Meridian questions - Help!!!!

[+mazdamattc]

Calling all Meridian users. I am looking to upgrade to a GPSr that has mapping capability, and was wondering if anyone could help me out. I have pretty much narrowed my list down to the Meridian series due to it's SD card expandibility and ruggedness. (I would like to be able to quickly and easily load large map areas of multiple states/countries (rules out the Garmin V, no SD card), and I tend to use my GPSr in harsh motorcycling type environments (ruling out the Garmin iQUE3600, too frail looking)). My questions are as follows:

1: I found a good deal on a Merigreen ($160). Once I load it up with 64mB or more of topo detail, will it matter that it only has a 2mB built in basemap?

2: Will the rumored new Magellan software that allows autorouting give the Merigreen and other Meridian series receivers that capability, or will the new software be for new, as-yet-unrevealed Magellan hardware? In other words, should I wait for new, likely much more expensive hardware to go with the new autorouting software, or will the software (and presumably firmware updates) allow the Meridians to autoroute?

 

Thanks for any help or additional rumors anyone can pass on!

[robertlipe]

From your criteria, it sounds like you're in the right product family. Actually, $160 isn't a good deal on a Merigreen. Last month, I saw a stack of them for $89 in the Fry's in Houston. (I have no idea if they ship and I'm not from there, so I can't pick one up.)

 

The limited basemap comes into play when you zoom out beyond the 1.6mile scale. The 2MB basemap vs. the 16MB basemap is substantially different. So if you zoom out very far, _lots_ of roads - and more importantly, city names - will disappear.

 

We don't have to specalate on receiver compatibility since it's called out in the press release. Note the absence of the Merigreen from that list.

 

If you will accept a refurb and you're willing to play the rebate game, you can solve both concerns

[+mazdamattc]

Thanks, Robert. The part concerning loss of detail when zooming out beyond 1.60 miles is good to know. We don't have Fry's up here in Seattle. Despite the lack of autorouting and the small basemap, I think I would definitely be tempted to pick up a Merigreen for only $89!!! Does anyone else know of any good deals, preferably on new units, preferably from reputeable online stores?

[+TotemLake]

quote:

---

Originally posted by mazdamattc:

Thanks, Robert. The part concerning loss of detail when zooming out beyond 1.60 miles is good to know. We don't have Fry's up here in Seattle. Despite the lack of autorouting and the small basemap, I think I would definitely be tempted to pick up a Merigreen for only $89!!! Does anyone else know of any good deals, preferably on new units, preferably from reputeable online stores?

---

 

Actually, we do have Fry's here now. It just opened up last week down in Renton south of Coulon Park. These coordinates will put you in their parking lot:

N47°29.981'

W122°11.656'

 

As noted above, the MeriGreen is discontinued. That means any FW updates will not be a priority for that model. I would recommend purchasing a Gold or Platinum. You can get a refurbished Platinum from Harmony Computers for $200. Being refurbished, I don't know if it qualifies for the rebate when you buy the software to go with it.

 

Cheers!

TL

[+CWL]

quote:

---

Originally posted by robertlipe:

We don't have to specalate on receiver compatibility since it's called out in the press release.

---

 

Wow! , I didn't know that! I was hoping they would come out with some new software with direct route capibilites. I guess I should read the Magellan website more often.

 

Been there... Done that...

[+mazdamattc]

I read the press release, but am still a little confused about how the autorouting will work with the existing receivers (also noticed that the green wasn't mentioned...thanks again, Robert). Any ideas? Will people with platinums and golds circa 2002 have to load new firmware to utilize the autorouting software properly?

 

P.S. - Thanks for the Fry's coords, TotemLake. I'll have to check it out. Is it like Bestbuy or Circuit City or something?

[+TotemLake]

I haven't been there yet. I only remember seeing the facility with Fry's name on it when I attended the WSGA picnic. I understand it's like Home Depot for electronics.

 

And likely if you don't at least have FW 4.02, you probably won't be able to use the new software. But that's just a guess due to the lack of real info on this product.

 

Cheers!

TL

[robertlipe]

I guess it comes down to the money - for either $90 or as a second receiver, the Merigreen would be lovely. But since you obviously have one foot out of green-land with your desire for a good basemanp and the potential for autorouting in the future, the difference between $160 - where you were apparently willing to pay until I started talking you out of it [] and $200 for a "few excuses" solution would push me to the plat. Yes, I did mean to link directly to the Harmony site.

 

Yes, the new Mapsend Directroute will require new firmware to be shot into the receiver. I'm guessing the new code won't be smaller and that there's just plain not enough space in the Green/Yellow. (Green/Yellow are different than Gold/Plat in that code and base maps share the same chip in the former and they're separate chips in the latter.)

 

Pricing or availability dates for for Directroute have not yet been announced.

[vagabond]

Frys is better then best buy or circuit city,(cheaper) while waiting for my gold I was able to use a green didn't notice any real difference, after almost 2yrs I wish that I had gotten the plat.

Also a 128 meg card will give you the whole west coast hope this helps.

 

All who look are not lost

[+GOT GPS?]

AutoRouting + WAAS + Compass ON = Sluggish Platinum.

 

AutoRouting would be great on the Meridian Color, Gold, and Sportrak Color, but can make a GPS sluggish if you have all the features turned ON. I keep WAAS OFF, with the GPS V, so that it can Autoroute without the sluggishness.

 

My MeriPlat works great now, but seems a little sluggish with WAAS ON, so I keep it turned off, from the CODE MENU 03

 

I would like to see an improved resolution in the Meridian Displays by the time the Mapsend Directroute software comes out.

 

http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/086.1.13292187593248452490/msdirectusa.html

[+TotemLake]

quote:

---

Originally posted by vagabond:

Frys is better then best buy or circuit city,(cheaper) while waiting for my gold I was able to use a green didn't notice any real difference, after almost 2yrs I wish that I had gotten the plat.

Also a 128 meg card will give you the whole west coast hope this helps.

 

All who look are not lost

---

 

I learned a valuable lesson when I bought my first PC after I outgrew it in 3 months so many years ago... buy the maximum you can afford now and regret it later if at all.

 

Cheers!

TL

[+EScout]

The Meridian Green, which I got for $100 at Frys, is probably the best value in a GPSr today. I put a 128MB card ($40) and Mapsend. It is a full featured rig, and is extremely accurate. I am amazed at all of its features.

I can't see a reason to upgrade to another Meridian. I will do so when they come out with a faster processer and higher resolution screen.

[vagabond]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TotemLake:

quote:

---

Originally posted by vagabond:

Frys is better then best buy or circuit city,(cheaper) while waiting for my gold I was able to use a green didn't notice any real difference, after almost 2yrs I wish that I had gotten the plat.

Also a 128 meg card will give you the whole west coast hope this helps.

 

All who look are not lost

---

 

I learned a valuable lesson when I bought my first PC after I outgrew it in 3 months so many years ago... buy the maximum you can afford now and regret it later if at all.

 

Cheers!

TL

---

LOL I also normally buy the best I can get, but at the time I didn't think the barametric altimiter and the compass was worth another $90.00. I also run with waas off. When I first recieved the maggy I was comparing it against my old Lowrance gn212, and the 212 constantly beat the maggy, turned waas off then it was about 50 50, and its still a toss up which one will get closest to the cache

 

All who look are not lost

[+TotemLake]

quote:

---

Originally posted by vagabond:

LOL I also normally buy the best I can get, but at the time I didn't think the barametric altimiter and the compass was worth another $90.00. I also run with waas off. When I first recieved the maggy I was comparing it against my old Lowrance gn212, and the 212 constantly beat the maggy, turned waas off then it was about 50 50, and its still a toss up which one will get closest to the cache

 

All who look are not lost

---

 

I guess that doesn't surprise me. The earlier models didn't have other features slowing down the processing time. I had decided on a full-featured set mainly because of my growing interest in monitoring the weather while out camping and doing excursion hikes. The floating compass is a nice-to-have so that I don't have to fumble with two things in my hands when I'm on the move.

 

FWIW, my MeriPlat gets me to GZ about 45% of the time according to the stats I've been keeping on my finds.

 

Cheers!

TL

[+phantom4099]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GOT GPS?:

AutoRouting + WAAS + Compass ON = Sluggish Platinum.

 

AutoRouting would be great on the Meridian Color, Gold, and Sportrak Color, but can make a GPS sluggish if you have all the features turned ON. I keep WAAS OFF, with the GPS V, so that it can Autoroute without the sluggishness.

 

My MeriPlat works great now, but seems a little sluggish with WAAS ON, so I keep it turned off, from the CODE MENU _03_

 

I would like to see an improved resolution in the Meridian Displays by the time the Mapsend Directroute software comes out.

 

http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/086.1.13292187593248452490/msdirectusa.html

 

What if Magellan designed it to stop everything while it is calculating a route? Since it does not automatically recalculate the route when you go off track there is no reason for it to use further processing power once the route is created (the meridian can already handle user routes, so I don't see why it can't handle the route it just created).

 

Does the use of “shortest” route turn off any one else only?

 

Wyatt W.

 

The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.

[+GOT GPS?]

I found problems with "Shortest" Route, but think that "Fastest", gives a better selection of roads. "Shortest" gives funning routing around ONE-WAYS.

 

--------------------------------------------------

Pictures of the insides of my Old GPS V

My Home Page about what is GPS

 

Geoff

- Geocaching, DiscGolfing & Rollercoasters

[+Jamie Z]

quote:

---

Originally posted by phantom4099:

Since it does not automatically recalculate the route when you go off track there is no reason for it to use further processing power once the route is created (the meridian can already handle user routes, so I don't see why it can't handle the route it just created).

 

Does the use of “shortest” route turn off any one else only?

---

I must have missed somewhere where it said that the software does not recalculate the route. Was there more information about that somewhere?

 

Also, from the Magellan press release:

 

MapSend DirectRoute calculates the “shortest time” street route...

 

indicating that it does not calculate the shortest route, but calculates the route with the shortest time.

 

Jamie

[+phantom4099]

Uh, I am glad you caught the diffrence between shortest time & route. I feel a little bit better about this software now.

 

I probaly should have not said it "does not" recaculate, but I still feel that it will not recaculate.

 

Wyatt W.

Well I feel kind of stupid right now.

 

The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.

[Jmurman]

This new software seems like it will be pretty good.

 

Question...why should I turn WAAS off?

 

Jerry