Magellan SporTrak 16MB Topographical Handheld GPS Navigator

Average customer rating: 4.5

Perfect for my needs
Good Reception, ok features

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Magellan SporTrak 16MB Topographical Handheld GPS Navigator

Manufacturer: Magellan
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B0000C85CQ

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Product Description

With built-in nationwide topography, major roads, waterways, and more, the Magellan SporTrak Topo comes pre-loaded with everything you need to find your way on your next backcountry adventure. Built-in nationwide topography makes SporTrak Topo the first and only "grab-and-go" topo GPS available, with no need to download additional topography. An additional 16 MB of memory enables you to expand your mapping capabilities with detailed street-level maps for navigating over roads, using optional Magellan MapSend software products.Hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, freshwater fishermen, off-road enthusiasts and other outdoor adventurers find SporTrak Topo essential when navigating the backcountry of the United States. The pocket-sized, lightweight, rugged design provides the advantage of GPS navigation - the confidence of knowing where you are and where you're going - without the burden of bulky equipment and cumbersome paper topo maps. SporTrak Topo provides superior tracking and accuracy, showing your position to within 3 meters, even in difficult environments such as mountains or dense foliage. 108 MB of built-in, interactive, nationwide topographic maps means SporTrak Topo is ready for action straight out of the box. Grab it and go!The features of the SporTrak Topo give you all of the great advantages of GPS navigation with built-in topographic maps of the United States in a compact, lightweight, rugged package.

Amazon.com Product Description

A powerful navigation tool, the Magellan SporTrak Topo offers a built-in 108 MB nationwide topographic map database. This 12-channel GPS receiver is also WAAS-enabled for three-meter accuracy--even in difficult environments such as mountains or dense foliage. The SporTrak Topo also include a 16 MB memory for additional map and points of interest downloads from Magellan MapSend CD-ROMs.<P> <table align=right width=130 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/sporttopo_3_sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>
<small><b>Map screen with cursor mode. </b></small></td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/sporttopo_4_sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>
<small><b>Compass screen.</b></small></td></tr> </table> <table align=left width=200 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/sporttopo_1_sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>
<small><b>The Magellan SporTrak Topo packs GPS navigation and topographic maps into a single handheld device. View larger.</b> <small></td></tr></table> The pocket-size, lightweight, rugged SporTrak Topo is a great choice for hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, freshwater fishermen, off-road enthusiasts, and other outdoor adventurers. The 108 MB built-in topography database--derived from the U.S. Government Digital Elevation Model (DEM)--features contouring and elevation, as well as highways, major roads, waterways, and coastlines. The SporTrak Topo uses WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS) to provide excellent GPS accuracy and reliability, tracking up to 12 satellites to locate your position to within three meters.<P> Nine customizable graphic navigation screens include a map, compass, and speedometer with text readouts of heading, bearing, speed, direction, ETA, and more. Choose from 12 built-in coordinate systems and 76 datums, including latitude/longitude, universal transverse mercator, and military grid reference system. Plus you can store up to 20 routes, 500 waypoints, and 2,000 track points. The save track-to-route feature allows you to convert complicated track files into easy-to-follow routes. You can expand beyond the capacity of the SporTrak and save hundreds of routes by transferring them to a PC using optional Magellan MapSend software. Other great features include the NorthFinder technology, which shows your direction even when you're standing still. You can even monitor the GPS satellites in view and get information about their status.

Magellan has designed the SporTrak for the outdoors. The large, high-contract backlit display is easy to read, day or night, and the rubber-armored, impact-resistant plastic helps protect the internal components during accidental drops. This device is also meets IEC-529 IPX7 waterproof specifications, and it even floats. <br clear="all"> <b>What's in the Box</b>
SporTrak Topo GPS receiver, MapSend Topo CD-ROM, PC cable, 2 AA batteries, and user's manual (English/French).

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for my needs.......2005-05-26

I absolutely love this GPS. I chose this model because it already has a built in basic map of the United States, and has a large amount of internal memory so that I do not have to mess around with memory cards and such. It is also nice that the GPS comes with detailed topographic maps of the United States, which normally would require an extra $100.00 or so to buy. You don't have to buy extra software, extra memory cards, or extra accessories, everything is in the box so that you can simply get the one package and be good to go.

Because I do about 95% of my hiking in a 240 X 160 mile area that stretches from South of Phoenix, Arizona to North of the Grand Canyon, I am able to just leave that area on the GPS nearly all the time and only take up about 1/3 of the available memory. That leaves enough room for Joshua Tree NP, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, Yosemite NP, and Channel Islands NP to all be uploaded in connecting regions so that I may use the GPS to get from place to place on the road and then have all of the topographical information that I need in order to hike and explore to my hearts content.

The only time that I can imagine that I would need more memory would be if I were to travel across the country and wanted to have detailed information for the entire route and many places of interest around the main route, but since I generally take a laptop with me when I travel I would just upload a day or two worth of travel at a time. I much prefer to have everything contained within the one unit rather than having to fiddle around with memory cards and such.

While the unit is intended to be used for hiking and off road use, I take mine everywhere simply as a navigational aid in the city, since the detailed maps show every major road and a vast majority of side streets. The GPS will not provide turn-by-turn directions, but it serves as a great interactive map for figuring out where you are and where you are going.

The rugged construction has proven to be able to withstand substantial bangs and falls, and its waterproof construction allows for all weather traveling while being able to concentrate on your own safety without worrying about protecting the GPS.

I do not understand why this unit is not the most popular product that Magellan offers. In my opinion it was easily worth the price, and it is one of those purchases that I simply cannot imagine living without now that I have it.

The only accessories that I would recommend are a larger case (I got one from GPS Outfitters that has enough room for spare batteries, a cell phone, and a few other small items for under $15.00) and a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries. The batteries last a surprisingly long time, though they can wear out quickly if you use the backlighting feature very often.

Good Reception, ok features.......2004-04-08

I use my unit to log traces of my hikes and runs; so good, continuous reception is my most important criterion for judging this unit.

I originally bought a Garmin eTrek GPS unit, but I had to return it. Reception was fine when properly oriented, but the small size and antenna design caused it to lose the satellite signal even under clear skies while I carried it in my hand. I could get good reception only if the unit was held horizontally. This makes it worthless for logging runs and hikes.

The user interface on this Magellan is OK: it's easy to use on the run and somewhat customizable. It's also not too hard to learn to use. But some simple data isn't displayed, like time elapsed since start of trip, or average pace (though average speed is available.)

Map quality is good, and the CD to download detailed maps is included, unlike the Garmin. Also, topographical data of most of the US is preloaded. But this I've been disappointed with, since it seems far less accurate than the USGS maps available in electronic form from National Geographic. Often, a steep uphill appears on the Garmin map as a downhill, while the data loaded into the USGS maps shows the altitude change correctly.

But again, this is all secondary to the good quality reception of the unit in different orientations. Since this is good, it gives good traces of my runs and hikes, and so I'm happy with it.

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