Why Does Everyone Love Garmin?

[+JohnnyVegas]

When I started with this forum it was about 50% Magellan and about 50% Garmin with a few other units.  Lowrance wasn't out at that time.

 

Gee thats odd I could have swore that I had my old Lowrance global Nav 212 a year or longer before I joined geocaching.com back in Feb of 2001.

 

Also I seem to remember seeing made in Taiwan or some other country on the back of some of the garmins

 

Lowarance has been out for a very long time, but their GPS division has had its ups and downs. The first time I saw a Lowrance GPS was maybe a year the first gulf war, Magellan was out a little before that war. I think Garmin was out a little after the war. These would have been civilian versions. They were also very expensive, Several hundred dollars and did less than what the current yellow e-treks does.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Follow-up:

 

I have listened to all of you and I am getting the info I wanted. Looking at all the details, memory, antenna (clear the Quad antenna is better, it gets added as a feature when one is present), and display quailty. I don't plan to shell out for the GPSMAP60CS, but is certainly looks sweet.

 

I did look at things like the Geko 301, but at $190 it doesn't even have maps, the eTrex vista (in addition to being an eTrex) doesn't have WAAS and has something like a 64x120 screen.

 

When I eliminate the eXplorist 300 because there is no upload option (although at $158 it still seems like a good choice), for all the other criteria however, the Lowrance iFinder PhD looks to be my choice (when it hits the stores). I know I'm a renegade, and I may get burned, but features to price the PhD it has it all.

 

iFinder Phd=$240: Quad, SD card, 5.6x2.5x0.95 (smaller than merridians and map60 or map76), 16 level greyscale 180x240 - the highest resolution display, elec. compass, and it play mp3 and the cigarette light cord is included.

 

I'll report back after I get it.

 

Tom

What about geting a GPS that water proof, the iFinder Phd is not waterproof

 

Ifinder waterproof

 

I saw the Lowarance GPS last august at a trade show, I was not inpressed with there selection or the prices.

[reidster]

Lowrance makes great products and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. Unfortunately this forum is the last place to come for informed opinions about the iFinder product line.

 

BTW: The iFinder Phd is "Waterpoof to IPX7 standard".

[+Papa Bill]

2. Garmin is American owned and built. Built in Olathe Kansas, not more than 30 miles from my home. Magellan is a french owned company owned by Thales. Lowrance is also an American owned company that started in Missouri as a fish finder/depth finder company. They are now based in Oklahoma. Garmin started as an aerospace company and has always been.

 

.

That would be enough for me.

 

I like my Legend, don't think I will change brands.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Lowrance makes great products and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. Unfortunately this forum is the last place to come for informed opinions about the iFinder product line. 

 

BTW: The iFinder Phd is "Waterpoof to IPX7 standard".

BTW: The iFinder Phd is "Waterpoof to IPX7 standard".

 

I missed the mention of being water proof, on the Lowrance web site they do not have it in bold print and you have to hunt around for it.

 

Lowrance makes great products and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. Unfortunately this forum is the last place to come for informed opinions about the iFinder product line. 

 

This forum is filled with people that use GPSr more than most. Sure Lowarnce has a line of high quality products and their roots are in the Marine field. But when you start looking at Lowarance for Geocaching it seems they are falling a little short as far as features. I looked at Lowrance last Aug. at a trade show in Salt Lake city, as far as use in Geocaching it did not see enough that would sway me purchase a Lowarance GPS. When I look at any GPS I am looking at with through the eyes of a buyer for a retail outlet. To spend money on an item to sell next Garmin and Magellan is not like spending your own money, if the item does not sell it has to be put on clearance and that eats away at the profit margin. As far as I can see, Lowarnce behind Garmin and Magellan. IF Garmin and Magellan are the Mercedea and BMW of the GPS market for geocaching, Lowarance could be the Kia

Profit Margins being very tiny on GPS products (something around 20% which is very little) there is not a lot of room for markdown without losing money.

 

I tried to Lowarnce several years ago, before geocaching was around. Then about the time Geacaching started I could even find Lowarnce the trades shows I was attending. Last year was the first time in years I was able to find them at a show, they may have been at Marine industry trade shows, but they were not a shows geared to the hiking and backpacking industry.

Edited January 28, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+sbell111]

I like Garmin because I the first GPSr I bought was a used 3+ about four years ago. It still works great, so I haven't had to buy a replacement.

[+Jeeping Family]

You may find that this "altimeter reading" is off by a bit if your boat is in the middle of Lake Tahoe.

dadgum! I forgot about unsalted water.

 

GeoBC

How about the salted Great Salt Lake? 4265' as I remember it.

[+sbell111]

By the way, I bought several yellow etrexes to give out to my groomsmen and others. I didn't care for the side buttons either.

[+leatherman]

The one thing I see people not do when they compare Garmin and Magellan is look beyond just the GPS.

As far as TOPO software, Magellan’s map send TOPO includes all street names, Garmin map source TOPO only has names of major roads.

I agree. There is a huge difference between their software. I have a Meridian and a Rino.

I have Mapsend TOPO and Mapsource TOPO. I think Mapsource is horrible. I can't define my own map regions for loading to the Rino. You have to click/select predefined blocks. As stated there are no street names on Mapsource TOPO. The Rino is very slow the added detail of TOPO makes panning the map grooling.

I've been loading maps via USB for three years. It was a pain going back to the stone ages with the Rino serial cable, and the limited memory.

[jcc123]

Look folks, you get what you pay for. I think the Garmin 60CS is the best unit out there right now. I don't see how other brands could even come close. The color screens on some of the other brands don't look clear under sun light at all...

[+JohnnyVegas]

The color screens on some of the other brands don't look clear under sun light at all...

Color screens, a color screen is not and advantge for geocaching. You can find just as many caches with a monochrome screen as you can find with a color screen. most of the time you are going to be using the Compass style screen with the big arrow pointing to the cache. I does not matter what color that arrow is. The only thing a color screen does for when geocaching is look cool.

 

I don't see how other brands could even come close.

 

As far as Memory, with the Magellan meridians and the new Explorist you can increase the memory on your GPS with a std, SD memory card. With the Meridian you can store your waypoint on the memory card in small files if you would like to, In my Meridian gold I have around 3,000 waypoints stored. These are in files of 80 to 100 caches, each file is for a different city that I cache in. If I want to look up a geocache I just bring up the file for the city I am in and I only have through the caches for the city, sure a Garmin may hold up to 1,000 caches, but do you have any idea how long it would take to go through that many when looking for one. Now the file can also be sorted by cache type, or difficulty or terrain, how ever you would like to save them. I have not used the new Explorist, but my guess is they will offer the same features. It does say in the description they have a file system built into them.

 

And lets not forget, with the SD memory card slot you can store a much larger set of maps on a Magellan Meridian or the newer Explorist 400, 500, and 600.

And as to the matter of a color screen the Explorist it appears from reading the Magellan info The Explorist 600 has the same type of color screen tha Garmin is using

 

New explorist

 

lets also not forget that Magellan uses a tri-axile compass so that you do not have to hold the GPS level for the compass to work

 

Then the prices

Sug. Retail Explorist 600 $449.00

Sug. Retail Garmin 60CS $535.00

 

Of course these are sugested retail and the street prices will be lower

Edited January 29, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[kachadurian]

BTW: The iFinder Phd is "Waterpoof to IPX7 standard".

Make that will be.

 

UPDATE:

 

I finally got an email from the Lowrance Tech Support people to answer a few technical questions I had about the iFinder PhD. The answer was, he couldn't tell me yet because the final specs would not be known until it went into production, and it is still in development.

 

I read that to mean no Phd anytime soon.

 

That Merridian Platinum is looking better every day.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I hate it when companies put items on their web site and then take month and months to ship them. If they could not give any info regarding shipping, I kind of makes you wonder.

 

I remember when Garmin put the GPS V on their web site. It took them as I recall 7-8 months to ship. But Garmin and has always put stuff on web site to early(most times 3 or 4 months early). It wood drive the reatilers nuts because all these people would call or come in asking about the new products and we had no idea when they would ship.

 

Magellan has not been to bad, they tend to post new product about a month early.

Edited January 29, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[peter]

I hate it when companies put items on their web site and then take month and months to ship them. If they could not give any info regarding shipping, I kind of makes you wonder. ...

Magellan has not been to bad, they tend to post new product about a month early.

Yes, but it's a pretty common situation. Sometimes caused by unforeseen delays and sometimes a deliberate attempt to keep consumers from buying a competing product.

 

I remember shortly after I bought my eMap there was an announcement by Lowrance for the iFinder. I was kicking myself for not having waited an extra month or so. But a couple years later, when Lowrance finally shipped the first iFinders, I didn't feel so bad anymore. As you said, Garmin has also had its share of premature announcements, but Magellan hasn't been immune either. Although it wasn't direct from the Magellan website, the first post on this forum about the eXplorist 500 was on July 16th citing a Canadian ad that promised October delivery.

[+JohnnyVegas]

As you said, Garmin has also had its share of premature announcements, but Magellan hasn't been immune either. Although it wasn't direct from the Magellan website, the first post on this forum about the eXplorist 500 was on July 16th citing a Canadian ad that promised October delivery.

As you mention, Magellan had nothing to do with the early annoucment on a Canadian web site. Cabellas also jumped the gun and posted the new Explorist early, I called Magellan with questions regarding the new models, they were very happy Cabellas posting of their new products. The big differance is that Garmin does the posting on their web site. Knowing that the dealers have to deal with Garmins early posting and with customers the are p***d off because the dearlers have no infromtion. This is a complaint I always had when ever I had meetings with Garmin reps. I was not until I retired that Garmin stoped announcing new product 6 to 9 months ahead.

[+leatherman]

6 to 9 months is ridiculous.

[Team Sidewinder]

Whats not to love about Garmin. But with all the information given and you buy something else don't expect pity from a Garmin owner who gave you good advice. If you want to jump we can't stop you but beware the landing is a killer.

Edited February 2, 2005 by TEAM SIDEWINDER

[TheWiz]

Yes, I too would like to know whats so hot about Garmin after all the %$#% I've been through with them.

 

 

Garmin's response:

 

Yes, this is the part within the update which fixed your " lock-up. Thanks

 

 

Reply to Garmin:

 

I hate to say it....but if that was the fix, it didn't work. I don't know what they think!.. they fixed.

 

For what it's worth, here again in short is the problem we have in the 60cs:

 

With v3.61Beta installed:

 

Whole unit lockups still happen with "waypoint at destination" in a (trip computer) display field during active navigation in trackback with the trip computer display continuously on screen with no button pushing until lockup occurs.

 

With that said, my next request is for an engineering contact that I can consult with directly on this matter. This is pretty much the last straw for me now having put up with this problem for a year in this unit and other copies of the 60cs I've used trying to get one that works. Considering your product involves the safety of the general public, (both the GPS user) and the (Non-User)... no Garmin system should ever be released for purchase until that design can be offered in a reliable form. My intent was to buy a navigation system, not a Fischer Price geocache toy. You will never know how many hours I have put into helping Product Support troubleshoot these issues and many others I have found in the unit that still go unfixed. This system is so far from ready to be released to the public and yet Garmin continues adding features to the 60cs while the basics don't work right. I can't even begin to tell you just how disgusted I am with Garmin products and the lack of effective support on the several occasions that I've needed it. Which...so happens to be why I've made no further moves to purchase any other overpriced products or accessories that Garmin offers. For this reason I will most likely be returning the unit for a full refund if this highly essential function is not fixed by April, the one year anniversary of my dealing with these buggy 60cs units.

 

So that we can get to the bottom of this and a bunch of other 60cs problems, ASAP.... please pass along the necessary contact information for your engineering department where I can give them the straight poop on this and other issues with this system that remains unreliable.

[Boromir]

I just switched from my Magellan Meridian Gold to a Garmin Vista C because the Garmin Canadian Topo maps are much better than Magellans (IMHO). If the topo maps were equal I would have stayed with Magellan because of the SD memory. The Vista C is my third GPS purchase, my first was a yellow eTrex that served me well until I decided to move up to a mapping model. When the time comes to buy again I doubt I will eliminate any unit based on brand, but depending what map packages I end up buying I may have to stick with Garmin.