Exceptional Service from Magellan
Guess I must be very lucky with my Magellan. Never had any software problems and the one firmware problem I had (my fault for not following the directions) they cleared it up in a matter of days (as in 7 R/T)AND sent me, COST-FREE, the optional DC power cord w/laptop connector.
As far as creating your own maps on Magellan check out www.travelbygps.com. Plenty of FREE programs there plus some for Garmin and other GPS.
OK,
Do you have a Sony PSP?? They are coming out with a GPS attachment that gives you full maping. Then you can have a portable gaming machine, mp3 player, movie player, gps all in one unit.
visit
the geocaching.com forums and hit their GPS board. HEAPS of bad Magellan reviews over there. Lots of good Garmin reviews (along with a few bad ones, too).
Thanks but content
and happy with my 330M. I have no interest in Garmins nor geocaching.
Garmin 76CSX
I’d say the 76CSX is the way to go. It has outstanding reception, expandible memory and it floats.
Garmin’s software for driving, City Navigator, is excellent. Though Magellan offers software that autoroutes in your car, Garmin’s is superior on many counts.
You can also run something like Garmin Mapsource Topo and/or Recreational Lakes for paddling as they will show lakes and streams that City Navigator doesn’t.
Maps not wiped out on Garmin
Loading new maps will wipe out the existing map, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have both.
As long as they are loaded together, you can load multiple Mapsource maps to any Garmin mapping unit. If you want marine maps like Bluechart, Inland Lakes, Recreational Lakes and Fishing Hotspots as well City Navigator and/or Mapsource Topo, no problem. They will run concurrently on your Garmin.
I’m running City Navigator, Mapsource Topo and Recreational Lakes on my unit right now and I switch to whichever one I need at the moment. City Navigator for driving (its a fantastic software package), Topo for hiking and Rec Lakes for paddling and fishing.
Not cumbersome at all
I’ve owned several Garmin units and switching between road and handheld use is not difficult at all. It takes a few button pushes and about 20 seconds to do.
I’m not sure what Magellan means by the "first"crossover unit.
The Garmin Quest and Quest II offer voice prompted driving directions and can be converted to handheld use for the trail or boat in a matter of seconds. The Quest has been on the market for a few years and the Quest II at least a year. Their only negative as far as I can see is that they use internal rechargable batteries rather than easily replacable AAs.
While units like the 76CSX and 60CSX are not perfect for driving directions, they work remarkably well. Sure there are no voice prompts (actually I find that annoying) and keying in address, etc… is a bit more involved than with the dedicated dashboard units, but they will get you from point A to point B just fine.
my pick
Magellan explorist XL. Big easy to read “Color” screen, uses NORMAL batteries. SD card, waterproof, shock proof, mine fell off my motorcycle at about 50MPH on a dirt road and was fine, I was however pissd off at the “LOBSTER” mount that was supposedly made for that kind of thing!! It also does turn by turn navigation using the different software available.
Garmin 60CS
recalculates and autoroutes on the fly while I’m driving if I should miss a turn.