Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS

Choosing the eXplorist XL was a tough choice for me. I was trying to decide between the Garmin GPSMap 76CS (the altimeter/barometer version of the of the color-display 76C) and one of the other Magellan eXplorist series units.ALTIMETER/BAROMETER/THERMOMETER REQUIREMENTOne of the first strikes against the XL is that it lacks an altimeter and compass. This is fine as I use a supplemental analog compass for navigation while hiking, and the XL is able to determine direction based on movement when I'm driving. Evenso, the compass on the 76CS is finicky as it is a 2-axis compass (which means that it must be held level with the ground). I say it's finicky because other users have indicated that it doesn't show direction very well unless they're holding it perfectly level, and sometimes it's a crapshot as to whether or not they're holding it adequately level.On the other hand, the 76CS has a good altimeter on it (much better than that of the eXplorist 600, the thermometer/barometer/altimeter of which is located too close the hot backlight and makes for some pretty erroneous readings). Still, GPS can estimate altitude well enough. The altitude accuracy tends to be 1.5 to 2 times further off than the horizontal readings (meaning that if you're getting a horizontal accuracy of 10 feet, the GPS altitude will only be accurate to within about 15-20 feet). A properly calibrated altimeter (calibrated every few hours) will provide accuracy of about 15 feet. To me, the increase in accuracy of going from GPS altitude calculations to altimeter calculations isn't significant. Even w/o the alt/bar/temp option, I'm okay. I use an analog thermometer if I need to know it, and use other techniques to determine the weather.The XL does provide a compass but it isn't magnetic. Instead, like most units that do not include a seperate internal compass, the XL uses changes in GPS position to determine direction of travel. As long as you're moving, you'll be able to determine your direction (or, again, you can just bring an inexpensive analog compass with you if you're hiking). If you're driving, you'll be moving fast enough that the compass indications will be very precise.WEIGHTThe unit is heavy. I believe that the 60C and 76C made by Garmin each weigh about 5.5 oz w/o batteries, and about 7.5 w/ batteries. By comparison, the 400/500/600 series by Magellan weigh about 5.5 oz WITH the battery in them (they utilize a rechargeable Li-Ion battery). The XL, on the other hand, weighs about 8 oz w/o batteries, and about 12 oz with the four batteries installed.BATTERY LIFEThe four batteries can last about 15 hours, comparable to the Magellan 400 & 500 which also last about 15, but pall in comparison to the 60C & 76C, each lasting about 30 hours, and the 60CS & 76CS which last about 20 hours). While the power duration seems comparable to other eXplorist units, keep in mind that the XL uses four batteries at a time. This is inconsequential when driving or geocaching, but very problematic if you're doing long-distance hiking with the unit (in which case I'd recommend a ForeTrex or other lightweight unit). The 15 hours quoted is using the backlight on the "low" setting with occasional use at "high." With the backlight off, I've had the unit last around 25 hours before I changed the batteries just to be safe.The battery indicator on the unit isn't very helpful. At best, it shows that my batteries are about 80% full when they're full charged (which is accurate -- I'm using NIMH rechargeable that are, technically, rated for 1.2V and at maximum charge will have about 1.4V). The problem is that the unit shuts off (after giving about 30 seconds warning) when the battery indicator shows that the batteries have about 40% remaining. Once you become aware of this, it's not a problem but on first use it's misleading.No power cord, though will run off of the USB cable when connected to the computer. When connected to the computer (in any mode, not just power mode), you can change out the batteries while the unit is running with no problems or loss of power. I should mention that it will NOT charge batteries while using the USB power connection. I assumed this when I bought it but thought I'd pass the information along.DISPLAYThe display is really nice. On Magellan's website, it indicates that the display is 220x176, which is low resolution for it's size. After finally getting through to someone in the know at Magellan (and this meant bypassing about three seemingly aloof technical support persons who insisted that the website is right) I found out that the resolution is actually 320x240. This is about 115 pixels per inch, which is a little less than the eXplorist 400/500/600 series, each of which are at about 125 ppi. (By comparison, the Garmin GPSMap 60C and 76C have a resolution of about 105 pixels per inch, though I should admit that I cannot distinguish the level of detail between 105 ppi and 125 ppi.)One thing to consider about the display (and is often mis-advertised on many sites) is that the display is 16-color, as is the case for the Magellan eXplorist 500 & 600. For true usage, 16 color is more than ample. The 256-color display of the Garmin units is nice, but more posh than necessary. The only time I notice that the Magellan has only a 16-color display is on the startup screen (wherein it shows a fairly grainy depiction of Earth).Backlight turns completely off (on a marginally sunny day, it is very readable though it is impossible to discern colors very well). This is better than the 400/500/600 series as they do not allow you to turn off the backlight but instead only turn it down. This is very problematic on the 600 as the backlight messes up the thermometer and altimeter readings.The Garmin display has an advantage in that it allows the user to change the mode to "nighttime" wherein the background is dark and the colors are subdued such that the night time user (or in my case, night time driver) doesn't lose their night vision when glancing at it. The XL, on the other hand, does NOT have a "nighttime" mode and is pretty bright, even at the lower (readable) light level. It's fine for city and interstate driving but I have to turn the backlight off for low-light driving conditions on the backwoods roads of rural Mississippi (and this is easily done with the push of a button).A workaround for nighttime driving is to change the GPS usage option from "land" to "marine." This is done by going into the menu, choosing "map setup" and selecting "Marine" as the primary usage. This changes the color of land from a blinding white to a more manageable dark yellow. Though I only use my on land, I always leave it in "Marine" mode.I should also point out that the keys on the XL are backlit using a subtle red hue. This is invaluable as it allows a user to easily see the keys in low-light conditions.ANTENNA RECEPTIONThe eXplorist XL uses a microstrip patch antenna as opposed to the quadrifilar helix antenna utilized by most Garmins. Additionally, it uses 14 channels to collect data (most units use 12 channels). This slight advantage seems to provide greater accuracy. Outside, I typically get an accuracy of about 7-10 feet, which is outstanding for a handheld GPS unit. In my vehicle, I get accuracy of about 7-10 feet with the unit sitting anywhere in my vehicle (could only got 35 feet when using a eXplorist 500 for some strange reason). Inside my apartment, which doesn't allow for good reception at all, I get accuracy of 35-70 feet (which beats out the other units I've tried as I haven't been able to pick up signals in my apartment using other units).Supposedly the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx models utilize SIRFIII technology to augment their accuracy, making them on par with the Magellans. The GPSMap 60, GPSMap 60C, nor GPSMap 60CS utilize this and require that the user hold the unit fairly upright for best reception.When I'm hiking, I simply turn off the backlight to save energy, put the XL in a small carrying case (I use a camera case that fits it almost perfectly) and attach it to my belt. The accuracy when I do this is great. At the end of a days hiking, I can look at the unit and see everywhere that I've went (so long as I'm travelling in places that can receive the satellite signals).DISPLAY PAGES AND USER FEATURESThere are four display pages. The main one is map display which can be set up to show north as up, course as up (meaning the direction you want to go), or track as up (meaning the direction you're actually moving). This page has two boxes at the bottom that display ancillary data at the user's discretion. I have it set up to display elevation and accuracy, though I could have chosen Bearing, Speed, Heading, Estimated Time of Arrival, Direction, Off Course, Distance to End, Time, Date, Max Speed, or Average Speed. On the main map page, you can move the cursor over a location or area and it will show you the location's name, how far to the location, and the direction to get there.The next page is a compass page (uses GPS to determine direction, therefore you have to be moving) and has needle indicating true north (can be switched to magnetic north if desired, wherein the unit uses known magnetic offset from true to calculate magnetic north). It also shows the direction to the sun and moon, as well as to the waypoint (or Point of Interest, as Magellan calls them). Again, you can have two user fields displaying any combination of the information set as listed on the main map page.The next page is an information page. It shows: location, elevation, accuracy, data/time (which is set to UTC as default, but you can manually set it to your location / time zone), trip odometer (quickly and easily reset to 0), and power condition (either external power, if connected to a computer, or battery power and charge level).The last page shows how many satellites are being tracked and what their orbit is. The unit will show a satellite being tracked that has a "W" on it as opposed to a number -- this is for the WAAS satellites. Also, it will show strength of reception. If no number is associated with the reception, then that is the reception for the WAAS satellite -- I wish Magellan would have used "W" here again.I use the main map page most. The Magellan zooms in and out easily. Each zoom level has a legend reference to indicate size. It can zoom out until you see all of North America, or zoom in such that the display legend indicates 100 feet (for a total screen size of 400' by 600').You can record the unit's track and save those files to the unit for later display using MapsendTopo 3D (or NG TOPO! if you convert the file to a comma-delimited text file).The XL also has advanced features for determining the best time to fish and hunt (which I haven't used). It allows you to "simulate" GPS usage (which is handy if you want to learn how to use it while sitting on your sofa). It also shows the sunrise/sunset times for the moon and sun based on either your current position or one selected from memory, and also shows the moon's phase. For the Sun/Moon selection, you could select any date you want, not just the current date.The XL allows for area and perimeter calculation. I used it recently to determine acreage on a land tract. The GPS provided the area and perimeter and square miles and miles, respectively. I wish that there was an option for it to list the area in acres, or hectares, but as is the conversion is easy enough.I read somewhere that the 500/600 doesn't allow the user to select MGRS as the coordinate system, which is something I frequently use. Again, I cannot verify this. The XL, however, does allow for use of the MGRS coordinate system.MEMORY/SOFTWAREThe XL comes with 56mb of onboard memory. Half, or 28mb of this is taken up by the background basemap that comes standard with the unit. The standard background basemap displays all Interstate roads, many medium and large cities, as well as a fair number of highways.The XL can accommodate SD cards of any size. This means that you can load custom basemaps that are produced using Magellans softward (the various iterations of MapSend). I should note that you CANNOT load files from the Garmin software, nor can you load the maps that come with National Geographics TOPO! (for that matter, you cannot load the maps from NG TOPO! on any handheld).The two main programs that are available from Magellan are DirectRoute and Topo3D. With either of these programs you can create a custom basemap for loading onto an SD card in the eXplorist. Herein lies a caveat: DirectRoute will only allow you to export maps up to 56mb in size; Topo3D will allow you to load maps up to 246mb in size. (However, there is a workaround to this problem listed below.) To give you an idea of how big these are, 56mb easily encompasses Arkansas, Louisianna, & Mississippi. The 246mb file I currently have loaded covers New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisianna, & Alabama.You can carry multiple basemaps on your eXplorist (i.e., I could carry the current basemap 256mb basemap as well as a few more 256mb basemaps to cover most of the US) however you can only activate one basemap at a time. This isn't problematic, as it takes only a few seconds to switch from basemap to basemap.I should point out that there is a workaround to the file size limitation. The file size constriction is set in the MAPSEND.INI file, which can be opened using any old text editor. Inside the file, there is a section with the following info:[DEVICE_DEFAULTS]Com_Port=3Baud_rate=4800Memory_Size=8000Conv_Maximum_Number_of_Regions=9Maximum_Number_of_Regions=1Conv_Memory_Size=246784Write_Export_Log=0Write_GPS_Log=0Write_upload_Log=0UploadDevice=0MMC_NAME=detail00.imgSDSpeed=410The line Conv_Memory_Size=246784 indicates the maximum file size (on DirectRoute, the size is listed as 65636). You can change it to any number, though larger file sizes are increasingly more processor-intensive. It is advisible to make a backup of the file before modifying it.Concerning DirectRoute, I haven't used this but I have heard that it does not provide great detail for backroads. Topo3D, on the other hand, covers topography as well as nearly every road out there (and Topo3D also shows gas stations, resteraunts, bars, etc.). The roads detailed on Topo3D seem to provide great coverage. I have yet to find a road in backwoods Mississippi that wasn't indicated on Topo3D. And I have done a lot of backwoods four-wheel driving, which indicates to me that Topo3D shows just about every road out there (and certainly every road I've seen when I compare Topo3D to the NG TOPO! program).In terms of creating a basemap and sending it to the eXplorist, the files have to be converted for use in an eXplorist (a 256mb file takes about an hour on my P4, 2.8 GHz w/ 1000 mb RAM) and then take even more time to transfer to the unit via USB (about an hour to transfer a 256mb file). So that's about two hours to transfer one 256mb basemap (and the computer is fairly taxed when converting the file, meaning the computer is mostly unusable -- though during transfer there is no problem and you'd be free to use the computer without worry of computer slow down).The advantage that DirectRoute would offer would be to provide turn-by-turn navigation. While this would be useful on very busy streets, I find that I don't need turn-by-turn navigation but rather a general sense of where I need to go. Topo3D does provide this. For instance, I was recently in Starkville, MS and wanted to find an obscure resteraunt named "Oby's." I went to the search function in the eXplorist, typed in "Oby's" and a page showing the address and phone number of Oby's appeared (again, this was information provided from the basemap from Topo3D). I then hit "GoTo" on the eXplorist and it told me the direction and distance to the place, as well as a line linking my position to that of Oby's. The actual location of Oby's was about 100 feet from where the GPS indicated, but if you think about it, that's incredibly close.But... Topo3D does not provide turn by turn navigation... I had to determine which roads to take to get there, but again the line linking my current position to the desired location helped tremendously in "eyeballing" the route.PC CONNECTIVITYAgain I use MapSend Topo 3D with the XL. MapSend isn't set up to handle USB but it is possible to use the XL with the software anyway. By setting the NMEA broadcast to "V2.1 GSA" and setting the MapSend to Serial Com Port 3, I'm able to have the GPS tracks appear on my laptop realtime. This isn't really necessary as the XL's screen is more than ample for displaying everything, however if you wanted to use it with a laptop, it is possible to do so.One nice thing about using TOPO 3D (one really nice thing, to be exact) is that TOPO 3D has great street information for driving, as well as many gas station and restaurant listings. If you're using the unit for driving, you can quickly type in an obscure restaurant and the XL will display the street location as well as the address and telephone number. Sometimes the coordinates are off by a quarter mile (in rural towns this happens sometimes, though I've only had it happen twice) but usually it is precise to within a hundred yards (and often within 100 feet), which is more than adequate for driving you there.National Geographic Topo! does NOT work with the XL (or the 400/500/600 series, for that matter) as of this writing. Even the newer Topo! packages that allow for USB communication with the Garmin 60 and 76 series GPS will not link up with the Magellan. I've contacted NG and they've said that they hope to have updates to their software for Magellan 400/500/600/XL compatibility by late-Spring, 2006.Once NG TOPO! is set up to work, you will have the same functionality as TOPO! has with all GPS units, meaning that you will be able to draw routes and send them to the unit, or retrieve track histories from the unit and display them on the rasterized topographic charts of TOPO!. You will still be UNABLE to send the maps to the unit, though this is true with EVERY unit out there (the main limitation is that the files in TOPO! are huge bitmaps and would take up an extraordinary amount of space on a SD card, not to mention every long load times).MANUAL & SUPPORTThe eXplorist XL manual should be downloaded from Magellan. The printed manual that comes with the XL is about 24 pages and only covers the most basic information. The unit ships with a PDF of the full manual, though I would advise going to Magellan's website and downloading the most recent manual as the one that ships is FULL of errors. If you order any of the eXplorists, it would help to download the latest manuals prior to receiving the unit as to help familiarize you with the basics (installing batteries, connecting to a computer, etc.).Additionally, many users of the 400/500/600 series state that they hook the USB cord up to the unit incorrectly at first (basically, you hook it up such that the cord points downward, as indicated in the downloadable manual). The XL only allows for the USB cord to be connected one way -- easy enough.The 400/500/600 series tend to have a problem wherein they lock up during USB communication. This was fixed through a recent firmware update. The only firmware update from Magellan didn't cover this issue for the XL, however I was surprised to find that the XL doesn't suffer from this same problem as the 400/500/600 series. My guess is that Magellan learned from the problems experienced with the 400/500/600 series and corrected the same problems in the XL before packaging the final product. If the unit does lock up, it can be turned off by holding the "Nav" key and the "Menu" key simultaneously and then hitting the "Power" button.When I've had questions, I've found it difficult to get in touch with Magellan technical support. Sometimes I get through to an operator, sometimes I have to leave a voice message. Basically, if you try to contact them and you're put on hold, choose to leave a message... I cannot remember but you may have to be on hold for a couple minutes before you're given this option. At any rate, Magellan has always called me back. Their technical support has been helpful sometimes, while other times I've felt like I had a much better understanding of GPS technology than they did. They allow for email support though it can take a week or two to receive a response.By comparison, I called and emailed Garmin to see how their tech support compared. I've had an easier time getting through to their technical support and they seem fairly knowledgeable. If you're anticipating calling technical support often, Garmin might be a better bet. I consider myself to be somewhat technically-savvy and only plan on really needing technical support should my unit buy the farm (in which case, I've heard that Magellan is fairly good about helping customers with broken units, even after warranty, a huge plus in my opinion).On the plus side, Magellan does seem to be proactive about taking user's advice to heart in updating the firmware. The reason that Magellan went with the more-expensive rechargeable Li-Ion batteries for the 400/500/600 series in the first place was because of user input asking that this be implemented. I've seen where some of the geocaching forums actually compile lists of user complaints/recommendations and forward them to Magellan, and to Magellan's credit they seem to implement these changes when they can.When Magellan does make changes via firmware updates, I've found that the updates are pretty easy. The instructions on their site look daunting at first but they're really thorough and easy to do.Overall, it was a very hard choice in choosing the eXplorist over the 76CS (comparably-priced at the time of this writing). Garmin has better technical support and their units seem to be more robust and user-friendly. Ultimately, I liked the fact that the XL has a huge, nice display. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting a Garmin, as there are many things that I really like about the Garmin, however after I weighed my options, I felt that the XL was the better choice. Here are the pros and cons of the XL:PROS-price ($350 from Office Depot, compared to $410 for the GPSMap 76CS and $290 for the eXplorist 600)-battery type (AA, great if you've got lots of rechargeable)-battery life (great, unless you consider that it drains four AA's)-display size (2.8" x 2.1", or 3.5" diagonal)-display resolution (320x240, or 115 ppi)-color (again, only 16 colors but that's more than enough)-menus and submenus (once you get used to it, it's pretty fast, I think)-unit reception/accuracy (compared to other receivers, I've found this one to get a satellite lock fast AND in moderate coverage -- this is a huge plus)CONS-weight (3/4 lbs is a lot if you're hiking with it)-hard to find a carrying case for this thing-customer support (could use more knowledgeable support, not to mention easier to get in touch with)-power cord (none, means I might have to change batteries on long road trips)-computer connectivity (easy once you get used to it, but it can be confusing if you're new to it or haven't read the instructions)-using Magellan software (it works, but it takes some know-how on the part of the user. But again, once you've read the instructions and figured it out, it's fairly easy)-very little software support from 3rd parties (like Nat'l Geo's Topo!, though this end up in the "pros" column once NG updates their software later this year)Ultimately the XL received 5 stars because it's met every expectation I've had. If I had expected something different or thought that there were superior products out there, I would have gladly given it a 3 or 4. Everything listed in the "cons" column was expected, and the problems with software are overcome if you're technically proficient and updates later this year will make for better interface with 3rd party software.

I have owned a Magellan GPS since 2003, the Meridian Platinum, it recently lost its display forcing me to look for an upgrade. The closest unit to the Meridian was the Explorest 600, but I opted for the Large display on the XL.I do miss some of the navagation screens the Meridian had. But I am starting to get use to the XL. I laso purchased the Direct Route NA 3.0 and they work well together. Only had it for 2 weeks so I will update this in a month or so.

I've had this piece for almost ten years and have struggled for hours with the service people in India. Never have had much success with the downloads of MapSend ( I now have four copies from them) and I can follow directions explicitly, thanx. I have a doctorate in another field (thank God) but am unable to get this to work. Broken battery key shaft early in the game hampered me greatly except when hooked to 12v source (not why you buy a portable GPS, right?My Garmin purchased for driving/RV travel has been a joy in comparison. My next purchase will be a hand-held Garmin for the exact purposes for which this POS was obtained. At a big sporting goods outlet yesterday, the very helpful gal says they always steered people away from the explorist for related reasons. I don't write a lot of reviews, but I owe this to cyberspace.

There are some very good Amazon reviewers here doing a fine job detailing the pro's and cons of this item, so I'm not going to waste your time detailing the unit. I own this and two other previous generations of magellan higher end color GPSs, so I think I'm pretty qualified to offer an opinion to my fellow GPS users. I have no axe to grind, don't work for a GPS company and just want to save my fellow explorers headache & stress.GPS units rely heavily upon firmware, techincal support, map software and map software updates. No mater how feature rich, ergonomic or well priced a GPS unit appears (all of which has drawn me to Magellen GPSs), without the back-end software tools & support, the product is a failure. Magellan (Thales) has failed miserably providing quality in any of these areas over three generations and 4 years of products. I have spent nearly 100 hours troubleshooting their firmware update failures, searching for correct firmware, talking to them about promised map updates that never came, waiting months for warranty returned products that fail withing minutes of return, customizing PC data interfaces to insure reliability, talking to useless call centers in India ...the list goes on and on. If I wasn't a skilled and experenced network engineer/pc geek, I would have shot myself years ago due to the troubles I've run into with Magellan GPS products. I would go out of my way to insure a friend would never buy a Magellan product, and would even go so far as insuring that my boss avoided one (and I don't like him all that much!). Look to the other GPS company for nearly trouble free products and support, becuase you will find neither with Magellan! Nuff said?

The device itself was nice enough, and works as expected.The software does not work with recent XPs, even with the supplied upgrade CD. Also, Magellan has ceased supporting the software, it seems, so no upgrades are available on the net, either.In addition, the supplied upgrade CD was supplied with a label that cause imbalance, and the CD drive to shake a lot.I managed to get things to work properly, but it took a lot of effort (find old machines).