Please help!

[+Momof4under10]

Hey,

 

I'm totally new to the GPS thing. My husband and I took an interest after hearing about geocaching. We want our GPS to geocache, help on hiking trails, and help with driving directions in cities and backroads. I bought the Magellan 400 Triton as an impulse gift for Christmas. Now I'm looking at all the forums and trying this thing and don't know what I need to do to get it going. I turn it off and when I go to turn it back on it either goes to a shutdown screen or it goes to the basemap but won't let me go to a menu or anything from there. I have to pull the batteries out and let the Magellan screen reboot for it to do anything. I also can't figure out how to get street maps. It came wth the NG Topo explorer cds but Those don't seem to be detailed according to streets and places. What do I use instead? All I've found online is stuff that works for the Garmin. Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead? Please help. Christmas is coming and I would like to have a useable GPS under the tree by then.

 

Thanks

Team Tindle

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead?

 

IMHO...yep! There are some great deals out there right now on the Vista HCx and Oregon 200.

[sanramonhunter]

Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead?

 

 

Take it back and get a garmin. I don't think they even have turn by turn street maps for the tritons yet. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

[+Milbank]

Is anyone happy with there Magellan 400 Triton?

I sure have seen a lot of bad reports on them.

[+Hrethgir]

Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead?

 

 

Take it back and get a garmin. I don't think they even have turn by turn street maps for the tritons yet. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

I don't know about the Tritons, but even for the Garmins, to get turn-by-turn directions and street-level map detail, you have to buy City Navigator software for around $100 on top of the price of the unit. Have you looked into the Delorme handhelds? The PN-20 (about $180 online) and PN-40 (about $300 online) are nice units, cost about the same as the similar Garmins, and come with street-level map details and turn-by-turn ability out of the box, plus they can show aerial imagery on the screen, which is just sweet! Should come in very handy for caching, too, since you'll be able to see which tree or building the cache is near, and not just follow an arrow around, not to mention any paths you might not be able to see from where you are, but could make it much easier to get to the cache.

[+jasongross]

I have a triton 2000 I like it now that I have learned how to make custom maps for it. For a beginner probably not a good idea. After tweaking mine it works great. After the new firmware update a few days ago the bugs are gone. At release this thing was a pos. Now mine is a great geocaching tool. Actually paperless with the unit alone. You can do turn by turn. But you have to mod it pretty heavily. Then you can install igo which is a turn by turn program. I have to say Magellen released a horrible series here. But with the help of the folks at tritonforums.com it turns out to be an awesome unit. If I had not found those folks mine would have been taken back after two days.

[+Duffy73]

No worries dude. I had lots of initial trouble before I uploaded the latest Vantage point software. Now she runs like a charm. Found 160 caches in the last few months and love the automatic gpx file upload capeability from geocaching.com.

 

Just make sure you have the latest software uploaded before making any rash decisions.

 

Good luck,

 

Duffy73

 

Hey,

 

I'm totally new to the GPS thing. My husband and I took an interest after hearing about geocaching. We want our GPS to geocache, help on hiking trails, and help with driving directions in cities and backroads. I bought the Magellan 400 Triton as an impulse gift for Christmas. Now I'm looking at all the forums and trying this thing and don't know what I need to do to get it going. I turn it off and when I go to turn it back on it either goes to a shutdown screen or it goes to the basemap but won't let me go to a menu or anything from there. I have to pull the batteries out and let the Magellan screen reboot for it to do anything. I also can't figure out how to get street maps. It came wth the NG Topo explorer cds but Those don't seem to be detailed according to streets and places. What do I use instead? All I've found online is stuff that works for the Garmin. Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead? Please help. Christmas is coming and I would like to have a useable GPS under the tree by then.

 

Thanks

Team Tindle

[+Momof4under10]

Thanks for the advice. We did take our unit back to the store. We decided that since it wasn't turning on properly there was something wrong with our particular device. Since we don't have the holiday pressure anymore, we've decided to take our time and research the various systems. Figure out what each does and see what we really want. If anyone has some suggestions we'd love to hear them. Thanks so much.

Team Tindle

[+Hrethgir]

...we've decided to take our time and research the various systems. Figure out what each does and see what we really want. If anyone has some suggestions we'd love to hear them. Thanks so much.

Team Tindle

 

I had a DeLorme PN-20 that I like, but I sold it so I could get a PN-40, I really like the DeLorme products. The aerial imagery is sweet, it comes with street-level detail that can autoroute in the box, and it can also do paperless caching, which was what I missed the most after I sold my PN-20 and "had" to use my Garmin eTrex Legend HCx again. Both the -20 and -40 can do all the above stuff, but the -20 is a little slow with screen redraws, which was addressed with the -40 with a double CPU for extra speed, plus it adds an electronic compass and barometric altimeter, neither of which the -20 has. Don't get me wrong, the -20 is nice, and a little bit cheaper, but the -40 is pretty sweet, I'm loving mine. Also, don't read into my post that the eTrex Legend HCx sucks, it's a really nice unit, too (about the same as the PN-20 minus the imagery and paperless capability), and then there is also the eTrex Vista HCx, which has most of the same things as the PN-40, minus the imagery and paperless capability. Really, can't go wrong with any of those. Oh, and the Garmin 60CSx seems to be the workhorse or geocaching, although I'm not a fan of the form-factor of it, not as compact as I'd like with that antenna sticking up from it, although I've also never owned or used one, either.

 

DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 and PN-40

Garmin eTrex Legend and Vista HCx

Garmin GPSMap 60CSx

[+SkellyCA]

Well I have a Triton 400. I bought it because it's compatible with the National Geographic TOPO maps which I already owned. I've had a few problems, but it works fine for me. I don't have any street maps though. I have a GPS in my truck for that. It's not to complicated to figure out.

 

I think the battery problems are related to rechargables; they may have enough voltage, but not the current. I use Energizers.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

...we've decided to take our time and research the various systems. Figure out what each does and see what we really want. If anyone has some suggestions we'd love to hear them. Thanks so much.

Team Tindle

 

I had a DeLorme PN-20 that I like, but I sold it so I could get a PN-40, I really like the DeLorme products. The aerial imagery is sweet, it comes with street-level detail that can autoroute in the box, and it can also do paperless caching, which was what I missed the most after I sold my PN-20 and "had" to use my Garmin eTrex Legend HCx again. Both the -20 and -40 can do all the above stuff, but the -20 is a little slow with screen redraws, which was addressed with the -40 with a double CPU for extra speed, plus it adds an electronic compass and barometric altimeter, neither of which the -20 has. Don't get me wrong, the -20 is nice, and a little bit cheaper, but the -40 is pretty sweet, I'm loving mine. Also, don't read into my post that the eTrex Legend HCx sucks, it's a really nice unit, too (about the same as the PN-20 minus the imagery and paperless capability), and then there is also the eTrex Vista HCx, which has most of the same things as the PN-40, minus the imagery and paperless capability. Really, can't go wrong with any of those. Oh, and the Garmin 60CSx seems to be the workhorse or geocaching, although I'm not a fan of the form-factor of it, not as compact as I'd like with that antenna sticking up from it, although I've also never owned or used one, either.

 

DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 and PN-40

Garmin eTrex Legend and Vista HCx

Garmin GPSMap 60CSx

There have been a number of threads of this what should I buy nature recently. I've noticed that most of the responses can be put in either one of two buckets:

1. Those who have are recommending the type that they have but have never tried a DeLorme for a point of comparison, and

2. Those that have tried a DeLorme and have also had "hands-on" experience with another GPSr, as in the quote above.

 

I would expect that the latter to be the more valuable source of advice than the former.

 

Also note the reference above to paperless geocaching. Many cachers nowadays are transitioning to paperless caching. The DeLorme PN-20 is the only GPSr for less than $200 that will provide a truly paperless caching experience on a standalone basis. That is, everything required for paperless caching is in the box; nothing else to aquire, no third party software, no additional hardware (PDA).

 

The DeLorme PN-40 also provides paperless geocaching at a somewhat higher price.

Edited December 26, 2008 by Team CowboyPapa

[+OldA'sFan]

Hey,

 

I'm totally new to the GPS thing. My husband and I took an interest after hearing about geocaching. We want our GPS to geocache, help on hiking trails, and help with driving directions in cities and backroads. I bought the Magellan 400 Triton as an impulse gift for Christmas. Now I'm looking at all the forums and trying this thing and don't know what I need to do to get it going. I turn it off and when I go to turn it back on it either goes to a shutdown screen or it goes to the basemap but won't let me go to a menu or anything from there. I have to pull the batteries out and let the Magellan screen reboot for it to do anything. I also can't figure out how to get street maps. It came wth the NG Topo explorer cds but Those don't seem to be detailed according to streets and places. What do I use instead? All I've found online is stuff that works for the Garmin. Should I take this thing back and grab a Garmin instead? Please help. Christmas is coming and I would like to have a useable GPS under the tree by then.

 

Thanks

Team Tindle

 

Before purchasing a PN-40 I suggest that you visit the DeLorme forum. Unfortunately, the PN-40 has several bugs (some units won't turn on and there have been connectivity problems). DeLorme is a fine company that stands behind it's products, but unless you are an early adoptor you may be better off with something that is tried and true such as one of the Garmin etrex products. Also, the PN-40 is not as "geocaching friendly" as the Garmin extrex units. The PN-40 has great potential, and when DeLorme gets the bugs worked out it will be a great unit, but for a beginner it may be somewhat overwhelming. I purchased a PN-40 as a Christmas present for my grandson. It would not turn on, and I sent it to DeLorme and they are sent us a new one. Great service! However, after visiting the DeLorme forum and reading about the problems that the PN-40 is having I have decided to return it and get a Vista Hcx for my grandson. It is easier to use and "tried and true". In 6 months I think the PN-40 will be a great unit, but DeLorme has some work to do.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

The PN-40 is a great unit for aerial photos and USGS topo maps, but I have to agree that Garmin units are easier to use.

[+RRLover]

I don't find the PN-40 any more, or less difficult to use than my previous Magellan eXplorist XL.

Service, look it up in the dictionary, there'll be a picture of DeLorme HQ!

Gray matter : "Use it, or, Lose it!!" Simple suits many, and that's perfectly fine, but limits potential.

DeLorme's software dev./adj. team has their finger on the pulse of the user base, and are providing

solutions, to issues "Pronto", not a series of 'Band-Aids' over 1+ years time.

After purchasing a 40-SE on the ground floor (a gamble), I'm so impressed I bought another as a gift

for daughter(and sig./other) for X-mas. I'll be going over there shortly and coach map install via Mac.

So far, happy campers, hikers, & 4X4ers.

 

Norm