Magellan Meridian With Mac Os X Tiger

[alifeofplay]

Hi. My searches into the forums have yielded only minimal success in locating a true solution for my problem(s). In a nutshell:

 

I’m new to geocaching, but not that new to using a GPS.

My Magellan Meridian has a large SD card inside with multiple 16MB maps on it.

I own only Macintosh computers and have been unable to get the Magellan – and included cables to even show up on the Mac – EVEN WITH VIRTUAL PC and serial to USB adaptors. *(The last time I tried was mid 2005).

 

1 – Should I scrap the Meridian and buy a smaller, better Garmin that’s Mac compatible?

2 – Is there an easy way to load waypoints onto my SD card so that they show up over the existing maps (the files are visible when I use a USB card reader, so if I can get the GPX files I can just copy them over – but I don’t know if that’s all I need to do)

3 – Tell me more about a premium membership. Will it allow me to download a bunch of waypoints to a file? If not, what other benefits are there as the main stumbling block for me is getting waypoints into the GPS.

4 – What’s the most similar model in functionality to the Meridian if I do scrap this model and go to Garmin (e.g. – are there models that use the SD card as expandable memory?)

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

 

http://www.alifeofplay.com - the podcast about fun things to do in your free time

[+viking66]

Hi,

I dont know the Magellan line, let alone the Meridian, but if you have a serial to USB connector ( KeySpan or Iogear or what have you ) you should not have a problem having it seen by the Mac. Do you see the interface connector in system profiler?. As for Mac compatibility, Garmin has made a promise for OS X by years end, but this news came about before the Intel Mac reality had set in. Making it Universal would be best for all involved, but will probably set the schedule on end.

I use Mac GPS Pro on my Mac Book Pro and my Garmin Rino 130; talking through a KeySpan Serial > USB. It works. I down load .gpx or .loc files from GC.com and import them to map in Mac GPS Pro, then send them to the GPSr. Its tidy. Cooler still is hanging the GPSr on the Mac and going for a drive with the maps updating in real time. Find a hot spot, and your off and running!

Good luck out there,-viking66

[+Klemmer]

You definitely want to get GSAK. Great program. I'm not a MAC user, and believe there is no MAC version, but it should run OK in Virtual PC. KEY POINT: I AM a meridian user, and I ALWAYS load up the SD card thru my reader with files exported from GSAK in the "Meridian SD format". They work perfectly. You should be able to do that from Virtual PC. You can also load the .gpx files you get from a [Premium] Pocket Query. Work like a champ. Also works for benchmarks, if you care. See the BM forum FAQ.

Edited June 14, 2006 by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama