I am looking into buying a gps receiver. I want a unit that is user friendly and I want
to be able to print maps. I have heard of units that show elevation and are able to
print 3D maps. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Handyman, I just got the Magellan Meridian color and I love it. It is very easy to use and you can customize the screens for the info you want. In order to print out maps you are gonna need Mapsend topo or streets and destinations for the Magellans.

 

I've got the Magellan Platinum and it came with MapSend Topo. I selected Topo instead of streets because I don't use the GPS to find someone's address. But it still has all the roads in it. By leaving your tracking on, you can download the info from your GPS into MapSend on your computer and have a track of where you've been. I'm sure other GPS units do the same thing. I love mine, but the downside is it's bigger and bulkier than the eTrex. But it does seem to have a better antenna than the eTrex. I can sit inside in my living room and pick up at least 4 satellites. Some have problems picking up satellites even under trees. The Platinum is more expensive, but I wanted the digital compass. I don't have to start walking for it to give me a bearing. I can turn it while standing in one spot and it will show directions to whatever waypoint I have stored. It's also very accurate in giving speed measuerments.

 

First of all, check out gpsinformation.net. There is alot of good info in there.

For mapping, the Garmin eTrex vista, GPSMAP 76s or the Magellan Meridian Color or Platinum all work well. The Garmin -vs- Magellan issue really comes down to available maps. It has been said that the Garmin topo maps are better than the Magellan (Comparison review here) If you want color, there is no other choice, Meridian Color is it. If you are concerned about size, the eTrex Vista is much smaller. One of the major advantages to the Meridians is the removeable media cards. This enables you to have more maps and more tracking capability. There are very few diferences between the Meridian Color and Platinum besides color so, I would elect for the Platinum as it is considerably cheaper(about $275 compared to $400).

I use a friends GPSMAP 76S for trail mapping and it works reallly well but, I think if I were to buy one today I would get the Meridian Platinum as it has the best bang for buck at the moment. You will need to buy the software that goes along with it (Mapsend for Magellan or Mapsource for Garmin) in order to print your maps. You could use 3rd party software as well (I have National Geographics Topo! State modual for Utah that is very comprehensive. I also prefer it's shaded relief view to get a feeling for depth.) These will not allow you to upload the tops to your gps reciver though - but, you can download your waypoints and tracklogs to the software. Here are some sample images from the Piute trail area. Each one is a little more zoomed in(These are sort of big files):
First Second Third

HTH

MX

 

I like the platinum series with waz-enable has a tighter acurassy area. There is also a Rhino GPS out that has topo maps along with streets as necessary. It also has a FRS radio built in if you and your buddy has one the Rhino can locate him, pinpoint him on the display so you can tell where he is. Cool stuff they are coming out with these days.