centme37

You use Mapsend Manager for the unlocking process and yes you do supply the GPSr serial #. POI's have been updated since DR V.1 which is what I had before.

When you unlock DR V.3, information is written to the Magellan registry. My belief is that the information placed in this file is accessed when you launch the program. (Similar to the patch for no cd in Topo 3D, etc.) This line of code is identified by the GPSr serial number you entered during the unlock process. Although I'm not sure, it seems logical to me that replacing the serial number with a different one would work. Of course you would also need the code. I have that. This is assuming you are using Win XP. Edit: This is assuming that the unlock code is not unique for each unlock sequence. Please skip the a**-U-ME reference

My choice would be the Explorist 210. It has USB connectivity and mapping plus it is very sensitive even in tree cover. I think you could find one around $150 or less. It has a 22mb permanent memory which allows for the uploading of maps, etc.

I think you're going to need a registry change, if you're running XP. I'm not sure you can do this but when I wanted to put DR V3 on a different computer, I had to get into the registry.

I bought a Magellan cable off ebay; is the radio shack cable you are using basically the same thing? I got the pc to connect to the gps unit one time with magellan datasend but only one time, so I can't decide if the cable is bad or if it is a software problem. I my trying to decide if I want to try another cable or buy a serial card for the laptop. If I can buy a cable at radio shack that will work that will affect my decision on whether I want to try a new cable or buy a card for the laptop. Thanks for the info. If you email me I will direct you to a Zip file (108mb) shhardyme@excite.com

You need a driver to enable the serial to USB adapter. I think you can DL a generic version from DeLorme. I use one from Radio Shack that accompanied their cable.

Another source is the cigarette adapter for the Dell Axim X5 (if you're looking for portable power)

Original Magellan ? Magellan 315 Magellan 500 Delorme Earthmate Pharos IGPS-CF All these units work!

I was one of those who bought a new Explorist (500). There were many digs from the Garmin as well as some Magellan people about the bugs, etc. I was kind of hoping the same thing would happen to Garmin when they announced there new X series. It appears that is the case. I wonder if there are second thoughts about jumping on the X bandwagon.

Unless your GPSr has Sirfiii then you will not find a more sensitive receiver than the 500. I recently related a narrative about my 500 in the breast pocket of my snowmobile jacket and a snowmobile trip where the unit kept perfect lock the entire 30 miles while bouncing around on a snowmobile. In some cases the 500 seems to have a few advantages over the cx models especially w/flexability of sd card usage. I cannot speak first hand re: the Garmin but I wholeheartedly endorse the 500.

I've had my Explorist 500 for some time now and have used it for hunting, street to street routing, etc. Today I took it for a snowsled ride zipped up in the breast pocket of my parka. I traveled 30 miles but with the track point setting on .01 it only recorded 28.48 miles. What amazed me was when I loaded it into Mapsend topo 3D on my computer it appears there was a consistent lock and tracking throughout. Admittedly some of the trip was in the open but there were many times when the conifers closed in overhead and along the sides of the trails. Several times I felt for the GPSr and it was on its' side. I also discovered that 20-25 miles would be a good point to save your track and start a new one. If anyone is curious about the track and location, you can email me and I'll send you the track file for Mapsend Topo. (57kb) I was pleasantly surprised at the sensitivity of the little unit. javascript:emoticon('') smilie

Or that the SIRF III chipset will be made unneccessary. All receivers will be super sensitive.

Pharos! Haven't used Navman but the Pharos has worked flawlessly and it is the original CFGPS. I'm sure the newer versions are at least as good.

I mostly use my GPS for navigation, highway and snowmobiling, for making waypoints while hunting, fishing, hiking, transferring trackpoints to maps, etc. I utilize a variety of mapping software including , Maptech Pocket Navigator, Maptech Terrain Navigator, Pharos street maps, Mapsend Topo 3D, Mapsend DR, MS Streets & Trips. I have : Magellan Trailblazer (Circa '94) Magellan 315 Pharos CFGPS used w/ Dell Axim 5 Delome Earthmate Explorist 500 They all work and use all but Traiblazer regularly

I earlier posted a workaround for the MS Topo 3D using Virtual CD. Virtual CD is well worth the money as I find it has several good uses for mapping software. (Not to mention music and games applications) I use Maptech Terrain Navigator software for my topo mapping. It is an outstanding program. The topos used are the USGS maps and it takes (4) disks to cover my state. (Maine) This is where Virtual CD comes into play. I made virtual copies of the (4) map disks and store them on my hard drive. You need to use the original install disk to install each map disk but once installed, the maps are there for immediate use. I've created (4) virtual drives and have each map loaded so I have the whole state available. If anyone has any questions re: procedure, email me and I'll try to help. As far as breaking Magellans copy protection, I don't intend to get or give free or hacked software, but I do claim the right not to have to carry great numbers of data cd's with me.

You can download a free trial copy of Virtual CD 7. Use this to make a virtual copy of disk #3. Be sure to select verify each sector. Just insert the virtual cd you just made into a virtual drive and you should be able to run your 3D topo program. Note: you will not be able to burn a copy of the virtual cd that will work but you can make a smart virtual cd that will allow you to have a cd disk to carry around. Hope this helps.