+nojoplusplus Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I am looking to buy a cheap gps that is good for geocaching. I am not worried about street nav because i have a nuvi that can do that. I have the opportunity to buy either an explorist 210 or a meridian platinum and was wondering if anyone could give feedback of which one is more worthwhile. Quote Link to comment
+flattie Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I have not used the 210. When I first started, I had the brother of the Platinum. I did not use any of the computer connectivity, because I entered my waypoints manually. (press mark waypoint, edit waypoint, change the coordinates to match the cache data). This was time consuming, but it worked. The Meridian series was the best of it's time, and still use mine occasionally. If gotten cheap enough <$50, fill it up with 4 AA's, and have fun. Also, it does accept an SD card, so you can purchase Magellan Topo maps for it, and load an area to the SD. Have fun Quote Link to comment
NordicMan Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The Meridian Platinum (aka "meriplat") is older than the Explorist but is a rock solid reliable unit, unlike many Explorists,.. Get the meriplat but pay LESS for it than the Explorist Quote Link to comment
+JoesBar Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I have a Meridian Gold. It's a step down from a Plat. It worked great for me! I have updated to a Garmin, but I will not get rid of the Meridian. Never used a 200. Quote Link to comment
+Woodstramp Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I've heard the Meridians are good units. (I'd even like to have one myself because I already have the mapping software for them.) I think they are serial port to connect to the PC and have less internal memory than the Explorist 210. I bought a used Explorist 210 last year. It had enough memory to hold a detail road/topo map about half the size of my home state, Alabama. That was plenty for me. I could also load caches (200 at a time) using EasyGPS. It is USB. Worked great, even without WAAS working. I gave it to my brother after a FW fix and as far as I know it still working. Do note that if you choose either that WAAS can be restored. For the Explorist you can get that FW update from Magellan. For the Meridian, look in the archives for the keywords "Trainlove", "WAAS" and "Magellan" for finding ways to restore the WAAS function on that unit. Quote Link to comment
+nojoplusplus Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 (edited) well I think after lots of research I am going to end up going with the explorist. The computer connectivity is important to me. This guy is also including the Topo software in the price. It was a tough decision though. the meridian looks like one that could take a beating. I just don't think I want to go through the hassle of trying to figure out if I can get it to work with my laptop. Thank you for the input. I appreciate it all. Edited September 4, 2009 by nojoplusplus Quote Link to comment
+Surferjo Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 My 210 was my primary GPS for 3 years. Its a great little entry level unit. I still have it loaded with a TON of caches as a back-up to my 2 Tritons. Quote Link to comment
+Woodstramp Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 If you so go with the Explorist be gentle with the USB cord. Those are not very sturdy and the little connector screw deal (on the GPS end) takes some getting used to. My cord broke internally after only a few months. New ones can be had on Ebay for less than $20 though. Quote Link to comment
+goodwrench00 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 I used a 210 until I got a Legend HCX, I loved my 210 BUT I do like expandable memory. I think the 210 is a great unit! To me, the file system is way better than Garmins. Accuracy is fantastic on mine. Quote Link to comment
+user13371 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 (edited) The Explorist 210 is a terrific GPS in the world of bargain, used equipment. I prefer it over the Meridian family. Try to find a good, used, working one on eBay for between $50-$80 dollars, with MapSend Tpoo 4.2, and make sure it has the latest firmware you can get from http://www.magellangps.com/support/ site. Edited September 5, 2009 by lee_rimar Quote Link to comment
+user13371 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 (edited) (oops, double post. sorry) Edited September 5, 2009 by lee_rimar Quote Link to comment
+nojoplusplus Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 I have been using the 210 for a few days now. I like it and it does the basics of what I need. There are obviously way better units out there but this definitely meets my needs. I may end up buying a nicer unit later on but I am new to this and want to make sure it is a hobby that I will keep doing before I drop a bunch of money on it. I got the updated firmware and the topo software that came with it is the old software. but I don't really want to drop a whole lot of money into it and it is accurate enough for me. This plus my garmin nuvi for paperless is turning out to be a sweet combination. Quote Link to comment
+Woodstramp Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 This plus my garmin nuvi for paperless is turning out to be a sweet combination. That is a good combo. Before I got a PN-20 I mostly used and Explorist and a Nuvi together. I've read of several here who do the same thing. Plus, now you have two GPS units. Quote Link to comment
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