Magellan Gold Vs Sportrak Pro/map

[Satine]

Hi I'm new here and was planning on getting my husband a GPS for christmas since he has really been interested in geocaching. After researching GPS's I've narrowed it down to 3

The Magellan Meridian Gold, The Sportrak Pro and The Sportrak Map the reason i have the map listed is I was planning on spending only 200 dollars and I'll have to make some sacrifices for the Pro but if its worth it in the long run i'm willing to do it.

So which would be the best value for my dollar are the extras with the Gold and Pro worth the extra money? and if so out of those two which is the best?

I'd really like this to be a gift that he doesn't have to upgrade for a while. I know geocaching won't be all he'll use it for as he'll probably want to play with it in the car and for hikes and camping and the like.

Any help would be much appreciated as I'm running out of time to decide and I'm stuck.

[Satine]

I'm sorry I probably posted this in the wrong forum I didn't see the forum on gps units before. If someone can move this to that forum that would be much appreciated.

[The King Kachers]

I can't really give you any comparisons, but I do own the Sportrak Map. The base maps that come on these aren't the greatest in the world, but they aren't too bad either. You can download more detailed maps to the unit though, so the advantage of getting the Sportrak Pro over the Sportrak Map would just be more base map memory. And the advantage of getting the Meridian Gold versus the other two is the Meridian Gold has SD memory cards. So you could just buy more cards as needed. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all three are equal other than the base map memory and the SD memory card on the Meridian Gold. So if your husband is one of those that doesn't like to ask for directions like myself, I would try to go for the Meridian for the extra storage. I like my Sportrak Map, only because I couldn't afford either of the other two but I hate the way the pc cable and power cord connect to the unit. Good luck and Merry Christmas

[4x4van]

I think the ST Pro is worth the extra $ over the ST Map. The base map is better (9MB vs 2MB), and there's much more available memory for future map uploads (23MB vs 8MB?). In addition, the new Magellan Directroute software will not work on the ST Map. As far as the Meridian goes, the only real downside to it is the size. The ST Pro is a bit more compact. The upside to the Meridian is the fact that you can add even more memory down the road if wanted/needed.

 

I'm extremey happy with my ST Pro, I use it for geocaching, hiking, ATVing, and in my car. Because of the base map and memory limitations of the ST Map, and the physical size of the Meridian, the ST Pro turned out to be the perfect unit for me.

 

Check out www.offroute.com for current prices, you're probably only looking at about $235 for the ST Pro.

Edited December 17, 2003 by 4x4van

[+Gorak]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all three are equal other than the base map memory and the SD memory card on the Meridian Gold.

I have no technical data to back this up, but when I upgraded from my ST Map to a Meridian Platinum, I found the antenna on the Meriplat to be quite a bit more sensitive than the ST. With the ST, I could not get a decent signal in my vehicle unless I left the ST on the dashboard. I also could not get any kind of signal indoors. With the Meriplat, I get a strong signal on the seat of my vehicle and I can pickup (although not get a lock) on at least 3 satellites while in the basement of my house. The ST would lose signal if I put it in my coat pocket, the Meriplat does not. If I lose signal in the trees, I can reaquire a signal seemingly much faster with the Meriplat.

 

Having said that, I had no complaints with my ST Map at the time and, had it not broke, I would have been happy to continue using it. However, now that I've experience the Meridian, I would not go back to the ST.

 

_______________

Gorak

[robertlipe]

There a table of diffferences of Magellan models on my collection of nerdy stuff Of those three, unless price is the primary motivator, the ST Map would be hard to recommend. (And if it _is_ the primary motivator, the ST Map is still a better unit that competing units in its price range.)

 

The better base map, additional space for detailed maps, the option of DirectRoute, and (with the Gold) the near infinite expandability and speed of SD would limit my decision to picking between these two.

 

(Oh, and I own an ST Map and a Plat, the Gold's big brother with the sensor kit. I can't prove any difference in reception between them...)

Edited December 18, 2003 by robertlipe

[puckstopper29]

I am an owner of a Sportrak Pro. It is a good device, but just a little buyer beware: the owner's manual claims that it is waterproof and floats, mine was dropped in the water and proved not waterproof and broke. I contacted Magellan about warranty and they say that since it's been over a year since I purchased it that it is not covered. I don't understand why there is a time limit to being waterproof, the manager at Magellan told me that that's the policy and that it's the same with the Garmin. Just a little buyer beware.

[Bobthearch]

Personally I liked the buttons much better on the Meridian line than the SportTrack models. "Tactile responsiveness," or something like that, is the techinical term for "squooshiness." The SportTrak buttons just felt too sqooshy... Also liked the upgrade options with the SD cards on the Meridian line.

 

The Meridian Platinum ended up being my second choice; I bought a Garmin GPSMAP76S. That's out of your stated price range, but it's a tax write-off for work.

 

Happy shopping,

Bob

[+pnew]

I am an owner of a Sportrak Pro. It is a good device, but just a little buyer beware: the owner's manual claims that it is waterproof and floats, mine was dropped in the water and proved not waterproof and broke. I contacted Magellan about warranty and they say that since it's been over a year since I purchased it that it is not covered. I don't understand why there is a time limit to being waterproof, the manager at Magellan told me that that's the policy and that it's the same with the Garmin. Just a little buyer beware.

Hey puckstopper, curious but how secure is the battery cover on the Sportracks? I own a Meridian Green (same design as the Gold and Platinum) and I swam a 3rd of a mile to get to an island cache (ya no boat ) and my gps was just fine after some hang drying. I wonder if the battery cover could be a weak spot on the newer models and their ability to stay waterproof

[+RobRee]

we own a mag 315 a mag sportrak pro and a mag merigold.

 

of all i find the merigold to be the best. it is a bit larger than my sportrak pro, but feels solid and well built.

 

the battery plug on the sportrak is not the weak spot. it seems pretty darn solid. it screws in like a submarine door. the weak spot is created by the screws in the case sides. both of my sportraks have developed stress cracks in short periods. one was fried on the deleware river. they are NOT waterproof. nowhere near it.

 

buy an aquasack bag and have peace of mind!

 

robbie

[+leatherman]

the weak spot is created by the screws in the case sides.  both of my sportraks have developed stress cracks in short periods.  one was fried on the deleware river.

I've heard this before. It's very important to note.

 

I'm interested to know what you decided on for your present.

 

The only choice for me is the Meridians.

 

1. Unlimited memory.

 

2. USB map loading. The only reason to use the serial cable is for loading waypoints or firmware.

 

Directroute just made the Meridian the ultimate handheld. No other GPSr can compare.

 

Disclaimer: This is an opinion. You can't discount an opinion.

Edited December 30, 2003 by leatherman