Magellan eXplorist XL

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 29 December 05 9:49 pm

I have taken delivery of my eXplorist XL and thought others may be interested in my initial experiences. 

To assist you judge the value of my assessment, I have : 
- Only limited caching experience - just over 100 finds; 
- Been using an eXplorist 100 (no mapping, smallish mono screen) for over a year; 
- Been using the XL very actively for a week now; 
- Only seen other GPSrs briefly at events or chance encounters "hunting". 
The main reasons I was looking for a new GPSr were that I wanted: 
1. A large screen - I was sick of having to wear reading glasses in poor light (backlight didn't help - it was just a blur for me) 
2. The ability to use mapping software; 
3. To be able to download waypoints. 

Initial impressions - WOW! BIG screen! I turned it on in the dining room and headed towards the sliding glass door to the backyard and was picking up satellites even before I was outside (by comparison, I have to stand outside for up to 5 minutes on a cold start on the eXplorist 100).

Putting aside all the sub screens (POI, GOTO selection, etc) The fundamental screens are: 
- Satellite tracking; 
- Tracking (map); 
- Compass; 
- Location. 
SATELLITE TRACKING SCREEN 
Very pretty, provides feedback of satellites available and being tracked. 
TRACKING SCREEN 
Basic colour range, but very easy to read. In daylight I have no problems reading the street level names (ie without reading glasses), and can read them at night when concentrating (ie without glasses). The details displayed at the bottom of the screen are very large and can be read easily (or switched off if wanted). I can't fault the quality of the display, it's all that I wanted and more. If I have one negative to say it is the refresh rate when I am using the joystick to move about the map, which is probably due to the high level of detail I have selected; when traveling along (on foot or car) the refresh rate is fine. 

COMPASS SCREEN 
First impressions were great. The colours were fine (red/north and yellow/south needle). But when working with the compass I have found what I think is a major shortcoming (fault). When you activate a GOTO or an Active Track the compass still tracks North. This contradicts the manual which states that when you have an active route the compass will point in the route direction, so I can only assume that it is a firmware fault and am waiting for Magellan Support to respond to my "service request". 
There are a couple of cosmetic items that could also be addressed on this screen also:- 
- the sun, moon, and active track icons could be bigger 
- when active tracking, the icon displayed could be the same icon symbol displayed on the Tracking screen (e.g. if a cache, the cache symbol; if First Aid, the First Aid icon, etc.) - at present it always displays the "default" icon. 
As with the Tracking Screen, the additional information displayed in nice and large and very easy to read. 
LOCATION SCREEN 
Displays coordinates, elevation, accuracy, date/time, trip odometer, and battery charge in nice big bold letters/numbers. Basic and very functional. 
OTHER ITEMS 
It takes 4 AA batteries and quite large, so the unit is on the weighty side, but I got used to that very quickly. 
Processing .LOC and .GPX file was fine with the software provided by Magellan and loading them onto the GPSr was a breeze. 
FIRMWARE UPDATE 1.05 
The GPSr was supplied with version 9.1.04. I checked the Magellan site for any updates that may overcome the compass problem. There was one there, not for the problem that I found, but I thought that I may as well load it. 
That was a painful experience. You are advised to backup your GPSr's internal memory as you have to Ã‚â€

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 29 December 05 10:07 pm

When you activate a GOTO or an Active Track the compass still tracks North. This contradicts the manual which states that when you have an active route the compass will point in the route direction, so I can only assume that it is a firmware fault and am waiting for Magellan Support to respond to my "service request".

It works normal for my Explorist 600, but may i suggest you contact www.nextdestination.com.au as they are the dealers for Aus and will give you a much quicker response then Magellan will give.

Are firmware updates always that painful

I pull the sim card out, and hit clear all then it only takes me a minute to reload the cache files and waypoints as i upload them all through mapsend and the Magellan geocaching program, then its just 2min of setting everything up to how i like it, map level etc and the longest bit is typing in all my details like name address phone number etc into the unit, you will get quicker at it when you get to know and use the unit a lot more.

Glad your happy with the unit and it sounds like a good one, would be good to get a chance to compare the 600 and XL next to each as for screen size and resolution.

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 30 December 05 8:30 am

Thanks. I have written to Next Destination. Let's see what they have to say.

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 30 December 05 5:15 pm

GIN51E wrote:
would be good to get a chance to compare the 600 and XL next to each as for screen size and resolution.

The eXplorist 100 (my "old" unit) has the same size screen as the 600 - and I can tell you that by comparison the XL screen is huge. At 3.5 inches diagonal measurement, the XL screen is a similar size of in-car navigator screens or PDA. It's TFT so the same quality (I imagine) as the 600. 
... but the compass bug is gnawing at me!

rogainer · Post by **rogainer** » 31 December 05 12:02 am

Thanks for your report on the XL Grank, I am currently agonising over a new GPS for myself and have been eyeing off the explorist series. I like the size of the 500/600 models, but have reservations about how useful the small screen might be in the field with respect to showing all the detail of the discover aus mapping (contours etc). I had a look at the XL, and as you say, it is a BIG unit. I would appreciate any explorist (non XL) users commenting on how they find the Discover Aus detail on the screen while out in the field.
And before anybody mentions it, I am aware that the 500/600 have rechargeable batteries - this has been discussed ad nauseam else where

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 31 December 05 5:21 am

rogainer wrote: I would appreciate any explorist (non XL) users commenting on how they find the Discover Aus detail on the screen while out in the field.

I have a 600 and i always use it for street navigation to help me get to the cache location and have no problems reading the screen and street names whilst the GPS is in its windscreen bracket

stickler · Post by **stickler** » 03 January 06 5:46 pm

Re: the screen size of the 600 versus the XL.

I have used my 600 for about 4 months bushwalking in the Vic Alps now and just love the topo mapping down to 35m zoom level. The screen size is fine if your prepared to zoom in and out and scroll around a bit, as it does take some time to reload the map, but screen clarity is excellent.

I still find it very easy to read with the backlight on and can see it very well in the car when placed down on the centre console (and still tracks fine).

It will always be a toss up between features, usage, size and weight. For what I do, smaller the better, but still functional.

Note that the XL does not have a (real) compass as it based on the 500, which I think is a must for geocaching and bushwalking.

rogainer · Post by **rogainer** » 03 January 06 10:12 pm

Thanks for your feedback people. I went and had another look at the explorist XL on the weekend - It is growing on me and doesn't seem as big the second time I looked at it. I think I might be talking myself into getting one

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 03 January 06 10:22 pm

rogainer wrote: I think I might be talking myself into getting one

There's nothing wrong with that, just about everything i own i talked myself into getting it

just pull the credit card out and you won't be sorry.

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 03 January 06 11:05 pm

rogainer wrote: I went and had another look at the explorist XL on the weekend - It is growing on me and doesn't seem as big the second time I looked at it. I think I might be talking myself into getting one

I went for a bit of a road trip today (5 hours) and my wife offered to drive - a great day playing and familiarising myself with the XL. Once again the only annoyance with the unit is the compass not locking on the GOTO - I am getting used to it by lining up the icon with the fixed arrow, but it is still not as good as the compass lock (a small icon Vs a large red pointing arrow). If you do get one (or don't for that matter) please do "us" a favour and enquire about this bug - airing our concerns at point of sale may get some traction on the fix. Having a pilot let me check out the map closely. Zooming along the expressway or on the winding back roads the refresh rate was fine, even when I zoomed in - again, only when I started using the joystick to preview what was ahead did the screen need to refresh. 
I bought a package - GPSr, Discover Aus Streets and Tracks topo, and a "generic" holder. GPSr and Aus topo I am happy with, the generic holder is "satisfactory". I would have preferred a Magellan purpose built holder but they are unavailable (when I asked, at any rate). With batteries, it packs some weight so it needs a firm holder. I knocked it out accidentally once with my hand (caught it ...phew!!) and had to check the attachment regularly as I am sure that it would have come loose otherwise - and that's on just a general country road, not off road or track.

arthurking83 · Post by **arthurking83** » 03 January 06 11:43 pm

GIN51E wrote:
rogainer wrote: I think I might be talking myself into getting one
There's nothing wrong with that, just about everything i own i talked myself into getting it just pull the credit card out and you won't be sorry.

LOL! except when the wife finds out

I talked my self into getting one too, CC is poised!
But the Garmin 'x' models have talked me into waiting a bit longer

And the situation that Magellan haven't released the 'proper' mount yet!

I am a Magellan fanboi, but their philosophy towards the customers needs!!
ps. Grank, join the explorist yahoo group and see if they have an answer to you compass problem! Seems weird!!
pps. why is my text formatting all up the Sh!t ? Where have my "carriage returns" gone?

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 04 January 06 12:42 pm

arthurking83 wrote: Grank, join the explorist yahoo group and see if they have an answer to you compass problem!

I am now "in"! Nothing on the site about it that my search revealed so I have posted a note - we'll see what comes. Thanks for the tip!

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 04 January 06 6:17 pm

Through some PMs I have been advised that the latest on-line manual is now different (ie than the manual supplied with the device) as follows:
 
Page 21 of on-line manual
 
"When there is an active route, an icon representing the destination is displayed outside the compass. When the destination icon is at the top of the compass, you are moving in the direction of your destination. If there is not an active route, the destination icon will not be present. The heading direction arrow always points to the top of the compass indicating the direction of travel or last computed heading if you are not moving. The compass arrow always points North."
 
Page 21 of supplied manual
 
"When there is no active route, the graphical compass indicates the direction you are travelling. (When you are not moving, the compass points to the last computed heading.) When there is an active route, an icon representing the destination is displayed outside the compass diameter, with the compass arrow pointing to the icon. The top of the compass will indicate your direction of travel. When the compass arrow points to the top of the compass, you are moving in the direction of your destination."
 
Quite a significant difference I would think! 
Hmm, why would the specification change? Maybe I've been in IT too long and am getting overly suspicious when the documentation changes to meet the behaviour of software .... 
Bottom line, caveat emptor 
So to me there is a significant shortcoming from a Geocaching perspective for the use of the compass (ie if you rely on the compass locking on to the GZ). I have found a half satisfactory workaround whereby I line up the black arrow with the somewhat small icon (sometimes reading glasses needed to distinguish between moon, sun and icon)on the compass screen to locate the final placement of the cache , but my primary school son using the eXplorist 100 finds the GZ before me every time and when I get stuck I still use the eXplorist 100 at the GZ. 
I would also suspect that it is a significant drawback when navigating as I regulary just rely on the compass pointing out the active route rather than having to study the breadcrumbs. 
All in all 9 out of 10 for the XL (whereas I would have scored it an 11 had the compass worked to my expectation!). At the end of the day the size of the screen wins me over as that was No.1 on my "want list" but if that was not my No1 I would have gone for the 500 or 600 in the eXplorist series for functionality or maybe the Garmin MAP60C (or maybe the X series that others have mentioned). 
PS I have not had a response to my emails to Magellan nor Next Destination as yet.

arthurking83 · Post by **arthurking83** » 04 January 06 8:48 pm

Hi again Grank,

I was just perusing my version of the XL manual.
It is consistent with what you describe as the latest online manual!

Problem is, the manual I donwloaded is from 11 Sept-05, 3 months before the XL was released!!
(it was available for download before the GPSr was released, maybe to get folks interested??)

My guess is someone may have mixed up the the pages in the hard copy manual from an explorist 4/5/600??

I don't know, just speculation

Is there a "Print" date on the manual?
I suspect it will be 2005 only, so this won't help!!

What date was the "latest online manual' last modified?

Grank · Post by **Grank** » 04 January 06 9:39 pm

The manual supplied as a PDF with the unit (on CD) was dated August 2005. I can't determine the date of the one on the internet (other than 2005 - version control details seem to be missing

), but would suspect that it supercedes the one supplied with the unit .... Would expect that it comes under the right to change specifications at any time without notice .... (or similar clause)