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Saw ...GSMAP 76(S) & Meridian Platinum...Screen Resolution vs. Memory Size?? What to do???


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** Someone asked below: My main uses will be: road trips with the family (no need for metroguide), camping, canoeing, trekking, hiking/hunting, snowmobiling & geocaching. **

 

Tonight I drove 65 miles to the nearest store carrying the GPSMAP76 and the Meridian line to compare my top choices side by side (76(s) not released and Platinum (not in stock) so I had good substitutes in the GPSMAP76 and MeriGold.

 

Here's my thoughts followed by questions...and I am interested in your experiences/opinions:

**THESE OBSERVATIONS WERE FROM GPSMAP76 & MERIGOLD**

If they would not carrry forward to Platinum & 76S, let me know...

 

* Very Similar Units in size and function.

 

* Platinum would be very expandable with 128Mb SD cards available for about $90, which would also bring the price of the 76S and Platinum about on par (128Mb Platinum vs 24Mb 76S for about $380 +/-)

 

* Screen resolution on the 76 line is noticably better on the Garmin. The Meri. line seems crude by comparison.

 

* The basemap detail and functionality on the 76 is much greater in detail (as well as information) with user friendly features like small towns that highlight when the cursor is over them and when you click enter it sets you up for a goto the clicked feature.

 

* ??? Question on the basemap detail. No matter which unit i buy, I will have an upgraded map loaded for 90% of the use. Will the Meridian with an upgraded Topo or Cities map improve on the very bland basemap to be on par with the 76? Or will the 76 move that much further ahead when it has improved map detail?

 

* ??? Resolution & 24Mb vs. 128Mb and less resolution?? Which would you choose? Anybody have good side by side experience with the 76 line vs. the Meridian line????

 

* Data download: With the Platinum I would get a SanDisk reader to load the card through USB. What are download times for the 24Mb 76 or Vista line?

 

I thought this trip would answer my questions, now I'm perplexed as ever... HELP! icon_mad.gif

 

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:06 AM.]

 

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:07 AM.]

 

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:09 AM.]

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I'm not sure I can answer all your questions, but I can tell you why we chose the Meridian Gold over all the other Garmin units we looked at:

 

1. The Garmin units would never pick up satellite signals inside a store, whereas the Meridan Gold had no trouble. I spend lots of time in the woods, and our Meridian rarely looses the signal under tree cover.

 

2. The screen resolution may be a bit coarse, but when geocaching we usually are using a data screen for the last few hundred feet or so. We normally use the map screen to trace our path on roads on the way there and to navigate in unfamiliar driving territory. I have not been disappointed by the screen resolution.

 

3. We liked the idea of being able to swap and choose map data stored on multiple SD cards if necessary.

 

Finally, I chose a Meridian Gold over a Meridian Platinum because it did NOT have the built-in compass. This forces me to use a real compass, and we generally take paper maps as well for backup. There is no excuse for being lost in the back country because you are out of AA batteries.

 

Hope this helped.

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quote:
Originally posted by phantom4099:

The basemap on the 76 is better than the merigolds? I would have thought that the 16mb (one of the biggest) basemap on the meridian would be better.


 

I do not know the basemap size of the GPSMAP 76, but it had for example: More small towns and road for my area, all the interstate exit numbers, etc. Perhaps a better statement aslo is: The firmware and finer display of the GPSMAP 76 was superior to that of the MeriGold.

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This is a little off-topic, but Pote is right about GPS signal reflection (and we don't take any offense regarding our tech abilities). You will get some signal reflection (and therefore, positional inaccuracy) near or inside structures and wooded areas. (Go to Google and put in "GPS signal reflection" for a whole batch of good articles.) We have determined that by making use of the Meridian's position averaging feature in a wooded area that we attain reasonable position accuracy for geocaching. To my knowledge, none of the Garmin units we looked at had position averaging capability.

 

I think the intent of my original post was to say we thought the Meridian unit had a more sensitive antenna.

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I have been using an external antenna(Garmin GA 27C Low profile) with a Map76 to boost signal strength under the forest canopy. No lost signals and improved accuracy-good results. The GPS can be put inside your pocket. There is less battery life. The antenna has a magnetic base that allows attachment to the roof of a vehicle for GPS use while driving.

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quote:
Originally posted by harrkev:

You CAN have the best of both worlds.

 

First, get the Magellan Meridian AND the eTrex Vista. Next, obtain one band saw and one bottle of epoxy......

--Harrkev


 

Isn't that going to be the Garmin 76S which is combining the features of the Vista with the quad helix antenna of the Garmin V or Meridian?

 

Alan

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