twoloosescrews Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Can anyone say anything bad about this unit? "The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number one, 'Cover for me'. Number two, 'Oh, good idea boss'. Number three, 'It was like that when I got here'." Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Sure, it's not a Garmin. People who have them seem to like them though. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+nincehelser Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 DON'T SUPPORT THE FRENCH!!!!! George Quote Link to comment
+PATHer Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 I just picked one up from Outpost for $109 plus shipping and am extremely happy with it so far especially compared to the older unit I had been using. It does everything I need it to and runs on track with a buddy's Garmin this last weekend. As far as supporting the French, I would have to agree but considering the unit has a MADE IN CHINA sticker on it and the manual is printed in MEXICO, who knows who you are supporting. Since Magellan's office in the US employs US workers, don't see a problem keeping our people employed. Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 quote:Originally posted by twoloosescrews:Can anyone say anything bad about this unit? "The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number one, 'Cover for me'. Number two, 'Oh, good idea boss'. Number three, 'It was like that when I got here'." I have a meridian gold. Great GPS I have used garmin and Magellan. I like the Magellan more than the Garmin. Reason: Expandable memory with Std. Card-Garmin does not offer such feature. Topo Maps have street names-Garmin Topo does not. Meridian offers Terrain profile-Garmin Does not. Meridian will shownames of street you are approaching-Garmin Will not. Meridain has manuel builtint GPS-Garmin Does not. John Quote Link to comment
+Siskiyou Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Magellan is own by the French Miltary-Industrial complex THALES. I am not great on war but I sure support or men and women in the service. Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 The Meridian is an excellent value. If I really dig for something I don't like about it, about the worst I can say is that it's not quite as smooth on the interface as the eTrex Venture I had previously. The example I particularly have in mind is that you could punch in a few letters to narrow down the waypoint searchlist on the Garmin, you have to scroll through the whole list for the Magellan. Some miss the higher resolution of the garmins. Many have found customer support to be very good (usually fast and they often throw in some accessories for your trouble if you have to send the unit in for repair), but some have expressed frustation--Magellan seems to be good when you get them engaged, but they seem selective in responding (or even acknowledging) emails. I find these to be very minor shortcomings, and I regard the Meridians as great buys. Max Often wrong but seldom in doubt Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 If you pick up one of the great deals on the meridian that can be had right now, it's probably about the most bang for the buck that can be found. Quote Link to comment
+DeerChaser & Company Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Go for it. I have a Garmin and a Magellan. They both have strong points. It is the best deal out there. Rino 110 MeriGreen 128 Quote Link to comment
+TubaTwo Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 After handling different units in stores and reading the opinions here, I've decided I want to buy a Meridian. The only problem is the one at Outpost.com is only in green, and my wife is fairly set on yellow. Where can I get the best deal on a yellow Meridian? Quote Link to comment
+pizzachef Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 you should get a Magellan. I just got a yellow one from outpost...keep an eye on them, they might have more sooner or later. But you DEFINITELY have to have an SD card...otherwise the mapping feature is kinda useless. They've got interstates and major highways, but that doesn't do much good when trying to find the way to the back of the neighboorhood where the cache is hidden. I got a 64 meg card from amazon for 40 bucks and i have Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas maps loaded and its only halfway filled. -pizzachef Quote Link to comment
twoloosescrews Posted March 26, 2003 Author Share Posted March 26, 2003 Thanks for the input. I own a Magellen 300 and it has provided faithful service over the past three years an dstill works perfectly today. But it is limited and the Meridian looked like it had the best package for the price. Thanks again for the feedback. btw remind me not to ask such political questions in the future. I support the war; but I also support the right of those who choose not to support the war! yours Jean-Paul Trudeau A Canadian "The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number one, 'Cover for me'. Number two, 'Oh, good idea boss'. Number three, 'It was like that when I got here'." Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 Don't worry about "him" he is against magellan, and pro-etrex. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. [This message was edited by phantom4099 on March 27, 2003 at 01:32 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 Go for the Meridian Platinum for geocaching, but for other stuff, garmins are better. Garmins are best with their tracklogging, but nothing beats a Meridian Platinum for caching. It works better than my GPS V, in the heavy woods. Always different...Hit refresh Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 It may sound strange, but my 2 best GPS units are the Garmin GPS V, and the Meridian Platinum GPS. Quote Link to comment
+-=(GEO)=- Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 I have one of these and I really like it. I use it when driving (the big screen helps) and caching of course. However, if you have a compass you can go with a different Meridian. The other sensors in the Plat(temp/pressure) are nice to have but not essential for caching. I can't comment on the Garmins because I've never owned one. I'm sure they are good units too. My problem with them is that they're so proprietary and add-ons get expensive. For instance, you can't use a regular SD card in a Garmin but a Meridian will accept it. Also, the fact that Magellan is a French company should not matter. Last time I checked, we're geocaching here, not debating politics. GPSr units should be judged on their own merits. Period. Quote Link to comment
+nincehelser Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 ...and very few finds beneath his belt. I'm not really against Magellen. I'm just against the people who think quad-helix is so superior. It isn't. Yes, I've used Magellens. I don't think you know what you think you know about me. George Quote Link to comment
+blindleader Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 quote:I'm just against the people who... Interesting how people sometimes personalize a technical discussion. I'd like to read what you know about the difference between patch and quad helix antennas. Seriously, not baiting, here. Do you know how to compare apples to apples? If you have data to shed light on the question, please share. Here's my only partly informed take on the issue. All else being equal (effective antenna aperture being equal) the quad helix antenna is indeed superior to the patch. BUT, the point of superiority is possibly irrelevant to someone who is always surrounded by terrain (on the ground). For someone using it in an aircraft, it can certainly make a difference. What irritates me about this whole thing is that in searching the web, I find endless opinions, sometimes occasionally supported by anecdotes but no real evidence. I have yet to find a source for real data, e.g. Is the effective aperture of the Meridian's antenna larger or smaller than that of the Etrex? Or for that matter, what the H__L are the actual effective antenna apertures for every GPSr out there? Actually, I don't care that much because a preponderance of user feedback is quite adequate for my purpose, that being buying a basic consumer GPSr. It just pisses me off that the engineer in me so easily frustrated by the consumer market. Hmmm, this rant has gone on long enough. Guess I'll have to save my real question for another post. Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 quote:Originally posted by nincehelser:...and very few finds beneath his belt. I'm not really against Magellan. I'm just against the people who think quad-helix is so superior. It isn't. Yes, I've used Magellens. I don't think you know what you think you know about me. George No offense meant. I was just commenting on the political issue, ("they are french don't buy"), and a few other post when you seem to be against magellan units. I did not say any thing bad about the etrex, or garmin in my post. I know both companies make fine units, nor did I commit on how well the meridian would work for geocaching. I am not blessed to be in a high cache area, I can drive a few hundred miles and do one or two caches, then have to drive a few more hundred miles to get to the next one. Also being a forensic science student means I just don't have the money or time to do allot of catching (also snow on the ground half the year does not help). Also GPS units are used for many other purposes, just because I don't use mine for geocaching does not mean I have not learned how to use a GPSr in the 3 or so years that I have been heavily involved with them. Wyatt W. No commit on rocket size. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 quote:Originally posted by blindleader: quote:I'm just against the people who... Interesting how people sometimes personalize a technical discussion. I'd like to read what you know about the difference between patch and quad helix antennas. Seriously, not baiting, here. Do you know how to compare apples to apples? If you have data to shed light on the question, please share. Here's my only partly informed take on the issue. All else being equal (effective antenna aperture being equal) the quad helix antenna is indeed superior to the patch. BUT, the point of superiority is possibly irrelevant to someone who is always surrounded by terrain (on the ground). For someone using it in an aircraft, it can certainly make a difference. What irritates me about this whole thing is that in searching the web, I find endless opinions, sometimes occasionally supported by anecdotes but no real evidence. I have yet to find a source for real data, e.g. Is the effective aperture of the Meridian's antenna larger or smaller than that of the Etrex? Or for that matter, what the H__L are the actual effective antenna apertures for every GPSr out there? Actually, I don't care that much because a preponderance of user feedback is quite adequate for my purpose, that being buying a basic consumer GPSr. It just pisses me off that the engineer in me so easily frustrated by the consumer market. Hmmm, this rant has gone on long enough. Guess I'll have to save my real question for another post. joe and jacks web site, they have tested most of the commercial recievers. http://gpsinformation.net/etrexlegend.htm . It seems joe and jack updated the info, but let some of the old review the way it was (which they often do. I think I read the diffrencs is only 1 or 2 db (I believe I read it on their site, but I could not find it). "What about RF sensitivity and use under tree cover? We noticed in comparative testing that our test LEGEND unit seemed to be somewhat less sensitive than some other Garmin receivers, because the Legend and Vista have smaller antennas than say the GPSmap 76(S) and G-V with which we compared. Perhaps Garmin has further improved the noise figure in the newest receivers. Experiments under tree cover show all the eTrex models to have more reception problems than other Garmin receivers. Data scatter due to trees is about the same." Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
+blindleader Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 Thanks, Phantom, for reminding me of gpsinformation.net I'm just about poised to order a Meridian ($110 from Outpost.com) after checking out the physical units in stores. It seems to provide the most bang for the buck. Does it come with a data cable? Power cable? Is it advisable to get extra memory, i.e. Are detailed maps really useful? Enhancements like those above can add considerably to the cost of such a cheap unit. My minimum requirement, besides that the unit actually work, is the ability to record, download, and upload waypoints and tracks. The basic Meridian is by far the cheapest unit I've seen that does those things. I have no intention of spending extra money on my first unit. When I'm no longer satisfied with what it does, it's off to buy something else. Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 quote:Originally posted by blindleader:Thanks, Phantom, for reminding me of gpsinformation.net I'm just about poised to order a Meridian ($110 from Outpost.com) after checking out the physical units in stores. It seems to provide the most bang for the buck. Does it come with a data cable? Power cable? Is it advisable to get extra memory, i.e. Are detailed maps really useful? Enhancements like those above can add considerably to the cost of such a cheap unit. My minimum requirement, besides that the unit actually work, is the ability to record, download, and upload waypoints and tracks. The basic Meridian is by far the cheapest unit I've seen that does those things. I have no intention of spending extra money on my first unit. When I'm no longer satisfied with what it does, it's off to buy something else. A data cable comes with the green/yellow. Power cable is not (approx price $20 ish, or free if you have to send in the unit). I find the maps to be usefull, I think most others would agree. But they are not needed at the time of the purchase and can be bought at a later time, or not at all (I am not sure if there is a rebate offered right now with the purchase of a GPS reciever and a mapsend product). A SD card is required to save any map. It is also required if you want to save more waypoint(500 at a time)/routes (20)/tracks (2000 point per time) than what the unit could normally hold. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
+nincehelser Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 ...I'm an Electrical Engineer. Worked in the communications field for quite a few years. Licensed Ham. Anything else you'd like to know? Yes, I do know how to compare the units...the bottom line is there isn't a whole lot of practical difference worth arguing about. Frankly, I find it funny that many people who or so agog with the quad-helix hold it in the wrong position for best reception. George Quote Link to comment
+nincehelser Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 I'm not anti-Magellen (other than the France thing). I just don't consider the quad-helix issue to be of any real importance. The bottom line is both brands/types do the job just fine. George Quote Link to comment
+EScout Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 There are other variables such as the quality and sensitivity of the receiver, the firmware and the speed of the processor. As an extreme example, my old Garmin II with a quad helix performs much poorer than my Legend with a patch. Also, the signal meters (showing the strength of each Sat.) are subjective. As in ham radios, some GPSr units can be "generous" with their signals received. You cannot simply compare one bar on one unit versus another. What counts is performance, in the field, or while moving, in different locations, under trees, etc. Is it keeping a lock, recovering quickly, and giving you accurate information. I have used my Legend enough and tested its accuracy so that I have a high confidence in its performance. Quote Link to comment
+Flippr Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 >Frankly, I find it funny that many people who >or so agog with the quad-helix hold it in the >wrong position for best reception. What is the best position to hold my Meridian? I know, what a loaded question! Quote Link to comment
+DeerChaser & Company Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 Vertical. Rino 110 MeriGreen 128 Quote Link to comment
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