ossumguywill

I don't have much expirience with older gps, but you should try a user reset and possibly find the key combo to do a force reset (will delete P.O.I.s, detail maps, etc.). If this doesn't work, take the gps to a repair shop.

The 210 is probably the best gps for education. It is cheap but has everything you need. Garmin is more geared towards hiking/driving. The 210 can download coordinates from a computer, so you don't have to waste valuable class time keying in coords.

Because the screen in the 500 only has one color of grey.

The explorist series is very has very advanced hardware, but runs like windows. The explorist is good if you want all the bells and whistles. The topo software is good, and while magellan topo software is an actual 3D model, the garmin software is just contours. The explorist is rugged, VERY small, waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes, and impact resistant. Some garmin units are like this, but not all. Garmin has fairly advanced software that is easier to use and looks good. Their hardware is not generally as powerful or accurate, but most people are very satisfied with garmin. I have to say, I think you should go with explorist.

When defining regions, make sure that the "T" box is highlighted.

A magellan explorist 500 or 400 are wonderful units for geocaching. Both are vary accurate, with a 14 channel WAAS/EGNOS channel. I love my explorist 600, and the 500 is essentially that without barometer or thermometer. The explorist 400 served me very well until the unit either got it's memory screwed up by a nearby magnet or several buttons got pushed during travel that !@#*ed the unit up. all explorists are rugged, impact resistant, EXTREMELY tiny, and waterproof up to 1 meter for 30 minutes (it is not recommended that you actually try this). Definitely go with Magellan for hiking/geocaching.

Own now: Magellan explorist 600 (love it!) Used to own: explorist 400 60CS May own later: 60CSx explorist 700 (when avaliable)

Wow.. apple just gets better and better!!

2 things: First, The magellan explorist thinks that the usb jack in your computer is a power source, so shut down your explorist before disconnecting it. The problem with the geocache transfer is probably that your 210 has incompatable firmware. Check online to see if your firmware is out of date. To remedy this, go to menu>preferences>clear memory. Your POIs will be wiped out, so back them up on your computer. The unit will shut down automaticaly. Download the latest firmware from magellan onto your desktop. Plug it into the computer and boot it up so it is in file transfer mode. The firmware file should look something like eX210v2_03.exe. Double click it and it will find the explorist. Click on Continue to Upload. Once the upload is complete, the unit will restart, then it will automatically power down in less than one minute. Do not perform any operation on the unit while waiting for power down .After the update has been completed, press the power key on the eXplorist unit to perform the five second shutdown. Once the "upload completed" message appears on the eX500v2_03.exe application, then you have completed the update. These intructions may have errors, so look on the magellan site first.

I found a gps technical data website... looks official. http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/gpscurr.html

Definitely go with the 600! It has more features, is compact, has expandable memory, and looks good (for a magellan). I have an explorist 600, and it the best unit I have ever had. Garmin looks better, but I really don't care. This is more accurate than my friend's 60CSx. I like garmin, but I think that magellan units are better.

How do you do this with a magellan explorist 600? I use this as me mapping unit, so can I make a track log on the computer?

No, all that google earth does is make you write the coordinates with an apostrophe, a quotation mark and a space before you put the hemisphere symbol (like W or S) when you set the coordinate system to DMS. Just type it in like this: 00 00'00.00" N, 00 00'00.00" W You can also insert the degrees sign after the first set of digits if you want to. On geocaching.com, enter the coordinates as shown above the coordinate entry box.

And can I also record my track onto a map on the computer and save it?

Yes, proccessor overload often causes the unit to shut down to avoid overheating and damaging itself. Also, on a magellan unit I have, every time I went to jackson, montana, the units software went haywire. I have heard that some garmin units will also do this. However, a fix for this problem could be just to download the latest firmware. If you already have that, continue bombarding garmin with emails.

But can I view my current position on mapsend topo 3d?

Thanks. I never would have guessed that.

Okay- If you are looking for an amatuer gps that has lots of driving features, go for a Garmin. If you are looking for an advanced gps that is more geard toward hiking and geocaching, get a magellan explorist (500 or 600 are the best for geocaching.)

I would use a garmin with SirfIII or a magellan explorist 600. The explorist is much more accurate than the garmin. This is good for geocaching or hiking. However, a SirfIII chip gets a very strong signal, so it is good for the car.

If I put my explorist into NMEA file transfer mode, can I watch my position or record a track on a laptop? If so, how do I do it?

This could be two things. Either SirfIII is compatible with satellites planned for the future (like Galileo) or it is just a hoax to get you to think it is better than other units. However, I would like to mention that North america usually has at least 12 satellites over it and sometimes around 16.

Does anyone know if .loc files are compatible with explorist?

Are the XO parameters for the thermometer, the antenna, judging atmospheric conditions or something else?

For the magellan hidden menu, does anyone know what XO paramaters mean? (for anyone who doesn't know, some magellan units have a secret menu. Learn more at http://gpsinformation.net/main/magellan-codes.txt.)

Look here: http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/15777