Need to upgrade an old model 315 and go paperless

[+geoing nuts]

Please don’t laugh, but I have (and love) an old Magellen model 315 GPSr (circa 1998). As a newbie, I have only logged 43 caches to date and I would like to update with a newer unit. I do not want, or need, bells and whistles. The only feature I use on my old unit is the compass which shows me the direction to go and where the sun and moon is. To me, this is what makes caching fun. I do not want a map that tells me turn by turn where to go, and the fastest way from point A to point B. I have found many areas in my city that I would not have known about if I used a map.

 

My only complaint with this model is that I have to manually enter waypoints and I can only enter Lat. and Lon. up to two decimal places . I could buy a cable that would allow direct download but I would still only have two decimal places. This unit has never let me down and has worked great in dense tree cover. I have never lost a signal with this unit.

 

What I want: Older GPSr with cables (serial or usb, usb preferred) that is capable of three decimal places with compass. I would also like to go paperless so an el cheapo model of pda or pocket pc would be great. Either would do, and like the GPSr, a usb model would be preferred. A b&w screen is fine and rechargeable would be nice. These items would only be used for cashing and keep in mind that my budget is extremely limited. Everything that I have asked for is nothing more than a want that my wallet says I can do without. I am open to any and all ideas and suggestions. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Edited June 25, 2007 by walkingwithnature

[+fratermus]

Please don’t laugh, but I have (and love) an old Magellen model 315 GPSr (circa 1998).

...

My only complaint with this model is that I have to manually enter waypoints and I can only enter Lat. and Lon. up to two decimal places . I could buy a cable that would allow direct download but I would still only have two decimal places. This unit has never let me down and has worked great in dense tree cover. I have never lost a signal with this unit.

 

I think I'd keep the booger. Sounds like a great unit that has really served you well. I found an old garmin eMap at a thrift shop for $20. It's not my best GPSr but it has a clunky charm that makes me happy when I turn it on; it's a delight and the newer ones are just tools.

 

Here are some random thoughts on the topic:

 

I wonder if it's only showing two places. I have had scanners that would appear to truncate or round the frequency but internally the number was complete. Or maybe you can only key in 2 places manually but 3 with the cable.

 

Check out the datasend screenshot on this page. Looks like it is sending (or trying to send) three places after the decimal.

 

Also, saw this in the 315 manual. Bringing it up Just In Case:

"Why won’t the receiver accept the coordinates I am inputting?

The most common cause is that you are trying to enter coordi-

nates that are in degrees/minutes while your receiver is set to

degrees/minutes/seconds. Because the last two digits in degrees/

minutes are in hundredths (00-99) and degrees/minutes/seconds

can be no higher than 59 (00-59), inputting a number higher

than 59 while in deg/min/sec results in an error and the receiver

does not accept the entry.

"

[+Cacheoholic]

If you have a Magellan 315 it will display 3 decimal places. I’ve had 4 or 5 Magellan 315’s and they all resolve to 3 decimals. If it is a 310 or 300 you will only have 2 decimal places.

[+geoing nuts]

If you have a Magellan 315 it will display 3 decimal places. I’ve had 4 or 5 Magellan 315’s and they all resolve to 3 decimals. If it is a 310 or 300 you will only have 2 decimal places.

 

After reading your reply I powered up my unit and it is a 315/320, so I decided to search through menu options. If yours did it so should mine, right? Within minutes, I found where I could change the Lat and Lon from deg/min.mm to deg/min.mmm . I now have three decimal places and have no desire to upgrade my gpsr at this time. Thanks for your reply, it made me look. I can't wait to locate my next cache using full cords.

Edited June 25, 2007 by walkingwithnature