Great GPS Unit for a beginner!
I have expended regarding 4 days doing exploration on GPS units. I had it down to 2 units: Garmin and Magellan. I am new to the GPS market. I principally wanted a GPS unit for hiking. I always fetch a compass and a map with me, but I like exploring places that are not always on the map. I will divide my results into subdivisions which are located below.
1.) Research
I did exploration on all the Garmin and Magellan models. I went with the Magellan Platinum. The Garmin units have actually little screens and the button / joystick configuration wasn't very appealing. I noticed that Garmin came out with a new unit that changed the button layout, and comparable to the Magellan Platinum (Garmin GPSMAP 76S GPS). The Magellan is bigger, but more rugged and more lasting than the Garmin models. I am the type of person who wants all the features. To numerous times I have purchased a version that only had some features only to upgrade to the higher one. So this time I figured I would go for the top of the line Platinum.
2.) Arrival of the Product
As soon as I pulled the Magellan Platinum out of the box, I was impressed. It felt good in my hand. I read the Quick Start Manual. It was pretty straight forward. I went outside and started experimenting plotting points. I in truth wanted to test it out. So I drove around in my car all around town. I looked at all the screens that the unit had to offer (with the car parked). I was impressed with the features I encountered. There was a map view showing your current position. There was a road view which looked like you were driving on a road. There was a speedometer view showing your current speed. There was a compass showing your current direction including the sun's and moon's position. It likewise showed you your approximated time of arrival to your destination according to your speed. There are numerous more screens that I haven't even touched upon yet, but I was starting to turn into a GPS junkie. I wanted to test this thing out in the mountains.
3.) Mountain Test
I went for a hike on a moderately little mountain. I set my waypoint at my truck. I then put the Magellan in my backpack and went exploring. The satellite reception was great even beneath heavy coverage. I reached the top of the mountain, and I was ready to return to my truck. I grabbed the Magellan. There was two ways the Magellan may direct me back to my truck: 1.) I could have employed the backtrack feature 2.) I could have inputted my truck way point. I decisive to go with the truck way point. To my amazement, it put me 5 ft away from my truck. I was psyched!
4.) Conclusion
After the firstborn time using the Platinum in the mountains, I knew I made a great purchase. I was looking forward to using this GPS on more spectacular mountains. I would like to point out a few things to persons giving careful consideration to this unit.
-This unit only eats batteries when you use the backlight. I never applied the light once on my hike. The screen is huge sufficient that you actually don't need it unless you are using it in poor lighting conditions. I would commend that you fetch an extra set of batteries just in case.
-If you are expecting to see very elaborate maps in this unit, don't count on it. It does show major highways, water, airports, and train tracks. It doesn't show side streets or anything like that. You probably have to buy more elaborated map software from Magellan. I would ask them how old the map software is too.
-The Magellan Platinum comes with a quick get started up manual and a supplemental unit. It also comes with the full user's manual, BUT IT IS ON A CD! That is my only complaint regarding the purchase. The CD manual is over 75 pages, so be prepared to use a laser printer or buy extra ink cartridges for your printer. You won't have a problem if you like reading directions off a computer screen.
-I haven't tried to download anything onto the unit, but I am going to buy the Topographic CD (If it is current)
In conclusion, I am glad I purchased this unit. It has all the basic features I wanted, plus so much more. It is very durable, and it is very easy to handle and use. Appalachian Trail......here I come!
Awesome GPS unit!
It took me a very long time (3 months or so) of comparing just with regards to each Garmin and Magellan units before choosing the Meridian Platinum and I am *extremely* pleased with my final decision.
The Meridian Platinum is very easy to use (didn't have to read the manual and this is my initial GPS). I was up and running with it in when it comes to 15 minutes.
I use this GPS for GeoCaching as well as street navigation in the car and it's magnificent for both applications. One of the resolving elements for me was that the Magellan units are not as proprietary as the Garmin ones: for instance, using SanDisk memory cards is possible with Magellan but not Garmin. Considering the price that either Magellan or Garmin charge for those bits of silicon, going with the SanDisk option is a no-brainer.
For street navigation, the MapSend Topo software is a *must have* since the basemap shipping with the Platinum is in truth weak in details. Even even though the MapSend software is a bit outdated, it's still a good buy.
I also purchased a 64Meg SanDisk SD card and a Cruzer SD card reader/writer to stay clear from using the serial connection for loading maps. Works like a charm! Loading a 32 Meg map only takes a few seconds as opposed to hours over the serial link.
I have not experienced any difficulties with the MapSend Topo software or GPS lock-ups as reported by a former reviewer. However, I *did* upgrade the GPS firmware (free download from the Magellan site) before messing with the MapSend Topo software.
While the MapSend Topo software is necessary to upload new maps to the GPS, it's not great to plan trips with it. For that purpose, I find DeLorme's TOPO USA 4.0 to be excellent.
But when it comes to the management of routes built from waypoints, not one thing beats the "EasyGPS" software. Even high-end productions from DeLorme or Magellan aren't as good just for that purpose.
Overall this is a BIG thumbs up for this unit. The only downside may be how the GPS eats batteries (the electronic compass of the GPS has something to do with it but may be disabled to increase the battery life if needed) and for this reason, NiMH rechargeable batteries are a must.
External Antenna is not an Option!
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As must be obvious, knowing precisely where you are is evenly as essential as knowing incisively where you need to be. As a Sonet Technician, I purchased this unit to support find communications web sites in obscure, oftentimes desolate areas of the eastern US. In the past, I had to rely upon either somebody whom had never actually been there and used a web-based mapping website to issue turn-by-turn directions, or people recalling the emplacement from memory, "I think you turn at , then look for the concrete cow on the left which means you just passed the turn so go back and turn right." Neither is very accurate, so I started out using my laptop and tried out a number of mapping programs. I settled on MS's Streets & Trips 2000 due to the ease with which I could open a window of saved points, double click on the ones I necessitated and find them mechanically entered as waypoints (a feature inexplicably got rid of from subsequent releases). Using a mapping program alone worked somewhat well, but the flaw is that once I missed a turn -- most many times in the dead of night -- I had to determine where I was in order to find my way back to the plotted course. Terribly discouraging and hindering and mixing up to be looking for Route 773 and be surrounded by routes 377, 737, 337, etc... This is a perfective application of a GPS unit as it may save in a literal sense dozens of hours per year of time lost to backtracking.
My decision to buy the Magellan brand came of a friend's recommendation of a Map 330 and of distilling fact from diatribe on number of GPS-related BBSs. Instead of exploring the merits (or lack thereof) of one mfgrmodel over another, these discussions quintessentially degenerate into little more than flame wars. Anyway... I purchased a Magellan Meridian Platinum at the local CompUSA for substantially more than I'd have remunerated had I ordered it from Amazon. CompUSA stocked neither the vehicle mounting bracket nor the data/power cable accessaries on the day I purchased the unit.
When I initial powered up the unit, I was indoors and rather disappointed that I got no satellite locks whatsoever. However, it quickly found my emplacement once I stepped outside and had an unobstructed view of the sky. I came upon that the unit works less than perfectly unless kept vertically and that even a single finger placed over the antenna section substantially degrades reception. I entered into MS Streets & Trips 2002 (ST2K2) the lat-long emplacement selective information for the 14 websites we necessitated to visit amongst Atlanta and Jax, FL. Using the included data cable, I connected the Meridian Platinum to the laptop, then ran the GPS setup. I was on the road in minutes. Finding the internet sites was a piece of cake for the most part, altho it did take a while to get employed to the update lag time. ST2K2's Help file explained that the software polls the GPS only each 15 seconds, mathematically accounting for what I found to be an intermediate of almost 1/3 mile error in position. From then on, I had the driver slow down 1/2 mile before each turn. When we did miss turns thereafter, it was only because ST2K2's maps weren't wholly precise (particularly around Athens, GA).
I found myself constantly checking the battery power display and wishing I had the data/power cable. Be forwarned that the Meridian Platinum eats batteries for lunch. I burned four per day (two sets) over a four day period, averaging only more or less more than a halflife of what the documentation states; I got no more than when it comes to eight hours from a fresh set of high quality alkalines. Certainly the capacity to turn off the unit's display would dramatically increase battery life. I found no reference to doing such in the .pdf manual. This is an oversight in my opinion, but undoubtedly may be corrected in a software update from Magellan.
Because the mounting bracket wasn't available at the time I made my purchase, I had to leave the Meridian on the dashboard. From this arose a number of problems. The GPS was on occasion powered down when bumps in rough backroads caused it to bounce around and depress the power button. Also, it ofttimes lost satellite locks due in share to such jostling, but more to the fact that it's out of the question to have an unobstructed view of the sky inside the cab of a big truck and that it can not be kept vertically without the mounting bracket. Another consequence of being on the dash was that the unit became *extremely* hot when exposed to direct sunlight. So hot, in fact, I became concerned that such immense heat might be damaging. While it seems no less the worse for wear, I'd rather it not get that hot in the introductory place. I believe the simplest solution to these difficulties is not a mounting bracket, but an external antenna -- the pricey unit may then sit safely tucked out of harm's way. Unfortunately, the Meridian line doesn't provide for the direct connection of an external antenna, and this alone might be reason sufficient to warrant a return for refund. I find it tremendously annoying that the designers would disallow such an option.
I purchased a unit much more capable than I actually need or will ever use, so my counsel to those new to GPSs is that you take your time and wholly investigate the functions you need, cautiously exploration the functions that various dissimilar venders and their units provide, then, once you've decisive on what you want, stop and exploration a little more. If at all possible, borrow a friend's or rent a number of dissimilar models for a few days. I can't knock the Meridian Platinum because it has more features than I'll ever use, and I'm sure backpackers and geocachers will love this thing, but the lack of an external antenna port ought to be taken into account. This can not be overstated: if the essential use of your GPS receiver will be inside a vehicle, look for something else.
I award the Magellan Meridian Platinum 4 of 5 stars.
Pros: Works well, seems rather rugged, has a heap of cool features, and will give owners apparent bragging rights.
Cons: Lacks external antenna capability, a bit spendy, and eats batteries like M&Ms.
