Hello Boys & Girls, After many months of pondering which GPS unit to buy , i've got it down to just a few, or at least i hope i have. I'm looking hard at the Magellan Meridan Color @ $210 after rebate. But would like some feedback from someone who has used one or has an input on this unit, especially the color aspect, as compared to greyscale. Also info on the Mapsend Topo, & how it shows up on the screen. Would it be an asset to Topo maps, or how would it be ok used alone without any maps? I can get this for $54 after rebate. Also like the Magellan Meridan Platinum, which has the three axis electronic compass & the barometer that the color unit doesn't have, greyscale screen, $199 after rebate. I like the Magellan SportTrak Color, but you wouldn't have expandable memory. My plans are to map ATV trails all over this country , as long as i'm able. May go from one state to another then to another, so seems i would like a lot of mb
as i won't have a computer handy. Will use GPS on some big reservoirs here in Oklahoma also.
Will probably be used on some hiking trails, no geocaching or anything like that, but it does look like it would be fun. Those are the main uses , so i welcome any comments or suggestions any of you may have. Need quick info as the rebates expire on 02/02/04. Garmin has some dandy units out now too, i won't even get into that now, but if i go with Magellan i'd better hurry.
Regards, Jerico1

 

magellan is good name. I have 3 garmins the 15, 3plus, and rino120. I find all of the new GPS work great. The Magellan will freeze faster than garmins.

 

After conducting extensive research for the Air Force, and years of personal use, I would recommend the Garmin products. The first systems I used in the outdoors (Trimble) ran on a 4 pound battery pack, and used up most of the space in a daypack. My current favorite is the Garmin Legend (around $199), but it depends on what you want a GPSr to do for you. If you're serious about mapping, Garmin will be releasing their new models in about a week. I understand that they have somewhere in the neighborhood of 57 Megs of memory for maps, data, etc. Since my personal GPSr's have between 8 and 16 Megs available, I know that I could store a lot of data without any worries, and still have a lot of room for miscellaneous data - tracks, trailing, etc. The color screens are not very good on any of the GPSr's yet, most pocket PC's beat them out in that area.
If you're new to the GPS world, I recommend buying a cheaper unit that has what you want, and you will learn what you really want as you are using it. There is always a market for reasonably priced used models when you are ready to upgrade, and you want to trade up!
If you want to have a little fun while using your GPSr, check out www.geocaching.com

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]Thanks for the replies , guess not many have much experience with the units i mentioned. Had to make a decision today & went with the Magellan Meridan Color @ $194 after rebate, it retails for $449 at Cabela's & other places. Also got Mapsend Topo USA @ $64, Mapsend Streets & Destinations USA @ $59.95, Sandisk 128 MB Secure Digital @$45, Power Cable w/ Cigarette Lighter Adapter @$9.95, & a nice carrying case for $10.99. I'll use these with maps when i can get them, & a compass, to double check one on unit. No more getting lost in the high desert country in western Ariz., i hope. Will use this unit in conjunction with my PC, its gonna be fun. All the above had rebates, thank goodness. Will be looking at Ram Mounts later on. Unit comes with PC cable & CD ROM instructions. Regards, Jerico1