gps help, help me undertand and buy

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Sep 7, 2006 | 07:24 PM

#31

tencubed

Extreme Pro Rider
Being retired is a hoot!

Joined: Mar 2004

Posts: 3,430

Likes: 0

gps help, help me undertand and buy

Quote:

Originally posted by: CaptainQuint

Quote:

Originally posted by: montyh
i always carry topo maps and compass anyway, no matter which gps i have working. i am always fully prepared to navigate with paper maps if need be. the Garmin Mapsource is 100k, so detail is not great at all. if it were a serious matter you should have 24k maps and compass to work with. it would be risky to try cross country navigating with just the 100k map. so i guess i can't agree with using the current gps systems in our price range for a safety device. monty

Wise advice. Everyone should know how to to navigate with a map and compass. Might be a fun thing for your riding group to do sometime. Turn off the GPS units, drag out the maps and compasses and start trying to navigate the old fashioned way again at least a time or two a year to keep sharp. Never know when that GPS will quit or get bounced off a rock when you're out on a trip. That's when your map and compass and the skills to use the properly will serve you well. Besides they only weigh a couple of ounces after all and orienteering is a lot of fun. A lot more fun that geocaching I always thought which I never found too thrilling.

Couple of very good posts here. Very few of the riders I go out with can tell which way is North with a watch or about what time it is with a compass when the sun is visible. Even fewer have the ability to backtrack themselves since they never look behind them as they travel. I do like GPS and use it as a handy tool when out on the boat. May even add one to the quad as backtracking is really easy with a course plotter that leaves a trail. But a good compass, I have an ex-army unit my uncle carried in Africa in WW2, is one thing that should always be in a survival pack.

Sep 12, 2006 | 05:01 PM

#32

eksob

Weekend Warrior

Joined: Sep 2006

Posts: 6

Likes: 0

gps help, help me undertand and buy

Great information in this thread.

After reading through everyone's posts, and doing a little research I think the eXplorist Series is what I am looking for...but I am not really sure. My budget is 100-200$, and it is mainly used for ATV riding in the mountains. I want the device to be able to withstand a lot of vibration, and any type of weather. The Magellan eXplorist 500, looks really nice with the color screen.

I also like the weather feature, do all the eXplorists have it? I didn't see it on the feature list, but I know I read the 300 had it. It is nice to have the speed because I don't have a speed-o-meter on my ATV. If anyone else has any recommendations, I will check them out as well.

Thanks

Sep 12, 2006 | 05:06 PM

#33

alwaysride

Thread Starter

Pro Rider

Joined: Dec 2003

Posts: 1,057

Likes: 1

gps help, help me undertand and buy

yup, i think the exploris series is what im looking at also.

Sep 13, 2006 | 01:53 PM

#34

eksob

Weekend Warrior

Joined: Sep 2006

Posts: 6

Likes: 0

gps help, help me undertand and buy

So now I am comparing these two models:

Magellen eXplorist 600 or Magellan eXplorist XL Large-Screen

with

Garmin GPSMap 60CSx

The major difference to me is the features, and +/- $50.00, but I found a couple places that are reliable with a nice price. I think the Magellen 600 they had listed for $300.00 which is a good price from what I can tell. They are both higher than what I wanted to spend, but I do want to be happy with my purchase, and not have to worry about "upgrading" later.

After reading some reviews, a major concern is connectivity, screensize, expandability with maps, and cost. I am a technological person, so complicated units or longer learning curves is not something I care about.

Out of the two I have compared above, which one would you guys recommend?