GPS Forum

[gps]

Hello everyone I am thinking about buying my first gps and I am leaning toward the explorist 210 my question is... how big or detail map would I be able to load on it with the built in memory. And are the maps available somewhere online? If anyone has a suggestion here about this type of gps I would like any feedback whatever the topic. I mainly want to use it riding on lakes on my jetski, fourwheeling, hunting and I would like to use it on some road trips here and there but thats not my biggest deal but like it because it had the map feature for these outings. Just wondering if this would be enough memory or should I look at a differnent model

[ninosat]

Every reply will probably have different opinion about how much memory is enough, but Magellan explorist 210 is a good unit. You could even make a case for not wanting too much of a GPS for use on a jetski.

You don't indicate your location, but whether 22 mb will be enough will depend on where you are and which maps you want to use. In Wyoming and Colorado (nice rectangles like MapSend likes) are 32 mb and 42 mb respectively in the Topo 3D, but 5 mb and 18 mb with DirectRoute. Topo info and routing info each start to eat up the available memory.

The maps can be previewed at the Magellan website and are available for purchase at a variety of vendors.

While the 210 is generally thought of as a starter type unit, it is a very nice unit when you want something compact and reliable. At one point I would have listed it as the best in the ~$150 range, but the current rebate on the eTrex Venture Cx makes it a strong contender at only a bit greater final price.

[explorerozi]

Hello - the 210 has ~22mb of available internal memory - but that may
vary slightly (+/- 1 or 2mb) depending of the size of the basemap.
Some people I work with (in Australia) use this model gps and load up
~15mb maps of 1/3 of Western Australia no probs - which is quiet a
big area. Size of the file and area covered will be dependant on
detail of map. A map of the city has more detail so bigger file
compared to say an area of outback Australia that may only have a few
tracks. You should not have any trouble loading up an area for your
intented purpose, though you may have to change it for other areas if
you get around a bit.

You dont say where in the world you are located but 99% of people
either buy or steal maps - there are not too many free ones, and
there is not likely to be ones of the area you want. You can make
your own (painful learning exercise) but in my opinion the average
punter is better off buying required maps from magellan.

Cheers
Greg

[Anupam]

Hi,

Explorist210 is water repellent and proof to a certain extent, I would suggest you up your budget and buy a water proof floating GPS if you intend to use it for jet skiing. I think Magellan or Garmin has such models that float on water

I agree with Greg, you will find detailed maps of only a few places only, and If u want to add detailed maps, I suggest u go for the models that have a SD Card expandable memory, this way u can store multiple base maps and detailed maps of multiple places simultaneously. Making own maps is really painful, so buy them

You can also buy routing software for your Magellan so that u get turn by turn directions, so again a bigger memory will help.

I don't know your budget, but have a look at a TOM TOM Rider GPS for the motorbike riders that has routing info, weather proof, bluetooth connectivity etc ... if possible check that out also.

Cheers
Anupam

[Dan]

Personally if i were you i'd go with at least the 400....500 if you want a color screen. I made the same decision last month when i was in the market for a gps. The models 400-600 have unlimited memory due to the use of sd cards and for outdoor activities like you stated i would recommend mapsend topo 3d maps. The difference between having the basemaps that come with the units and the detailed ones is amazing. As far as memory goes...I use the topo and directroute detailed maps with my explorist 400. Directroute is better than topo for traveling it will give you turn by turn directions...find atms...etc. I have a topo version and directroute version of the entire east coast of the U.S. on my sd card and still have half the memory of the 1 gig card left available! Here is a link of explorist comparisons
http://www.highspeedsat.com/explorist.h ... ison_table

I hope this helps you......
-Dan