Magellan GPS

The Yeti,

I have one and it works well in the out back.

I got the package deal which has the GPS, power lead, usb lead, and the card with all the detail maps of Australia.

I also got a external aerial but I don't think it is necessary.

It showed the Canning Stock Route as well as the tracks across the Simpson Desert. It will also show streets in all the towns. You can use the go to function to show you where a street is even if you are not in that town. It is not voice activated. I find the big colour screen easy to see and the buttons are also easy to use.

I did read a report on this GPS and a Garmin and the Garmin came out in front. I will not change the GPS because it does what I want.

The bracket that came with the kit is alright for the black top but does not hold the GPS on the rough stuff. I have since got the proper bracket on E Bay for the GPS.

Have a look at all the GPS units on the market before you buy, but I would replace the XL with another XL if I had to.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne, I appreciate your input

The Yeti,
I replaced my Magellan Meridian with an Explorist XL, Screen size is great plus but you loose some of the functionality of the Meridian. Has all the same basic fuctions, track back etc etc. Keyboard is easier to see, bigger screen you see. I find that the XL is much more suseptible to loosing signal when the CD player is on if the unit is close to the CD player, I spoke to Magellan they couldn't help much that's just the way it is. The XL won't plug into your laptop or desktop and work with Discover Oz software which for me is a pain in the butt, this to me is the biggest downfall. The Meridian was great this way. The screen is a big plus the maps are accurate and up to date. The holder on the dash is not the best when subjected to a few corragations, the Meridian was a clip in rather than a clamped grip of the XL.
I like it despite the few negatives, did I mention the screen size was much bigger.....................

Great unit. Nice large clear screen, easy to use menu, heaps of memory storage & functions. Can be used with Mapsend Lite & computer now which makes trip planning easier. The few things that could be improved on is: a way to recharge the batteries(like a moblie phone) while using external power, the detail from 350m to 700m is a bit vague & the lowest backlight setting is still a bit too bright at night.
I mainly use 350m & above for general road info, then zoom down to 160 or 80m for the hard going.
With the DAST SD card, you won't need much more than a basic paper map to find your way around, especially if you have access to a laptop as well, or pre plan on a desktop before you go & download the waypoints into the XL. I use Natmap Premium with Ozi Ex plorer as well to get the general layout of the area, but find it isn't much use in the more built up areas.
Go for the Travel Pack if you decide to buy one.

Yeti,
I have one and like it a lot - except for the holder as mentioned. A minor annoyance is that the batteries do not charge in the unit when it is plugged in, you have to take them out. It is pretty hungry on batteries when used separately but you can't have everything and the big screen is what I wanted.

Works fine with all the s/w I have tried including the ones mentioned. Download V2 of the Magellan s/w from their website.

The Discover Aus maps are quite good and even showed our driveway which used to be a bush track before the house was built.

Would buy it again so I guess that says something.

alastair