gps with mapping

[markcl]

It is time for me to get a gps, the walk off the lake at dark with the fogg and snow...you know the feeling!
I am chooseing between the Garmin E-trex Legend and the Magellan SporTrak Map both at the $200 level,I think both do the same,my biggest ? is ease of use and I now need glasses for reading,well one show me the way home with out them,is there one with an easyer to read screen?

[Fisher Dave]

Your on the right track with Magellan ... but spend a few dollars more and get one of the Meridian Models... I have the Marine model, it everything I need it to and more. The thing can take a beating, it floats, and you can upload to it from Mapsend Topo... which gives you all types of extra info including very detailed shoreline info on the smallest lakes... many of the small lakes are not on the base maps on any of the units. You also get detailed roads and elevations, etc, from the topo program.

Another bonus to the Marine Model is that it has many of the Marina's built right in... so getting lost is less of a factor on more popular lakes (Minnetonka, Waconia, Millacs, etc).

[irvingdog]

You will find that, due to the lower pixel count, the Magellan is a blockier, easier to read GPS at almost any distance you hold it.
They are both great machines and do similar things, but in terms of one of my customers needing one that is "Easier to read", it is the Sportrak every time.

[joshb]

well if your looking for something that is "user freindly" i would go with the garmin i have a garmin 12 and love it, it is easy to understand and work with coordinates when manually punching numbers. a few of my freinds have magellan's and they have both expressed difficulty in using them.

[SpikeRoberts]

I don't want to start another vex v. marcum like debate but..

I'm shopping for a gps with mapping and am pretty set on the Garmin GPS Map 76 at $250. Is there a comparable Magellan at this price? What feature and performance differences between Garmin and Magellan?

[Shwangman]

I got the Garmin E-trex Legend for Christmas and thou I don't have it mastered, I found it to be very easy to use. One of my friends have the other brand which is also good, it just took him some time to figure it out. One thing is that if you purchase the extra's, like the 12 volt adapter, the Garmin ones are more than the other brands.

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Magellan Meridian!!
All the way!!!

------------------
Hook Em Good!!!!!!!

S.D. Ice Angular;
NRA, DU, NWTF,
Varmint Hunter
& NAHC Life Member

[Insp Gadget]

Magellan Meridian Color! spend the extra$$ and you won't regret it. Got mine online with a travelpkg. door to door (mapquest like) software, power/compcords and got the topo software as a bonus. Ram mount, 64mb card, the whole bit for just under $600. kit without topo was about $500. gps alone under $400. Had a Lowrance globalmap100 with different softwares for 6 years and loved it. Up graded to color and more flexibility and it's a great tool that is ALWAYS easy to read. many times when grey screen even with back lite is not easy. yep lot's more money when you get done with the extras, but way more flexibility than anything else, and can not belive how easy it is to see under all conditions!

My $.02

Good Luck!

Gadget

[This message has been edited by Insp Gadget (edited 01-10-2004).]

[BradB]

Isn't the question really which has the better map software for your application? Other than price, I can't believe there are any real differences between the two brands.

I only have experience with Garmin's software, and the interface with software like usaphotomaps. Is there a compelling reason why Magellen has better map sofware?