I am a recreation ultra-cyclist (long distance cycling), with a degree in computer engineering and a love of electronics - specifically microcontrollers. I've always been interested in solving problems or improving the experience I have in various activities. One thing I would like for my cycling involves GPS and I've been looking at OEM GPS modules for my design.
Recently I had a birthday, a little cash to spend willy-nilly, and was perusing Sam's Club (a membership warehouse owned by Walmart) in the electronics section. They had the Magellan eXplorist 400 GPS with the included topo 3D, memory card, and carrying case for just under $200. I knew the topo software was worth $100 alone (assuming it was any good), and the GPS certianly was worth $100, so I purchased it as my first GPS unit. I rationalized the purchse by considering that if I create a GPS device for cycling then I should understand what features most current GPS users expect.
After I played with it for a few minutes I realized it does a lot more than GPS receivers of old did. Exploring prices online I found that it was an exceptional deal for the complete package. This is a great GPS unit to purchase.
Please note that this is the first GPS unit I have owned and used, so you may take this as a beginner's review.
The explorist series includes 7 models. 100-300 do not have memory cards, use regular batteries instead of lithium ion rechargables, and do not natively support computer connections (though there are adaptors for a set of communication pads in the battery compartment if you want to experiment). The 400-600 have SD card slots to hold a huge amount of mapping data, include lithium-ion batteries, and all support USB connections to your computer. The 500 is just the 400 but with a color screen, and the 600 adds a real compass, thermometer and barometer to the 500. The XL is a 500 with a larger screen and uses regular batteries instead of the rechargables. I do not know about the computer connectivity or memory card usage of the XL, but that can be discovered at the Magellan website.
It seems that
it supports the most common GPS features - set waypoints, goto
waypoints, tracking logs, saving, editing and viewing tracking logs,
turning logs into routes, reversing routes (to find your way back, also
called backtracking), projections (you can map a waypoint a certain
distance and bearing from another waypoint or from your current
location - great for orienteering). It has a 4 basic screens -
mapping, compass, location info, and satellite info. The menus
are fairly well organized, but I do have some trouble locating the
options I want without refering to the manual. The user interface
is very simple, but hides a lot of complexity so some advanced
operations take more than a few button presses to accomplish.
The topo software included is an older version that doesn't support the eXplorist natively. You save the maps you make to the hard drive, then use a map conversion program to move them to the SD card or the built in GPS memory. I don't seem to have the 3D view option available on the PC at the moment, and haven't taken the time to troubleshoot it. There are various patches on the Magellan website, so it's not a plug-n-play operation.
Once you have a detailed map of your area in the GPS, however, it becomes significantly more useful! I can now search for addresses, restaurants (and by type), gas stations, ATMs, banks, etc. It doesn't do point to point routing (additional software called directroute is required) but with the location and detailed maps, I doubt I'll ever need that functionality. Quite frankly the interface is rather simple (and limiting) for routing and if I did that on a regular basis I'd want a GPS designed for it. Having this much built into such an inexpensive swiss-army-knife type GPS is great for the occasional need!
I've finally found my first Geocache with this unit, as well. It touts geocaching specific features - there's a PC program that manages GPX and LOC files included. The geocaches are stored in a special geocaching waypoint file that allows more information that the normal waypoints allow for geocaching specific items (geocache number, name, hints, etc). I was able to get 5 LOC files from geocaching.com, and had them on the unit fairly quickly. They show up on the unit as little box icons, and it's neat to see them with my house and work on there. I've also entered a few geocaches in by hand. You cannot add to, delete from, or edit entries in the geocaching file, so I added a few regular waypoints representing geocaches when I didn't have my PC link cable with me. It's fairly easy, but entering names with a joystick is time consuming. I stick with the cache id, and then the coordinates and it works well.
The PC link cable is USB, and you'll need to install the software before you attach it. Be aware that the cable can be attached to the GPS unit two ways. You'll want to attach it so the cable goes down the back of the unit. When attached the GPS asks whether you want to use it like a disk drive, and if so whether you want to access the internal memory or the SD card. Alternately you can choose the NMEA serial port mode which sets up a serial port on the system for regular GPS programs to get data from. Lastly you can simply set it up to charge the GPS from the USB port.
Mechanically the unit is pretty
small, about the size of a glasses case. The buttons are easy to
handle one handed, and don't easily get unwanted presses, such as when
it's in your pocket. The backlight is great. So far I haven't
used the unit for more than the rated 14 hours on a battery charge, so
I can't weigh in there.
I am very pleased with this unit,
and amzed at the progress GPS has made in a few years. This is a
solid buy, and a good value.