RE: Garmin GPS or Megellan GPS?

[LoadedCamera]

 
Well, I m looking to dive into the world of GPS.
 
 I have narrowed it down to the following:
 
 Garmin eTrek Vista
 Magellan Meridian Platinum
 
 Has anybody used either of these and if so, what are some opinions?
 
 They each have things I like.  The perfect solution would be to combine the 2 into one..
 
 Thanks.

[wahoonc]

 LoadedCamera
We have both Garmin E-trex  and a Magellan unit at work. My personal preference is the E-trex, just seems simpler to use. We have the Legend model. I plan on buying my own one of these days[8D]
 
 Aaron[]

[LoadedCamera]

 LoadedCamera
My biggest concern is how much data I can load on each device.
 
 The Garmin has 24mb of memory.
 
 The Megellan uses SDcard memory up to 64mb.  But this is cheap memory and I can buy a couple of 64mb cards.. One for local maps (I get lost alot), one for our waterfalls, one for planning trips, etc...
 
 They are the same price for the hardware, but the map CD s are different prices..
 
 When you get ready to spend $400+, you just try to make the right decision..
 
 Thanks,
 

[popupcop]

 LoadedCamera
I have the etrex Legend and am very happy with it.
 
 I purchased the Garmin/Mapsource To-po Maps with the etrex and they are awful!  Locations I know like the back of my hand have roads and streams out of place.  There is very little detail on the maps and I feel generally ripped-of on the mapping software.  
 
 FirefighterEMT is a good source of information about GPSr units.  Also here is a GPSr hobby website with a message board that can answer most of your questions...    http://www.geocaching.com

[rajones315]

 LoadedCamera
Just an FYI,
 
 I have the Magellan Meridian and I love it.  I have a 32 Mb card in it and it holds all of NY State & all of Mass.  I have the Topo software - worth getting if you hike a lot.  With a 64 Mb Card, you should be able to uplink 1/4 of the country.  You ll want to put as much data on it as you ll need at once because uplink times can be hours - especially for that much data.
 
 If you use it for driving, you ll want the car adapter - Battery life is about 8 hours - not bad for just 2 AA batteries.

[LoadedCamera]

 rajones315
How are the Topo Maps for the Magellen?  Are they accurate?  
 
 I am looking for something that will give me good details, and also have good maps.  Later on, I will add the City s and State maps.  
 
 I like the Magellen due to the memory card configuration.  The SD Memory Cards are getting cheap and it would be possible to have a memory card for each area.
 
 We like to hike waterfalls and do nature photography, so it would be extremely useful to be able to save a location with a name.  Then upload this information to the Notebook/PC for saving.
 
 

[Redwolf]

 LoadedCamera
I ve also got a Magellan Meridian Gold...fantastic unit.   Like RAJones, we bought an extra 32M SD chip for it.  I ve got a huge chunk detailed, street level maps of Texas, nearly all of Arizona, 1/2 of New Mexico and 1/2 of Utah loaded into it. [8D]
 
 The maps, loaded from the Magellan " MapSend Streets & Destinations for the USA" , are fairly accurate, and seem to be fairly recent, too.  
 
 The Magellan went on it s inaugural trip with us to Lighthouse Lakes Trails SP, TX.  It came in very handy paddling around the kayak trails.  I d hand entered all the trail markers from a map of the trail prior to leaving (no one had them on the Net...TravelByGPS.com does now...I sent them to him).   Several times in the marsh we would have gotten lost because the trail markers had been removed.
 
 Next week we re taking the unit on our spring trip, white water rafting down the Grand Canyon.   It s a durable and waterproof unit.
 
 OH!  One more nice feature...when using it in the car, we put it on the dash to get satellite lock. Once it has the lock, it sits on the seat or in our laps, and even in the cab of the truck it still picks up the satellites.  GREAT for roadtrips!!
 
 Hooks into the laptop and works with MS Streets and Trips, too.
 
 We definitely recommend it!
 
 

[LoadedCamera]

 LoadedCamera
Well, I have placed my order for the Magellan Platinum and the MapSend Topo Maps and the PC Interface cable with Cigarette adapter.
 
 It should be here in a couple of days.  Ready for the Mountain trip this weekend!!!
 
 I should be set.  I m figuring its going to take quite awhile to learn how to use something like this.  At least to half of its capacity.
 
 I m looking forward to being able to document where the waterfalls and interesting natural locations are that I want to go back to later for Photography purposes...
 
 Also, I ve been pouring over www.geocaching.com and see a bunch of family related trips coming up..
 
 Hope it is as much fun as I think it will be.
 

[Redwolf]

 LoadedCamera
I downloaded the Grand Canyon routes and tracks from [link=www.travelbygps.com]Travel by GPS[/link].  One thing I noted was that I couldn t load the entire Bright Angel Trail into the GPS as a route...it only accepts 31 waypoints, and the route had 146.   So I converted the route to waypoints, then created 5 routes of 30 or less points, and loaded them up to the GPS.  
 
 All this was done using the demo of ExpertGPS software.
 
 I think we re good to go for the Grand Canyon trip now!

[LoadedCamera]

 LoadedCamera
Just an update...  
 
 First, I must confess my sins..  We went to the Mountains for the weekend and stayed in a...  GASP! ...  Hotel!!!  
 
 Okay, now that I have that off my chest, lets discuss the GPS!
 
 This little device is fantastic!!  It is amazing at the amount of information that can be put on a little memory card!  I have been playing with as many of the features as I can.  There is soo much to learn about this type of device.
 
 I am planning on having it with me all the time.  I see many ways to use it in normal daily life.
 
 If you hike, or canoe, or just travel alot, I would highly recommend the purchase of a GPS..
 
 Now, I just need to find the MapSend Cities and Streets software....  I have the MapSend Topo for US software...

[Redwolf]

 LoadedCamera
Our Meridian came in VERY handy on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon.  Not so much for  where are we  questions, but rather " we ve gone 5 miles but only gained 800 feet in elevation, and have another five miles and 3200 feet elevation to go!" .

[JemJen24]

 LoadedCamera
I have a friends Meridian and find it very user friendly.  As far as Geocaching is concerned....LOVE IT!  Free, fun, and exciting.  Should be really fun for the kiddo s too!
 
 J. []

[maromeo]

 LoadedCamera
Just purchased a Magellan Sprotrack Map for DH for father s day. He doesn t know yet.[] He wants to use it for measuring off acre parcels on our property and also for traveling this summer.
 
 What additional software do you recommend?
 Where did you purchase the software?
 What other accessories do you recommend?
 
 Any info would be helpful. Thanks.
 Mary

[Firefyter-Emt]

 LoadedCamera
I gotta tell you, if you want to buy a real GPS.. take a peek at the Garmin V. I don t know what I would do without it.. I have logged almost 50,000 miles on mine locating 10 +/- places a day for the last year.. Amazing, it never fails me.. You can also use it as a handheld. This unit comes with a dash base, computer cable, and a car charger..
 
 I really think this is the best one out there when it comes to size and function.. Sure, a laptop would be better.. but it is too big to " drive"  with.. I have found by using mine daily the best way to view one is slightly to the right of your line of vision.. If you place it too far out of that line of vision you will have trouble " reading"  it as quick as you need to drive the least distracted..
 
 PS, this one comes with all the software you need for streets and they have an addtional Topo maps for sale

[SimiRich]

 maromeo
maromeo
 
 I purchased a Magellan Platinum with Mapsend Topo software and love it. It is highly accurate and a " Real"  GPS (smiling [] at Firefyter-Emt). I purchased everything from Amazon.com and make sure you check Magellan s web site for rebates!  
 
 I also bought a SD card for my Platinum for memory storgage and a serial connector to link the GPS to my computer so I can download more detailed maps to it. If your husband is in the car a lot, you may want to purchase a cigarette lighter power adapter as these units EAT batteries.