS over the serial cable, loading caches and points are a breeze. Taught my wife how to do it in about 60 seconds. I have almost EVERY map offered by Magellan (TOPO, Worldwide Basemap, Europe/US Directroute, etc.) and I can do what I need to do so easily with the MeriGold that I have no need for an upgrade. Just my two cents....

If it's just a backup unit, why not shop on EBay for a used Magellan Meridian? I just picked up a Meridian Yellow for $55. SD card support, quad helix antenna, nice big screen, etc. for 1/6th what you are planning to spend. Just tossing it out there for ya.

Just an update in the event that there are other people that have a similar issue. There are GREAT forums on Yahoo specific to each GPSr unit, and I found several that relate to this very issue. The steps are as follows: Open the unit (very easy and safe, IMHO). Reseat the ribbon cable from the screen, after checking for any kind of resistive buildup (in my case, there was none). So, I checked EBay, and was lucky to find a used Meridian yellow for $55. The guts of the unit are the same, so I will be performing a swap and will have a handy, non-illuminated backup for the cost that Magellan wanted for the repair. Just wanted to share my experience with my fellow Meridian users, and I can of course share direct links to the forums that I found most helpful. Specifically, the ones for Meridians and Sportraks.

Hi there folks. Just picked up a Meridian Gold from Ebay and it works great except for the backlight. Picked up from a Yahoo group that it needs an LCD. There does not appears to be a way to get just that from Magellan. So - does anyone have a defunct Meridian lying around that they want to get rid of? I have already tried re-seating the cable several times, so I am fairly certain that it just needs a replacement one. Thanks for your time and consideration.

I have a Garmin Etrex, Magellan Sportrak Map and a Meridian Gold. I find that my Mag's get me closer to caches under tree cover. I am at the point of buying the 210 myself, based on my positive experiences with the Magellan GPS's. But it lacks a key feature that would make life easier. All of the above mentioned units are subject to the "boomerang effect" (due to the lack of a proper multi-axis compass, you have to move/wait to get a proper directional bearing). Granted - consider the source. I am more of a tech weenie than a cacher (thus the small number of finds). The only thing that I would recommend is that you get a handheld with a multi-axis compass. The Meridian Platinum is an older model that has this feature, but the Explorist 600 is the only one in that line that has it. Don't get me wrong - my other GPSr's get me to the cache - but I pretty quickly got to the point where I'd really love that compass.

Sporttrak Map - DC 0503 I've had it for about a week now, and just stumbled upon this thread. SLIGHT cracks near one of the middle screw points. Using it pretty much daily since I got it for caching. Gonna keep an eye on it now, thanks! On a positive note, I love this thing. First GPS, but it does everything I wanted and more. Anyone know how to check present firmware level? Not sure if I need to update.

For my Magellan Sportrak Map I snagged the neoprene case that comes with the pro. The thing I keep reading is that Magellan still gets a good fix regardless of it's orientation (i.e. Garmin's need to be kept flat, etc.). The belt clip works pretty good for me, since I set a proximity alarm to notify me when I am close. And FYI: I picked it up at Galyan's for $69 after rebates. They are getting bought by Dick's sporting good and have a few for 50% off.....

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6720387/ By TED BRIDIS, AP Technology Writer WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the navigational technology, the White House said Wednesday. Any shutdown of the network inside the United States would come under only the most remarkable circumstances, said a Bush administration official who spoke to a small group of reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity. The GPS system is vital to commercial aviation and marine shipping. The president also instructed the Defense Department to develop plans to disable, in certain areas, an enemy's access to the U.S. navigational satellites and to similar systems operated by others. The European Union (news - web sites) is developing a $4.8 billion program, called Galileo. The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said. "This is not something you would do lightly," said James A. Lewis, director of technology policy for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's clearly a big deal. You have to give them credit for being so open about what they're going to do." President Clinton (news - web sites) abandoned the practice in May 2000 of deliberately degrading the accuracy of civilian navigation signals, a technique known as "selective availability." The White House said it will not reinstate that practice, but said the president could decide to disable parts of the network for national security purposes. The directives to the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department were part of a space policy that Bush signed this month. It designates the GPS network as a critical infrastructure for the U.S. government. Part of the new policy is classified; other parts were disclosed Wednesday. The White House said the policies were aimed at improving the stability and performance of the U.S. navigation system, which Bush pledged will continue to be made available for free. The U.S. network is comprised of more than two dozen satellites that act as beacons, sending location-specific radio signals that are recognized by devices popular with motorists, hikers, pilots and sailors. Bush also said the government will make the network signals more resistant to deliberate or inadvertent jamming.