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Next Gps- Garmin 60c/s Or Meriplat/color?


2LuknF8

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It has come down to this: Garmin 60cs or Magellan Meridian Platinum or color

Garmin Pros: more waypoints, more "geocaching" friendly;

Cons: poor satellite lock

 

Magellan Pros: better antenna

Cons: 500 limit waypoints; averaging can cause offset (resetting fixes).

 

I have also invested in MapSend Topo but woul be willing to go with other more updated software is pressed.

 

Which would you choose if you had the option of one or the other? Please, this is not a PC versus Mac mud sling but an open appraisal of which works best for you and why.

 

Hurry, my tax refund cometh... :lol:

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Garmin Pros: more waypoints, more "geocaching" friendly;

Cons: poor satellite lock

 

Magellan Pros: better antenna

Cons: 500 limit waypoints; averaging can cause offset (resetting fixes).

Garmin is not more Geocaching friendly. What ever GPSr you have the most time with will the most useful.

 

The Meridian series has unlimited memory. That means unlimited maps, tracks and waypoints!

 

Granted you have to save them and load them in 500 waypoint packets.

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"poor satellite lock"? you must have been reading some of the comments slamming the etrex family? :lol:

 

both units use a quad helix antenna so reception is going to be very similar - take that as meaning very, very good.

 

both companies make an excellent product. i happen to like garmin, others like magellan. why don't you go to a gps store and get some hands-on with both units (hopefully with an informed sales person that knows how to operate both units)...

 

after you've had a chance to see both units you'll be better able to make an "informed" decision.

Edited by Vlad
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I cannot speak for the Garmin units as I have never used them. I have the Meridian Platinum. I love it, and would probably buy the same again if this one ever breaks. I do not just Geocache with mine, but use it all the time on other areas. Some of the things I use all the time:

 

Compas - For finding direct north when polar-aligning my telescope. MeriPlat does not have to be moving for the compas to work. The compas also shows where the sun and moon are in the sky. Neat, but useless...

Direct Route - has never failed to get me to the door of places I have addresses to. I use this all the time, as I am on the road a lot.

Mempry - This makes the unit have unlimited memory. I have 3 SD cards with over 370MB of maps from Topo, S&D and Direct Route, each covering 5 states completly.

Good Locking - On the caches I have found, it has consistently gotten me to within 7 to 10 feet. This is roughly the accuracy of the unit. Even with trees overhead.

Ease of Use - Even without the manual, I was able to figure the unit out quickly and easily in about a half hour.

Durability - I bounced the unit into the water the other day and it just kept right on working. No water entered the unit and it kept the lock.

Moon Phase - Shows the current moon phase as well as sun up/down and moon rise/set. I use this more with astronomy than anything.

 

Now, those are just a few of the Meridian Platinum. I like this unit, and as I said before, if my current unit ever breaks, I will be replacing it with another Meridian Platinum.

Edited by Deckyon
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Guess you're hearing from the Magellanic clods...

 

I've had my plat for a little over a year and have liked it a lot. I would go for the 60CS ( I like the electronic compass) except that the lack of expandable memory is a dealbreaker for me. I wouldn't want to give that up now. I would have outgrown my Plat by now, but buying a larger SD card has effectively lengthened the service life for me. It would have been hard to forsee how useful expandable memory is, but it's high on my list of requirements now.

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I'd echo the sentiment that you need to put a Meridian in your hand next to a Garmin V, 60c/cs, 76s and see what you like.

 

I would poo-poo any talk of superior reception, both are very good and I've seen both do better than the other (slightly) under different terrains.

 

For me, the map detail and resolution on the Garmin's was so much better than the cruder resolution of the Magellens and that was a deal breaker for me.

 

I also liked the interface on the Garmins better.

 

I thought the Garmin mapping products were better.

 

I thought the Garmin customer service reputation was better.

 

Just my opinions, YMMV. I am glad I chose Garmin instead of choosing SD memory which is really the choice you're making. And, with the USB interface of the 60 series, downloading maps will be a snap and 56Mb will more than suffice for my travels.

 

So, until YOU personally get your hands on the gpsr's you won't know what your gut' feel is for the Meri-Garmin debate.

 

Good Luck, BTW.... I've got the 60CS on order and have sold my 76s

Edited by Us 5 Camp
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I have had a Garmin GPSMap76s for about a year and a half, and love it. I know most of it's features very well by now, and it's very comfortable to use. It was my first GPSr. I have a 60CS on order as it seems to fulfill my wish-list for improving the 76S in all areas except the SD memory.

 

But several months ago, I saw a MeriPlat, and was so impressed with it's topo map contour detail that I bought one. I liked the Meri's interchangeable data card in theory, but didn't like that I had to open the back, and remove the batteries to exchange cards. Then, after reinserting the batteries, I had to recalibrate the compass again. Every time you change the batteries, you have to recalibrate the compass. Not so on the 76S. Don't know about the 60CS. And after using it a while, I returned to using the Garmin unit. Leatherman is correct saying that you will probably like the one you're more familiar with.

 

Magellan has nice map detail, but much less screen resolution than the Garmin. The Garmin screen was more difficult to read in bright daylight, but I hope the new 60CS transreflective backlit screen will solve that, if it's anything like the iQue.

 

Garmin has "started" MapSource maps in a 1:24,000 scale detail for popular Natl Parks, and I hope they eventually expand the series. USB capability will certainly be a plus. And at 24mb of memory, I still don't fill up my 76S. 60CSs 56mb will be more than enough for my use.

 

So for me, the Garmin units are preferred. And I can't say enough for their customer service. I haven't tried Magellan support.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

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It has come down to this: Garmin 60cs or Magellan Meridian Platinum or color

Garmin Pros: more waypoints, more "geocaching" friendly;

Cons: poor satellite lock

 

Magellan Pros: better antenna

Cons: 500 limit waypoints; averaging can cause offset (resetting fixes).

 

I have also invested in MapSend Topo but woul be willing to go with other more updated software is pressed.

 

Which would you choose if you had the option of one or the other? Please, this is not a PC versus Mac mud sling but an open appraisal of which works best for you and why.

 

Hurry, my tax refund cometh... ;)

I used a Magellan Meridian Gold for a week and the unit kept turning off whenever I put it in my pocket I returned it and purchased a Garmin GPSmap 60C, end of problem. The Garmin has a better mapping as it shows more detail of the coastline.

RB's

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Ok, very unscientific I know, but here is my quick impression of the 60c

 

Reception: I can get a good sat fix in my house with no problem, I can also get perfect fix's in my car. Out in the open it has been perfect.

 

Battery. I am using Energizer NiMH recharge. With WAAS on and in bat. saver mode. I can use it all day without anyproblem.

 

Screen. clear and with the backlight on very easy to read.

 

Buttons. Dont like the buttons on the bottom. I can see me droping the thing trying to use it onehanded.

 

Interface. quite intuative. took me awhile though to work out a few things. But if you are experienced with more of the recent models of GPSr then you should have no problem.

 

Overall. Happy. Lets see how it handles the Kayak season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Tadpole: as for turning off, there is a way to set the power off/on button in protected mode.

 

I just received my Meri Color this Sat and went on a quest on Sunday. Superb unit and (almost) everything I need. Small glithc- using a multileg route and direct route when I did a street to street directoins, it sent me to the last waypoint. I sent a note to Magellan and will post inthe forum accordingly.

 

The satellite reception is supperb and the maps are right on! I wish they would update the Topo streets as well.

 

I even went to a cache today that I had been unable to find and, voila!, there it was in not so plain sight.

 

Pleased? Yes and still a Magellan-ist.

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