What Magellan To Buy Next

[+nfa]

Hi,

 

I'm thinking of upgrading to a more powerful Magellan GPSr, and wanted to solicit opinions from the peanut gallery...my current one is a basic sportrak.

 

I think I would like one with a built-in map, pc interface, compass, enough memory for 1000 or so waypoints, and maybe some other bells and whistles that you folks like.

 

I was planning on staying in the sportrak or meridian families unless there is good reason not to...

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

nfa-jamie

[+AtlantaGal]

How many bells and whistles are you looking for? A price range you're willing to spend would be helpful for recomendations. Otherwise I'll tell you to get a Garmin 60CS because they're cool, loaded with features and VERY helpful driving to caches.

[tunacache]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

Edited August 28, 2004 by tunacache

[+CompuCash]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

careful - this one looks like it has a great screen but it doen not have a computer port that I can find - and I downloaded the manual too.

[+Renegade Knight]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

careful - this one looks like it has a great screen but it doen not have a computer port that I can find - and I downloaded the manual too.

They don't have the ports you are looking for.

[+CompuCash]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

careful - this one looks like it has a great screen but it doen not have a computer port that I can find - and I downloaded the manual too.

They don't have the ports you are looking for.

that's what I thought - and w/o ports they are kinda rought to use for chaching - you have to manually enter all waypoints.

[+Scoobie10]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

 

I recently had the chance to try out the explorist.......It's an E-Trex wannabe. It will hold 500 waypoints......as long as you input them by hand.

 

Scoob

[+Renegade Knight]

I'd wait for the next Magellan Color GPS to come out. Their version of the 60C/S

[+yankeeboy4]

Atlantagal has it right! I just got my 60CS and it is like sooo awesome

[+Sagefox]

Just got my 60CS also. Just pretend it says Magellan and order one tomorrow. It has everything you are asking about plus geocache management features. (This topic might take an unexpected detour here shortly and get sent to the GPS Units forum)

[+JohnnyVegas]

I use the Meridian Color GPSr which has the turn-by-turn street guidance feature to help get you to where you are going.

 

But I just received an email from Magellan announcing a new series - Check it out here - The Explorist

careful - this one looks like it has a great screen but it doen not have a computer port that I can find - and I downloaded the manual too.

They don't have the ports you are looking for.

that's what I thought - and w/o ports they are kinda rought to use for chaching - you have to manually enter all waypoints.

The Magellan Meridian GPS series do have a computer interface, THe explorist do not, I got into with the Magellan reps at a trade show about this two weeks ago, they have three new explorist comming out next spring the will have a computer interface, the 400, 500 and 600 explorist series.I have Meridian gold and I run Map Send Direct route with it for turn by turn directions. I also use Magellan Topo software on my sport track Map, Nice features with Magellan topo software, it includes all the street names (this is a short comming in Garmins topo software) the magellan gps will also display a terrain profiled on the gps screen.

Edited August 28, 2004 by JohnnyVegas

[+Sagefox]

I recently had the chance to try out the explorist.......It's an E-Trex wannabe. It will hold 500 waypoints......as long as you input them by hand.

 

Scoob

No cacher should buy a gpsr that requires (edit) inputting (edit) waypoints by hand. Our three year old Garmin eMap has been to over 1100 cache sites. I hand (inputted) about 35 of those until Easygps came out. That unit cost about $180.

 

I don't know what the price range is now for entry level mapping and waypoint downloading but it won't be worth the money saved not to get one. If you gave up geocaching tomorrow a mapping gpsr would still be a lot of fun as well as useful when travelling to identify freeway exit services and much more.

Edited August 28, 2004 by Team Sagefox

[+Kit Fox]

My recommendation would be for the Magellan Meridian Platinum. It comes with ever bell and whistle that you want and you can buy it here: http://www.shopharmony.com/product.asp?i=MAGMRD59803 for $258.00.

 

 

This is the company where I bought my Meridian Gold for 169.00 shipped to my door in two days. Had I not been on a tight budget, I would have bought the Platinum.

 

I have had nothing but excellent results with my Meri-gold. I downloaded over 100 waypoints using GSAK in about 15 seconds. My unit works great in the field also.

 

Bill,

[adampierson]

If you plan on staying with Magellean, then the only choice you have is the Platinum. That model has pretty much everything. Electronic compass and barometer. For geocaching, I think it's a bit of an overkill. If you don't need the compass, then go with the Gold. I'm not a fan of the color (harder to see in direct Sun light).

[flir67]

I have the magellan sportrak color. its great but others have mentioned it is hard to view in sunlight and they are right. if I had to buy a new mapping one I'd choose the garmin 60cs or the new etrex color vista. garmin has the best computer interface (usb) and the fastest download so I've heard.

 

good luck

 

[+GOT GPS?]

A meridian Platinum with a 128 meg card would be good, and you can save many tracklogs to the memory card, even save tons of waypoint files to the memory card also. If you wanted alot of mapping get a 256 meg card for the platinum.

 

If you want sensors like the electronic compass get the Platinum, and not any garmin, but if you like the fast computer interface, and color screens, the 60C, 76C are pretty nice. You will save by getting a Meridian package from an online store, that would include Direct Route software and a memory card.

 

The platinum is very nice but i do admit that the 60C of mine is alot better at autorouting, but the Platinum was the best geocache seeking device i ever had too.

[+Nurse Dave]

I guess I don't see the hype about features. I have no need for an electronic compass because a $10 one works just as well. Nor do I need a barometer. So if those aren't worth paying for you're down to just the basic Meridian. Has as much memory as you'll ever need because you have the SD card and is funtionally the same has the gold or platinum. And you're just paying over $100

[+Sagefox]

I have no need for an electronic compass because a $10 one works just as well. Nor do I need a barometer.

Agreed. These items are not needed for geocaching. The compass is nice because it eliminates one more piece of equipment to schlep around (gpsr, pda, camera, telephone, frs radio, trade goods, compass). Actually, a compass is rarely needed for geocaching. I bought the compass/barometer package for use in my business.

 

Has as much memory as you'll ever need because you have the SD card and is funtionally the same has the gold or platinum.  And you're just paying over $100

 

For just over $100 you can get street mapping that interfaces with geocaching waypoints? That would be very nice. I cringe to see or read about geocachers working the game without street mapping and easygps waypoints. At this price no one should have to go without it.

[+ChileHead]

Actually I'd love to have the electronic compass, it would be useful for geocaching. With that, your arrow is pointing the right way when standing still or walking slow.

[Keystone]

Moving thread to the GPS Units and Software Forum.

[+Nurse Dave]

Actually I'd love to have the electronic compass, it would be useful for geocaching. With that, your arrow is pointing the right way when standing still or walking slow.

If it's working right. For the price difference, I'll just unclip the $10 compass from my backpack.

[Gixxer...]

buy a 60cs ok

[+embra]

I got into with the Magellan reps at a trade show about this two weeks ago, they have three new explorist comming out next spring the will have a computer interface, the 400, 500 and 600 explorist series.

JohnyVegas; are you able to tell us anything about what these will look like? (We did get a pretty good peek at the 500 in the LeBAron fall catalog)

[+TotemLake]

Actually I'd love to have the electronic compass, it would be useful for geocaching.  With that, your arrow is pointing the right way when standing still or walking slow.

If it's working right. For the price difference, I'll just unclip the $10 compass from my backpack.

If?

 

Even IF it's off, it will still point in the right direction to the bearing of the cache when used as a GOTO.

 

IF you are having problems with it, all you gotta do is calibrate it, and that can be done in the field, in just a few seconds... a couple of minutes for the more complex calibration.

 

It's not that big of a deal and it's only happened 3 times to me out of the 20 months that I've owned mine. It's still easier to use than holding a GPS in one hand and a compass in the other hand.

 

Below is a near-perfect example of the 3-axis electronic compass on the MeriPlat. It makes for easy triangulation on the move as it will point to the GOTO waypoint as well as indicating the bearing I'm walking and which way is North.

 

It's a bit fuzzy but you can see the example here in my pic. The darkened arrow is pointing at the GOTO, the skinny arrow is pointing my COG, and the dotted line is the bearing I have the compass pointed in. N is magnetic North.

 

Edited August 30, 2004 by TotemLake