Explorist Xl Issues

[+nerys]

I just got an eXplorist XL and though I am VERY impressed with the hardware I am not so impressed with Magellan - apparently the $400 cost of the GPS is not enough they want another $150 for the software to actually put maps on the danged thing.

 

anyone know of a free or cheaper way to put maps on this thing ?

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Edited January 25, 2006 by nerys

[arthurking83]

I'm sure you will find that all the handheld GPS vendors will charge a premium for their mapping software!

 

You can make maps of your own, but they will take forever, and won't be as good as the Magellan maps!

 

See HERE..........

[+Jamie Z]

$150 is kind of steep. Where are you looking?

 

DirectRoute cost me a bit less than $100, and I understand Topo 3D is in the $75 range. Are you talking about both?

 

You're expecting too much. Almost no handheld GPSs come with software, and those that do are usually much more expensive. There's lots about which to be upset at Magellan, having to buy software for your GPS is not one of them.

 

Jamie

[+nerys]

well I have never purchased a hand held GPS unit before. I have however purchased some 5 or 6 GPS units in the last 8+ years (they are all made to connect to a computer)

 

I still have my original Earthmate GPS (Serial runs on AAA batteries) and still use it to this day :-) it and every single other GPS I bought cost less than $150 (many under $75) and every single one of them came with full USA Street Level maps.

 

This unit cost me $400 I kind of assumed it would come with at LEAST what my $100 units came with. that just made sense to me.

 

Was the eXplorist XL a bad decision ? is there a remotely comparable unit made by anyone else ? big color screen SD card regular batteries ?

 

Even when I bought updated delorme software for my Earthmate it only cost me $40 and there was no activation and hardware locking (2 practices that I dont recognize as legal)

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated (oh and the $150 was from magellan's site)

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Edited January 25, 2006 by nerys

[+Jamie Z]

Rugged handheld GPS units cost more, that's the nature of the beast.

 

Don't buy from Magellan's site. They charge a lot more than other retailers. Check out Amazon, GPSCity, and others for your software. It's still not free, but less than Magellan asks.

 

The XL is not a bad unit. You won't find a bigger screen in the handheld market, and the SD expandability is very useful.

 

Sorry you encountered this unexpected extra cost, but once you have the software, I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with it.

 

Jamie

[+nerys]

Actually I wont even be happy then since its hardware locked and requires activation which I will have to hope I can defeat or that the purchased Disk copy does not use.

 

I dont recognize activation or hardwarelocking as legal or legitimate. its only a way to take my property from me.

 

I have a tapwave zodiac. BEST pda money can buy EVEN TODAY after they are gone out of buisness.

 

but they use "hardware locking" for the games for it. because I CHANGED hardware (rma replacement) inbetween them going out of buisness I now am the proud annoyed owner of $350 in games and software that is utterly useless to me since it will ONLY run on the zodiac that I sent back defective !! it wont run on the NEW zodiac and because they are GONE there is no one to "resign" the software to my new Zodiac's serial number.

 

so they STOLE $350 right out of my pocket. I fear the same thing could happen with the XL since the maps will be LOCKED to my one XL what happens if it breaks and I replace it ? I have to beg magellan to unlock it again for the new unit and hope they says yes ??

 

I really hope I can resolve this the hardware is SOOO amazing !!

 

One thing ? anyone know how to do a line of sight bearin on this unit ? ie aim it in a direction mark a point walk 50 feet mark a point again and it makes an imaginry bearing line and will tell me if I deviate from that bearing. I want to use this for recovery of rockets that land out of site but where I see where they come down and can take a bearing off of that. ?? I cant seem to find how to do this :-)

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+Indotguy]

Pardon me for saying this but had you read the product description on the Magellan site you would have noticed it says the 3D topo map software is optional. Before I doll out that kind of $$$ for anything I usually like do a little research to make sure I know what I am getting. I can understand your being annoyed, but in all fairness to the company, it not them you should be annoyed with.

[+CondorTrax]

Ditto what Indotguy said. Also, if you'd looked around you may have seen some packaged specials. For example, www.thegpsstore.com has a XL bundle; XL, Mapsend Direct Route, 128MB SD card for $500. Their Topo package includes the XL, Topo3D and 128MB card for 470. Sure there are other specials out there from other retailers/merchants. Issue isn't Magellan's.

[+pghlooking]

I am more upset at the fact that I purchased my Direct Route software which the box says "Also for MapSend compatible eXplorist receivers" and turns out to be 2.0 rather than 3.0. So now I have a choice of using the older software which has a work around for the eXplorist rather or pay for the upgrade for the software which actually does work directly with the eXplorist. would also like to see the eXplorist be able to do projections and be able to change the needle on the compass screen to point in the direction I wish go follow such as towards the geocache instead of always facing north. As it is I have to follow a tiny little symbol versus the large easy to see needle on the screen. I would also like to see a case come out that is made for the XL so I can get rid of the factory screen cover I am still using to protect the screen. I have alot of wants but doubt Magellan will be moving very fast on most if any of these.

[+CondorTrax]

whick Explorist do you have? The latest firmware upgrade for the 500/600 for example allows for projections. Additionally, have you calibrated your compass? Once you select a waypoint (POI or Geocache, doesn't matter), the compass needle will "slave" to that point and indicate the bearing you must travel on, so you can orient yourself relative to the direction of travel. If no POI/GC has been selected, then the needle will point North.

[+Marky]

Chris, it's too bad you are unhappy with how these things work, but pretty much all of the vendors are going with something like this because of software piracy. Keeping a mapping/routing program current is expensive (must more so that a traditional software package). They rely on mapping data providers to give them accurate mapping data and that costs money. I think Magellan's mapping prices and policies are completely reasonable and possibly slightly more flexible than other GPS vendor's mapping software.

 

--Marky

[+pghlooking]

whick Explorist do you have? The latest firmware upgrade for the 500/600 for example allows for projections. Additionally, have you calibrated your compass? Once you select a waypoint (POI or Geocache, doesn't matter), the compass needle will "slave" to that point and indicate the bearing you must travel on, so you can orient yourself relative to the direction of travel. If no POI/GC has been selected, then the needle will point North.

I have the XL. I know on my old sportrak I was able to change the compass needle to recognize either north or the poi/cache I was searching but it does not seem that the XL has this "feature". Alot of things small like these seem to be a step backwards with the XL, from where the sportrak was. Not very impressed with these things since it is suppose to be set up for geocaching.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I have the XL. I know on my old sportrak I was able to change the compass needle to recognize either north or the poi/cache

 

It sounds like you old sport track may have been the one with a magnetic compass, those will point to the cache while stationary, and they have offer the option to turn off the compass. With the sport track that I lost once I selected a waypoint the compass style screen would only point to the cache

 

As it is I have to follow a tiny little symbol versus the large easy to see needle on the screen.

 

When you puch goto you should see a menu that will ask you select POI or Geocache files, the you select the file, once you select the file you select the waypoint then off you go. The compass style screen will direct you.

 

I would also like to see a case come out that is made for the XL so I can get rid of the factory screen cover I am still using to protect the screen.

 

Fron what I have seen, as far as cases there are not may that i be been impressed with from any company.

 

I have alot of wants but doubt Magellan will be moving very fast on most if any of these.

 

Things change very slowly in the world of GPS, both Magellan and Garmin have always been very slow to make changes.

Edited January 25, 2006 by JohnnyVegas

[+CondorTrax]

Just for giggles, check your power management options and verify that the magnetic compass is "On". Not sure how to get to that screen on the XL. On the ex600 you select:

menu

preferences

Pwr Management

 

The eX600 has an option to turn the electronic compass on and off. Again, not sure if the XL is electronic or not. In any event, after selecting a POI/GC, the compass needle will point in the direction of the POI/GC.

[+JohnnyVegas]

well I have never purchased a hand held GPS unit before. I have however purchased some 5 or 6 GPS units in the last 8+ years (they are all made to connect to a computer)

 

I still have my original Earthmate GPS (Serial runs on AAA batteries) and still use it to this day :-) it and every single other GPS I bought cost less than $150 (many under $75) and every single one of them came with full USA Street Level maps.

 

This unit cost me $400 I kind of assumed it would come with at LEAST what my $100 units came with. that just made sense to me.

 

Was the eXplorist XL a bad decision ? is there a remotely comparable unit made by anyone else ? big color screen SD card regular batteries ?

 

Even when I bought updated delorme software for my Earthmate it only cost me $40 and there was no activation and hardware locking (2 practices that I dont recognize as legal)

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated (oh and the $150 was from magellan's site)

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

You are comparing apples to oranges, the reason the Earthmate came with software is because with Delorme your are buying the software and they are including a GPS that will only work with the software. Anyway, this has been the case with every Delorme GPS that I have seen. You could have bought the software without the GPS included and then bought a real GPS to use with the delorme software

 

In the world of mapping GPS products you will always have to buy the software to load the maps. Do not buy software from a GPS manufacture directly, they sell at suggested retail becasue they may have retailers that sell at those prices and they want to keep them happy.

There are plenty of places to buy software that do not charge sug. retail. In the time it has taken you to post in the forums you could have found a better price.

 

This unit cost me $400 I kind of assumed

Did you ask the person/store about the software before you made the purchase

 

Was the eXplorist XL a bad decision ? is there a remotely comparable unit made by anyone else ? big color screen SD card regular batteries ?

Not for less than $400.00 and they will not include the software, you could by a Magellan earthmate, but they are on usefull for geocaching.

 

Even when I bought updated delorme software for my Earthmate it only cost me $40 and there was no activation and hardware locking (2 practices that I dont recognize as legal)

But those maps connot be loaded into a mapping GPS, You can buy microsoft streets and trips for about the same price, but you cannot load this into a GPS.

 

The reason the Delorme GPS is so cheap is because it does not have a screen it cannot be used as a stand alone GPS. Earthmate This is like comparing a Ford pinto to a Mustang GT and then complaining that the Pinto is to slow.

Edited January 25, 2006 by JohnnyVegas

[+pghlooking]

Just for giggles, check your power management options and verify that the magnetic compass is "On". Not sure how to get to that screen on the XL. On the ex600 you select:

menu

preferences

Pwr Management

 

The eX600 has an option to turn the electronic compass on and off. Again, not sure if the XL is electronic or not. In any event, after selecting a POI/GC, the compass needle will point in the direction of the POI/GC.

The XL's only power managment choices are the light timer and power off. Not a whole lot of selectability built into it. I was hoping that maybe a firmware update would "fix" some of these issues but not as of yet.

[+pghlooking]

It sounds like you old sport track may have been the one with a magnetic compass, those will point to the cache while stationary, and they have offer the option to turn off the compass. With the sport track that I lost once I selected a waypoint the compass style screen would only point to the cache

 

I had the Map and color (which had the electronic compass). Even the ST Map would at least be user selectable as far as whether you wanted to be north referenced or POI referenced with the needle. The XL does not give you any choices and only points in the North direction. Makes it harder when hunting in the woods and just glancing at the unit. You must look for the small icon rather than quick glance the large needle.

 

When you puch goto you should see a menu that will ask you select POI or Geocache files, the you select the file, once you select the file you select the waypoint then off you go. The compass style screen will direct you.

 

It directs you by placing a small icon on the outer ring of the compass, identical in size to the sun/moon position. It rotates based on direction you are moving of course, but the older ST series you could customize it so the needle would point to the cache when moving which was easier to know the cache was at 2 o'clock by seeing it. Now to tell the cache is at 2 o'clock the needle might be at 12, means due north, and a small icon will be at 2 o'clock. Not nearly as user friendly.

 

Things change very slowly in the world of GPS, both Magellan and Garmin have always been very slow to make changes.

 

This is a step backwards for a unit who claims to be stepping forward for Geocaching. useage. This unit has less feature than the older ST Color or even the Map unit. I am hoping they can catch up quickly before I start seriously doubting my "upgrade" of units.

[vagabond]

I just got an eXplorist XL and though I am VERY impressed with the hardware I am not so impressed with Magellan - apparently the $400 cost of the GPS is not enough they want another $150 for the software to actually put maps on the danged thing.

 

anyone know of a free or cheaper way to put maps on this thing ?

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Ive seen the XLs for about $325,00 and I only paid $60.00 for mapsend topo 3d

[+embra]

Actually I wont even be happy then since its hardware locked and requires activation which I will have to hope I can defeat or that the purchased Disk copy does not use.

 

<snip>

 

One thing ? anyone know how to do a line of sight bearin on this unit ? ie aim it in a direction mark a point walk 50 feet mark a point again and it makes an imaginry bearing line and will tell me if I deviate from that bearing. I want to use this for recovery of rockets that land out of site but where I see where they come down and can take a bearing off of that. ?? I cant seem to find how to do this :-)

There's a lot of water flowing underneath this bridge, so forgive me if I am duplication (or contradicting!) any answers already received.

 

First, a comment: if I understand what you mean by hardware locked, DirectRoute and Topo3D are not so locked. You can change the serial number up to something like 4 times in the program when generating detail maps. If that's not enough, you can re-install the program and start again.

 

As to your question, I think someone mentioned that you can project a waypoint with the desired bearing (I suppose you would want to take the bearing with an external compass). Set a goto to the projected waypoint. Then you can customize some of your data fields with relevant information...I think the one called "off course" might be what you have in mind.

 

There's not an automatic way to get the bearing in the way you describe. You could mark position A, walk your bearing line, get a bearing to Position A, add 180 to it and use the result to use the bearing for your projected waypoint, to which you set a goto.

[+carhawker]

I would also like to see a case come out that is made for the XL so I can get rid of the factory screen cover I am still using to protect the screen.

I got a very nice case at Cabelas. $11.99 + $4.75s/h.

 

Search Cabelas for - "GPS Outfitters Ultimate GPS Case"

 

You'll need the larger 7.75 x 4.25 case for the XL.

 

The internal sheet frame case has a front pocket that I keep the USB cable in and two side net pockets that I keep four rechargable AAs in each. The front pocket also has an interior pocket for your SD card cases. It also has a storm bonnet that wraps the whole case when needed and several D rings for strapping it to you backpack and comes with a removable strap. I like it very much!!

Edited January 25, 2006 by carhawker

[+nerys]

??? My Earthmate GPS unit works with anysoftware I install on my machine ? (I know I tried) I even got it to work with my old palm pilot a long long time ago. it was totally open NMEA standards.

 

my point was that they gave me FULL street level mapping with NO restrictions and NO limitations AND tossed in a GPS unit all for less than Magellan wants for JUST the software Delorme streets lets me install fully to the HD without the CD needing to be present since I use this on a Tablet computer (No optical drive) so I install full over the network and I am good to go. and when the update came out for 2004 it only cost me $40

 

No I did not expect topo to come with it and I dont really have a need for topo I DID expect basic street level to come with it. it even IMPLIES this in the description and since every single GPS purchase I have ever made comes with it ..... - this is not a handheld GPS with coords this is a designed for and intended for MAPPING gps. to not include such a CRITICAL thing for such a unit as the fraking maps is absurd. if this thing cost $200 I would not be so pissed.

 

This GPS unit cost $358 (TWICE as much as the garmin color WHICH COMES with street level maps but no SD card slot and much much smaller screen)

 

then on top of this I find out it uses activation which is a problem since I will never give non internet applications access to the internet. its how I keep my network secure and my mapping software has no buisness accessing the internet.

 

AND its locked to my GPS so what happens in 5 years I kill this unit replace it and they DECIDE they dont want to let me migrate it to the new unit. that should not be there choice.

 

the mapping is expensive is baloney. there are 2 mapping companies on earth for all intents and purposes and they all buy there in from them. in fact pretty much any US company is all using one company navteq (google maps uses the same thing)

 

all they have to do is produce an INTERFACE to interact with this data they purchased and then add any fluff they want to add.

 

As far as I am concerned they should be legally required to state in BOLD PRINT on the front of the package this unit is nearly useless for mapping unless you pay us ANOTHER $150 !! see what happens then. crazy.

 

Also the lady on the phone told me all the for sale copies are v2 only the XL comes with v3 ON its DVD which I will never be using since the ONLY way to get V3 is to pay Magellan $150 which I will never do. I am still desiding on if I will even keep this unit or not and I could not even use the technically illegal (see they are makig us into criminals) trick of reinstalling to get more serial numbers since the software uses ACTIVATION (which I refuse to acknowledge as legitimate)

 

Drives me nuts. I am awaiting a reply from magellan there responce will pretty much dictate how I proceed. I have been burned once badly by software locking and I dont give second chances in that regard. I will never honor hardware locking ever again.

 

huh one of my GPS units Serial with PS2 for power so no batteries needed I think is a magellan and IT CAME WITH street level mapping and only cost me $65 NEW - I never did use the software I used the delorme software I already had installed and it worked just fine. - maybe all this delorme locking there devices to there software is new ?? all my stuff is pre 2004 most of it pre 2000

 

the point of GPS for me is not to tell me where something is (I already know where it is) its to tell me where I AM in relation to it and more importantly HOW TO GET THERE and that requires maps. they should not even be allowed to seperate the hardware and the maps. if it costs that much just PUT it in the damned price tag of the unit.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+pghlooking]

I got a very nice case at Cabelas. $11.99 + $4.75s/h.

 

Search Cabelas for - "GPS Outfitters Ultimate GPS Case"

 

You'll need the larger 7.75 x 4.25 case for the XL.

It's a nice carry case but not very good for walking the trails with. I want a traditional GPS case that has the clear protective screen so you can use the GPS while it's in the case. The one you have, you must remove it from the case to use it thus risking the screen damage. Thanks though. I guess I will have to wait on Magellan.....

[+nerys]

hmmm the XL sadly has a proprietary USB connection I plan to remedy this by buying another cable for it and cutting off the wire and molding in a normal USB jack so I can then use any normal USB plug without adding all that much to the GPS unit itself. Normally I would tear it apart and solder right to the pin pad contacts and mold it right into the case itself for NO aditional bulk but I fear compromising its waterproofing integrity so I wont go that route :-)

 

it DOES look like this was designed with the idea of some kind of cradle of some sort for this to snap into. it might not be that hard to fashion a "hard cover" made of lexan of polycarb that would affix to this cradle conector. you would also just snap a properly made on right onto the sides of the unit covering the screen but this would be annoying to me since I like the feel of the rubbery surface under my fingers and that is right where I hold it. you could also strap on on easily enough I guess.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[vagabond]

??? My Earthmate GPS unit works with anysoftware I install on my machine ? (I know I tried) I even got it to work with my old palm pilot a long long time ago. it was totally open NMEA standards.

 

Then why not stay with your earthmate gps?

[+JohnnyVegas]

 

??? My Earthmate GPS unit works with anysoftware I install on my machine ? (I know I tried) I even got it to work with my old palm pilot a long long time ago. it was totally open NMEA standards.

But has to be connected to a computer to do that, must GPSr will do the same thing. You cannot use the earth mate unless it is contected to a computer.

 

my point was that they gave me FULL street level mapping with NO restrictions and NO limitations AND tossed in a GPS unit all for less than Magellan wants for JUST the software Delorme streets lets me install fully to the HD without the CD needing to be present since I use this on a Tablet computer (No optical drive) so I install full over the network and I am good to go. and when the update came out for 2004 it only cost me $40

You are missing the point, the deleorme GPS must be hooked up to your nite book, it is not a stand alone GPS, not matter how you want to look at it, it will not do what a Garmin, Magellan, Lowarance or even a Cobra will do.

 

This GPS unit cost $358 (TWICE as much as the garmin color WHICH COMES with street level maps but no SD card slot and much much smaller screen)

You might want to check that again, with most every stand alone GPS you must buy street level software. What is included is a base map of major highways and roads. Not local streets. Which Garmin is it that you saw.

 

to not include such a CRITICAL thing for such a unit as the fraking maps is absurd. if this thing cost $200 I would not be so pissed.

Early GPSr had very limited memory for maps, for garmin or magellan to have sold a hand held gps the was pre loaded with the entire US would have been to expensive. Most of us that have been around GPS products can remeber when a GPS with a little over 20MB would have cost about $500.00, to offer a pre loaded GPS would have cost thousands of dollars.

[+nerys]

well my PC gps's have NO memory. you know what they did ? they put the CD in with the package.

 

that is what magellan should have done with this unit.

 

EVERY SINGLE pc GPS I have purchased came with a CD that had FULL street level mapping of the entire USA.

 

I have not purchased a delorme recently. my earthmate is at least 7 or 8 years old (the original yellow 4AAA battery serial model. it came with streel level mapping (VERY GOOD mapping I might add)

 

I will find out which my other units are (I ony have 3 left)

 

This is the FIRST handheld ie standalone gps that I have ever purchased. I might very seriously have NOT purchased it had I know that I both would not get street level mapping and it would cost $150 from magellan (shipdog has it for $100)

 

This unit will connect to my laptop as well its one of the reasons I got it.

 

" Then why not stay with your earthmate gps?"

 

because a tablet computer with a non daylight visible screen and a tethered GPS is not exactly convenient for geocaching :-) Since I am looking at a more compact tablet computer (Stylistic LT C500) with a daylight visible screen I am seriously considering doing just that. sticking with my earthmate or getting the delorme BT gps to use with my Zodiac Palm Pilot (its screen is even a little bigger than th4e XL's and its 480x320 resolution.

 

At the time that I had decided to get this a few months ago BT GPS was $300 so for just a little more I could get the XL now you can get BT GPS for $100-$150 (I had not checked prices once I had made up my mind so it dropped that much in this time)

 

the XL just seemed so perfect. :-( I have 30 days so I am going to play around with it and see what happens.

 

I am just really annoyed at Magellan. this is not some $150 handheld gps unit this is a $400 handheld and it dadgum well should have come with street level mapping details. well I stand corrected IT DID come with street level mapping. IF I was willing to pay $150 to magellan to "unlock it"

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+nerys]

BTW for THIS KIND of a GPS unit what Magellan did was tantamount to you buy a new car getting inside to turn the key and start it up and nothing happen and a nice voice chimes. to unlock the "FRAKING ENGINE" in this car you have to pay this extra fee.

 

Grrr

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+JohnnyVegas]

BTW for THIS KIND of a GPS unit what Magellan did was tantamount to you buy a new car getting inside to turn the key and start it up and nothing happen and a nice voice chimes. to unlock the "FRAKING ENGINE" in this car you have to pay this extra fee.

 

Grrr

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Magellan, Garmin and Lowarnce all do the same thing, you might as well get used to it.

 

I sent you and e-mail

[+nerys]

Wow I will do no such thing. when it comes to 3.5" full color mapping intended gps units they will simply get used to me not giving them my money till they change there ways. with PDA's getting cheaper and cheaper they will have to or else :-)

 

I may end up keeping the XL just because I DO so love the hardware. but I will never buy another standalone GPS unit without knowing precisely what is include and what is extra. no where on there site is it clear that to MAP with this you will need to spend aother $150.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[dsal]

hmmm... i've been looking around and studying up about to pruchase my first gps and i'm starting to agree with nerys . how well do these gps work without the mapping software ? i really want one with topo because i plan on exploring the backwoods . also like to drive around and explore cities too. i'd like to get one without having to sell a kidney . i would buy a bigger heavier unit and pack it around if i knew it was simple and strudy . buying electronics is risky business anyway i think . something newer and better keeps coming out and i keep waiting for the price to drop on what i want then they screw me up by coming out with something better that replaces my old goal . analysis paralasis , heard that here , now i know what it means . i bite the bullet cause i get fed up and then the price drops !

[+nerys]

well for most of the units your right. MOST handheld GPS units are black and white or tiny color screens.

 

thats like buying a bicycle. when I buy a bicycle I DONT EXPECT to have an engine inside of it and I dont expect to be PAYING for an engine either.

 

When I buy a 3.5" color screen navigating gps unit for $400 (CAR pricing for GPS units) I expect to get what normally comes with such an ITEM. EVERY "automotive" gps I have seen even the $500 ones come with maps. this christmas radioshack even had some $400 units with mapping included.

 

for a car I expect an engine for a $400 gps I expect the damned maps. thats not asking too much is it ? extra for more up to date sure extra for topo sure extra for waterways sure.

 

Just like if I bought a MARINE gps I would expect it to come with MARINE maps inside.

 

if I buy a bare bones no frills gps for a barebones price I dont expect to get maps assuming it can even display them.

 

Now that I read is I see where it says all maps are optional but the way they worded it makes you think you get a lot with the unit. I thought the optional was for topo

 

it says robust basemap included. for all of NJ it has something like 10 roads. rt30 and r332 white and black horse pikes which go nearly the entire length of the state. no there. I dont even think it has 10 roads in jersey. robust my a**.

 

it just bugs me thats all. I spent this much money to get a really nice complete unit ready to go. its just not worth $500 i'm gonna poke around on ebay and see if I can get lucky and score an older copy of the software for $50 or so.

 

if I cant find a copy affordably within the next 20 days I will just return it for a refund. I just hope that does not hurt shipdog since there rather nice people.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+nerys]

well dsal what kind of gadgets do you have now. maybe you could affordably adapt one to BE a gps unit that will meet your needs. if i had a 8" tablet computer with indoor outdoor display I would probably have never gotten the XL even though it IS very very nice. though for there top of the line model is seems really really lacking in features. is there a way for the end user to add features to these ie can a programmer write programs or something for this thing ?

 

if you have a PDA with bluetooth you can do this very affordable. if not then by the time you buy the pda gps and maps your paying about what this unit cost me. then again thats not bad since I still have to buy maps :-)

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[arthurking83]

BTW for THIS KIND of a GPS unit what Magellan did was tantamount to you buy a new car getting inside to turn the key and start it up and nothing happen and a nice voice chimes. to unlock the "FRAKING ENGINE" in this car you have to pay this extra fee.

 

Grrr

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Nerys!!!!

 

Dude!

You really are not getting the point, are you?

 

You cannot compare a Delorme Earthcrap GPS with a Mag/Gar/Low handheld!

 

Stop trying to do so!!

 

You could easily have saved yourself a couple hundred dollars and bought a no-name mouse style GPS and found some free GPS-Mapping program and free streetdirectory maps!

 

So compare the Delorme to the cheapo mouse GPS....please.

 

Now, while you are trying to compare the Delorme to a handheld GPSr, take them both out for a days hiking in the woods/canyon/desert......etc.

(the foremost reason you wanted a handheld GPSr!)

Then... explain to us how much nicer the Delorme Earthmate was to use than the explorist XL

 

Now, if you wanted a vehicle based navigation aid why did you choose a handheld?

 

(I won't start on the cliches!!)

 

And your analogy of the car(locked engine) v's GPS is a bit off

If that is a reference to the lack of detail maps, then you are way off line, and you should be using the analogy that when you viewed the gleaming car on the showroom floor with central locking and power windows and metallic paint....

And all you got was the base model with white paint, and vinyl floor coverings......

(these are extras!!!.......optional extras!)

 

If your analogy is a reference to the state of the vendors paranoia about software piracy???

 

Well, they seem to get easily deluded by software encryption salespeople, that promise the earth about their encryption/security services, and how they are hackerproof...etc.

 

But we know better!

[arthurking83]

When I buy a 3.5" color screen navigating gps unit for $400 (CAR pricing for GPS units) ......

 

for a car I expect an engine for a $400 gps I expect the damned maps.

You guys are so lucky to have $400, NEW cars!

 

I may come over(from Australia!) for a business holiday, and purchase a shipload of these NEW!!! $400 cars

 

We're lucky if we can get a headlight for $400!!

[+Jamie Z]

You're not going to get much sympathy here. I agree that I'd sure like to have maps come with the GPS, but they clearly don't. You can't complain after the fact. Here's the first paragraph on the XL page from Magellan's website:

 

The largest (3.5”) color display in a rugged GPS and a remarkable 30 MB available memory, SD card expandability, plus high-speed USB data port and MapSend® map compatibility make your eXplorist XL the ultimate multi-use GPS.

 

Add optional MapSend* topo maps for your outdoor adventure on the trail, street maps for turn-by-turn auto navigation on the road, and lake charts for your boating and fishing adventures on the water.

Easy-to-use one-button access to key features and simple menus make GPS navigation easier than ever.

 

It's too bad you didn't realize this before. I guess it's a mistake anyone could have made, but they do make it clear, and to complain about something you missed is a waste of time.

 

Jamie

[+JohnnyVegas]

What it comes down to, the earthmate gps is a piece of junk when compared to any stand alone GPS.

[+GOT GPS?]

A laptop doing the navigating in a car, can break, and it is expensive sometimes to fix or replace a laptop. I had a laptop I lugged around, but it broke, and it was a heavy duty model at that.

 

You can probably do without the laptop entirely, and use Direct Route on the Explorist XL. This is a decent unit for even working on the road.

[+Jhwk]

Oh, well (....)

 

Nah - it's not even worth the time...

Edited January 26, 2006 by Jhwk

[+nerys]

well the explorist is useless for road traveling. the routes are static. IE I can not build turn by turns ON the XL itself. It has to be done on the PC first this means its not dynamic.

 

thats one of the reasons I got the XL I can jack it into my laptop and use the much much more robust delorme software I already have and dongle the xl as a gps puck.

 

I use tablet computers. I have the fujitsu point 1600 its about $100 on ebay pentium 166mhz 192mb ram. JUST enough to run delorme 2004 (barely) runs 2000 version much better but 2004 tolerably (they adding a lot of crap to the interface in 2004) I can generate route and direction information dynamically on the go which is what I need.

 

for the XL I will put the overall route in ahead of time only as a backup to the tablet (by the way I beat the living crap out of this thing and its been going strong for over 6 years)

 

the purpose of the XL to me is for geocaching and rocket hunting. thats it. but even for that its not all that useful without maps :-(

 

Delorme products are awesome (I speak of 2004 and prior only) they are not restrictive very open and cheap. they let me copy the WHOLE cd to the HD so I dont have to dangle a external CD drive from the tablet (I would not have bought it otherwise)

 

Directroute does not allow this. I will have to hope I can eventually find a no cd crack for it.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[Dr_Dajom]

BTW for THIS KIND of a GPS unit what Magellan did was tantamount to you buy a new car getting inside to turn the key and start it up and nothing happen and a nice voice chimes. to unlock the "FRAKING ENGINE" in this car you have to pay this extra fee.

 

Grrr

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Yeah, that is basically the same thing.....

 

Stop blaming a manufacturer for something that you neglected/didn't bother to check.

 

You can't compare a suckie 8 year old PC-GPS with the latest state of the art handheld unit. It's not even remotely the same thing. It's like comparing a car from the 50's with a brand new one (8 years is about half of the consumer markets age). In fact it's like saying: "I only payed $10 000 for my Saturn 15 years ago, now I bought a Porsche for $150 000 and I didn't even get a back seat." Well if you checked out the Porsche before you bought it you would have noticed that there were no back seat.

 

*If someone only uses his GPSr for hiking or for his snowmobile, should they have to pay for the streetmaps?

 

*If someone only uses his GPSr for inCar navigation, should they have to pay for the topo maps?

 

*If someone is afraid of water or live in Kansas, should they have to bay for the Sea charts?

 

You talk alot but you make absolutely no sense!

[Dr_Dajom]

well the explorist is useless for road traveling. the routes are static. IE I can not build turn by turns ON the XL itself. It has to be done on the PC first this means its not dynamic.

 

thats one of the reasons I got the XL I can jack it into my laptop and use the much much more robust delorme software I already have and dongle the xl as a gps puck.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Sure you can build the route in your XL. Thats another thing you would have noticed if you read s*** before acting.

 

The XL seems like an expensive gps puck. Try the Globalsat ones and then return your XL!

[+nerys]

*If someone only uses his GPSr for hiking or for his snowmobile, should they have to pay for the streetmaps?

 

Someone who buys a GPS for hiking is NOT freakin likely to by a heavy bulky 3.5" screen $400 unit. you point is irrelevant

 

*If someone only uses his GPSr for inCar navigation, should they have to pay for the topo maps?

 

I did not ask for nor expect Topo maps nor do I want them. although if this unit was MARKETED for hicking YES I would damned well expect it to come with topo maps. so this point is irrelevant.

 

*If someone is afraid of water or live in Kansas, should they have to bay for the Sea charts?

 

Its not a marine unit nor was it advertised as such though that was part of my purchasing decision (its capable of some marine action) (I in fact DID read up quite a bit on this unit before I decided on it) it was NOT overtly clear that it would come with NO maps in fact the opposite it says it comes with a ROBUST set of maps for the US. it did not. and this point is irrelevant as well

 

* Sure you can build the route in your XL.

 

Please try to educate yourself before flaming I said nothing about building a route I said a TURN BY TURN ROUTE which CAN NOT be done inside the unit. This points irrelevant as well. I called them and asked since it is NOT clear in the manual etc..

 

* Yeah, that is basically the same thing.....

 

for the purpose of my issue it is the same thing. the POINT was that this was a VERY expensive $400 unit that advertised it MAPPING abilities and yet has ZERO mapping ability out of the box. and I mean ZERO unless both your house and your destination exist on and only connect with Interstate highways (and only major ones)

 

if my $135 (I THINK thats what it cost me) gps puck came with full street leval maps why did this $400 advanced unit DESIGNED for street level mapping not come with it ? THATS my problem and NO ONE WORD on the box or Literature (go ahead go find it for me) says that I have to spend $150 extra to get this advertised navigational mapping.

 

a $200 gps screen has a tiny BW or low color screen I DONT expect that to be a mapping GPS unit. a $400 unit with a PDA sized and resolution screen ADVERTISED as such I do expect to have and come with street level mapping. in fact I can get COLOR mapping capable GPS units for under $200 (geeks.com has one for $170 magellan gold or something like that and it has an SD slot too) NO I would not expect that to come with mapping. everything about this unit is the same as the $170 unit EXCEPT the screen (which was REALLY important to me) a larger screen does NOT account for the extra $200 cost increase so I assumed helped by the literature and advertising that this INTENDED for TURN BY TURN mapping unit did in fact come with what it needed to actually USE it for such activity. NO WHERE on the box does it say this GPS unit is USELESS for turn by turn mapping unless you pay another $150

 

IF you cant grasp this fine but if your gonna argue with me about it TRY to have some semblance of having educated yourself on the topic first.

 

the FACT that my 8 year old "crappy" as you call it gps puck came with MORE than this $400 unit did for there intended purposes (road navigation) is quite something to say about it.

 

My point still stands personally and logically. they screwed the pooch on this one and did so badly. this should have cost $250-$275 and not a bit more including shipping in those figures I paid $358 shipped and now they want another $150 to actually use it ? it does not even have that many non mapping abilities.

 

the only reason I have not just said screw this and outright returned it eating $40 in shipping ($30 to get it $10 to send it back) is that I am in love with the hardware.

 

I WILL NOT invest in hardware locking either. the only reason I have not returned it for THAT reason alone which is a good enough reason for me to return something is that I am confident I can remove this "theft" issue from magellans tactics.

 

if I can manage to find directroute for $75 or less I will probably end up keeping this unit ONLY because I so love the hardware. (and 10-14 hours my butt I have used it for well over 10 hours so far just letting it run and I have still half my battery life left impressive)

 

but I will have SERIOUS second thoughts about ever buying another magellan product.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

Edited January 27, 2006 by nerys

[+Teach2Learn]

Several experienced, long-time cachers and forumites have tried to help you and point out your possible oversight of Magellan being upfront with its mapping for the XL and other GPS receivers: base maps only, street-level maps with additional software purchase (or DVD install/unlocking code) unless bundled with the purchase. You don't have to agree with or like the policy to accept its reality with Magellan, Garmin, and leading hand-held GPS receivers.

 

Like others, I believe you're overlooking the XL's other advantages (beyond just the basic hardware) and find your comparision with old GPS technology and maps flawed, but that's been detailed, so I'll avoid the redundancy and give up the cause.

[+nerys]

I am not comparing the hardware. I am comparing the maps. why do yo keep ignoring this and pretending I mean something I clearly did not.

 

again this is not a small handheld $200 GPS this is a $400 gps DESIGNED for mapping and they imply you CAN in fact map with it which you CAN'T without the additional purchase (and my second complain EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE additional purchase)

 

From a hardware perspective again in case you apparently missed it I am blown away by the hardware I LOVE THE HARDWARE its the only reason I have not outright returned it.

 

Just because "experienced" users have "accepted" this condition for such an expensive unit does not mean there is something wrong me quite the contrary it means there is something wrong with these experienced users who would put down $400 for a unit and not be just a bit upset when they find out it cant do much without another $150 purchase. that blows ME away !!

 

I give up. I believe I have made my point and I believe its an extremely valid and understandable point. if a cheapo crappy $75 gps unit comes with street level why cant the $400 unit and on top of this why if it does not come with it is it $150 extra !! I could buy ANOTHER GPS unit on top of this one for that much !

 

Whats Garmin charge for there Maps ? $30 now THAT I could tolerate alas they have nothing close to the XL

 

$150 is JUST INSANE

 

I am utterly blown away that NO ONE ELSE agree's with this and in fact the trend seems to be utter acceptance and acceptance of this. amazing.

 

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

[+Teach2Learn]

I addressed the mapping issue in my first paragraph and parenthetically noted the hardware that you do admire in the second paragraph.

 

Of course cachers don't like paying high costs for the mapping, but the GPS receivers are so much more powerful than the Earthmate of years ago and the mapping software (albeit expensive) is much better as well, whether you desire turn-by-turn routing or topo mapping, but one does need to choose carefully. With that understanding, and Magellan's upfront mapping policy quoted previously by Jamie, you may have overlooked some obvious information readily available to any purchaser. The policy may not be fairly priced, but it is the reality as others have noted. It's not that we don't acknowledge the expense.

[+CondorTrax]

My simple suggestion....... all of us that are "wrong" just walk away sighing and let him play in his sandbox by himself.

[nda1977]

Nerys,

 

When I first read this post, I assumed that you were joking with you random critique of the eXplorist XL. I mean, I thought a lot of what you'd written was silly enough to make me chuckle. But I realize now that you're indeed serious. And a lot of folks have come on board and offered you helpful, professional advice. .

 

If you're not liking your XL, you might consider asking for suggestions from other people rather than ranting about it. So far you've used 19 posts to say the same thing. There are better solutions to your problem than starting a grass-roots campaign against Magellan at an on-line forum.

 

Most everyone on this forum has realized that there is a lesson to be learned. You've stated that the lesson is simply "don't buy from Magellan." For the rest of us, we know that the lesson is "before you spend $350+ on a GPSr, spend some time to learn if it will adequately meet your needs."

 

My guess is that you did not do this and only visited the Magellan website as an afterthought, having already purchased it. I think that if you'd done some research (which just about everyone here does before spending money on such things) and perhaps defined what you want your GPSr to do (and I mean in a "realistic" sense... saying that you want it to have tons of maps, perfect connections, capable of driving your car, make waffles for you in the morning, etc. is not realistic) you would have been able to find a GPSr to fit your needs.

 

If you'd defined your needs before purchasing this, you might have purchased something totally different. If you'd researched your desired GPSr, you would have found that Magellan certainly ain't the only business out there, and that your needs could have been fulfilled by some other vendor out there. I mean, really, there are enough handheld units available that one of them should have met your needs (again, if you'd came up with realistic ones).

 

Well, that's more of a ranting response to your overall rant, but hopefully mine differs in that there is some insight to be had from it. Please recoginize that there are a lot of very helpful, very professional, and very kind people who are posting on Geocaching.com. Most of us stay away from flame wars because we're used to professional discourse. Granted, I can only speak for myself but I believe that most of us aim to collaborate with one another to come up with good suggestions and, as such, forward the entire GPSr community. We'll continue to be professional because this is a professional forum, and not a McDonaldland Playground.

 

Personally, I have an eXplorist XL. There are things about it that I like and things that I don't like, but it don't knock Magellan for the parts I don't like (primarily because I had researched it and knew that there would be needs that it did not fulfill, and I have found workarounds). No one is arguing with you that there are some bad points to it, as with any GPSr.

 

The people here would be happy to offer suggestions or help you out, but first you'd have to pose a legitimate question (and proper grammar and sentence structure have never hurt anyone's efforts).

 

So if you'd like suggestions as to whether or not you should keep it, ways that you could work around your problems, or recommendations for a different unit, we'd be happy to help. But I do think that it's safe to say that if you keep repeating your point (and we understand that it lacks the high degree of map coverage you seek, no need to make distant analogies involving automobiles, etc.) that eventually people will quit reading. If you're aiming to make this into a flame war (and you might find such things to be "fun") then you'll also see that the thread will die in time as many of us would rather help someone than blindly argue over trivial facets of a GPSr.

 

Well, I hope that some of this provides insight or food for thought. I'm not trying to openly berate you nor anyone else, I just would like to see this topic find focus and become constructive. Helpfully it will.

Edited January 27, 2006 by nda1977

[nda1977]

I see now that in the time it took me to write the last response, Teach2Learn and CondorTrax said the same thing, only far more effeciently. Thanks guys, sorry for reiterating your points (it took a little while to get them on paper).

[+CondorTrax]

nda1977....... perfect epitaph; bringing it all together and eloquently summarizing with a touch of chastisement, counsel and advice..... nicely done...Are we at closure?

[Dr_Dajom]

Nerys>>

 

So basically what you are saying is you bought the wrong unit. That's just it, Magellan did not sell the wrong unit, you bought the wrong one. They sold a GPSr that they think is worth $400.

 

Meridian Gold is not a color display GPSr.

 

"""Someone who buys a GPS for hiking is NOT freakin likely to by a heavy bulky 3.5" screen $400 unit. you point is irrelevant"""

 

Sure they can, if they want a unit that they can use on their boat and in their car. And Snowmobile riders would definetly.

 

"""I did not ask for nor expect Topo maps nor do I want them. although if this unit was MARKETED for hicking YES I would damned well expect it to come with topo maps. so this point is irrelevant."""

 

You did not ask for Topo maps, someone else might. I've realised that you think the world evolves around your needs, but that's not the case sir.

 

"""Its not a marine unit nor was it advertised as such though that was part of my purchasing decision (its capable of some marine action) (I in fact DID read up quite a bit on this unit before I decided on it) it was NOT overtly clear that it would come with NO maps in fact the opposite it says it comes with a ROBUST set of maps for the US. it did not. and this point is irrelevant as well"""

 

So now you've decided that it's not a marine unit? Well, actually your right. It's not a marine unit, it's a combo unit... marine, road and hiking. If you would have bothered to finish that sentance you would have read:

"Built-in mapping

Robust built-in North American or European basemap makes it easy to navigate major roads, parks, waterways and find airports and other points of interest."

And on every page on magellangps.com that I can find info about the XL they clearly state that the MapSend maps are optional.

 

It's so very said that you clame to have educated yourself before you bought the unit and yet did not even bother to read the first couple of sentances on the manufacturers web page.