Magellan Triton 1500 Waterproof Hiking GPS

by Magellan

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 3.1 x 8.4 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000V4S6Y2
• Item model number: Magellan Triton 1500
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,621 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description, January 8, 2008

Amazon.com Product Description, January 8, 2008 Magellan's new Triton series seeks to reinvent the handheld GPS bycombining extreme ease of use, rugged durability, and a unique direct-upload capability for National Geographic TOPO! maps The high-end Triton 1500 and 2000 also feature the first handheld touch-screens and multimedia capabilities that can be used to accentuate geocoding.

Want to know which Triton is Right for You?
Click here to see a feature comparison of all Tritons.

See More, Hear More, Capture The Moment
The Triton has a big 2.7-inch (diagonally) full-color touchscreen display, and a rich array of multimedia features. Use the Triton 1500 to view photos and listen to MP3 files via its embedded speaker or headphone jack.

An integrated speaker and microphone let you record audio files to associate with geographic locations

Accurate Bearings
A simple-to-use, 3-axis electronic compass delivers stationary heading and bearing at any altitude—without having to be horizontal to the ground, even in uneven terrain and high altitudes. An embedded barometer tracks atmospheric pressure changes to give more accurate altitude readings and indicate changes in weather. An embedded LED flashlight helps you find your way at night.

First handheld GPS compatible with National Geographic TOPO! maps

Use Magellan Vantage point software to add, store and manage optional maps, tracks, waypoints, routes, geocaches and other user-generated content

Incredible Map Versatility
Pre-loaded base maps and uploadable detail maps identify major roads, rivers, lakes, cities, and other geographical boundaries, and its SD card slot offers unlimited storage possibilities. Every Triton includes VantagePoint software to manage maps, view saved routes, and more.

Through an exclusive partnership with the National Geographic Society, Magellan Triton series devices are the first and only handheld GPS units configured to directly upload National Geographic’s award-winning TOPO! maps. TOPO! Maps provide five layers of the best maps available—from National Geographic Atlas maps to the most detailed USGS topographic maps. View the maps in 3D on your PC, select the map areas you want, and upload them to your Magellan Triton—the industry's easiest-to-use handheld navigation device!

Takes a Licking
Rugged and waterproof to IPX-7 standards, the Triton 2000 defeats harsh environments; it can withstand a drop to concrete and immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Easily replaceable AA batteries ensure you'll always have power when you need it most, while its integrated antenna enables clear reception—even in heavy cloud cover and deep canyons.

What's In The Box
Triton 1500 GPS receiver, USB data cable, 2 AA batteries, VantagePoint software, Quick reference guide and CD

Optional Accessories

• Bike mount
• Swivel mount
• Windshield mount
• Vehicle power adapter (12-24 watts)
• AC power adapter
• Carrying case
• NMEA cable

Product Specifications

• GPS Chipset: SiRFstarIII
• Processor: 400 MHz
• GPS accuracy: 3-5 meters
• Antenna Type: Patch
• USB: 1.1
• Internal Memory: 128 MB
  
• External Memory: SD card
• NMEA Output: Yes
• Product Dimensions: 5.75 inches H x 2.5 inches W x 1.13 inches D (14.6 cm H x 6.6 cm W x 2.9 cm D)
• Product Weight with Batteries: 7.9 oz (224 g)
• Screen Size: 2.7 inches diagonally (6.86 cm)
• Screen Resolution: QVGA (320 x 240)
• Battery Type: 2 x AA
• Battery Life: 10 hours
• Type of Backlight: LED
• Water Resistance: IPX-7
• User Interface: Touch screen/keypad
• Barometer: Yes
• Compass Type: Electronic 3D

Advanced Software Features

• VantagePoint: Yes
• Software Compatible: Topo Canada, Topo Mexico, U.S. Topo Basic, U.S. Topo Premium, Lakes USA; Mountain Dynamics; National Geographic TOPO!; BlueNav
• Pre-Loaded Base Maps: Contiguous 48 United States, Alaska, Canada, worldwide geographic boundaries
• Fish/Hunt times: Yes
• Sun/Moon Phases: Yes
• Vertical Profiles: Yes
• Localization Mean: MSDK
• Language Support: English (default), French
• User Grids: Yes
• Coordinate Systems: Latitude/Longitude and UTM

Which Triton is Right for You?

	200	300	400	500	1500	2000
Screen Size diagonal	2.2 inches	2.2 inches	2.2 inches	2.2 inches	2.7 inches	2.7 inches
USB Data Cable Included
SD Card Slot
Internal Memory	10 MB	10 MB	64 MB	64 MB	128 MB	128 MB
Barometer
Touch Screen
Speaker & Microphone
AA Batteries Included
LED Flashlight
Processor	266 MHz	266 MHz	266 MHz	266 MHz	400 MHz	400 MHz
Camera
Dimensions (H x W x D) inches	4.65 x 2.16 x 1.22	4.65 x 2.16 x 1.22	4.65 x 2.16 x 1.22	4.65 x 2.16 x 1.22	5.75 x 2.5 x 1.13	5.75 x 2.5 x 1.13
Weight ounces	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	8	8

About Magellan
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS, and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets.

Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate series and the Magellan Maestro portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist and the Magellan Triton outdoor handheld navigation devices, and the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The Magellan Maestro series includes such unique features as built-in AAA travel information and voice command and control driving—which no other portable GPS manufacturer in the U.S. or Canada offers. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications.

The Company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with European headquarters in Carquefou, France.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice GPS - Challenging NG Map Integration, December 28, 2007

By 

Benjamin Lockett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magellan Triton 1500 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

OK, so I try to avoid being an early adopter, but I've been waiting a long time for the next step in GPS technology, so I jumped at the chance of buying a Triton 1500.

FYI, the 1500 is the same as the 2000 minus the camera. I carry a Canon on top of my pack so I did not need it.

The User Interface rocks, totally intuitive, easy to understand and the touch screen is awesome. I laugh a little at the micro stylus, that's going to get lost on the first 5 miles on the trail. Magellan includes a bag of extras, probably because they exepect this to happen. Good news is that a finger or a twig will do just fine.

The ability to add voice notes is great and one of the reasons I bought it. You'll need to add an SD card to take advantage of this excellent feature. Same deal if you want to add some MP3s. I can see myself listening to Dave M or a good book on tape while in camp.

The LED flashlight is ok. Enough for an emergency but it will not replace my head torch.

I'm not sure about the choice of colours, I'm sure its rugged but it looks a little cheap.

The cicular navigation button offers too much resistance. Maybe it's designed that way to avoid unwanted data entry, but I don't like it.

Now onto the not so good. The software/PC set up is far from plug and play. In fact I'd go as far to say I've never seen anything so complicated.

The biggest selling feature is the integration with National Geographic's Topo maps. In order to take advantage of this feature you have to sign up for and download Magellan's VantagePoint. If you don't do that you don't get the drivers.

Once you have done this you have to download a patch for the NG maps that adds Triton support. This also provides more of the drivers you need for your PC to recognize the Triton via a USB port.

I've done all the steps above, achieved connectivity with VantagePoint and my Triton, but I have tried everything execept voodoo magic and I cannot get NG Topo maps to see my Triton. This raises a good point.

Magellan make the GPS but NG make the maps, who do I contact for support?

I emailed both Magellan an NG for help. Got some very responsive support from NG but all they could do was refer my email to their development team and I have yet to hear anything from them. Magellan have yet to respond in any way.

I'm sure this problem will get resolved soon and as Colorado is sitting under piles of white stuff I will not be needing my GPS until the spring but it's more than enough to take the shine off a great product.

In summary:

Good:
Great UI
Intuitive
Fast

Not bad:
Flashlight
MP3 player
Micro stylus

Needs work:
NG Maps interface
OMG the set up is COMPLICATED

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magellan Triton 1500 Once Figured out it is GREAT, April 13, 2008

By 

Michael B. Taylor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magellan Triton 1500 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

I received my Magellan Triton 1500 from my wife for Christmas. We like hiking Mt Leconte in The Great Smokey Mountains National Park each summer and thought this would be a fun way to keep track of where we are on the trail and to find different landmarks along the way. We also live on a farm with a creek running alongside it, and wanted to be able to watch the cursor move along as we walk it. Well, here it is in mid April, and I just now got it all working for me. I did not receive much in the box, just the receiver, some batteries, and a package of replacement stylus. I phoned the Magellan folks three times and never did receive the rest of what was supposed to be in the box. I bought a cable off of e-bay, and downloaded the vantage point software over the internet from the Magellan website. I bought the National Geographic TOPO maps on CD for Tennessee and Kentucky from the National Geographic website.

One major task to complete before this will work is to load up the Magellan Driver needed for your PC to recognize the Magellan. I googled a search for help doing this, and found information on how to get it done, and finally got that done.

The second major thing to do, is to download the newest version updates of the TOPO software. Without it you will not have a box that allows you to send the TOPO map you want to the Magellan Triton GPS. The National Geographic website will give you a lot of information on how to get their TOPO maps exported to the Magellan Triton. You must update your TOPO software to version 4-4-2 . The upgrade you need is at
www.topo-triton.com .

I need to make it clear, the National Geographic Website will give you the best informaton out there to get this thing working with their TOPO maps. Spend some time reading their information under Magellan Triton Support.

After you get this done, you can open up the TOPO software (mine is for Kentucky and Tennessee) and zoom into the area you want to map. Zoom into the closest range possible (level 5) and then you will click the red box on the top line. You can move around the red box to include the area you are interested in, and then save it as a name you will remember.

The export from TOPO to Magellan Triton is easy now. You will load up the small map that you just saved, and then along the right side of your TOPO screen you will select the choice "Export to Triton" and give the map a name that will show up in the maps menu of your Triton. Then, click export now, and very quickly the map will go to the Triton.

From the Triton menu, select view then maps. You will see the name of the map you just sent to the Triton and there will probably be a box with a red slash in it on the left of the map name. Click that red slashed box with your stylus so the red slash goes away. This will then be the map that will be displayed on your Triton. (only one active map can exist in the Triton, the red slashes are the maps that are inactive).

I have a 2GB SD card plugged in, and all my imported maps go to it without me doing anything.

The screens with the maps are clear, colorful, and a lot of fun to have as you hike around an area.

I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS GREAT TECHNOLOGY THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND NOW THAT I FINALLY GOT IT FIGURED OUT, EASY TO USE.

GET YOU ONE OF THESE MAGELLAN TRITONS AND YOU WILL ONLY REGRET THAT YOU DIDN'T GET ONE SOONER. No Kidding, get you one of these today!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works For Me, April 9, 2010

By 

John Philip Robertson "spazmid" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magellan Triton 1500 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

I won't reiterate what everyone else wrote, except to say that this is a really good GPS when you get things going your way. And that takes a bit of skulduggery, but stay with it and you will be rewarded. I use mine all the time and I'm not easy to please. I attribute the bad reviews to lack of interest to perform due diligence.

This unit is pretty sensitive... I live in a building that's like a tomb, but even inside I still get a few weak satellites - enough to get a position. Outside I get a sky full of strong ones. Maybe it's not lightning fast from cold start, but who cares if it's within a minute or two? Not me. I just turn it on and drop it in my pocket, tie my shoes and tighten my belt, and it's ready. The 1500 will accept a twenty dollar external antenna, but I don't see the necessity unless you bought your GPS so you won't get lost in your basement.

You have to update the unit online. If you just got your first computer yesterday, it's gonna be a chore. Otherwise, no. After downloading Vantage Point, it may not recognize the unit. Driver time. You need to go to to to My Computer, Properties, Device Manager, Hardware, locate it in Other Devices and update driver, Windows will find it for you...look for Neptune... at least that was my procedure, and you know how that goes... just figure it out. I'm no computer genius, and I usually can.

When Vantage Point recognizes the unit, it will offer to update the firmware... do it. Now you are cooking with gas.

You may have problems, you may not... Google and noodle until you figure it out, I did, other reviewers here did, and YOU CAN TOO.

So maybe you could get a Garmin and spend a lot of money on maps, and there would be no bumps in the road. But I highly doubt that, as I have owned Garmin products. Presently, I don't have a handheld Garmin, but I have one of the newest Nuvis, the 1200, and I had to suffer some BS with it too... so I guess you either just do it yourself, or hire a guide.

It's very accurate, the 1500, as is the 400. Both look very durable. The 1500 screen is plenty big. The unit is actually a bit thinner than the smaller 400.

Vantage Point and Triton manuals can be downloaded for free at the Magellan website.

I don't use the touchscreen much except for scrolling the map, cuz I got used to the buttons with the 400 which doesn't have one. But it has very good control, not helter-skelter like some of those Nuvi touchscreens.

Listen to Kirk... forget about the NG and other expensive maps. I got NG Topos free with my 400, which I still have... downloaded a few, but I probably won't use them for long, since by the end of 2010 USGS will probably be finished updating their new Topos. Many of them are done... check them out... awesome.

You have to convert them, first from PDF to JPG and then to Triton RMP, with free software, which you'll either consider fun or a job depending on your personality.

Or you can pay your seven bucks and get lots of great free maps ready to roll from Maps 4 Me, if he has your state or country done yet. Most of them will display in "3D" in Vantage Point... nice.

In a word, this unit has a bad rep because it's glitchy until you update it. After that it's nifty. It has an LED flashlight, a voice recorder, an mp3 player, SD card slot, earphone jack, eight different screens, lots of features, big touch-screen LCD that works. I like it.

One more thing... check around... you may be surprised what you can pick up one of these babies or another Triton model for.