Garmin Vs Megellan

[+space_man]

the only reason i might buy me a new GPS is to navigate the streets only cause it makes it easy. but out the in the mountains and the wilderness, geocaching the basic GPS seems to do all there is. The only thing every one comper the diffrent units is the bells and whistles not how accurate they are. if i would buy a new GPS it would be based on price and what im going to use it for. As 4x4 said its do you like a FORD or a CHEVY ???? IF toyota fits the bills then you buy toyota. BESIDES all that i love GEOCACHING dont you?????????????? .

 

alex

[+briansnat]

i cant even think why would i want or need anything more then that.

 

Electronic compass, mapping, autorouting, customizability, high resolution color screens, barometric altimeter all come immediately to mind.

Which >exact< Garmin model has these features again, brian? Those all sound like things I want.

I know the 60CS has all those. I don't know about the customizibility of the new eTrex Vista C, or the 76CS but they do everything else.

[+denali7]

you're all gonna laugh, but i found my first cache with my beloved magellan pioneer, aided and abetted by the trusty timex digital compass i wear every day. for you kids out there, check your history books for pictures of lewis and clark--i think they also used a magellan pioneer!

Edited November 17, 2004 by denali7

[Phoenix2001]

Bottom line, you can't make a "wrong" decision, as both Chevy and Ford make great units (although as you can see by my avatar I actually drive a Toyota ).

That must be the Lowrance version.

[4x4van]

Bottom line, you can't make a "wrong" decision, as both Chevy and Ford make great units (although as you can see by my avatar I actually drive a Toyota ).

That must be the Lowrance version.

Oooooh! Zinger! Actually, the Toyota has been better than either Ford or Chevy! It's a 4x4 Toyota van (see my Avatar) that seats 7, has a tighter turning radius than a 2-door Tercel, better ground clearance than most of today's SUVs (I've lifted it and run BFG All-Terrain tires), has a built-in refridgerator/ice maker (stock), dual A/C, power everything, captain's chairs, and is still going strong at over 300,000 miles! And yes, I use it off-road. In fact, it's seen more off-roading than 99% of the SUVs on the road today, including Competition Hill at Glamis and the Coyote Canyon run from Anza to Borrego (and back).

[+Sevateem]

I have both a Magellan 330 and Garmin 60CS. Both have about the same button lay-out (the reason for getting 60CS over a 76) and are easy to use.. The screen on the Garmin is better, but I think that is because of the color and being newer design. The Garmin mapping is much better though. Much more detail with the topo maps.

Any GPSr with 24meg or more of memory should be plenty. It is very easy to load maps when needed. The new ones just write over the old .

I am a little afraid of the memory cards that Magellan uses, just another place for water to get in. That is why Garmin doesn't use them.

[+graldrich]

The memory card is in the battery compartment!I think Garmin just wants people to pay more for less!

[Novice_Cacher]

I'm impressed with the posting below from DustyJacket, where a side-by-side test was done. That pretty much confirms my thought that I might be "dead on" the waypoint with my Magellan Meridian, yet considerable distance from where the cache is marked from another GPS.

[+Searching_ut]

In the original post, the intended purposes of the receiver were left out. It tends to make a big difference as to which is best.

 

As for which to buy, being primarily a hiker, peak bagger, and back country explorer, I’m very partial to the garmin etrex units. In my experience they work a whole lot better the way I prefer to use them, and in the sort of terrain I play in. Either one will get the job done though, you just have to learn your unit, and use it in a way the maximizes what it can do. I personally keep several units of different types because I’ve found there really isn’t a good one size fits all unit out there. I now use a forerunner for trail running, and local trail hikes of a mostly fitness nature, or when I’m just out for a stoll. For the most part it doesn’t get in the way, and gives me the sort of data I want in that sort of situation (pace, slope, distance, calories burned etc.). It’s not much for navigation though, although you can find you way back to where you started, or to a waypoint with it. For hiking, my primary unit is a VistaC, with a B/W legend as a backup. It gets me to where I’m going, gives me the GeeWhiz sort of info I like having on a hike, and most importantly is a great unit for getting me back out the way I came, even when it gets dark, or I loose visibility for other reasons. For the road, I prefer a PDA CF GPS setup for it’s great maps, easy to see display, and voice capability. I have a GIII+ I sometimes use when I want something for track recording where an external antenna is used, and I gave away a couple sportrak maps a couple months back because I found I wasn’t using them for anything. I kept them around unused for many months though, just in case.

 

DustyJacket, thanks for the Webpage, I enjoyed looking it over. Did you find out what was wrong with the Legend yet? In the area where the tracks spike off in the wrong area, they can do that when they loose reception, but yours don’t look the way they generally look when that happens. Judging by how the track stayed offset even on a curve, it looks to me like the unit was set to “lock to road”, and you had inaccurate maps loaded. That drives the unit nuts trying to figure out where it should be, especially when you slow down, start, and stop. The lock to road correction only kicks in above a certain speed. For some reason, Garmin decided to not only display the road based guess on the display map, it records the track based on its map-based guess instead of the satellite derived position.

[+aerospacecase]

The Garmin 60CS will do everything you want. The only thing it does not have is removable memory.

The Garmin service is the best. I scratched the screen and they replaced it within four days after mailing it from California to Kansas!

[superc_53]

Go one Ebay and look up Magellan 315. Check the features. Get the cable and update the software. You can do it all and it will cost you well less than $200.

[+DustyJacket]

.... it looks to me like the unit was set to “lock to road”, ....

Nope. I had that turned off.

When I talked to Garmin, they did not want to deal with it, so I returned the unit, and bought a Vista instead.

[+TXRangers]

I would have to say I am very partial to Garmin. I have had 5 different Garmin Units now I believe... Currently I geocache with a Streetpilot 2610 in the car and a Vista C in hand it sure makes a deadly combination when you put the two together! Garmin products are easy to use and the support is GREAT!

[+Gimmeneertiekie]

Just buy a Magellan Sportrack Color, never had a problem allways good reception.

Looks are great, floats on water and waterproof. verry easy to use. great big color display. 3x compass etc.........

[+LindyF]

I own both the Magellan Meridian Color and the Garmin 60CS. I’ve had the Meridian Color for about a year or so and only got the Garmin 60CS about a week ago. You can read all the specs on the web of all the features so I’ll just give you some impressions I have of both units. The Meridian is a good unit, has always been reliable, even in heavy wooded area. Both seem to get the signal fairly quickly although the Garmin seems a little faster. The Meridian is great as the larger screen and bigger buttons seem easier to use while driving. The Meridian is larger and more awkward to carry while hiking (if you have small hands). Battery life is not super, seems like I’m always putting new batteries in when I go out for a hike. I liked the Garmin’s size and compass features although the buttons are smaller and were harder to use at first (I have small hands and fat fingers) but I soon got use to them. Since I’ve only recently started Geo-caching, I like those added features on the Garmin unit as well. Both are excellent units and have very clear screens. The Garmin has many color options for the screen which makes it easy to customize in different lighting conditions. Entering waypoints are fairly easy for both and they each have more options on the screen than I would ever use. But if I had to keep only one, I think I would stick with the Garmin 60CS, for size, features, and battery life. I use the Meridian in the car and as a backup unit now unless my daughter goes out geo-caching with me.