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electronic compass, explorist 300 vs explorist 210?


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I'm looking for a gps unit that will make it easier for my family to locate geocaches and am wondering

if I need a unit with an electronic compass. I've been able to locate caches by differencing lat and lon

coordinates but that is a pain and my wife and kids would like something that would tell them how far

and in what direction to go.

 

I've been looking at the Magellan explorist 300 and am wondering what I loose relative to the explorist 210.

I'm also open to other recommendations.

 

Thanks in advance for any help,

 

Peter

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I started out caching with the Exlorist 300 and upgraded to the 600 after about my first 25 caches. Main reason was the connectability (adding additional software) and expandable memory. Aside from that...in my opinion, the 300 is a nice unit. Both have the electronic compass. The big difference between the electronic compass and not having one, is that your pointer won't show you which direction the cache is unless you are moving. Personally, I prefer the electronic compass for that reason.

Hope this helps!

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I started out caching with the Exlorist 300 and upgraded to the 600 after about my first 25 caches. Main reason was the connectability (adding additional software) and expandable memory. Aside from that...in my opinion, the 300 is a nice unit. Both have the electronic compass. The big difference between the electronic compass and not having one, is that your pointer won't show you which direction the cache is unless you are moving. Personally, I prefer the electronic compass for that reason.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for responding. Your post was definitely helpful but I didn't think the explorist 210 had the electronic compass are you sure it does?

 

Thanks again,

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The 210 does not have an electronic compass. I think you read his post wrong. He didn't say it does.

 

I don't understand the huge benefit of an electronic compass. So you have to walk to get a compass reading. What am I missing?

 

I have a 210 and the computer connectivity is a big plus. I'd take that over a 300 without connectivity. Just in case you don't realize it, the 210 has a compass screen which when you activate a "goto" to either a POI or a cache, it will point you in the right direction (just follow the arrow) and show you the points of the compass. You just have to be moving for it to work.

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Unless you're aiming to get a unit which has a 3d Compass don't bother unless you REALLY want it. The compass is going to be a big annoyance, begging to be calibrated every so often and set flat or it will complain. Pick up a good magnetic compass and stick with that alongside your GPS. Brunton makes some good ones that offer Magnetic Declination tables so you can use them with your GPS.

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Thanks again to all who responded. This expands the range of possible units considerably. I know the magellan 210 is highly recommended and am wondering if there are any similar priced/featured garmins as well?
Sorry, I'm not Magellan literate, I scratched Magellan as soon as I found out they use AAA's not AA's as do most Garmins.

 

I'm assuming that a 210 is B&W, which really means shades of gray, neither true black nor true white. I just got a Garmin Venture Cx, no compass/altimeter chip but color and microSD. The color screens offer true white and true black plus 254 other colors. Sunlight visibility is excellent unlike my laptop. It has a compass screen and an altimeter, just derived from satellite data. It was $209 including a 1GB card.

 

This is my first GPSr so I'm no expert, however I'm very impressed how good the maps are and the incredible precision of my waypoints on the map. Battery life so far has been amazing. I'm primarily a hiker/backpacker so any geocache use will be secondary.

 

FWIW

Hermit

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I have a Magellan Explorist 300. I chose it over the 210 for the reason that it did have the electronic compass. It was a close call. I started caching with an old Garmin gps38 and a handbearing compass. The compass worked so well that I thought I should get one on my gps.

 

Overall, I've found the 300 to be very effective for finding caches. I've had a few hiccups with the compass needing to be recalibrated from time to time, but nothing too serious. The map in it is ok for getting a general idea of where a cache is located relative to the town you live in, but once you're on foot, it just becomes an anoyance. It takes time to redraw as I'm flipping through screens. Satellite reception has proven to be very good, though I'm comparing it to a single channel unit that predates geocaching by several years. Manually entering the data for an afternoon's worth of caching isn't that big of a job to me.

 

Caveat: I'm still a newbie at this sport and a bit of a ludite when it comes to maps and navigation.

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I have an Explorist 210 and previously had a basic yellow Garmin Etrex. I would avoid the basic Etrex because it does not have a base map which to me is absolutely critical. I'm not an avid geocacher, usually only during the warm months and not more than a couple a month. For my needs the 210 is perfect. It has enought memory, the map is surprisingly thorough and the price is right. If you have a lot of bucks you can buy more (I am a true master of the obvious). I like the hand form, the screen navigation etc. I bought mine used for $90 and it is worth every penny.

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As far as I know, all of the conventional handhelds you can purchase new today have a compass screen with an arrow pointing the direction toward a POI. Not sure about the wrist-worn ones like the Foretrex or Forerunner.

 

I've got a Foretrex 101 and it's got the same compass screen (gps not magnetic) as other units. The Foretrex 101 is basically the same thing as a Gecko 201 in a different form factor.

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