Hand held non-aviation GPS

I got up early (4:00 AM) Friday morning and did the "SALE" thing.
Fortunately, I chose stores that had short lines.
The first was COMPUSA at 5:AM for a wireless router ($20).
The second was SPORT AUTHORITY at 5:30 AM for a Magellan Explorist 300
handheld GPS (list $230, sale $100, first 100 shoppers, extra $10 off).
So I got it for $90
It has two modes to select from, LAND and MARINE.
It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure what the
criteria is).
The nice thing about this unit is that it has an altimeter function.
I used it yesterday for a $100 hamburger run. Speed, altitude, track
recording work well. It will be good backup.
The only item I am not happy with is that it takes a looooong time to
find itself and reestablish the almanac if it is shut down at one
location and powered up at another.

You can tell it where it is when you start it up and speed
up the process.
The airport list is just that, the location of airports, by
name. But it has no runway or frequency data.


"john smith" wrote in message
...
|I got up early (4:00 AM) Friday morning and did the "SALE"
thing.
| Fortunately, I chose stores that had short lines.
| The first was COMPUSA at 5:AM for a wireless router ($20).
| The second was SPORT AUTHORITY at 5:30 AM for a Magellan
Explorist 300
| handheld GPS (list $230, sale $100, first 100 shoppers,
extra $10 off).
| So I got it for $90
| It has two modes to select from, LAND and MARINE.
| It has many public use airports in its database (I am not
sure what the
| criteria is).
| The nice thing about this unit is that it has an altimeter
function.
| I used it yesterday for a $100 hamburger run. Speed,
altitude, track
| recording work well. It will be good backup.
| The only item I am not happy with is that it takes a
looooong time to
| find itself and reestablish the almanac if it is shut down
at one
| location and powered up at another.

I got up early (4:00 AM) Friday morning and did the "SALE" thing.
Fortunately, I chose stores that had short lines.
The first was COMPUSA at 5:AM for a wireless router ($20).

Staples this year blew EVERYONE away with specials, even beating Best
Buy for computer stuff.

I had my niece (in line at 5 AM) pick up a 20" Samsung wide-aspect,
flat-panel display for me, at the unheard-of price of $180, after
rebate. I can't find that model (205BW) on-line for anything close to
that price, and now wish I had bought two of them.

It's destined to become the control-panel on the Kiwi, and should look
great.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

john smith wrote:
I got up early (4:00 AM) Friday morning and did the "SALE" thing.
Fortunately, I chose stores that had short lines.
The first was COMPUSA at 5:AM for a wireless router ($20).
The second was SPORT AUTHORITY at 5:30 AM for a Magellan Explorist 300
handheld GPS (list $230, sale $100, first 100 shoppers, extra $10 off).
So I got it for $90
It has two modes to select from, LAND and MARINE.
It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure what the
criteria is).
The nice thing about this unit is that it has an altimeter function.
I used it yesterday for a $100 hamburger run. Speed, altitude, track
recording work well. It will be good backup.
The only item I am not happy with is that it takes a looooong time to
find itself and reestablish the almanac if it is shut down at one
location and powered up at another.

John
I have been using a Magellan Map 330 for a couple of years ( in
Australia) and it did everything I needed it for. Only problem was
when I changed from flying the low wing Warrior to a high wing Cessna ,
I was losing the signal in flight. am not sure about your unit but the
Magellans I am familiar with dont have external antenna jacks like the
garmins and you may have a similar problem. I have the same problem
with getting the signal back again.
terry

In a previous article, john smith said:
It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure what the
criteria is).

(Pardon me while I blow my own horn)

If it's supported by EasyGPS (http://www.easygps.com/) or GPSBabel
(http://www.gpsbabel.org/)[1], then you can generate a better database of
airports at my site http://navaid.com/GPX/ and load it into your GPS.

[1] gpsbabel -h shows "magellanx - Magellan SD files (as for eXplorist)"
as an option.

--
Paul Tomblin http://blog.xcski.com/
"Integration by parts -- a very powerful technique."
Teaching by intimidation -- also a very powerful technique.
-- Logan Shaw, quoting Chuck Odle, his Calculus teacher

"PT" == Paul Tomblin writes:

PT In a previous article, john smith said:
It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure
what the criteria is).

PT (Pardon me while I blow my own horn)

PT If it's supported by EasyGPS (http://www.easygps.com/) or
PT GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/)[1], then you can generate
PT a better database of airports at my site
PT http://navaid.com/GPX/ and load it into your GPS.

This is a great database which I've used for an older non-aviation GPS
I keep as a backup unit. Paul, thanks much for keeping this going.
--
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not
sure about the universe.
Albert Einstein

It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure what the
criteria is).

(Pardon me while I blow my own horn)
If it's supported by EasyGPS (http://www.easygps.com/) or GPSBabel
(http://www.gpsbabel.org/)[1], then you can generate a better database of
airports at my site http://navaid.com/GPX/ and load it into your GPS.

[1] gpsbabel -h shows "magellanx - Magellan SD files (as for eXplorist)"
as an option.

Unfortunately, the Magellan Explorist 300 has no provisions for updating
firmware or software.

"john smith" wrote in message
...
I got up early (4:00 AM) Friday morning and did the "SALE" thing.
Fortunately, I chose stores that had short lines.
The first was COMPUSA at 5:AM for a wireless router ($20).
The second was SPORT AUTHORITY at 5:30 AM for a Magellan Explorist 300
handheld GPS (list $230, sale $100, first 100 shoppers, extra $10 off).
So I got it for $90
It has two modes to select from, LAND and MARINE.
It has many public use airports in its database (I am not sure what the
criteria is).
The nice thing about this unit is that it has an altimeter function.
I used it yesterday for a $100 hamburger run. Speed, altitude, track
recording work well. It will be good backup.
The only item I am not happy with is that it takes a looooong time to
find itself and reestablish the almanac if it is shut down at one
location and powered up at another.

Sounds like a great buy for a handheld GPS! I've been using my old Magellan
330Map GPS and it works fine for the type of flying I do. I can't justify
(yet) spending the AMU's on an aviation handheld GPS.

My 330Map works a lot better than the Magellan Pioneer that it replaced! I
did a 1,200 mile XC using the Pioneer, stopping every 250-300 miles and
reprogramming the waypoints for the next leg using the charts and AFDs.

In article ,
"Greg B" wrote:

My 330Map works a lot better than the Magellan Pioneer that it replaced! I
did a 1,200 mile XC using the Pioneer, stopping every 250-300 miles and
reprogramming the waypoints for the next leg using the charts and AFDs.

I remember "programming" the original IIMorrow APOLLO LORAN unit in my
friend's homebuilt OSPREY II when he let me fly it to and from Oshkosh
in 1989.

john smith wrote:
Unfortunately, the Magellan Explorist 300 has no provisions for updating
firmware or software.

With your possible loss limited to $90, it might be worth it to open the
thing up and see if has a place on the board for a USB connector (or
similar) for updates. They may have been smart enough to both leave out
the connector AND change the firmware to not listen to the USB interface,
but sometimes you can get lucky.

Matt Roberds