sily GPS question

does the compass work off the sat's as well?

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

The Color for me eric!!! Stuff the platinum...

I think they all do and you have to be moving. The only one I know with a compass that works when stationery is the Silva...I'm outta here

From reading this site

http://gpsinformation.net/mgoldreview/mag-plat.htm

It seems the compass in the Plat is magnetic with an electronic readout. In the other models (including the colour) the compass works by extrapolating the direction that the unit is moving based on the GPS satellite track. (a bit chicken and egg! it needs to track via satellite to work out which way it is going so it can update the compass to tell you which way it is going!!!!)

They do say that operating the Platinum compass in a vehicle is a bit pointless as it always points North towards the engine!

BTW - The only disappointing aspect of the Colour meridian is the contrast of the colour screen without the backlight on. It is damn hard to see. The grey screens have much better contrast and are easier to see with no backlight. This is not a prob in the car with the pwer cable plugged in but is a real problem while on batteries. The quoted life of 14 hours on batteries goes down to about 1.5 hours with the backlight on! Before you order one from the states I would go to a dealer and see if you can test drive one. The maps look fantastic in colour but very dim without backlight.

Steven

Yeah my info was wrong, thanks Steven. I see it also has a built in barometer which magellan say can be use to help predict the weather...fat chance. Anyway guys time to buy.

Hi Ray
Can you expand on the PDA ( what are they) & cheap GPS setup you refer to in your reply below ?. would this be like a laptop but smaller ?

Cheers

yep, a handheld computer with a touch screen that uses a little card for memory. You can run a version of oziexplorer on them. I think the ultimate is the laptop but they can be difficult to mount and take up a fair amount of room. You only require a basic model gps as long as it has serial nmea output.

SteveL,

You should step out of the vehicle when using any compass as there is too much magnetic interference in the vehicle.

Leroy

Unless driving in the middle of the desert off any man made track or road why does one need a compass in a vehicle, just follow the road and map.

no bleep !!

As I said on ICQ lets just stick with paper maps, screw technology.

stuff the compass , just get the colour

yea but if the screen sucks like Steve says...

Im going to go look at one saturday, interested in taggin along? Find someone who has one of each...

Do you really need a mapping GPS with it's crappy small screen. How about an el-cheapo gps with a PDA, no probs reading the screen with those suckers and the PDA has a lot of other uses to boot...just a thought

>As I said on ICQ lets just stick with paper maps, screw technology

I agree, they are only toys for most of us. You either want them or you don't but most of us don't really need them.

comps is where you really need them.

Leroy

Truckster,

Did you end up having a look at the screen on the Colour Meridian??

Steven

Went to Rays in Dande and Frankston to look at GPS'. Gee they are highly trained quality professionals at them stores...

**Dandenong**

Me: Can you show me some GPS pls.

Rays Quality Staff Member Yes sir, which ones

Me: Platinum and Colour Meridians..

RQSM: ... Heres the Platinum, oh the batteries are flat, but thats what it looks like...

Me: I would like to see it work, Im not paying $1000 to hope it looks like I want it to

RQSM: with attitude I supposed I'll have to put batteries in it then (they were no more than 20 feet away)

Me: Yes you will, thanks

After going away, then fumbling for 10 mins she manages to put 2 batteries in....

RQSM: oh it still doesnt work (with new Duracell's in it...) thats not good

Me: thats a good advertisement for a $1000 toy, your demonstrator is dead?

RQSM: It appears that way..

Me: Can you show me the Marine then so I can see how bright the
screen is pls? Are they similar?

RQSM: They are identical, no differences

Me Biting my tounge like never before...: Then why are there 2 models?? do you really know anything about these?

THEN THE ALL TIME CLASSIC LINE OF A SALESPERSON

RQSM: Yes sir, I have one of these (holding up the Marine) at home myself!

I burst out laughing to the point where the wife hit me. Thats my favorite line of them all!

Me: Im not sure how to work this thing, can you show me how to get to a map screen that shows the roads, and a pointer to where we are please?

You could see the panic in her eyes....
RQSM: I'm not sure... Its in the manual there if you like....

Me: Can you show me a colour then please?

RQSM: They are not out yet, we are waiting for the next generation Colour to come out soon... (code for either I have no idea, or we dont have them in stock)...

Me: its been out for 6-12 months

RQSM: No it isnt, or we would have it in stock.

Me ... If you dont have it, please just say so, I hate to be bolloxed around... you couldnt really be that dumb could you? and walked out.

**Frankston**
If anyone knows where the store is its a new shoppin center(autobarn, Rays, supercheap, JB hifi, and some lighting store and a Goodguys), with about 5 parkin spots per shop, which should have 20-40 per store... SO its a PITA ANYTIME to go there... Greed again, more shops less customer service by having no parking.

Me Stood there for 10 mins asked 4 different staff members can they show me GPS, asked one of them twice, nobody there Could be phukt..

Me Walked out.

So looked at Platinum and Marine so far, the Colour doesnt exist on the planet... its a dream we are all having, those Ebay sellers are all scammers...

OHHH YEAH!

Sounds like you had a great morning out! Were these businesses there to trade or were they staffed purely by people who just like to hang out at the mall?????

Am I dreaming when I see a map in colour???? Or is mine a Marine with some coloured cellophane stuck on it????

Could all the stories I hear about Frankston being the brain capital of Oz be true???

Good luck on your hunt for a sales person with IQ!

Steven

Hi Nick
Can you let us know the outcome on this ?

Cheers

A PDA will set you back about $600 + storage cards for the maps + $200 for the plugin gps + expansion pack for extra battery life. My set up to have all natmaps on the PDA was about $2000 but i'm a gadget freek & Lex would'nt nerce the laptop any longer so it ain't cheap.

Ill do my best to find one mate cheers