Magellan Meridian Gold–whaddaya think?

[admin]

As we approach our caching anniversary and chuckle about how the only expense is the one GPS unit, we find ourselves looking into another GPS (one for him, one for her). Friends of ours have the Magellan Gold. We currently own a Garmin Legend. We’ve heard it’s helpful to have different brands when checking accuracy. What does everyone think?

[Ray]

Nonsense! Brand has nothing to do with accuracy. Model may, since older models wouldn’t enjoy the same technologic advantages of the newer models. this may also be a moot point if we are talking units produced within the past two or three years. Brand advantage might favor another Garmin unit since you will want ergonomics and functionality to be as familiar as possible with the new unit.

[wzbt03]

Brings up an interesting topic – Magellen Vs Garmin.

While doing World Wide Quarters this weekend I took my new Garmin 76S and laid it right next to the marker and got:
N44 59.954 W090 00.236
Next I tried my Legend
N44 59.954 W090 00.240

The actual coords listed by the cache placer (ones that they recorded) were
N44 59.956 W090 00.237
and these were in 2001.

All within a very tight range.

So if someone could take their Magellen and try the same it should be reasonably close if the conditions were the same.

However, others that have done this cache were .2 tenths off which is a huge difference even adjusting for conditions.

So if we all met on the same day at this spot and calibrated our gps’s – all stories, tales and fables on which is better would be solved as far as accuracy goes .

I have found those with Magellens take longer to lock in once at a point.

By the way – everyone should do this cache.

[Cheesehead Dave]

At our next event, I’d love to do something that the Chicago geocachers did last year. The coordinates for their picnic took you to the sign for the site. When your team signed in, you were given a flag and a sharpie to mark your team name and GPSr model. You then went out and stuck the flag in the ground at the point where your GPSr said the picnic coordinates were.

I forget whose GPSr was the closest, but the was a huge range from right on the marker to over 20′ away. And this was with open sky above.

It might make for an interesting study, anyway…

[RainDog]

World Wide Quarters is not located at 45°/90°. Numerous logs indicate it’s roughly .2 mile east of the marker. I checked it with expertGPS using the topo maps and satellite photos and both point to the field in the corn. My copy of the DeLorme atlas & gazetteer also indicates the actual coordinates are in the field and not next to the road where the marker is. Perhaps Mr. Gesicki made a minor error when he set up the little park.

I believe that if the marker was in the correct location, the errors would be evenly distributed around the mark, rather than all of them indicating that it’s too far west.

[kbraband]

quote:

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Originally posted by What’s Next?:
As we approach our caching anniversary and chuckle about how the only expense is the one GPS unit, we find ourselves looking into another GPS (one for him, one for her). Friends of ours have the Magellan Gold. We currently own a Garmin Legend. We’ve heard it’s helpful to have different brands when checking accuracy. What does everyone think?

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Uh oh, here we go again with the brand debate. My opinions, based on geocaching with quite a few other geocaches over the past couple of years: Garmin has the best user interface and PC software. Lowrance has the best internal antennas for when the tree cover is thick. Magellan has the slickest-looking GPS units.

[tenner]

I like my Garmin map76 cause of the software I can put in it. Can you do the same thing with Magellan Meridian Gold?

[This message has been edited by tenner (edited 10-14-2003).]

[admin]

Thanks for all the input. The Magellans are slick looking. (Plus that’s Tim’s favorite explorer. ) It seems to make sense to get another Garmin though. So we think we’re looking at a Garmin GPS Map 76.

We found it online at gpsonline.com, but you know how that whole internet thing is. Has anyone had some experience with sites that have been good or bad?

[admin]

It was gpscity.com actually.

[sbukosky]

EVERYBODY knows that the only thing better than a Garmin V is the nonexistant but long hoped for Garmin VI!

[Ray]

quote:

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Originally posted by What’s Next?:
Thanks for all the input. The Magellans are slick looking. (Plus that’s Tim’s favorite explorer. ) It seems to make sense to get another Garmin though. So we think we’re looking at a Garmin GPS Map 76.

We found it online at gpsonline.com, but you know how that whole internet thing is. Has anyone had some experience with sites that have been good or bad?

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Get your best legitamate price and take it to Gander Mountain. Ask them about their low price guarantee.

[WISearchers]

quote:

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Originally posted by kbraband:
Uh oh, here we go again with the brand debate.

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I can just see it now. A bumper sticker or window sticker in What’s Next’s vehicle….of “Calvin” doing his business on the Garmin Logo. LOL

[admin]

We’re going with another Garmin!

Why doesn’t Calvin just find a restroom?

[Author]

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