Magellan eXplorist 200 Water Resistant Hiking GPS
by Magellan
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List Price: Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Magellan eXplorist 200 Water Resistant Hiking GPS
Customer Review: A pleasant surprise
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a hard-core Garmin fan. I own 5 Garmin receivers ranging from the old GPS 12XL to the newest GPSmap 60CSx. But for the second edition of my book, "Outdoor Navigation with GPS," I was committed to including information about a broader range of receivers. Since Magellan again refused to loan me an evaluation unit, I decided to buy this inexpensive receiver. Not expecting much, I put it though its paces and was pleasantly surprised. It's fairly easy and intuitive to use, lightweight, and rugged. True, it doesn't have any kind of computer interface port or external power port, but for a casual geocacher or hiker, it works just fine. I had no problem learning to use it in just a few minutes, once I figured out that Magellan uses the term "Points of Interest" instead of the industry standard term "Waypoints." (When will Magellan ever settle on a standard name? On their older units they called them "Landmarks.") The grayscale screen is easy to read both indoors and out, and the buttons are easy enough to use. I like the fact that Magellan has provided dedicated "MARK" and "GOTO" buttons rather than burying the functions way down in a softkey menu, something that certain other manufacturers could take notice of. The built in maps are more of a marketing ploy than really useful. They don't have enough detail for highway navigation and without a computer port there's no way to add more detail. There are a few other minor quirks like a user interface that is inconsistent in how you enter numeric data. All in all, though, it is much better than I had expected. I brought it along for a GPS navigation class I recently taught and found that inexperienced GPS users could quickly master it. It's not the choice for the serious GPS navigator, but for the casual user who won't need to connect it to a computer, it may well be sufficient. My original plan was to sell it as soon as I was done writing the manuscript, but now I'm seriously considering keeping it.Customer Review: Basic but Good GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
This GPS device is good for the use which I purchased it for. The included maps are limited but sufficient for my needs.
Since I use this with topographical maps with reference points printed on it, I don't use the internal maps.
If you need internal maps or to be able to download maps this isn't the one for you.
If you need an inexpensive GPS that just helps you pinpoint where you are and that keeps track of your route as you go, then this one will work great for you and is very reasonably priced.
Pros: It's accurate and low priced. It does the job it was meant to do. It's also rugged and a great size. It does a good job of connecting to satellites - especially in the open or even cloudy skies. The tracking feature is a big help for me. After a hike I can pinpoint exactly on my map the route I took using my mapping software (I use National Geographic TOPO for maps - since it doesn't matter which one I use because I can't download anyway). There's no need to buy the more expensive Magellan mapping software.
Cons: It's more difficult than it should be to set a waypoint. The little joystick takes some getting used to for moving around and entering in text. If you're in heavy tree or other cover, it sometimes has a hard time connecting to enough satellites to give a good fix, but it has always given me at least a 2-D fix which is usually close enough for my purposes (not as good for geo-caching probably).
I like this unit and recommend it for anyone needing a good, inexpensive GPS for hiking / hunting / camping purposes who use a paper / printed topo map together with the GPS.
Customer Review: An excellent entry-level GPS device
Summary: 4 Stars
I had been searching for a decent pedometer (for fitness walking) for a while and decided to give a GPS unit a try. I must say that I am impressed with the Magellan eXplorist in that it can tell me how many miles I have travelled as opposed to just counting steps; and being able to give me an indication of my speed is an added plus. I have also used the eXplorist in the car and found that it is generally able to pick up the satellites and get a fix if you leave the windows open (handy for checking speedometer accuracy). The menus and the navagation of the screens is fairly straight forward and I found that I was able to use most of the items without having to resort to the manual. I do, however, have to ding the eXplorist on a couple of items: First, the joystick is a bit clumsy to use - especially if entering a name for a Point of Interest. Second, some of the maps loaded into the unit appear to be out of date - at least for my area - as I saw one state highway on the map; GA 50; which was redesignated in my area as GA 520 about 15 or so years ago. Its not that big of an issue to me, but if you are using the unit for auotmobile navigation, you might want to keep it in mind when using the eXplorist 200. That not with standing, if you are looking for a decent entry-level GPS navagator at a decent price, the eXplorist 200 is certainly worth a look.Customer Review: Hard to use, gets lost in trees and has a short battery life
Summary: 3 Stars
I've been using this unit for bike training, and I have to admit that I'm not impressed. The user interface is cumbersome, and the displays cannot be customized. For instance, I'd like to see a map, speed and trip distance on the same screen. No dice with this unit. You have to click NAV, then scroll through three screens then hit enter to see the trip odometer. Not easy to do while you're riding. All of the other features are just as cumbersome to use.
Lately I've been measuring it against a $40 cycle computer. The cyele computer wins hands down. The Explorist takes up to 10 minutes to acquire a position, and doesn't accurately report speed until it does. Out in the open, it works just fine, but once a few leaves (very few) get in the way, it gets totally lost, and can measure neither speed nor position. It just freezes on the last known position. One time I stopped under some trees and it registered my speed as 17.3 MPH for nearly two minutes while the bike was completely motionless.
Battery life is another problem. It takes 2 AA batteries, and they last about three hours when the unit is on. They last only for about 2 days if the unit is turned off the entire time!
Customer Review: Entry Level--Not too durable
Summary: 2 Stars
This Magellan GPS unit is a good entry level GPS device. It tells you where you are and keeps a track log. The reported accuracy never got to the 10 feet WAAS accuracy, but it was fair. There was a 45ft difference between the 1st and 2nd stories of my house when infact there is only 8ft.
Pros:
Good entry unit for the price
Shows you where you are
Cons:
Maps are pretty much useless, it shows you the interstates and highways as of 3-4 years ago. Don't count on it to find anything.
No PC interface -- spend a few dollars more
Not very rugged
I had this unit and in less than 12 hours, my screen was broken. There is a weak spot betwen the eXplorist 200 logo and the magellan name on the screen protector. The area there pushes on a weak spot on the LCD glass/screen on the inside. Too much pressure cracks the screen. I had it in my pocket just testing it out. I drove home and when I pulled it out, the screen was broken. No drops, bangs, or jarations; just maybe a slight pressure on that weak spot. The replacement price for the LCD screen is $60. Don't bother buying the amazon warranty because it doesn't cover anything like that.