Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS

by Magellan

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 2 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000BGTVDK
• Item model number: 980812-01
• Batteries: 4 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

Product Description

Thales Navigation business, global provider of Magellan consumer GPS products, unveils its unique, new Magellan eXplorist XL handheld GPS the advanced, yet easy-to-use Magellan eXplorist XL ensures navigators can easily see where they’re going with the largest screen available on a rugged handheld GPS -- a 3.5”, sunlight viewable, high contrast color TFT LCD screen. It also delivers unlimited map storage with 30MB of available internal memory plus expandable memory through a built-in SD card reader/writer. The Magellan eXplorist XL’s enhanced capabilities offer exceptional versatility for camping, boating, fishing, hunting or driving.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

159 of 162 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great unit for driving or geocaching (and heavy, but good, for hiking), January 16, 2006

By 

Nathan D. Allen (Bay Saint Louis, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS (Electronics)

Choosing the eXplorist XL was a tough choice for me. I was trying to decide between the Garmin GPSMap 76CS (the altimeter/barometer version of the of the color-display 76C) and one of the other Magellan eXplorist series units.

ALTIMETER/BAROMETER/THERMOMETER REQUIREMENT
One of the first strikes against the XL is that it lacks an altimeter and compass. This is fine as I use a supplemental analog compass for navigation while hiking, and the XL is able to determine direction based on movement when I'm driving. Evenso, the compass on the 76CS is finicky as it is a 2-axis compass (which means that it must be held level with the ground). I say it's finicky because other users have indicated that it doesn't show direction very well unless they're holding it perfectly level, and sometimes it's a crapshot as to whether or not they're holding it adequately level.

On the other hand, the 76CS has a good altimeter on it (much better than that of the eXplorist 600, the thermometer/barometer/altimeter of which is located too close the hot backlight and makes for some pretty erroneous readings). Still, GPS can estimate altitude well enough. The altitude accuracy tends to be 1.5 to 2 times further off than the horizontal readings (meaning that if you're getting a horizontal accuracy of 10 feet, the GPS altitude will only be accurate to within about 15-20 feet). A properly calibrated altimeter (calibrated every few hours) will provide accuracy of about 15 feet. To me, the increase in accuracy of going from GPS altitude calculations to altimeter calculations isn't significant. Even w/o the alt/bar/temp option, I'm okay. I use an analog thermometer if I need to know it, and use other techniques to determine the weather.

The XL does provide a compass but it isn't magnetic. Instead, like most units that do not include a seperate internal compass, the XL uses changes in GPS position to determine direction of travel. As long as you're moving, you'll be able to determine your direction (or, again, you can just bring an inexpensive analog compass with you if you're hiking). If you're driving, you'll be moving fast enough that the compass indications will be very precise.


WEIGHT
The unit is heavy. I believe that the 60C and 76C made by Garmin each weigh about 5.5 oz w/o batteries, and about 7.5 w/ batteries. By comparison, the 400/500/600 series by Magellan weigh about 5.5 oz WITH the battery in them (they utilize a rechargeable Li-Ion battery). The XL, on the other hand, weighs about 8 oz w/o batteries, and about 12 oz with the four batteries installed.


BATTERY LIFE
The four batteries can last about 15 hours, comparable to the Magellan 400 & 500 which also last about 15, but pall in comparison to the 60C & 76C, each lasting about 30 hours, and the 60CS & 76CS which last about 20 hours). While the power duration seems comparable to other eXplorist units, keep in mind that the XL uses four batteries at a time. This is inconsequential when driving or geocaching, but very problematic if you're doing long-distance hiking with the unit (in which case I'd recommend a ForeTrex or other lightweight unit). The 15 hours quoted is using the backlight on the "low" setting with occasional use at "high." With the backlight off, I've had the unit last around 25 hours before I changed the batteries just to be safe.

The battery indicator on the unit isn't very helpful. At best, it shows that my batteries are about 80% full when they're full charged (which is accurate -- I'm using NIMH rechargeable that are, technically, rated for 1.2V and at maximum charge will have about 1.4V). The problem is that the unit shuts off (after giving about 30 seconds warning) when the battery indicator shows that the batteries have about 40% remaining. Once you become aware of this, it's not a problem but on first use it's misleading.

No power cord, though will run off of the USB cable when connected to the computer. When connected to the computer (in any mode, not just power mode), you can change out the batteries while the unit is running with no problems or loss of power. I should mention that it will NOT charge batteries while using the USB power connection. I assumed this when I bought it but thought I'd pass the information along.


DISPLAY
The display is really nice. On Magellan's website, it indicates that the display is 220x176, which is low resolution for it's size. After finally getting through to someone in the know at Magellan (and this meant bypassing about three seemingly aloof technical support persons who insisted that the website is right) I found out that the resolution is actually 320x240. This is about 115 pixels per inch, which is a little less than the eXplorist 400/500/600 series, each of which are at about 125 ppi. (By comparison, the Garmin GPSMap 60C and 76C have a resolution of about 105 pixels per inch, though I should admit that I cannot distinguish the level of detail between 105 ppi and 125 ppi.)

One thing to consider about the display (and is often mis-advertised on many sites) is that the display is 16-color, as is the case for the Magellan eXplorist 500 & 600. For true usage, 16 color is more than ample. The 256-color display of the Garmin units is nice, but more posh than necessary. The only time I notice that the Magellan has only a 16-color display is on the startup screen (wherein it shows a fairly grainy depiction of Earth).

Backlight turns completely off (on a marginally sunny day, it is very readable though it is impossible to discern colors very well). This is better than the 400/500/600 series as they do not allow you to turn off the backlight but instead only turn it down. This is very problematic on the 600 as the backlight messes up the thermometer and altimeter readings.

The Garmin display has an advantage in that it allows the user to change the mode to "nighttime" wherein the background is dark and the colors are subdued such that the night time user (or in my case, night time driver) doesn't lose their night vision when glancing at it. The XL, on the other hand, does NOT have a "nighttime" mode and is pretty bright, even at the lower (readable) light level. It's fine for city and interstate driving but I have to turn the backlight off for low-light driving conditions on the backwoods roads of rural Mississippi (and this is easily done with the push of a button).

A workaround for nighttime driving is to change the GPS usage option from "land" to "marine." This is done by going into the menu, choosing "map setup" and selecting "Marine" as the primary usage. This changes the color of land from a blinding white to a more manageable dark yellow. Though I only use my on land, I always leave it in "Marine" mode.

I should also point out that the keys on the XL are backlit using a subtle red hue. This is invaluable as it allows a user to easily see the keys in low-light conditions.


ANTENNA RECEPTION
The eXplorist XL uses a microstrip patch antenna as opposed to the quadrifilar helix antenna utilized by most Garmins. Additionally, it uses 14 channels to collect data (most units use 12 channels). This slight advantage seems to provide greater accuracy. Outside, I typically get an accuracy of about 7-10 feet, which is outstanding for a handheld GPS unit. In my vehicle, I get accuracy of about 7-10 feet with the unit sitting anywhere in my vehicle (could only got 35 feet when using a eXplorist 500 for some strange reason). Inside my apartment, which doesn't allow for good reception at all, I get accuracy of 35-70 feet (which beats out the other units I've tried as I haven't been able to pick up signals in my apartment using other units).

Supposedly the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx models utilize SIRFIII technology to augment their accuracy, making them on par with the Magellans. The GPSMap 60, GPSMap 60C, nor GPSMap 60CS utilize this and require that the user hold the unit fairly upright for best reception.

When I'm hiking, I simply turn off the backlight to save energy, put the XL in a small carrying case (I use a camera case that fits it almost perfectly) and attach it to my belt. The accuracy when I do this is great. At the end of a days hiking, I can look at the unit and see everywhere that I've went (so long as I'm travelling in places that can receive the satellite signals).


DISPLAY PAGES AND USER FEATURES
There are four display pages. The main one is map display which can be set up to show north as up, course as up (meaning the direction you want to go), or track as up (meaning the direction you're actually moving). This page has two boxes at the bottom that display ancillary data at the user's discretion. I have it set up to display elevation and accuracy, though I could have chosen Bearing, Speed, Heading, Estimated Time of Arrival, Direction, Off Course, Distance to End, Time, Date, Max Speed, or Average Speed. On the main map page, you can move the cursor over a location or area and it will show you the location's name, how far to the location, and the direction to get there.

The next page is a compass page (uses GPS to determine direction, therefore you have to be moving) and has needle indicating true north (can be switched to magnetic north if desired, wherein the unit uses known magnetic offset from true to calculate magnetic north). It also shows the direction to the sun and moon, as well as to the waypoint (or Point of Interest, as Magellan calls them). Again, you can have two user fields displaying any combination of the information set as listed on the main map page.

The next page is an information page. It shows: location,... Read more ›

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magellan XL GPS features are unsurpassed, April 18, 2006

By 

Richard Geren "moviewatcher" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS (Electronics)

I recently upgraded my GPS by purchasing a Magellan Explorist XL handheld unit. It replaced the first GPS unit I purchased a few years ago ... a Magellan Meridian Gold. In this review, consequently, improvements, comparisons and features of the new Explorist XL are frequently compared to the older Magellan model.

The Hardware
Out of the box, the first thing you notice is the size and weight of the Explorist XL. At 7.5 cm (2.9) wide, 16 cm (6.3 in) long and 3.4 cm (1.33 in) thick and weighing 340 gms (0.75 lb) with four AA batteries installed, the XL Explorist is a good handful. It is a nice design, with a rubberized, waterproof, impact-resistant casing and the unit feels solid. The frequently-used control buttons are at the lower front of the unit, well-located, like on the older Meridian Gold.

There are eight control buttons, including two for map zoom, one for selecting navigation screens, a menu button, a "goto" button, a "mark" button plus a combined joystick/enter button and an "escape" button that reverses button commands. On the XL unit, these control buttons are illuminated when the backlight is on.

There is a separate lug on the case to attach a lanyard. This is an improvement over the screw-on lanyard of the Meridian Gold series; however no lanyard is included with the Explorist XL.

The cover for the four AA batteries is on the back of the unit. It is secured with a quarter-turn thumb-screw. The compartment cover fits very tightly with obvious attention to waterproofing. With the Meridian Gold, the slide-latches securing the battery cover did not provide much confidence. The XL cover is a big improvement.

The location of the power on/off button is on the upper right side of the XL unit. The button is imbedded in the rubberized covering. It requires considerable effort to activate this button. The location and stiff action is an improvement over the Meridian. In this location, the power button is not likely to be accidentally pushed. (Therefore, there is no need for a "power-protect" menu selection on the XL, as with the Meridian Gold.)

On the left side of the XL case, is a similar imbedded button for the display backlight. The backlight control on Magellan Meridian models was to hold down the power key. Having a dedicated backlight button has is a much better arrangement; however there are only two levels of illumination and "off". One lower illumination level for night driving would be desirable.

The connection of the USB cable (supplied) is similar to the cable attachment system on the Meridian Gold. The cable connection is made via a six-contact shoe that is held in place with a quarter-turn screw. The quarter-turn is better than the screw-system used on Meridian models, but nevertheless, it takes some effort to attach the XL USB cable. Some improvements in design could be made here.

It is worth mentioning that external power to the XL unit is automatically provided while the GPS unit is attached to your computer via the USB cable. No longer do you have to worry about batteries running down when transferring files between computer and GPS unit. Curiously, there are no external power connection terminals on the GPS except through the USB cable connection. So for now, if you purchase a cable to provide external power to the XL Explorist (for example, from the lighter in your automobile) the USB cable must be attached to the XL unit and the power cable from the cigarette lighter plugs into a socket on the USB cable. This is a quirky, messy arrangement, but it works. It appears the XL was rushed to market before Magellan could offer mounts and accessory cables for the XL. I am confident Magellan will provide better one-cable external power solutions in the future.

A neat feature of the XL case design is access to the SD memory card. This is located on the right-hand side of the unit. No longer do you have to remove the batteries (like on the Meridian) to remove or install the memory card. The SD memory slot is located under a waterproof rubberized flap. The card is very easy to install and remove.

Installation of four AA standard or rechargeable AA batteries (not included) in the XL unit is straight-forward. Magellan wisely reverted to the use of AA batteries in the Explorist XL unit following negative reaction to the line-up of Explorist models with built-in rechargeable battery packs (an impractical idea for campers, back-backers and others with no means to recharge the unit or change batteries.) Good to see Magellan reacted quickly and reverted to standard batteries with the XL design.

With four AA batteries, the XL unit is advertised to last 19 hours, however, I found 12 hours with four rechargeable NiMH batteries rated 2300 mAh each was a reasonable expectation, but the discharge rate varies with use of the backlight. You can set up the XL so the backlight automatically goes off in 30 sec., 1, 2, 4, 10 min. or never.

The XL has a huge screen measuring a full 5.2 x 7.1 cm (2 x 2.8 in) This was one of the main reasons for buying this unit, and it is a fantastic feature. The 16-color screen is beautiful, well back-lit and easy to see under all lighting conditions. It is much easier to see than the B & W screen of the Meridian Gold and with color, it is much easier to distinguish between geographical features such as roads versus rivers. As mentioned, a lower illumination setting for the back-light would be desirable.

Software
Before operation, the first thing to do is register your XL unit with Magellan at their internet website. This is important later on, when it comes to purchasing and activating detail maps.

The Explorist XL unit comes with an installation wizard CD. This contains the XL USB driver, Mapsend file conversion software and Magellan Geocaching software.

The unit also came with a Mapsend DVD that contains a program called Mapsend Manager, plus several detail map software programs including Mapsend Direct Route NA, Mapsend Topo 3D Canada and Mapsend Topo 3D USA. If you pre-pay for one of these programs, an unlock code is supplied. Mapsend Manager will take you through the steps required to install the software and then to enter the code to unlock it. As mentioned previously, an internet connection and prior internet registration of the XL unit is necessary.

If you did not pay for software, Mapsend Manager software takes you to the Magellan site where you can purchase and unlock the selected software on-line.

Mapsend Manager finds all Mapsend software on your computer and provides an easy interface to access any of your Mapsend programs, plus file conversions, file transfers etc. The Mapsend Manager is also available free from the Magellan website.

There have been a lot of reviews complaining about Magellan Mapsend software. To the contrary, my experience has been good. I have had no problems. I admit Magellan's system to "unlock" software over the internet is a bit cumbersome, however, many software companies seem to be doing this now, starting with Microsoft.

A big advantage of this system is that once the software is "unlocked" there is no requirement to insert the original CD or DVD in the drive to use the Mapsend programs. Some Mapsend software with this onerous protection feature was a huge pain and impractical.

Once the Mapsend software is loaded on the computer and unlocked, the process of compiling detailed map region files for use on the XL Explorist is easy. A big improvement in the software is there are no longer limits to the size of regions that can be compiled. I have compiled huge regions over 100 meg with no problems. After selecting and naming a desired detail map region, use the command "upload to GPS". A requester will open and ask if you want to transfer the file to the GPS or the computer's hard drive. It is best to direct the program to write the file onto your hard drive. Thus saved, the file can then be easily copied to the SD card or internal memory of the GPS. Hint: to transfer the relatively large map files to the SD card, it is much faster to use a card reader.

One neat feature of the Mapsend software is that it automatically creates all the necessary directories on the SD card and internal memory with intuitive names including "detail maps", "background maps", "geocaches", "my POIs" (points of interest), "track logs" etc. This makes it very easy to manage and transfer GPS files.

With a USB connection, one sees the GPS as a connected hard drive which makes it an order of magnitude easier to perform file transfers compared to the old serial port (COM1) connection of the Meridian Gold. My only complaint is that you must manually switch the XL Explorist to access either the SD memory card or the 30 meg internal memory. It would be more convenient to access both GPS memories without switching, but perhaps this is technically impossible through one USB port.

Operation

The Magellan Explorist XL manual is comprehensive. It is included on the CD and can also be downloaded free from the Magellan site. Anyone contemplating the Explorist XL should download and peruse the manual before committing to purchase.

The XL model starts up fast. All the introductory warning screens of the Meridian are gone ... thank you Magellan!) and the XL immediately attempts to locate satellites with the built-in "patch" antenna. The XL is designed to track and compute 14 satellites. Specifications for the unit say it finds and computes a fix from "cold" status in less than two minutes and from "warm" status in less than one minute. The unit actually locks in faster than those times and holds the signal much better than a Meridian... Read more ›

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worst Customer Service on the Planet, January 11, 2006

By 

R. W. Taylor "hope-this-helps" (Woodland Park CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS (Electronics)

- Magellan released the eXplorist XL before they were really ready
-- The available software (Direct Route and Topo) is about 2 years old, so you have to jump through hoops to get it to install to your machine ... it doesn't easily recognize your USB port.
-- As of January 2005, there are NO ACCESSORIES available, not even an AC charger ... not a mount, nothing
- The software is very difficult to install. Most of the disks they provided are not recognized by my computer.
- To log on to their web site you have to go to your browser Privacy settings and ACCEPT ALL COOKIES. This is presumably because their site has none of the registered MS compatible certificates.
- The wait for customer service if you call (and ever get through) is way too long...a possible indication of all the problems people are having.
- The FAQs on the web site are a joke ... way out of date.
- Only about 10% of the web site says anything about the XL.
- You can put a 2GB SD card in the machine, but the unit will not take maps more than 64MB. That makes it hard to be seamless on a drive across the country

That being said. I still like Magellan better than Garmin. Once you get all the details ironed out ... the very painful details, the system is pretty amazing. Large color screen is easy to see in direct sunlight.