MAG315

I received my Expedition about a week ago and used it for the first time in the woods today. The unit holds lock under heavy tree cover very well, even better than my Magellan Meridian. I never lost touch with the sats all afternoon in what I consider to be some very rugged terrain. As others have stated, the screen is hard to see unless the backlight is on, but I have mine adjusted down to about half brightness which doesn't seem to hit the batteries too hard. I had the unit laying down a track as I hiked and several times when I backtracked, the track was dead on the previous one. Overall, I am very impressed with the Expedition's performance. One of the downsides of this unit is the very shiny case and screen which are easily scratched and its really going to take a beating when used in the woods. When I got home, I noticed quite a few scratches on both the screen and the shiny, black case but I was able to buff them out with some Mequiar's "Plastx" plastic polish I picked up the the local auto parts store. Other than this small problem, I found little to compalin about. There are still a lot of features I haven't figured out yet but overall, today's outing left me with an very favorable impression of the Expedition C. I certainly think its a viable option for those seeking something other than a Garmin or Magellan.

I don't think it's very smart for Garmin owners to gloat over Magellan's apparent demise in the handheld business. The competion between the two companies was one thing that brought about quite a few improvements in the handheld GPSr market. Regardless of what you may think of either brand, it all boils down to making money and the less they have to spend on R&D is more for the bottom line. Less competition hurts us all.

The behavior you describe is normal for the 315 or any other GPSr for that matter. The 3.15 upgrade is definately one thing you should do if you want to use it for Geocaching. I started out with a 315 and found many caches with it before I upgraded to a Meridian. Great little unit!

One of those screen protectors for PDA's applied over the display might help. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to get mine outdoors too much so don't know if it's going to be a problem for me yet.

I just got mine a few days ago and haven't had a chance to try it out in the field yet. I do agree about the learning curve, this is definitely not a GPSr for a beginner. Lowrance seems to do things different from both Magellan and Garmin but most stuff, (except for the memory card instead of a cable waypoint entry) makes sense once you get the hang of it. I'm not sure how durable it's going to be compared to my Magellan Meridian but only time will tell I guess. Do like the color screen though. It's nice not having to figure out if that line on the screen is road or a stream.

Just curious, why do you think the screen sucks?

I'll kick in another vote for TigerGPS. I ordered my GPS late Thursday night and it was in my mailbox first thing Monday morning. Good price too.

I just got mine today. It comes with a 64 meg card which is probably not going to hold an entire state because you need to leave some room to hold your waypoints. I'm going to pick up a 1-gig card tomorrow so I'll have plenty of room.

Great little unit. I started out with one and still carry it for a backup. The version 3.15 update is a must for geocaching so be sure and download it.

Wonder Woman

I usually carry a Spyderco "Native" and a good, sharp walking stick. Haven't felt the need for anything else so far.

Sure do, you can contact him Here

What brand and model of GMRS radio do you use when caching? What works best for you?

A find is a find and the type and difficulty of the caches you hunt is entirely up to you. Let's just keep it simple and enjoy geocaching the way it was meant to be enjoyed. In the big picture, numbers mean nothing and the rewards you find along the way mean everything.

Besides geocaching, kites are one of my other interests. I usually carry a parafoil or sled kite that can be folded up easily and try to fly at caches that are in a good location for flying (mountaintops, open fields, etc).

For me, the best defense is a good, bright flashlight. I usually carry a Brinkman Maxfire which is bright enough to illuminate just about any dark area. I also look around until I find a good, strong stick to poke around with to flush out any "critters' the flashlight may not have revealed. I had a friend that was bitten by a brown recluse while working in his yard and I sure don't want to go through what he did.

I understand that MagLite is soon going to start manufacturing LED lights too. Shoud be some great flashlights.

This flashlight http://members.aol.com/mlt113/myhomepage/f...ghtdorcy3d.html just might change your mind about LED lights. Very bright and good, long throw on the beam. Long battery life too. $29.99 at Target.

Wonder what's up with Today's Cacher. I joined as a charter member and so far have only received a t-shirt. Have not received my magazine or access to the Member's area as promised. I cannot even log onto the website. Anybody else having problems?

Sears has both the 200 and 400 now.

I have a Magellan Meridian Yellow I just call "Ol Yeller".............

Very nice composition and soundtrack. Really enjoyed it.

I use the Ray-O-Vacs also and they are great. I got the one that holds 4 AA's and also sent off for the car adapter. You have to use ONLY the Ray-O-VAC batteries because it is a system. Each cell has it's own integrated circuit and only takes as much charge as it needs and then shuts itself off. I'm using them in both my GPSr's and my GMRS radios and they last a long time before needing to be recharged. A 15 minute charger will spoil you for anything else. Best money I've spent lately.

Very nicely done. A great addition to a great browser.

Precisely why I'm a single man today.....