Explorist 210 Is Now Available.

October 7, 2005

I know many of you have been waiting for the new Magellan Explorist 210 so I wanted to let you know that at least one online retailer has it in stock. I just ordered mine from The GPS Store and I verified over the phone that it's shipping today. Their price is $165 and they offer 2nd day air for about $13.

I've checked around and this is the only place so far that seems to have the 210 in stock. I hit my local REI for their fall sale and the guy there said that it's listed on inventory, but that no stores actually have it yet. If anyone finds it instock elsewhere please share the info. It would be nice for others to have more choices and maybe even get a better deal on the price and/or shipping.

5.3k · October 7, 2005

We await your report!

October 7, 2005

A friend of mine just got his delivered today, so they are available.

2k · October 7, 2005

October 8, 2005

Just ordered one from there. I bought a Meridian gold today, but I didn't like how the cover fit on (waterproof factor). Long story. Anyway, the 210 looks pretty sweet and it's smaller. Going to bring the meridian back tomorrow. Can't wait for the 210 to come in!

October 8, 2005

Sorry to repost so quickly, but i was thinking.... Do you think the explorist 210 will be a better unit than the merigold if i'm using the GPS mostly for hunting and fishing?

5.3k · October 8, 2005

Sorry to repost so quickly, but i was thinking.... Do you think the explorist 210 will be a better unit than the merigold if i'm using the GPS mostly for hunting and fishing?

Well, they're two different animals. The explorist is the newer generation model, and is apt to have things like firmware upgrades much farther into the future than the Meridian, which is reaching the end of its product life. The Meridian does more (e.g., it is capable of doing autorouting with the right software), has a lot more memory capability with the SD slot, and has a larger display.

The explorist is more compact, would probably hold as much detail map data as one would need for a hunting or fishing expedition, and has a crisper display.

As one who like to have his options maximized, I would favor the gold. But if you can hang onto your gold for a few days, it sounds like you might have the luxury of a side-by-side comparison to see which one you like best. You might find, for example, that although you like the smaller form factor of the explorist, that you can work the buttons on the meridian significantly easier.

5.3k · October 8, 2005

The Meridian does more (e.g., it is capable of doing autorouting with the right software), has a lot more memory capability with the SD

Embra's advice is, as usual, spot-on. Unless there's something specific you hate about your gold that you see is changed in 210, I don't see it as a compelling upgrade.

The Mapsend Compatibility table doesn't explictly mention 210 or XL (we'll attribute that to incompetence at this time...) but the fourth paragraph of the press release at http://www.magellangps.com/en/news/release...ease.asp?id=395 makes me think that the 210 will autoroute if you have the same "right software" as you'd have to have with Meridian.

If that pans out, it's an interesting point in the market. I think that makes it the least expensive autorouting product in either the Garmin or Magellan lines...

4.3k · October 8, 2005

...the least expensive autorouting product in either the Garmin or Magellan lines...

...with a limited, not expandable amount of memory

Edited October 8, 2005 by lee_rimar

1.7k · October 8, 2005

The Mapsend Compatibility table doesn't explictly mention 210 or XL (we'll attribute that to incompetence at this time...) but the fourth paragraph of the press release at http://www.magellangps.com/en/news/release...ease.asp?id=395 makes me think that the 210 will autoroute if you have the same "right software" as you'd have to have with Meridian.

If that pans out, it's an interesting point in the market. I think that makes it the least expensive autorouting product in either the Garmin or Magellan lines...

I asked Magellan about this last week. They replied:

The explorist 210 will be compatible with Directroute and it will have the turn by turn function that DirectRoute implements.

That's why I was hot-to-trot about the 210. Then I decided to spend the extra $50 to get SD capability with the 400, which is on its way. Then I went out and bought a 512MB SD card today for $30 after rebate. So I guess I spent an extra $80.

Edited October 8, 2005 by geognerd

2.3k · October 8, 2005

Good previous posts here. Given all of these features along with its excellent receiver, makes this the starter unit of choice. It will allow beginners to learn, load waypoints, move his/her tracks, routes and waypoints to various PC maps/topo/satellite programs. They can then buy a Magellan map program, and use it for auto-routing. I like what I hear so far.

October 8, 2005

Thanks for all the great info guys. I haven't even turned my gold on yet. The only thing I don't like about it is that the batter cover doesn't seem to fit really tightly, even though it's supposed to be waterproof (I saw this on 2 different units for 2 different stores). Now this may not matter since it appears to have a rubber gasket protecting the battery/SD card area. One reason I'm thinking of keeping the gold is that it seems like there's more room for expansion/upgrading. So, any of have any experience with the gold with this battery cover issue?

2.4k · October 9, 2005

The only thing I don't like about it is that the batter cover doesn't seem to fit really tightly, even though it's supposed to be waterproof (I saw this on 2 different units for 2 different stores). Now this may not matter since it appears to have a rubber gasket protecting the battery/SD card area.

It's designed to have a small gap remaining so the O-ring around the battery compartment will be compressed and provide the waterproof seal. It's actually a good mechanical design but has raised lots of concern from buyers who notice the gap.

It seems that a few samples of just about every GPS model made have failed to be completely waterproof. I think the Meridian does better than most but it has also had a few sample failures.

5.3k · October 9, 2005

...the least expensive autorouting product in either the Garmin or Magellan lines...

...with a limited, not expandable amount of memory

Funny. When I originally typed that, I thought about calling that out, but it didn't seem a jump that "least expensive" would have some compromises associated with it.

It's not a unit for the cross-country or impulse traveller, but 24MB isn't terrible for an entry-level unit.

Geognerd, thanx for the confirmation that DR works on these. I was 99% sure that was true. I have little doubt the 210 is started with the schematics and firmware of a 400, so I expected them to be similar in such regards.

Mdegra, you concern about hte battery seal is covered in the FAQs linked in my signature.

October 9, 2005

Magellan's press release about the eXplorist 210 makes it sound sort of like the 210 has the same battery setup as the 4/5/600 series:

Other optional accessories include carrying cases, batteries, power adaptors and mounting options for vehicles, bikes and boats

My gut feeling all along, however, has been that the 210 is essentially a 200 with some extra features....sort of a 200/400 hybrid. Even though Magellan does not have the specs listed on their website yet, this REI page lists the specs and shows the power source as AA's.

So, does anyone know for sure? Perhaps Team Perrito Blanco can ask his friend who already has one.

1.7k · October 9, 2005

TigerGPS site says:

Uses 2 AA batteries for 18 hours of power

October 19, 2005

I pre-ordered a 210 from TigerGPS on Monday; they are expecting their first shipment from Magellan later this week. The cost, including shipping, was $163.25. Had I known the GPS Store actually had them in stock, I might have ordered from them for the extra buck. I was considering a Garmin GPS 60 but this unit sounds like it has more bang for the buck and our current GPSr is an old Magellan 310 so I stayed with the company. It includes a USB cable, which is nice, and, as geognerd stated, it runs up to 18 hours on 2 AA batteries.

5.3k · October 19, 2005

Magellan's press release about the eXplorist 210 makes it sound sort of like the 210 has the same battery setup as the 4/5/600 series:

Other optional accessories include carrying cases, batteries, power adaptors and mounting options for vehicles, bikes and boats

My gut feeling all along, however, has been that the 210 is essentially a 200 with some extra features....sort of a 200/400 hybrid. Even though Magellan does not have the specs listed on their website yet, this REI page lists the specs and shows the power source as AA's.

So, does anyone know for sure? Perhaps Team Perrito Blanco can ask his friend who already has one.

It reads more like a 400 without the SD card slot. There is no data port on the 100. 200 or 300- as such no detailed maps can be put into the 100, 200 or 300 as can be done with the 210.

For most geocahers the 210 has plenty memory, and at the price it is selling for my guess it will be a very popular GPS in the not to distant future

October 20, 2005

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the 210 have an SD memory card slot? I looked on their web page to see about the specs and found the page incomplete. I sent an email to Magellan support and they said the only differences between the 200 and the 210 were PC connectivity and the SD card slot in the battery compartment.

I sent a second email to make sure about the SD card and that is when I was told it was in the battery compartment.

That would be the only differences as mentioned. The SD card would be inserted in the battery compartment, before the batteries are inserted into the unit.

Magellan Technical Support

Mon - Fri, 6AM - 5PM PST

' (800) 707-9971 USA & Canada

' (909) 394-5000 Outside USA

www.magellangps.com

The information transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If the reader of this email is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that your access is unauthorized, and any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message including any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer being used.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Arius - Rick Collins [mailto:rick.collins - arius.com]

Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 4:07 PM

To: Magellan Support

Subject: RE: Magellan Website Contact Form : United States : eXplorist 210 North America

So the 210 supports an SD card and also has PC connectivity and those are the only differences? If I look at the specs for the 200 they will all be the same as for the 210 other than those two features?

Where does the SD card plug into the 210?

Who has a 210 that can verify the SD card slot?

1.7k · October 20, 2005

If the 210 had an SD slot, what would be the difference between it and the 400? The 400 costs $100 more before rebate, and has (correct me if I'm wrong) only 8MB internal memory vs the 22MB in the 210. I doubt the 210 has an SD card, but if it does I just got screwed by buying the 400.

5.3k · October 20, 2005

...the least expensive autorouting product in either the Garmin or Magellan lines...

...with a limited, not expandable amount of memory

Funny. When I originally typed that, I thought about calling that out, but it didn't seem a jump that "least expensive" would have some compromises associated with it.

It's not a unit for the cross-country or impulse traveller, but 24MB isn't terrible for an entry-level unit.

Geognerd, thanx for the confirmation that DR works on these. I was 99% sure that was true. I have little doubt the 210 is started with the schematics and firmware of a 400, so I expected them to be similar in such regards.

Mdegra, you concern about hte battery seal is covered in the FAQs linked in my signature.

I remeger when the Garmin Legend first came out with 8mb of memory, our customers were very excited about 8bm of memory then. 24mb is going to be all the memory the most geocachers will ever need.

1.7k · October 20, 2005

Who has a 210 that can verify the SD card slot?

I think we can put this to bed. In this topic, JB - Angry Marmots, the OP here, wrote the following:

Just picked up the Explorist 210 as my first GPS after doing a lot of shopping around and research. Seemed to be the best option for my price range ($150-$200.) Very happy with it so far. If I had more to spend I would grab the 400 for the versatility of the memory card, but for me that was more of a luxury feature so I stayed within my budget.

Judging from that, it sounds to me like the 210 doesn't have an SD slot. Why the heck hasn't Magellan updated their site to include more in-depth info on the 210 and XL, particularly since the 210 is for sale as I write this. How are customers supposed to do research about the product?

5.3k · October 20, 2005

1) See above about support & webmaster incompetence. If the 210 had SD, there would be no reason buy the 400 and there would be no reason to trumpet the 24MB memory as that will be dwarfed by the add-in SD memory anyway.

2) Yes, 24MB is likely enough for some class of users. If you're, say, a repairman, it's likely to cover the area you work in. It's not enough for a days drive, and it's more limited than Garmin's because of the dorky way Mapsend selects regions (and remember, on this products you can have only ONE) as rectangles.

3) Maps don't get smaller over time. No, todays maps aren't 3x the size of the tiger-based maps that were dominant at the beginning of the decade, but the POIs and road data do get larger.

I still think that for $150 USD (street) this unit has the potential of being a very nice entry-level unit. For $100 you can buy a yellow etrex. Add a cable ($10-$30) and you have a unit that doesn't even map and never will. For $150, you could have a unit that has a basemap, has a good receiver circuit, and the opportunity to upgrade it to not only mapping, but also turn-by-turn driving driections for under $100 if you later want that. That's a pretty nice growth path if you want it.

4.3k · October 20, 2005

I remeger when the Garmin Legend first came out with 8mb of memory, our customers were very excited about 8bm of memory then. 24mb is going to be all the memory the most geocachers will ever need.

640K ought to be enough for anybody.

See Also:

http://joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/737.html

October 20, 2005

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the 210 have an SD memory card slot? I looked on their web page to see about the specs and found the page incomplete. I sent an email to Magellan support and they said the only differences between the 200 and the 210 were PC connectivity and the SD card slot in the battery compartment.

I sent a second email to make sure about the SD card and that is when I was told it was in the battery compartment.

That would be the only differences as mentioned. The SD card would be inserted in the battery compartment, before the batteries are inserted into the unit.

Magellan Technical Support

Mon - Fri, 6AM - 5PM PST

' (800) 707-9971 USA & Canada

' (909) 394-5000 Outside USA

www.magellangps.com

The information transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If the reader of this email is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that your access is unauthorized, and any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message including any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer being used.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Arius - Rick Collins [mailto:rick.collins - arius.com]

Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 4:07 PM

To: Magellan Support

Subject: RE: Magellan Website Contact Form : United States : eXplorist 210 North America

So the 210 supports an SD card and also has PC connectivity and those are the only differences? If I look at the specs for the 200 they will all be the same as for the 210 other than those two features?

Where does the SD card plug into the 210?

Who has a 210 that can verify the SD card slot?

I received my 210 last week. No, it does not have an SD slot. It uses AA batteries which makes for little room in the battery compartment for an SD card. The 4/5/600 models use a flat lithium ion battery and their SD card inserts underneath the battery. Hope this helps.

October 20, 2005

Hey anybody know if the 210 can be hooked up to an external antenna?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Mary

5.3k · October 20, 2005

Since the higher end units have no external antenna jack, I can't imagine the cost-reduced one does.

Unless you're using it somplace with an obstructed view of the sky (i.e. the hull of a boat, in a car with the metal flake window ting, etc.) it's unlikely to be worth the effort anyway as I'd expect the 210 to have the same excellent reception of the other explorists, the meridian, the stportraks, the 330, etc.

October 20, 2005

No external antenna.

October 21, 2005

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the 210 have an SD memory card slot? I looked on their web page to see about the specs and found the page incomplete. I sent an email to Magellan support and they said the only differences between the 200 and the 210 were PC connectivity and the SD card slot in the battery compartment.

I sent a second email to make sure about the SD card and that is when I was told it was in the battery compartment.

Who has a 210 that can verify the SD card slot?

I received my 210 last week. No, it does not have an SD slot. It uses AA batteries which makes for little room in the battery compartment for an SD card. The 4/5/600 models use a flat lithium ion battery and their SD card inserts underneath the battery. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply. I don't think the battery has much to do with the SD card. But I guess you are saying that the unit just does not allow space for the SD card. I am going to write to support to ask what the difference between the 210 and the 400 is. This is all too strange that they don't know their own product. But then I had the same runaround from Lowrance about the serial capability of their iFinder GO when it was new. I had support people tell me twice that I could upload waypoint data which is not true.

The SD card issue aside, I have no idea why they made the 200 and 300 without serial IO capability. It seems absurd to spend $150 on a GPS and not be able to download waypoint data.

5.3k · October 21, 2005

Thanks for your reply. I don't think the battery has much to do with the SD card. But I guess you are saying that the unit just does not allow

You mentioned you have electronics and manufacturing background. THe cases for the (123456)00 and the 210 all seem to share the same injection mold for economies of scale and accessories. Whipping out my calipers that I have here at my desk, I see AA's are about 14mm and the battery from my explorist is about 10. The PCB can't come any further forward (even if they had the foresight to allow double pads for it on this common case) because it supports the screen and keypad, too. I can't quite measure the SD socket, but it's approximately 5mm. So, yeah, the SD socket would make the difference between AA's ffiting or not.

(And these things are too power hungry to feed from AAA's)

This is all too strange that they don't know their own product.

Darned right. Perhaps Embra, JohnnyVegas, Marky, and a few other Forum regulars should subcontract as their support department.

have no idea why they made the 200 and 300 without serial IO capability. It seems absurd to spend $150 on a GPS and not be able to download waypoint data.

Most of us in this crowd didn't really see the value in a $200 unit with a compass and altimiter that doesn't allow waypoint/track xfer and code upgrades.

It's even funnier once you realizes the electronics and code are there - they saved the cost of a MAX232 and a connector.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...33&hl=inverting

October 24, 2005

Interestingly its supposed to have "specific" geocaching software, as 400/500/600/XL

Can anyone tell more about such software in these units?

1.7k · October 24, 2005

From what I've read in the forums here, it doesn't sound too hot. Though JohnnyVegas seems to like it. Other folks like using GSAK or GPSBabel (included with GSAK) to handle waypoints. See this topic about the Magellan Geocache Manager. Or do a forum search for Geocache Manager.

Edited October 24, 2005 by geognerd

5.3k · October 24, 2005

You can read up on a few details about Geocaching POIs in the Explorist FAQ in my sig line (see the software section).

I may as well attest here that I use Geocache POIs and may like them as much as JohnnyVegas for what they allow: a separate POI file with some distinct icons that *don't* bite into the 200 comments allowed in Regular POI files. Beyond that, the Geocache POIs don't contain enough information to leave your paper or PDA at home. If descriptions and maybe recent logs were included, I think they'd have a winner.

November 11, 2005

After debating for awhile, I decided to pre-order the eXplorist 210 rather than purchase the GPS 60 immediately. That was October 17. Tiger GPS still has no idea when they will be receiving their first shipment of 210's and all of the other stores are still showing it out of stock as well. I am reconsidering going with the GPS 60 as my patience has pretty much run out with Magellan.

Does anyone have any idea when Magellan may be releasing the 210 to stores? I even contacted Magellan about it by email but have received no reply. I'm beginning to think it's possible they are having a problem with this unit and that is causing the delay.

As a side note, our old Magellan 310 is on the blink so we have been without a GPSr for several weeks now. That's the main reason for my impatience.

Also, Magellan has posted the pdf file for the 210 manual on their Website.

November 11, 2005

I saw one in a Gandermountain store in Southeast Wisconsin already.

November 12, 2005

I bought my 210 through REI.com. I've also seen it now in stock at their local store.

November 12, 2005

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll wait a while longer before cancelling my order and getting the GPS60 instead. The 210 seems like a lot more GPS for the money. I imagine Magellan will want to get them out there for the Christmas rush.

RamNspd: How do you like the unit so far?

November 14, 2005

I purchased mine from thegpsstore.com. Received it the last week of October. We LOVE it! Okay, there was a little bit of a learning curve, but once there is info out there, it will be great for the newer geocachers like us. Since I use GPS’s for work all the time, I was just looking for something simple, with basic mapping and of course cheap. It worked great right out of the box. The geocaching software that came with it is well thought out. I just had to learn a few things about the LOC’s and GPX’s that were available. I also purchased the mapsend topo 3D from the same place last week. Again, there were a few “lessons learned” that now seem really like no brainers, but at the time they drove me nuts. So off we go now with about 100 nearby geocaches loaded. You can easily see them on the topo map displayed on the 210 (yeah, it’s not color, and it is a small screen, but using a simple GPS that just spits out the lat and long still will do the trick) I also load all the geocahe details on my palm. So as we go, we click on the geocahe we want to go to on the explorist and pull up the info on the palm. If any one is interested I will be glad to post or send them the info I learned when first starting out.

November 14, 2005

Huli Bearz -

I think all reading this thread would be interested in reading your early lessons learned from your 210 experience. Please post!

-HB

November 15, 2005

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll wait a while longer before cancelling my order and getting the GPS60 instead. The 210 seems like a lot more GPS for the money. I imagine Magellan will want to get them out there for the Christmas rush.
RamNspd: How do you like the unit so far?

So far I am enjoying my 210. I had a 300 which I did like quite a bit(especially the compass). It became way too tedious to have to manually input all of the caches into it. As soon as the 210 was available I placed my online order. My experience is that it has very good reception especially compared to the Legend or the GPSMAP60. I tried those out before deciding that the Explorist series was the way I wanted to go. If it wasn't for the style of rechargeable battery that the 4/5/600 use I probably would have gone with the 400 earlier this year. However, for the money I didn't really need the SD card option and the AA batteries I thought were important for ease of bringing an extra power supply.

The annoyances that I've found are the 200 caches per file that you are limited to. You can have many different files of 200 each, but only one file can be selected to display on the map screen at a time. That is probably my biggest gripe and that isn't that big of a deal. There are other things too about it's firmware, but those complaints are covered in the Explorist bug's thread. The 210 I believe has the same file system and all of the same problems as the 4/5/600 units.

Having only had it for about three weeks I would recommend it.

Edited November 15, 2005 by RamNspd

November 18, 2005

Well, I'm still waiting for Tiger GPS to get their first shipment of 210's from Magellan. Frankly, I'm pretty frustrated with Magellan as I have been waiting for 5 weeks for a unit that was supposed to ship in late October. I have set a deadline of Nov. 25 for Magellan to ship some of these to Tiger or I'm cancelling my order and going with the Garmin GPS 60. My wife and I have pretty much missed out on the nice, fall weather for caching here in PA, and I don't imagine the 210 can do anymore for us than the GPS 60. As much as we would like to try the 210, we would probably be just as happy with the 60. I have learned a valuable lesson: if you are in need of something, buy an item that is "in stock"; forget pre-ordering and manufacturer's expected shipping dates! I'll let you know how this turns out.

Good caching!

November 18, 2005

Why not just cancel the TigerGPS order and get one from REI?

November 18, 2005

I am in the same boat waiting for tigergps to get them. I just might cancel the order after seeing this! I was told they are getting them this week buy truck? Yea what ever!

November 22, 2005

UPDATE: I noticed The GPS Store was advertising the 210 as being "in stock" today so I called to verify. The customer service rep claims they received "hundreds" of them today! I cancelled my order with Tiger GPS and ordered the 210 from The GPS Store. I had one customer service rep at Tiger claim they are expecting them "any day now" while another claims they will not be getting any soon.

With the 1-2 night shipping, I'm hoping to be using the 210 this weekend!

Note: I do not intend this to be a put down of Tiger GPS. The customer service rep who I have been dealing with the past 5 1/2 weeks was very nice and patient with me. I don't know why The GPS Store seems to be the only place getting these in stock or why Tiger GPS is not getting their share.

November 23, 2005

I've had my 210 since Nov. 11, when I bought it from Gander Mountain for my birthday. Very happy with the unit, especially the Windows file compatibility. There are some file format mysteries that Magellan has yet to respond to me on, but I can figure most of it out. If I had to complain, the processing speed is a little slow when drawing maps, the power and light buttons are a bit hard to push, and my particular unit has some irregular pixels on the right hand side of the screen. Not dead or bright, just not perfectly square when the display was made. The menus also take a while to understand, as they are context sensitive. I sometimes can't remember how to access certain things. For instance, I change map units a lot. When you select lat/long, it gives you a second option for the format. You just have to remember there's no direct path to the format, other than through lat/long. Not really a biggie. I use NiMH batteries, recharge 'em, and carry a spare set with me. So far, no problem at all with battery life, even if I didn't carry a spare set, and even if I use the light a lot. The WAAS and error indicator are nice, but it isn't clear to me just what they mean; specifically, is there any difference between an error reading of 10' and no WAAS, vs. an error reading of 10' with WAAS correction? Case design, front buttons, and joybutton, are all very well done. Entering POI names using the grid and joybutton is a bit of a pain, but there's probably no better way on a small unit. Reception is generally good; I haven't had much trouble with obstacles, though I tend to have a better chance at WAAS in the morning or middle of the day, rather than evening. Probably just location dependent. I haven't done an all day drive, but because of the way the unit can be set for semi-intelligent tracking, I don't expect any memory problems. I mostly benchmark hunt, and have found the 210 gives an awfully good bang for the buck.

November 23, 2005

Two more things. The PC interface cable can be attached in two ways. The correct way is with the cable going down the back of the unit *not* up. Odd that they didn't really key it properly. The unit has three small slots, but the cable only uses two, so it can be reversed. That might be a bad thing to do! The cable does have an in-line jack for remote power. Also, the unit has a hole for a wrist strap, but doesn't come with one. Even after a couple weeks, I just can't put the thing down

November 23, 2005

Photobuff: If you haven't already, be sure to download the full PDF owners manual, which may answer many of your questions. Here's the link:

http://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/...st%20210_US.pdf

2.3k · November 23, 2005

Photobuff:

Get the cradle, it makes things much easier. The cable snaps into the cradle and then to use computer access, just pop the GPSr in.

Use GSAK for PQs, and waypoint management. It creats both the POI files (.upt) and the geoccache files (.gs).

November 24, 2005

I downloaded the manual from their site almost immediately. It's basically the same manual as comes on the disk, but it's been updated a bit. Thanks for the info on the cradle. That explains the tab on the cable connector- it didn't seem to have a purpose until you explained the cradle arrangement. IMO, consumer companies don't usually want to say much about what's "under the hood" or to elaborate on their specifications, beyond the "approved" info in the manual. I sent them an email with a variety of questions, none of which are fully explained in the manual, but have yet to receive a reply.

BTW, one more odd thing to be aware of. The normal arrangement in a battery compartment is with the spring on the negative end of each battery, and the fixed flat contact on the positive end. It just makes sense based on what a battery looks like. The 210 installs one battery in the normal fashion, and one with the positive end towards the spring. Be sure to note the polarity signs in the bottom of the battery compartment, maybe even color the top surface of the "+" using a permanent marker to make it more readable. Again, weird, but no biggie.

November 24, 2005

I might be off topic here, but I have just received a 210 and trying to link it to a mac

I can see the 210 as a hard disk but not sure if I can just drag and drop files to the 210 and be recognised. What format should I be using (converting with gpsbabel from geocaching.com .loc files)?

thanks to anyone who can help.

BB

Explorist 210 Is Now Available.

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