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Which Gps?


WWWBKM

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Just really getting started in this great sport...Have been looking for a gps and really unsure of which one to purchase. Have been looking at the garmin legend and the magellan sporttrak map. Both seem to be comparable in price and features. How about ease of use? Cost of add on items? Durability and dependability? I am sure whichever device each has its own fans. From looking at the web sites garmin seems to be most popular, but I don't know who was on the scene first. Thanks for any input you can provide.

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Heheheh. I too was in the same boat last month when I was looking. I liked the look and feel of the Legend, and the screen resolution is supposedly better, but I decided on the Sporttrak Map in the end. Two main reasons I chose that one. First, all my research led me to believe that the antenna is more receptive in the Sporttrak, and so far I've had no trouble with it. However, I never tried the legend, so I don't know how well it works. Secondly, the Sporttrak floats. I go kayaking, and I want to make sure if it falls into the water, I don't have to go diving for it. I thought the buttons would be kind of bulky and in the way, but they really aren't. I also got the carrying case and that protects the screen. So there you have it. One recommendation for the Sporttrak.

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I have the Garmin, and haven't tried the Sporttrack. (Amazon had an additional $50 off last Christmas so it had an unbeatable price!)

 

I have had only positive experiences with this unit. NiMH 2100 mAH batteries last about 6 hours of continuous use. I use the unit to interface with a radio for ham radio position reporting and it works great. I've had it out back country hiking numerous times--it's durable!

 

All functions are easily accessed and used. I needed the manual only the first few times using it. It locks on to the satellites pretty quickly and keeps the lock reliably.

 

The map isn't street level but is detailed enough to give major cross-streets (which helps orient myself to the caches quickly). The map zoom is easily accessed from side buttons.

 

It seems to be pretty dust-proof, I haven't had any issues from working with it in extremely dusty conditions (desert).

 

Good luck!

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I have the Legend myself. I recently had to send it in to Garmin for a repair. A minor problem the click-stick started acting up when going to the right. I e-mailed them and explained the problem. They replied within the hour with an authorization number for repair. I sent it to them with priority mail @ 4:30 on a Thursaday night. they had it back to me by noon the following Friday. I was thrilled when I got it back it looked like the day it was new. They redid the whole unit at no charge except the 8 bucks it cost me at the post office. I had some scratches on the case from caching and theyput a new front cover on it and updated it to the latest firmware. I'm already considering an upgrade and will definately go with the Garmin again. This was just my experience firsthand.

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Just recently purchased a GPS myself and got the Meridian Color. The decisive factor for me was the ability to install a flash memory (SD) card so I can hold lots of maps where I often travel to. I have a 256 MB SD card which blows away the built-in capacity of most units (typically less than 25 MB, although I think the 60C is around 55 MB). This allows you to have all your maps at your fingertips when traveling across large regions without the hassle of downloading new maps to your GPS on the road from your laptop. The color was an added plus that aids viewability of map features (streams, highways, etc.).

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I just sold my Vista that is two years old. Overall I have been happy with it other than reception in the deep woods. I am waiting for the GPSMap60CS. When I ran into problems with my Vista when it was a full year out of warranty, Garmin told me that it should not have happened and they will repair at a discounted rate of $50.00. That was a lot off the normal refurbish price. That included Federal Express shipping back to me also. I think both units are good units but I sure am impressed with the support of Garmin and you just can't beat service after the sale.

 

murph

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Magellan all the way! I like Magellan's a lot. From what I have seen, their customer service is very similar to Garmin. I have a SporTrak Map and I just got a Meridian Gold today. Both are great! I have used a Garmin Vista, and I really didn't care for it. The screen and writing is too small, and I don't like the button layout at all. Also, the reception was noticeably worse in the car and under light tree cover.

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One question(s) I should have asked....does anyone use a compass or altimiter with their GPS? If so do you recommmend it for anyone that is just starting in the sport?

People who have the compass like it. People who don't, don't really miss out either. The altimiter isn't a geocaching thing but it seems to come with the compass.

 

The bottom line is that the electronic compass isn't a deal breaker if you like one particular GPS.

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I have a Garmin Legend that I absolutely love, except for one thing. No autoroute! If Magellan would increase their screen resolution, or Garmin would add SD (or xD) support to their units, we could be one step closer to the perfect GPS. If the new 60CS had an external SD, it would be the ultimate. Right now, it looks sweeeeeeeett

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The sporttrak map gives an altimeter reading, but I think it's based on satellite signals not air pressure. I don't know how accurate it is as I've never checked it. One feature I do like is the northfinder on the sporttrak. If you're standing still, you just line up the picture of the sun on the gpsr screen with the sun in the sky, and you know where north is. That has always been dead on accurate for me. It also shows the waypoint in relation to that. Don't know if the garmins have anything like that.

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My Garmin etrex legends clickstick packed up after 16 months, they said it couldn't be repaired, they charged me 87 english pound (NEARLY 170 DOLLARS) to replace it. ... maybe I will buy something else next time 

 

Are you insane? Thats almost the price of a new one!

 

Check This Threadout for sure

 

It has all the info on the Sportrak cracks. I just got my Meridian Gold and would highly reccomend it. My friend has a Platinum, and he loves his also.

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I really liked the Meridian Platinum and the compass worked great. I only used the compass near the cache to help locate the caches. It's problem is that it's tracklogging is not as good as a Map76 or GPS V.

 

I got rid of my Vista, which had problems with reception, and I could see that in it's tracklog. I don't like the eTrex's except for their small size and usefullness while backpacking.

 

If tracklogging is not important, then a Meridian Platinum is the best choice for caching. I had the Platinum and used it many times with a GPS V, and the Platinum's tracklog even when set at AUTO DETAILED never looked as good as the GPS V.

 

MY CHOICES:

 

Platinum, Gold

76S, GPS V, 60C, 60CS

 

These are MY BEST CHOICES of all the units.

 

I did have trouble with the Meridian Color, because it's display tended to washout in the sun, and I could not go without the backlight inside or outside or in the sunlight.

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I use both the Garmin V, and the Meridian Platinum. I use the platinum outside of the car way more than the Garmin, mostly because it holds a lock better and the E compass (or northfinder) is easier to follow.

 

The GPS V has a nice high-resolution screen (although it has more of a greenish cast, so it makes it harder to see w/o the backlight), and the track log is allot better than that offered by Magellan (just to bad you can't save the tracklog on the V like you can on the Meridian).

 

Although I am thinking of selling the V and buying directroute for the meridian just because I want some extra cash to buy a R/C airplane.

 

Wyatt W.

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Many thanks to all of you that have been so kind to share your experiences and advice with a "newbie". Today, I went out and purchased my first gps...a magellan Sportrak Map. Okay before I get all the "free advice", I got a great deal and this really could have gone either way...between magellan and garmin. I have had a chance to use, briefly each unit. I do like the bigger screen, and the built in compass. I got it on sale and the extra rebate made it to sweet to pass up. I'll keep the forum updated on my progress and the gps. Thanks again.

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WWWBKM, We also couldn't decide between the Legend and the Sportrack map. We were able to use both of them and by far preferred the Sportrack map. It was so much easier to use and understand. There really was nothing we liked better about the Legend. We are going out tomorrow to use it for the first time. (Other than hunting for our house :blink: )

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Ya I don't like the etrex line either..I mean the legend is SO SMALL, that the odds are you will end up losing it all the time. I mean, it would be better to have a huge GPSr with worse resolution with cases that crack (like the Magellans) than to have a better resolution, tiny GPSr like the Legend that you can take everywhere with you.

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Ya I don't like the etrex line either..I mean the legend is SO SMALL, that the odds are you will end up losing it all the time. I mean, it would be better to have a huge GPSr with worse resolution with cases that crack (like the Magellans) than to have a better resolution, tiny GPSr like the Legend that you can take everywhere with you.

Hey Vol, do I detect a little sarcasm here?

 

Love my Legend!

 

Go GATORS!

:blink:

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Hey Vol, do I detect a little sarcasm here?

 

Love my Legend!

 

Go GATORS!

:blink:

Just a little. Had to counteract all this Magellan talk :D But it was all in good fun, well until you brought the Gators into it! JK :D In all honesty though, I was thinking about throwing down the money to get a 60C, but couldn't bear to sell my Legend :D

Edited by Volwrath
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Just a little. Had to counteract all this Magellan talk :D But it was all in good fun, well until you brought the Gators into it! JK :blink: In all honesty though, I was thinking about throwing down the money to get a 60C, but couldn't bear to sell my Legend :D

Good to see you like your Legend too. Would kinc of like to get the 60C myself, but since I've had the Legend for less than 3 months, I think I'll keep it awhile.

 

And I just couldn't resist with the Gator thing.

 

Go SEC! Better?

 

:D

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I'm on both sides of the fence. Primary GPSr is a Magellan Meridian Platinum. Secondary is an eTrex Legend. In the family are a Venture, a Rino 120, and a backup Legend. They all are better at some things, and worse at others. The MeriPlat is the pick of the litter so far, with SD card capability, DirectRoute, Quad antenna, and 3 axis compass. The Legend has the small size going for it, and interfaces well with my laptop running Moving Map Applications. We round out the "must have equipment" with 2 Palm Zire PDA's ( Not afraid to lose the cheaper ones in the woods) running Cachemate 3.31, and a Palm Tungsten T3 for logging in the vehicle, with my Siemens M55 phone. It all works together well.

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For Geocaching your best choice is a Meridian Platinum.

 

For highly detailed and accurate trackloging: GPS V; Map76/76S; Map60C/CS

 

For very accurate trip odometer reading: GPS V

(also very accurate Dist. and time remaining while autorouting)

 

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All of my Magellans ive had came up short (about 85%) of the actual distances of their own tracklogs.(Trip Odom)

 

The GPS V is very slow at calculating a route.

 

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GPS units that I had bought:

Magellan 4000XL, ColorTrak, GPS315, Meridian Platinum

Garmin III,IIIplus, V, V, eTrex Vista, Map76S

 

Units I no longer have:

4000XL, ColorTrak, Platinum, IIIplus, Vista

 

Units Id like to sell:

GPS III, GPS315, GPS V

 

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I plan on getting a GPSMAP 60C

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