Forum Index > Gear Talk > GPS - Anyone using the Magellan map330?
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Dean
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Joined: 02 Mar 2002
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Location: ex Kennewick, Wa & Lehi Utah
Dean
(aka CascadeHiker)
PostSun Mar 03, 2002 10:14 pm 
I've been wavering back and forth between the eTrex vista and the Magellan 330map. I'm in no hurry so I've got plenty of time to consider what my next toy is going to be. Actually I'd like to get into geocaching but I know next to nothing about what's out there on the GPS market. Any input will be appreciated. confused.gif

Dean - working in Utah for awhile and feeling like it is a 'paid' vacation. http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=1160
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Tom
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Tom
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PostMon Mar 04, 2002 2:30 am 
I've got a Map 330. For the most part I'm happy with it. It does seem to get confused at times in dense tree cover (though I'm sure all GPS suffer this problem to some extent). The backtrack feature has saved my butt on more than one occassion. Having the base map is great. It's nice to be able to see exactly where you are on long plane trips, making it more than just a hiking toy. I purchased the "add on" topo maps too. It's great having the topo lines for route finding as Beave and Randy can attest tongue.gif. Unfortunately, because the display is monochrome, the topo lines can make it hard to see your tracked path. I'm not sure if the Vista's display is any better in this respect. Weight including batteries is 6.7 oz. Garmin claims 5.3 oz for the Vista (I assume that includes batteries too). Battery life isn't the greatest but as long as you purchase some high capacity rechargeables it's less of an issue. A pair of rechargeables will last me a day. It's a bigger deal on longer treks. I like having the GPS on at all times to track my path so I can plot it on 3D maps later for narratives. It's too bad you can't turn off the display to save battery life while still tracking your path. Garmin claims 12 hours for the Vista.

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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostMon Mar 04, 2002 8:23 am 
I have a 315 and a Garmin map 76. Magellan also has several new models under the Meridian tm. That are comperable to the 76. Garmin's maps are slightly better but expensive. I lke the bigger displays on the 76 and meridian if you are using maps. The 330 is an excellent value. REI had the external antenna forthe 76 for sale at $30 last year but have since raised it to $100. If you put it in your hat it gives much better reception under tree cover and makes you look like a total geek at no additional cost. There are good reviews available at Joe Mehaffey's web site although he is some what partial to Garmin. GPS works well for skiing in particular and ridge running, dosent help with brush much though frown.gif.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Tom
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Tom
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PostMon Mar 04, 2002 10:55 am 
I was excited about the Magellan Meridian series until I saw how big they were eek.gif.

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Lazyboy
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Lazyboy
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PostMon Mar 04, 2002 6:49 pm 
I use the Magellan 315 and for geocaching it's all you really need. The more expensive models aren't any more accurate, it's all about features. Now the cheapest Magellan's aren't worth much in my book. I tried the 300 and the 310 and had a lot of trouble getting a satellite signal even out in the open. But that 315 has been great.

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Benjamin
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Benjamin
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PostTue Mar 05, 2002 8:29 pm 
I have the regular eTrex, the eTrex Summit, and the Magellan 315. The GPS systems by eTrex are the ones I use because they weigh less, are easier to use, and have longer battery lives. However, I do not use them for their mapping capabilities. I just use a GPS to get the long. and lat. coordinates and I can then tell where I am on a paper map. The Magellan Meridians looked very good for resolution and mapping, but as Tom pointed out they are gargantuan.

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Newt
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Newt
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PostFri Jun 28, 2002 6:24 pm 
Any comment as far as the button locations on each? I wound think that the eTrex side buttons would be unhandy unless you knew them by heart. I'm curious if the slower acquisition time of the Magelllans has ever been a factor. Also they seem to be heavier than the eTrex. Tom, I'm surprised that you don't have the lightest of the bunch. hehe Thanks, Newbie confused.gif

It's pretty safe to say that if we take all of man kinds accumulated knowledge, we still don't know everything. So, I hope you understand why I don't believe you know everything. But then again, maybe you do.
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Tom
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Tom
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PostFri Jun 28, 2002 10:34 pm 
The button locations on my Magellan 330 seem fine. Rumor has it the click sticks on the eTrex series have a habit of breaking off. As far as acquisition times, I'd think the 330 would be better than the eTrex series (given the quadrifilar helix antenna on the 330). When I purchased my 330 it was the lightest mapping GPS on the market, but the value equation had more to do with my decision at the time. You may want to consider the Magellan SporTrak series (see this review). It doesn't have a barometric altimeter (like the eTrex Vista) but IMO this isn't really necessary - the electronic altimeter on my Magellan 330 is dead on acccurate in 3D mode, and it's always a pleasure informing the guys with barometric altimeter watches what elevation to recalibrate to wink.gif.

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Newt
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Newt
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PostMon Aug 05, 2002 12:13 pm 
Tom wrote:
Having the base map is great. It's nice to be able to see exactly where you are on long plane trips, making it more than just a hiking toy. I purchased the "add on" topo maps too.
Just wondering which topos you use other than Map Send Topo? Or do you even use this? Also have you any experience with this? Photomaps NN tongue.gif

It's pretty safe to say that if we take all of man kinds accumulated knowledge, we still don't know everything. So, I hope you understand why I don't believe you know everything. But then again, maybe you do.
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Tom
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Tom
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PostMon Aug 05, 2002 12:47 pm 
Hey that's pretty cool. As far as the topo lines, the only ones you can upload to your Magellan GPS are MapSend Topo (Garmin has something similar for their units). You can use amost any mapping software to upload and download waypoints from your GPS.

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