Klesk
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,105
I'm thinking of buying a mapping GPS, mostly for locating places and points of interest on my 2 - 3 trips to the Continental U.S. every year. It's one of those things that have advanced so much in the last few years, I'm so far behind the curve that I can't catch up by researching on the web. I tried, but I'm so far behind that even some of the most basic discussions go over my head.
I have 2 questions, if anyone here can help:
1. Any feel or experience with which GPS I should buy, from the 2 listed?
2. How good is the detailed mapping software available?
I know the Garmin 60cx/csx has a new, more sensitive antenna. But I saw a test where the Magellan still kicked the Garmin's butt in reception. The Magellan is also way cheaper (retail price of the Garmin is $425, Magellan, $199), seems like there is some kind of sale going on with Magellan. It would seem that the Magellan is the way to go for my occasional use, but the mapping software bugs me.
From what I read, the entire Garmin DVD, basically the whole U.S., can be loaded in 1.6GB - so a 2GB card can hold everything, no need to go back to the computer unless I need an update. By contrast, I read that the Magellan software can only load up to 64MB of data to the card and that only one file is allowed per card. That sucks for me, because the three places that I would want mapped - Hawaii, Nevada and Washington DC - are not contiguous so I would need 3 cards. Is this true?
Thanks for the assistance, I'm going nuts reading all the opinions and tests on various GPS and gadget sites.
I have 2 questions, if anyone here can help:
1. Any feel or experience with which GPS I should buy, from the 2 listed?
2. How good is the detailed mapping software available?
I know the Garmin 60cx/csx has a new, more sensitive antenna. But I saw a test where the Magellan still kicked the Garmin's butt in reception. The Magellan is also way cheaper (retail price of the Garmin is $425, Magellan, $199), seems like there is some kind of sale going on with Magellan. It would seem that the Magellan is the way to go for my occasional use, but the mapping software bugs me.
From what I read, the entire Garmin DVD, basically the whole U.S., can be loaded in 1.6GB - so a 2GB card can hold everything, no need to go back to the computer unless I need an update. By contrast, I read that the Magellan software can only load up to 64MB of data to the card and that only one file is allowed per card. That sucks for me, because the three places that I would want mapped - Hawaii, Nevada and Washington DC - are not contiguous so I would need 3 cards. Is this true?
Thanks for the assistance, I'm going nuts reading all the opinions and tests on various GPS and gadget sites.
