+jhwf44 Posted July 22, 2002 Posted July 22, 2002 I also have this posted in the GPS Units and Software forum but I'm afraid not enough people will see it there so I posted it here. Anywasys: My cousin would like to start geocaching and is only in the 4th grade and is looking at buying his own GPS. He can get the Magellan GPS 310 for $90. I would like to know some of the pros and cons of this model. He can also get the Garmin Etrex for $110 at his local Wal Mart. If I was him I would pay $20 more for the etrex, but that could take him a while to get $20 more dollars. He would like a basic model, but I think he should at least get an Etrex. What do you think he should do, and what do you know about the Magellan 310? jhwf4 Quote
+Geo Jeff Posted July 23, 2002 Posted July 23, 2002 I recommend against the Magellan 310. The main problem being it only displays coordinates to 2 digits past the decimal. So when looking for N 37° 34.958 W 118° 59.258 you could only enter N 37° 34.96 W 118° 59.26. The Magellan 315/320 both display the full 3 digits that everyone uses in geocaching. Geo Jeff (leave more than you take) Quote
+pizzachef Posted July 23, 2002 Posted July 23, 2002 the distance stays in miles..i.e. .01 miles is as close as you can get. With the eTrex and 315, it'll display feet. How's about we try to keep this in the GPS Units thread. -pizzachef Quote
+jhwf44 Posted July 23, 2002 Author Posted July 23, 2002 okay, I'm sorry. I thought I would put it here because it would get more traffic, but It was actually the oppopsite. A mod can delete this tread if they want to. jhwf4 Quote
+jhwf44 Posted July 23, 2002 Author Posted July 23, 2002 okay, I'm sorry. I thought I would put it here because it would get more traffic, but It was actually the oppopsite. A mod can delete this tread if they want to. jhwf4 Quote
+GeoCraig Posted July 30, 2002 Posted July 30, 2002 I have had a 310 for about a year and a half. It has worked very well, but does have some limitations. On the plus side, I never had a problem losing a signal in tree cover--even when others with much more expensive units have complained about signal loss. As to the accuracy problem because of the 310 only handling lat/long with xx xxx.xx, I just convert to UTM--no problem with accuracy then. I never did understand why we don't use UTM to begin with. A much easier system. I just got a SporTrak Pro yesterday and my daughter will use the old 310. The final point: the 310 is a good unit. If you can only afford a GPS for under $100, go for it. If your budget can handle more, get a GPS with more features. Quote
DisQuoi Posted July 30, 2002 Posted July 30, 2002 You basically have to pose these questions here as few people read the other forums. At least .. that's what I've found Quote
+servman Posted July 31, 2002 Posted July 31, 2002 I use a 310 that I bought used from mrcpu. The main drawbacks are that I cannot download/upload waypoints to it and the simple 2 digit precision in the LAT/LON waypoints which means that any waypoint entered has up to 10m of error introduced (since standard GPS is only accurate to about 20m I don't see this a a real issue. Just in case I usually convert to UTM). The unit appears to have a better antenna than some Garmin units, (I'm not trying to start another Magellan vs. Garmin religous war here!!) I've seen situations when I've had signal and mrcpu with his eTrex has not. The only thing I really miss is upload/download capability. Ian Mobile Cache Command Quote
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