That Blozzz

I purchased the Magellan Merdian Gold GPS last summer. I waited to review it until I seen the longevity of it. I purchased the GPS at Walmart for $99.00 on clearance and I bought it for Geo Caching. That is a game that you play where you find stuff people have hidden. The unit is a hand held GPS or Global Positioning System.

I was impressed right away with the extended features including 16 MB of maps pre-installed. I have used it everywhere in my very rural area and the maps seem to cover even the smallest of streets. I have used the GPS in many weather conditions including pouring down rain and it keeps working without a hitch.

The accuracy is pretty good and is accurate to 3 meters. I would like a little better because some of the hidden items are quite small and can be hard to track.

I have used this both out in the open and in my car and even through the window, it is easy to follow. There are many ways to track your position including on a map, on a screen that looks like a road and there is also a compass. There are seven navigation screens in all.

You can save up to 500 waypoints and 20 routes in the GPS. I normally put the location of the item or location I am looking for as a waypoint and then hit the goto button and the GPS will guide me to where I am going.

The screen is large and easy to read, however, it takes a little while for the GPS to load and find a signal when you first turn it on. It is easy to hold on to because the casing is rubber and it is safe in most areas because it is not only waterproof, it also floats.

Other features include the ability to add additional maps with the purchase of new software. You can add memory with a simple SD memory card. The GPS has 12 parallel channels and a quadrifilar antenna.

I have used a few GPS units and this was one of the better ones I have used. Original retail value was $249.99. I am not sure I would have bought it for that price but the $99 price I paid beat any other GPS in the same price range.

Pros:

Easy to use

Loads of features

Great maps

Good Price

Water proof

Cons:

Slow loading and slow read on position

Large size (of course that means a better screen)

Additional software is very expensive

Overall, I would rate it a 4 out of 5 star.

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