GPS Advice

[imwally]

Okay I am going to get me a GPS and right now I am looking at the Magellan 400. The question I have is I also see the 500 but it does cost a little more. So is there any experts out here that can maybe tell me the diff? I looked at it and the only thing I can see is that the 500 is color. If I have missed something please let me know. also the reason I am looking at the 400 is because I found one locally for less then half the price new. This also will be for the trails not really used for on road purposes. Thanks

 

[alsodon]

Hi, I have the Magellan 210, it's great and I got it for a good price but if I could change anything I'd get a color display. Mine has a monochrome display with a red backlight - it looks fine in the dark with the light on, it looks fine in direct sunlight with the light off. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to see when it's mounted on my dash and is in the shade (which is usually the condition when driving during the middle of the day). The backlight isn't enough to fully illuminate it when your eyes are adjusted for the midday brightness outside of the vehicle. So, sometimes I end up taking it out of the dash mount to get a better look. Not the end of the world, it snaps in and out of the mount but my next unit will have a bright color display. Also, make sure you get the topo software. There's a lot of add-on software that can be found as warez, most of it isn't very useful (unless you're jetting and wheeling globally). The topo software is very useful and worth the money (I actually paid retail $$$ to get the newest version because I liked an older warez version I found). I don't know what kind of prices you're dealing with but I strongly recommend the color display - it matters.

 

[JoesXJ]

I like the fact that it is color, its nice to know your near a creak easily just by looking...not looking hard. I personally just bought a Garmin eTrex Venture CX and I'm loving it.

On a side note, ALSODON, is that the statue from Hoover Dam??

 

[lazarus]

go for it, i have the explorist 600, full color waterproof and shock resisant, plus takes an sd card to expand maps! very easy to use and run!

 

[alsodon]

On a side note, ALSODON, is that the statue from Hoover Dam??

Yes it is. I stood pretty far back on one side with a ton of zoom to get this angle - this shot filled the frame, it's not a crop. You're the second one on this bbs to make the connection, JohnX posted a nice pic of the statue when he noticed my avatar.

 

[DrMoab]

After being a Magellan fan for years and years I broke down and bought a Garmin a few weeks go.

I have to say I will never own another Magellan product again.

With Garmin you can use the software....Topo, City Select and so on on as many GPS units as you want. With Magellan they have it set up to where you can only use it on one GPS unit. This just plain sucks! Not to mention the software that comes with Garmin is infinitely better and easier to use then Magellan.

I also know that customer support with Magellan sucks big time! My brother ordered their 3-d topo program that just came out. They billed him the first day and after three months it never showed up. He tried to call costumer support and after getting the run around for almost a half hour...having to call three different numbers and not speaking to a single person that spoke good English he finally found out that its back-ordered and he won't get it for some time.

Nope...Im finished with Magellan for ever.

 

[slider]

After being a Magellan fan for years and years I broke down and bought a Garmin a few weeks go.

I have to say I will never own another Magellan product again.

With Garmin you can use the software....Topo, City Select and so on on as many GPS units as you want. With Magellan they have it set up to where you can only use it on one GPS unit. This just plain sucks! Not to mention the software that comes with Garmin is infinitely better and easier to use then Magellan.

I also know that customer support with Magellan sucks big time! My brother ordered their 3-d topo program that just came out. They billed him the first day and after three months it never showed up. He tried to call costumer support and after getting the run around for almost a half hour...having to call three different numbers and not speaking to a single person that spoke good English he finally found out that its back-ordered and he won't get it for some time.

Nope...Im finished with Magellan for ever.

this must mean your happy with the new 60csx. i've been wondering cuz i haven't got the full report yet. i've been barrowing the 60csx that my inlaws have and it functions exatly like my legend cx. but i've found that the screen on mine could be just abit bigger.

 

[Ray H]

When you purchase a GPS, you definately need a plan and know how you will use it.
If its for vehicle use and you arent going to be out carrying it around like hiking or Geocaching, you should definately get color and get as big of a screen as you can. Get the ability to use street navigation as well as point to point. Many of the vehicle GPSs wont navigate you straight to a coordinate and most handhelds wont navigate you down streets so you need to decide what it is you want.
If you want one thats going to do it all well, you need two of them. There are a couple that can do most everything but they are still a compromise.
Im a Garmin fan so Im not real familiar with Magellens line. As far as quality goes, Im sure they are all pretty much a wash. I like Garmins software better though. Your best bet is to forget about the name on it, set a price range and shop for the features you want. You probably wont find one that meets ALL your needs so rate tham by how important they are to you. If you dont do that, you will be confused by the end of the day.

 

[ratman572]

I have to say I will never own another Magellan product again.

SNIP....

Nope...Im finished with Magellan for ever.

AMEN. I once had a Magellan 315 (actually I had several because they had to keep getting returned because they didn't work right). At times, the magellan would literally "forget" everything that was stored, -and not find ANY satellites. :dunno:This happened with EVERY 315 I had (I had a total of three).

Fortunately, I never used it for navigation. I fly an ultralight aircraft, and the GPS is a great tool to figure out how long it is going to take to get somewhere, -when it's going to get dark, -etc. I basically used it as a calculator to estimate fuel burn, time enroute, etc.

The magellan 315 pissed me off for the last time and I bought a garmin 60cs. The magellan just about got tossed out of the ultralight. I ended up giving it away. The garmin product actually WORKS, -and has NEVER failed to find satellites, and has NEVER lost stored data. :yelclap:

Oh, and yeah, it's also been dropped once, -and it's been exposed to rain, and freezing temperatures for extended periods of time. The LCD display get's tough to read when it is cold, -but it ALWAYS works, -unlike the magellan.

I gotta say, -I'm sold on Garmin, -I think their product is better.

My .02

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I recently got a Magellan CrossoverGPS and was able to use it on my trip to Winterfest last week. Not only does it work well for street (turn-by-turn directions), but it also worked well for me in topographic mode on the trails. So far I am very happy with it. I can also add marine maps if I ever have the need. I haven't used it for geocaching yet, but it seems that it will work well for that as well........but I will test that out soon.

I wanted one device that could do it all, and I think I found it

my 2 cents

 

[Ray H]

I recently got a Magellan CrossoverGPS and was able to use it on my trip to Winterfest last week. Not only does it work well for street (turn-by-turn directions), but it also worked well for me in topographic mode on the trails. So far I am very happy with it. I can also add marine maps if I ever have the need. I haven't used it for geocaching yet, but it seems that it will work well for that as well........but I will test that out soon.

I wanted one device that could do it all, and I think I found it

my 2 cents

If you seriously start Geocaching, you will get another GPS. Heres why, batteries. I think the Crossover has an internal battery that is only good on its own for an hour or so. Thats whats going to kill you on a full day of Geocaching. Anything with a color screen is going to use alot of power, at least with most handhelds, you can change the batteries, most vehicle mounted GPSs, you cant even do that.
Like I said, you can find GPSs that will do it all, just not well. If you really want to Geocache or hike, get yourself a cheap (-$100) basic handheld, it will work alot better than a compromise GPS.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

8 hour internal battery....is what it is spec'd at. haven't tested it for that long, but i have run it for 3-4 hours on the battery with plenty of juice to go.

then again, geocaching was not my primary use........mapping offroad trails and turn-by-turn was. for the limited geocaching/hiking i do, this unit will work just fine for me.....and i will always have a vehicle nearby to recharge if needed

If you seriously start Geocaching, you will get another GPS. Heres why, batteries. I think the Crossover has an internal battery that is only good on its own for an hour or so. Thats whats going to kill you on a full day of Geocaching. Anything with a color screen is going to use alot of power, at least with most handhelds, you can change the batteries, most vehicle mounted GPSs, you cant even do that.
Like I said, you can find GPSs that will do it all, just not well. If you really want to Geocache or hike, get yourself a cheap (-$100) basic handheld, it will work alot better than a compromise GPS.

 

[Ray H]

8 hour internal battery....is what it is spec'd at. haven't tested it for that long, but i have run it for 3-4 hours on the battery with plenty of juice to go.

then again, geocaching was not my primary use........mapping offroad trails and turn-by-turn was. for the limited geocaching/hiking i do, this unit will work just fine for me.....and i will always have a vehicle nearby to recharge if needed

My Garmin Nuvi says the internal battery lasts 4 to 8 hours. I guess it could go 4 hours sitting in one place without punching anything in, but in real life, moving around and using the features, its lucky to go 2 hours.
Im just saying that if anyone plans to use their GPS primarily for Geocaching or handheld navigation, a vehicle GPS is not a good choice and I'll even go further and say that I would stay away from color screens in a handheld GPS because they generally go through batteries about twice as fast as balck and white. It does make a difference over a day or two of constant use or a life time of use.

 

[98XJSport]

Does anyone have any experience with the Garmin eTrex Legend? This is on my list of things to get before spring gets here.

 

[Ray H]

Does anyone have any experience with the Garmin eTrex Legend? This is on my list of things to get before spring gets here.

I have an Etrex Legend that I Geocache and hike with. Its a nice unit for the money. If you shop around you can find the Adventure Pack that includes the GPS, Topo software, vehicle adaptor and USB cable for $189. Thats not bad for a mapping GPS and software.
It took me while to get used to going through the screens. My first GPS (which I still have and enjoy using) is a Garmin GPS12. The Legend is totally different so it takes me awhile to figure things out when I switch back and forth.
I know of several people that have Etrex's and the only reoccuring complaint is that they arent completely watertight. Ive dunked mine a time or two and its been in the rain with me a few times, I personally havent had a problem with it.