Product Description

Do you want all the bells and whistles? The Magellan eXplorist 600 is packed with them. You get a 3-axis electronic compass, a barometric pressure thermometer and an altimeter, plus the ability to expand your GPS mapping via a high-speed USB data port and unlimited secure digital (SD) card storage. The Magellan Geocache Manager enables you to download caches directly to your eXplorist 600 and with the PC-style file memory system it's easy to manage all of your data. Finally, the eXplorist 600 features a 16-color display so you can see everything in brilliant color. Easily navigate with the intuitive keypad and the joystick control. Add detailed street maps, topo or lake maps using optional Magellan MapSend software to expand the use of your eXplorist 600. 8 MB of built-in maps and 8 MB of additional memory means you can save up to 5 track log files, 20 routes and 500 points of interest on the internal memory, but you can store as many as you want on optional SD cards. Magellan TrueFix™ technology provides superior accuracy and reliability giving you the freedom to explore without concern of getting lost. Pocket-sized, powerful and full of valuable features, your Magellan eXplorist 600 gives you real GPS that can guide you in full color on every outdoor adventure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34926 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Black
• Brand: Magellan
• Model: 980771-06
• Dimensions: 4.60" h x 1.30" w x 2.10" l, 3.00 pounds
• Native resolution: 160x120
• Display size: 2.3

Features

• Electronic compass - The built-in electronic 3-axis compass points you in the right direction even when you are standing still or upside down on a rocky peak.
• Full color screen - The 16-color screen makes reading maps and GPS information easy with vibrant graphics in all lighting conditions.
• Unlimited SD Card Expandability - Your eXplorist 600 features SD card compatibility for unlimited memory expansion.
• TrueFix GPS technology takes advantage of 14 parallel channels, supported by WAAS and EGNOS Satellite-Based Augmentaion Systems for fast signal acquisition, minimal signal loss and reliable accuracy to within 3 meters.
• Store up to 5 track log files, each with 2000 track-points to the internal memory and store an unlimited amount of track log files to optional SD cards, to easily find your way to your favorite spot again and again.

Amazon.com Product Description
Complete with 8 MB built-in mapping and unlimited flash-memory expansion, Magellan's eXplorist 600 is one of the first handheld GPS receivers to deliver PC-like file management, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and a PC application designed specifically for transferring geocache information from the Internet to the eXplorist in case you want to participate in the popular Web-based outdoor activity called geocaching (essentially a treasure hunt where the challenge isn't finding the treasure, it's getting to it).

The eXplorist 600 is an ideal GPS guidance tool--both in the city and in the country. It's the first in its class to deliver unlimited SD card memory expansion through a built-in Secure Digital memory card reader/writer. The handheld also provides unlimited storage of waypoints, routes, and track logs via SD card. Any available memory can be used to store whatever you want--a refreshing change from those receivers with fixed and limited waypoint, route, and track-log storage.

The exclusive PC-style file-management feature lets you create multiple files, folders, and directories so you can store and navigate information in a PC-like structure. Also a first: the receiver gives you the ability to calculate an area and perimeter simply by marking points on the map screen.

Magellan geocaching manager software greatly simplifies geocaching (one of the fastest-growing GPS applications) so you no longer need to print information from a Web site only to have to manually enter the GPS coordinates into your receiver. Instead, you can load that information to your eXplorist so its accessible where it's needed most--to guide you right to cache treasures.

A high-speed USB data port lets you upload geocache coordinates and optional maps. Other features include a color transflective TFT screen, a barometer, an altimeter, a thermometer, and a 3-axis electronic compass (which eliminates the need to be in motion to get a direction heading).

Despite the eXplorist's wealth of features, it nevertheless resides in a compact, waterproof housing (IPX-7) at a weight of less than 4 ounces for fit-in-your-pocket convenience. The receiver boasts a large, 2.3-inch-diagonal backlit display; built-in maps of major roads, waterways, parks, and airports; the ability to calculate vertical profiles for elevations of roads, and trails; and a WAAS/EGNOS-enabled, 14-parallel-channel GPS receiver that delivers 3-meter accuracy with fast, reliable position fixes.

The Magellan eXplorist 600 is compatible with most Magellan MapSend software products (so you can add street detail, topographic data, marine navigation information, and other info), including MapSend Topo 3D USA, MapSend Topo Canada, MapSend Lakes USA, MapSend Worldwide Basemap, and MapSend DirectRoute, plus international titles.

Customer Reviews

Patience grass hopper, patience
I believe I read every review on the web and in magazines. It appears they were dichotomous for either a great gadget or junk.

I purchased an explorist 600 and immediately after receving the box I suspected the unit I had was a returned unit by someone else. The unit was not purchased from Amazon.com, rather from an interent company whom guaranteed the product was 100% brand new. I worte an email stating I had doubts about the unit being brand new or it was possibly refurbished, but I would still try to use it.

Immediately, the unit temperature read 518 def F. I was unable to reprogram the temp. Customer service was very polite and able to walk me through a recalibration process. As stated in many reviews, I waited for 1hr and 15 min. I'm glad I had speakerphone. But we solved the problem.

I did not have any problems installing the software or with the computer identifying the SD drive. After loading regions of maps, limited to a region size of 246mb per region, I started experiencing "Checking Media" problems. The unit would cycle and restart during startup into a "checking media" phase. Eventually, the unit would continue doing this and would not work. I called tech support and only waited about 20 min. I spoke with a very polite and helpful person. We performed a hard reset and she gave me her company email if I had anymore problems. Unfortunately, I did. I sent an email stating the problem seemed to be getting worse. Tech support was very prompt in replying to emails, (within 6 hrs). She stated the problem was not common and to return the unit.

I returned the unit to the internet store where I purchased it. After paying shipping to and from, they stated they would send me another unit, but to get the unit faster I should just return the defective unit and order another unit and repay the twenty dollars in shipping again. No thanks. What looked like a bargain in lowest price turned out to be expensive in shipping cost. I declined the second order and purchased the next unit from another company with free shipping, though the unit cost a little more.

The new Explorist 600 unit works flawlessly. It works how one would expect a $350 GPS unit to work. This is my first GPS unit and I think it is very easy to operate. Allow me to list the pros and cons.

Pros:
1) Very easy to use IF you read the directions once through. The rest is intuitive for a novice GPS person.
2) The software (purchased separately) and unit are very accurate for location and details
3) The unit is light-weight and small enough for one hand operation.
4) The satellite lock is very strong, even indoors, in bad weather conditions.
5) Tech support is very helpful and experienced.
6) There are many features including some I have no intention on using.
7) SD card. This is HUGE! I use a 1GB SanDisk. Using Topos 3D USA, a 246mb region is the entire southeast from below VA and as far west as the Mississippi river. The new unit works without error moving from one area to another. I do have to switch detail maps manually when crossing into VA into my north region. Very easily done. I have plenty of room that I could actually cut a region of the map for the entire east coast if the width were narrow enough.
8) The background maps is adequate for general navigation.

Cons:
1) The first unit seemed to be an older firmware version. The new unit is AWESOME. I was seriously considering purchasing the similar garmin unit. After previewing the software for garmin, I noticed several inacuuracy. I also really wanted to have SD capabilities. If you purchase an explorist 600 unit and experience problems, you may have an older unit.
2) Waiting for tech support on the phone is time consuming. Email is great, but make sure you enter info accurately and be polite!!
3) The Map Send V1 Topo USA 3D software is not easily transferred to the unit in terms of direct connect. You must use a conversion program for all map regions, routes, POI's. The program is included, but it is an extra step.
4) As many reviews indicated, the temperature indicator is not 100% accurate. No big deal. I feel it is close enough though after it has been in the environment for a period of time. The purist will have issues though. I do not require the use of an altimeter, so I never use it.
5) The additional software needed to use the unit for back country is expensive ranging $70-$150. Shop around. They sell road software as well, but i would have to research other units if I were to primarily use the unit for highway navigation. The Map Send Topo 3D software is fairly detailed with streets already and I do not anticipate purchasing the road version.

In summary, I would recommend the Explorist 600. You need patience to work through data transfer, but once you do it, it is quite simple. The unit itself is quite easy to use. If the unit starts acting up right away, don't allow a long testing period, send it back and get another one. I hope this helps your decision making.

Seriously doubting my choice...
I chose this product over the Garmin 60cs based on the SD card and rechargable battery... I am feeling very nervous about my choice...

First off...
One downside of the "pc style file system" is that it can get corrupted.. Mine did and a search on the Internet revealed that I was not the only one that it happened to.. There is no supported method for an end user to reload the basemap to the system if it gets corrupted. Contacting the technical support team (we will get more into that later) revealed that I would need to send the unit back to them to restore the map. This is crazy. I can't believe they are so paranoid that someone will buy an EU unit and load a NA basemap into it, that they are wiling to cause what I think is a great inconvience... This was after owning the unit for three days...

Also, my joystick did not work. It would not let me move the cursor in the up direction. The Customer Service (CS) rep said that it could just be that I was pushing the stick wrong... Bad design or bad quality control in my mind.

Then I get to road and topo maps.. I went to a large sporting goods store (between a Target and a Best Buy and just as big) and they sold Explorist GPS units and had a US road map and NA topo map for Magellan receivers.. Previously I had gone to the Magellan site and clicked on a link for mapsend compatiblity, and for the explorist, it said "Yes" for everything... The software to load maps is called the "Magellan Conversion Manager" This is also my first GPS unit.. keeping this all in mind I bought both maps... I get home and find out that they are NOT compatible with my unit... There is no way to make them work... They were magellan maps but for the older Meridain GPS unit... When I mentioned this to the CS rep, they said that their manager recommended to me that I either try and sell it on eBay or try to return it to the store... I can't think of any store that accepts returns on software... I don't buy or sell on ebay. I told them that I believe that they need to put somewhere on the compatibility chart a mention that the Explorist is not compatible with their older software.

So now I am waiting for them to return my gps unit... They let me upgrade the software I had purchased and I will end up paying the equivalent as list price for the topo and road maps... More than I would have paid if I had purhased the maps on Amazon...

I talked with some other GPS owners and they are reassuring me that it will all work out...

Also a note, I use a Mac as my primary machine. The device only has a USB interface, which is generally good, but don't expect to get NMEA data directly from the GPS unit to use software like macgpspro.... The garmin 60CS has both a serial and USB interface. And when using an SD card and the usb interface, you can only access either the SD card or the internal memory at any one time.. You need to switch which one the unit presents over USB to the host computer to change from one to another.

I would think carefully before buying this product... Go to a decent store and look at the available software and prices for Magellan versus Garmin... Look at third party software support for NMEA data... I find that Garmin has better support, at least where I have been looking...

If you like the SD card, this is a great device, but the 60cs can hold a goodly amount of map data in its internal memory.. and if you are going to be away from power for more than 17 hours or so, AA batteries are cheaper than proprietary rechargeable batteries.

Don't buy for the "Bells and Whistles" No Tech Support!

Hi. I just wanted to inform anyone who might be considering buying the new Explorist 600 by Magellan that the "bells and whistles" they advertise are useless.
1. The Thermometer. Upon starting the unit begins to climb beginning about 4 degrees off and rapidly climbing to about 15 degrees to high and stays there, apparently
Magellan put the temperature sensor right next to the backlight.....sigh.

2. The Barometer, The Barometer has a range or 16 - 31 inHg and in this small range it is consistently 4-8 inHg off. I have checked this against three reliable sources
And they are all in agreement with each other but not with the Explorist 600
The Barometer also reads (RISING, STEADY, FALLING,) and is all over the place, and usually wrong!
The amazing thing is when you get almost any kind of Barometer form other sources the first thing you do is calibrate it to your local pressure so you have a starting base point, but, the Explorist does not have a way to do this so I guess you are stuck with whatever base calibration Magellan uses in France...sigh

3. The Altimeter, seams to work if you calibrate it every 2-3 hours, but if you sit on a rock in the mountains for about 20 minutes you can gain or lose 10-20 feet
in altitude, but at least you can Re-calibrate it and move on.

These are all valid problems for a good tech support person but, upon contacting tech support via E-Mail four times and explaining in detail my problems some wonderful techie copied and pasted a page from the user manual that had nothing to do with my problem and mailed this to me..
Another E-Mail and I was told to turn my Magellan (on/off) for 24 hours to get a Barometer history started, I did this, it did not change one thing!!!
I e-mailed and explained this did not help.....
....after this they refuse to answer my requests for help so I called...
...I sat on HOLD for 48 minutes and listened to ENYA music and the always encouraging "Your call in important to us please stay on the line."
After finally giving up they offer a "Call Back" leave your number and we will call you back up to 6 times today....Well,...for two days I had someone sitting by the phone on the ready to answer and NO CALL BACK!!!!, so,, I E-Mailed tech support and asked them to- Call me back -and they now (not having any answers for me) refuse to answer my e-mails or call me back.