Triton 500

[+Ltljon]

I couldn't find much in the archives but what's the general thoughts on the Triton 500?

From what little I could find it seems they didn't deliver as advertised but is it still a good accurate unit?

 

Found what may be a decent deal on one but still wanna hear some feedback if possible.

Thanks

[+gpsblake]

If your primary purpose for it is geocaching, it's a good unit for that. If you get a premium memebership here, you can use the Vantage Point software and synch up the T-500 to the caches and it makes the Triton 500 a paperless caching unit. It is an accurate unit, but all units on the market today use the high sensitive chip.

 

It does not do auto-routing nor can you mark caches in the field as found, although there is a workaround for this. It is also very slow to load up geocaches to the unit. The unit itself is very slow going through the screens compared to a Garmin Oregon or Dakota. You can't use any 3rd party software to communicate with the Triton, it can only be done through Vantage Point.

 

If you get it for an incredible price ($99 or below), I would recommend it. Any higher price, and you should go with the Garmin or maybe the Delorme Pn-20.

 

**IMPORTANT** Now if you do get it, the first thing to do is install Vantage Point using ADMIN rights on Vista or Windows 7. Then let the unit update all the firmware updates so your unit will work well.

 

Conclusion, it's not the best choice but for $99, it's worth it just for the paperless geocaching alone.

 

Cheers

[+briansnat]

Hard to beat for what it is going for these days (around $100 some places), but be aware that Magellan's rep for customer support ranges from lousy to abysmal. Just do a keyword search in this forum and you'll encounter horror story after horror story about dealing with Magellan.

 

If your unit works fine and you never need to deal with Magellan consider yourself lucky, but if you have problems you might find a trip to the dentist more fun than dealing with their customer support.

Edited December 14, 2009 by briansnat

[+Surferjo]

I have the 500 and the 1500 and they are both fantastic units for caching. They were not always this good but with this latest version firmware they really seemed to have worked out most of the bugs that plagued these units early on. Unfortunately this is a tough rep to shake and you will find that most people on this forum (being Garmin fans) don't seem to want to let Maggie live this down. I have also had to deal with their customer support and as an IT Engineer I can tell you they are fine. They took care of my issue expeditiously and I was quite please with the outcome.

 

I love the vantage point software. It's so easy to use. I can upload a 500 cache PQ with logs for full paperless in under 5 mins. I also like that you can edit caches in the field for changing the final cords of multi's.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Surferjo

[+Deadelm]

You can't use any 3rd party software to communicate with the Triton, it can only be done through Vantage Point.

NG TOPO and TOPO Explorer communicate also.

 

Just do a keyword search in this forum and you'll encounter horror story after horror story about dealing with Magellan.

Most of these are from before MiTAC took ownership of Magellan early this year.

 

Well worth it considering the bargains available.

[+SkellyCA]

I have a Triton 400 and love it! Got the Nat Geo TOPO's. Caching is good.

 

...And yes, very accurate!

[sanramonhunter]

As far as paperless GPSR's go they are last on my list. I've had and Oregon, A Triton 500 and Triton 2000 (both with the newest firmware) and currently am using a Delorme PN-40. If you don't want to spend more than $100, and I wouldn't spend more than $100 on a Triton 500, it is a usable option. If you are OK spending more step up to the Delorme. The Oregon is my favorite, but it is more expensive. Haven't used the new Lowrance units, so can't give any opinions on them.

[+Ltljon]

This is all sounding better than I expected so maybe I'll like it.

I wasn't aware I could go paperless with it. I was just wanting an updated/modern GPS!

I'll post back what I find when it arrives.

Thanks for all the useful info!

[+SkellyCA]

This is all sounding better than I expected so maybe I'll like it.

I wasn't aware I could go paperless with it. I was just wanting an updated/modern GPS!

I'll post back what I find when it arrives.

Thanks for all the useful info!

 

Yes, the Tritons are paperless!

 

In order to take advantage of that, you need to be a premium member so that you can download the gpx files. You'll love Pocket Queries!

[+redtailforester]

I couldn't find much in the archives but what's the general thoughts on the Triton 500?

From what little I could find it seems they didn't deliver as advertised but is it still a good accurate unit?

 

Found what may be a decent deal on one but still wanna hear some feedback if possible.

Thanks

 

I was a diehard Magellan user until I bought a Triton. I've been using a GPSr at work for nearly a decade until I started geocaching, so I'm pretty techno-savvy. That being said, it took me nearly a half hour just to figure out how to do a "Go To" with the Triton. It involved going through numerous main menus and subfolders. RIDICULOUS!

 

A day after receiving my Triton, it was in a box being returned. I ended up getting a Garmin GPSMap 60Cx and five minutes out of the box I was running waypoints. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT GET A MAGELLAN TRITON!!! I'm not telling you to go out and get a Garmin (although I highly recommend them) but I would stay as far away from the Triton as possible.

 

Good luck and HAPPY CACHING!!!

[+redtailforester]

I couldn't find much in the archives but what's the general thoughts on the Triton 500?

From what little I could find it seems they didn't deliver as advertised but is it still a good accurate unit?

 

Found what may be a decent deal on one but still wanna hear some feedback if possible.

Thanks

 

I was a diehard Magellan user until I bought a Triton. I've been using a GPSr at work for nearly a decade until I started geocaching, so I'm pretty techno-savvy. That being said, it took me nearly a half hour just to figure out how to do a "Go To" with the Triton. It involved going through numerous main menus and subfolders. RIDICULOUS!

 

A day after receiving my Triton, it was in a box being returned. I ended up getting a Garmin GPSMap 60Cx and five minutes out of the box I was running waypoints. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT GET A MAGELLAN TRITON!!! I'm not telling you to go out and get a Garmin (although I highly recommend them) but I would stay as far away from the Triton as possible.

 

Good luck and HAPPY CACHING!!!

[+SkellyCA]

I couldn't find much in the archives but what's the general thoughts on the Triton 500?

From what little I could find it seems they didn't deliver as advertised but is it still a good accurate unit?

 

Found what may be a decent deal on one but still wanna hear some feedback if possible.

Thanks

 

I was a diehard Magellan user until I bought a Triton. I've been using a GPSr at work for nearly a decade until I started geocaching, so I'm pretty techno-savvy. That being said, it took me nearly a half hour just to figure out how to do a "Go To" with the Triton. It involved going through numerous main menus and subfolders. RIDICULOUS!

 

A day after receiving my Triton, it was in a box being returned. I ended up getting a Garmin GPSMap 60Cx and five minutes out of the box I was running waypoints. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT GET A MAGELLAN TRITON!!! I'm not telling you to go out and get a Garmin (although I highly recommend them) but I would stay as far away from the Triton as possible.

 

Good luck and HAPPY CACHING!!!

 

They did a firmware update that fixed the menu problem. I never had a problem with it though and I've never owned a GPSr before. I found the Triton very easy to use.

[vagabond]

The latest firmware has taken care of most of the problems of the 4 & 500 Triton series. That said I'll still grab my Oregon 300 first when I'm caching.

Usually sitting on the dash when We're caching, Oregon 300, Triton 400, Explorist 500, and a Nuvi 255w.

Now that being said, if I'm having a problem finding a cache I will swap over to the Triton it seems to be a little more stable and accurate

[+Ltljon]

I just got it. It appears new with no waypoints or anything entered.

The clock was off (on map screen) so while attempting to set it via the online manual (didn't get one) the page it describes is not what I'm seeing.

Should I do an update/upgrade? This one says "Firmware Version, Date1, 3, 0, 56, 2007/12/07". "Sirf Version, Date: GSW3.2.4"

 

Any that make sense?

[+Deadelm]

The unofficial user manual is Tritonforum, should be able to answer most any question you have.

[+gpsblake]

Yes, do the upgrade. Before you do anything else because it will reset EVERYTHING anyways. A lot of stuff has changed on the Triton's since they were first released. Trust me, you will want to do the upgrade in order for your unit to be really functional.

 

That's the original firmware they came out with when the Triton's were brand new in Christmas 2007. So you did get a new model and not a refurbished unit it appears, it's also probably been just sitting around for the past two years. That's no problem.

 

Triton Forum means well but has too much information and outdated information scattered around making it hard to follow.

 

Honestly, just go to jungleghost.com where everything you will need is all on that main page. The latest firmware and manuals are there.

 

Once you have upgraded to the latest firmware for the Triton, I'll be happy to answer any question including how to set the time zone right.

 

Cheers.

[+SkellyCA]

Note: most GPSr's don't work well inside, so make sure when you play it, you are outside

[+Ltljon]

Honestly, just go to jungleghost.com where everything you will need is all on that main page. The latest firmware and manuals are there.

Which one, the 1.95? There's 5 to choose from so I'm guessin' the higher number is the latest?

 

Nevermind, of course it is!

Got it downloaded but now says "file corrupt". Is this gonna be another Vista battle? Seems like everything I try doesn't work, like Cachemate, old Palm Software download etc.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Ltljon

[+SkellyCA]

Honestly, just go to jungleghost.com where everything you will need is all on that main page. The latest firmware and manuals are there.

Which one, the 1.95? There's 5 to choose from so I'm guessin' the higher number is the latest?

 

Nevermind, of course it is!

Got it downloaded but now says "file corrupt". Is this gonna be another Vista battle? Seems like everything I try doesn't work, like Cachemate, old Palm Software download etc.

 

Yes, there are problems with vista. Check jungleghost or the tritin forums

[+gpsblake]

Nevermind, of course it is!

Got it downloaded but now says "file corrupt". Is this gonna be another Vista battle? Seems like everything I try doesn't work, like Cachemate, old Palm Software download etc.

 

Yup, it's a pain in Vista. You will also have to ignore any driver warnings for Magellan because they never bothered to get them certified through Microsoft.

 

When you download and install VantagePoint or any Magellan Triton software in Vista, it has to be run in ADMIN mode (right click on the file, run as administrator, enter the password if you have to).

 

1.95 is the latest firmware.

Edited December 23, 2009 by gpsblake