I’ve owned 5 magellans and two garmins…. I would rather own a rock than another magellan. the most recent magellan I owned was a explorist 400, it had all the problems of the older models and some(I should say that this could have just been this unit)

going to a cache in a deep valley and heavy tree cover the explorist wasn’t putting me anywhere close, standing right on it our legendC was showing 12ft away, the 400 was showing 200ft away. owning older magellans I know about the overshooting problem, but even when I walked to where this unit thought ground zero was the unit never changed.

I checked coord system/datum, and also had newest firmware installed. turned off unit and went to the waypoint again, same problem…. so I checked coords and they were the same on both units. the next cache wasn’t in such a hole and the explorist found it just fine.

I did a comarison in poor signal enviroment marking the same spot with both units, coming back to that spot, the explorist was saying the spot was 80ft away, legendC only a few feet. put coords in from etrex into explorist and it was then able to find the spot. basicly to mark accurate coords I had to take TONS of readings with the explorist.
all the magellans I have used(about 10) have had very buggy firmware so they get strange behaviour… and the newer ones seem even worse.

I will say the only advantage the explorist has is the file system/geocache manager, but if it can’t get me to the right spot that doesnt even matter.
if you want better signal in the woods just buy a newer color garmin. the color etrex models get 100X better reception than the older ones. I just sent back that 400 wilderness bundle for another garmin.

[This message has been edited by hogrod (edited 05-23-2006).]

I will always speak up for Magellans… When I first started caching, I didn’t want to buy a whole dang GPSr so I looked at a craddle unit fo rmy Palm m515. Magellan made one and it got me to my first 96 caches.

While perched on the side of a cliff signing the log for the Door County challenge final, I realized I needed to get something a bit more rugged as I’d almost smooshed the thing between rocks and myself several times.

I bought a SporTrak Map. I wish I could say I found every cache I hunted with that thing, but then again I don’t think anyone can… Yeah the Maggys have an overshoot issue. But you get used to it. And I always, always, always have a better, stronger signal than the garmin folks who are stopped behind me cursing their unit and wondering why they can’t get a decent lock…

After Over two years of faithful service, my Map got a crack in the screen… still works, I just needed a reason to get something bigger and better. Enter the eXplorist XL.

The largest screen rugged GPSr on the market. I love it. Admittedly It is lacking a few features I would have like to have seen, but for the screen size and the mapping and limitless memory on the SD card, I can’t go wrong. As far as signal goes… I was getting a strong WAAS signal and 11 satelites inside the Welckers Shelter at Penninsula on an overcast day. Beat that Garmin.

I will agree wholeheartedly that Magellan Customer Service needs to be returned to this hemisphere. “Rita” was not alot of help when I had a software issue with my MapSend 3D. As far as Magellan replacing a GPSr that go trun over by a car… well… Magellan users are usually smart enough that we don’t run our GPSr’s over with our cars. Duh.

I’ve not had a problem with Magellans and will stick with them as long as I’m happy with them. I did do alot of researching and reading and checking prior to deciding to purchase the eXplorist XL. I even had a couple of Garmin’s pegged as possibilities. But in the end, I’m sticking with a sure thing.

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Team GeoPink – Co-conspirators to make the world a better place…
– Jeff Rahmlow
WGA President
geopink at wi dash geocaching dit com

The comments and opinions above are those solely of Team GeoPink (arcangl7) and are not those of the WGA, the WGA board, or its other fine members.

We both use Megellans and like them. We have not tried a Garmin to compare. We did have one problem with the first one once and sent it into the company and they reloaded the software and we have not had a problem since. We have noticed that sometimes one may lock into the satelites better than the other when we are just a few feet from each other, but we rarely loose a signal.
Timberline Echoes

I’ve used both Garmin & Magellan. I’d say it’s a horse a piece. Both have good points and bad. I like Magellan’s rapid satellite lock, but I dislike its overshot when geocaching. Obviously, I don’t like how long Garmin takes to lock on to birds, but I get great accuracy.

Buy what makes you happy! Try out all kinds before you buy!

Bec

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There are no shortcuts to any place worth going

I have Garmin Etrex Legends and Magellan 600s. As others have said, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. I would take either of these units over a Yellow Garmin Etrex any day, as for me a GPS is of little use without detailed maps.

I’d be willing to loan you a 600 for a couple of weeks if you are interested.

@Team Deejay wrote:

… Summarizing, it sounds like Magellan’s standard unit can get about the same reception as the Garmin x units at a lower cost, but they also appear to have some significant quality issues and poor customer service, which is NOT a good combination.

??? I’m confused! Before this post, there was only one person who didn’t appreciate his Magellan. Most of the people who commented stated that they liked the satellite locks on Magellan’s better than Garmin’s. Also, didn’t the one who returned his get a new brand, and the ones who had problems later got the same unit in exchange (which they are happy with). As for customer service…when’s the last time you heard anyone talk about getting their Garmin fixed for free? If Magellan’s tech service can’t help you over the phone they send you a label to mail your unit to them. Once they figure out the issue, they let you know the cost of repair before fixing it. Plus, when they send it back they send little surprises along for free. The last two people (which were over a year or two ago) who I heard got their units fixed, never paid a dime! So, try them out and see for yourself which you like better. Me, I’m sticking to my Garmin for turn-by-turn and my Magellan for signal lock at the cache sites!