Magellan GPS - Looking for model recommendations

Author

Looking for model recommendations

GWood

2005-11-14, 11:48 pm

'Fraid this is another newbie post, and I'll certainly accept an FAQ is one
is available.

My applications for a GPS are dual :

1 - Hiking, snowshoeing and mountian biking. Would like to be able to plot
return trips and be able to import topo maps to determine hiking routes.
Distance and direction essential, elevation is a nice-to-have.

2 - Property boundary searches. Would like to be able to find unmarked
property boundaries using the described lat/long information on property
deeds. For example we have a boundary description on some rural property
that starts at one spot and proceeds in a "SW direction for XX yards to
point <lat/long>". We'd like to find that second spot.

Naturally the unit would have to be portable, but tiny is not essential as
we are almost always backpacking. Weather resistant is also good. Must be
fairly practical too, these activities tend to abuse sensitive instruments.
Also, are rechargable batteries a norm now?

Thanks much for any help
Gary

Pieter Litchfield

2005-11-14, 11:48 pm

Gary:

I will give you some general answers to avoid the traditional "magellan VS
Garmin" debate that often rears its ugly head when someone asks for a
purchase suggestion.

Almost all GPSs today would fill the bill. For hiking and biking, a small
unit with a solid handlebar mount would be good. There are several that
fit - I have a Magellan Explorist that would work fine, and Garmin makes
several models that would be equally desirable. You may wish to further
refine your criteria - is a color screen desired? Recharable battery vs AA?
Detail background maps? (both Garmin and Magellan offer detailed regional
topo map software add-ons)

Snowshoeing may present one challenge to all GPSs - the screens "go numb" at
cold temperatures (won't display or won't display rapidly). Look at the
cold weather limits of the units that otherwise impress you. I often keep
mine in an inside parka pocket, but I can't read it there and my body will
block some signal.

The boundary line problem can be solved by any GPS. If you want to go to a
particular lat, long point, I think any retail GPS will be able to give you
a bearing from where you are now to there that you can then follow on a
compass until the distance is 0 feet/meters. I am glad you didn't say you
wanted to use it to hang signs on the line, because retail GPS has
accuracies under the best of circumstances of about 3 meters (approximately
+/- 9 feet) with WAAS accuracy enhancement features active (most current
GPSs offer this). So you could be off your fenceline by a bit. But if you
are just using it to navigate to a markerd corner or other known point and
then mark the line by finding old postings, that's a perfect application for
any GPS.

"GWood" <sorry@nothere.com> wrote in message
news:2K7ef.14$As2.97@news-west.eli.net...
> 'Fraid this is another newbie post, and I'll certainly accept an FAQ is
> one
> is available.
>
> My applications for a GPS are dual :
>
> 1 - Hiking, snowshoeing and mountian biking. Would like to be able to
> plot
> return trips and be able to import topo maps to determine hiking routes.
> Distance and direction essential, elevation is a nice-to-have.
>
> 2 - Property boundary searches. Would like to be able to find unmarked
> property boundaries using the described lat/long information on property
> deeds. For example we have a boundary description on some rural property
> that starts at one spot and proceeds in a "SW direction for XX yards to
> point <lat/long>". We'd like to find that second spot.
>
> Naturally the unit would have to be portable, but tiny is not essential as
> we are almost always backpacking. Weather resistant is also good. Must
> be
> fairly practical too, these activities tend to abuse sensitive
> instruments.
> Also, are rechargable batteries a norm now?
>
> Thanks much for any help
> Gary
>
>

GWood

2005-11-14, 11:48 pm

Thank you Pieter

I think 3m is plenty of accuracy for my purposes. I would hope to be able
to locate survey stakes within a few meters of a "defined" property corner.

The cold weather consideration is worth noting - thanks for the head's up on
that. I also forgot to ask about screen illumination, but I'll check into
that when I find a few for a short list. I'll have to ensure the screen
visibility is OK at night and in cold, as failing light is my biggest
concern when snowshoeing.

Do GPS units have a compass integrated with them? I assume you'd have to
hold it stationary for a time, but would it then be able to point to
magnetic north? I ask because one of the areas we want to establish
property boundaries has large deposits of iron in the area, and I've always
wondered if the compass readings would be accurate.

I am hoping that I can find a unit that will allow for downloads of topo
maps as well, so progress made on the ground can be mapped to visual
topology in the area.

I have no brand preference at this point. It appears the marketplace is so
tight and the technology is changing so fast, making a "newbie" purchase
decision is mostly dependent on educated guesses and good advice.

Cheers
Gary

"Pieter Litchfield" <pvcl@*nospam*plitch.com> wrote in message
news:ca9ef.2074$JQ.1172@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Gary:
>
> I will give you some general answers to avoid the traditional "magellan VS
> Garmin" debate that often rears its ugly head when someone asks for a
> purchase suggestion.
>
> Almost all GPSs today would fill the bill. For hiking and biking, a small
> unit with a solid handlebar mount would be good. There are several that
> fit - I have a Magellan Explorist that would work fine, and Garmin makes
> several models that would be equally desirable. You may wish to further
> refine your criteria - is a color screen desired? Recharable battery vs
AA?
> Detail background maps? (both Garmin and Magellan offer detailed regional
> topo map software add-ons)
>
> Snowshoeing may present one challenge to all GPSs - the screens "go numb"
at
> cold temperatures (won't display or won't display rapidly). Look at the
> cold weather limits of the units that otherwise impress you. I often keep
> mine in an inside parka pocket, but I can't read it there and my body will
> block some signal.
>
> The boundary line problem can be solved by any GPS. If you want to go to
a
> particular lat, long point, I think any retail GPS will be able to give
you
> a bearing from where you are now to there that you can then follow on a
> compass until the distance is 0 feet/meters. I am glad you didn't say you
> wanted to use it to hang signs on the line, because retail GPS has
> accuracies under the best of circumstances of about 3 meters
(approximately[color
=darkred]
> +/- 9 feet) with WAAS accuracy enhancement features active (most current
> GPSs offer this). So you could be off your fenceline by a bit. But if[/color]
you
> are just using it to navigate to a markerd corner or other known point and
> then mark the line by finding old postings, that's a perfect application
for
> any GPS.
>
>
> "GWood" <sorry@nothere.com> wrote in message
> news:2K7ef.14$As2.97@news-west.eli.net...
property[color=darkr
ed]
as[color=darkred]
>
>

Pieter Litchfield

2005-11-15, 5:48 pm

Some (a few) GPSs use a "real" compass. Almost all show a compass that
requires user movement to determine direction (satellite based, not
magnetic). At slow walking speeds or a standstill these are not very
helpful. Driving around in your car or on a bike they are more useful.

In keeping with the :always be prepared" credo, you should carry paper maps
and a magnetic compass for safety when hiking in wild areas, - you never
know when the GPS might die. I have a Magellan Explorist 600 with a
electronic compass on board. It works fine, but uses power (shortens LI-Ion
battery life). I always carry a magnetic compass and get a
heading-to-traget from the GPS, then follow it with the compass. Walk a
distance, get another GPS heading, follow it, etc.

There are several model (various brands) that allow the download of detailed
topo maps. For example, both Garmin and Magellan offer these software
packages for specific models. Note that Garmin software will NOT work with
Magellan units, and vice versa. Also, the form of the data is uniques and
while it is possible to download other topo maps to the GPS, it is very
difficult for the average user to accomplish this. For most purposes, the
topo maps provided by the GPS manufacturer are your only real choice. These
maps may vary in quality by region.. Here in upstate NY, the Magellan
MapSend Topo 3D USA works fine for my purposes. I don't know about the
Garmin product. I have seen comments from other parts of the country that
say that the maps from manufacturer are better then from Y, and in other
comments from other places the opposite. It might be useful to ask about
map software quality to this group of local users specific to your location.

"GWood" <sorry@nothere.com> wrote in message
news:Blaef.24$As2.97@news-west.eli.net...
> Thank you Pieter
>
> I think 3m is plenty of accuracy for my purposes. I would hope to be able
> to locate survey stakes within a few meters of a "defined" property
> corner.
>
> The cold weather consideration is worth noting - thanks for the head's up
> on
> that. I also forgot to ask about screen illumination, but I'll check into
> that when I find a few for a short list. I'll have to ensure the screen
> visibility is OK at night and in cold, as failing light is my biggest
> concern when snowshoeing.
>
> Do GPS units have a compass integrated with them? I assume you'd have to
> hold it stationary for a time, but would it then be able to point to
> magnetic north? I ask because one of the areas we want to establish
> property boundaries has large deposits of iron in the area, and I've
> always
> wondered if the compass readings would be accurate.
>
> I am hoping that I can find a unit that will allow for downloads of topo
> maps as well, so progress made on the ground can be mapped to visual
> topology in the area.
>
> I have no brand preference at this point. It appears the marketplace is
> so
> tight and the technology is changing so fast, making a "newbie" purchase
> decision is mostly dependent on educated guesses and good advice.
>
> Cheers
> Gary
>
> "Pieter Litchfield" <pvcl@*nospam*plitch.com> wrote in message
> news:ca9ef.2074$JQ.1172@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> AA?
> at
> a
> you
> (approximately
> you
> for
> property
> as
>
>

ErictheRed

2005-11-26, 11:48 pm

I carry 3 gps just in case!

and a compass and map-though I dont no what help that will be.

"Pieter Litchfield" <pvcl@*nospam*plitch.com> wrote in message
news:Admef.2901$uC3.38@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Some (a few) GPSs use a "real" compass. Almost all show a compass that
> requires user movement to determine direction (satellite based, not
> magnetic). At slow walking speeds or a standstill these are not very
> helpful. Driving around in your car or on a bike they are more useful.
>
> In keeping with the :always be prepared" credo, you should carry paper
> maps and a magnetic compass for safety when hiking in wild areas, - you
> never know when the GPS might die. I have a Magellan Explorist 600 with a
> electronic compass on board. It works fine, but uses power (shortens
> LI-Ion battery life). I always carry a magnetic compass and get a
> heading-to-traget from the GPS, then follow it with the compass. Walk a
> distance, get another GPS heading, follow it, etc.
>
> There are several model (various brands) that allow the download of
> detailed topo maps. For example, both Garmin and Magellan offer these
> software packages for specific models. Note that Garmin software will NOT
> work with Magellan units, and vice versa. Also, the form of the data is
> uniques and while it is possible to download other topo maps to the GPS,
> it is very difficult for the average user to accomplish this. For most
> purposes, the topo maps provided by the GPS manufacturer are your only
> real choice. These maps may vary in quality by region.. Here in upstate
> NY, the Magellan MapSend Topo 3D USA works fine for my purposes. I don't
> know about the Garmin product. I have seen comments from other parts of
> the country that say that the maps from manufacturer are better then from
> Y, and in other comments from other places the opposite. It might be
> useful to ask about map software quality to this group of local users
> specific to your location.
>
>
> "GWood" <sorry@nothere.com> wrote in message
> news:Blaef.24$As2.97@news-west.eli.net...
>
>

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