Magellan 330M Marine GPS – Customer Reviews
Not waterproof
-
At [$$$] it was a nice little unit for the money. Had many of the critical marine aids to Puget Sound navigation built-in. Over all, performance was as represented...EXCEPT for waterproofing. Mine bit the dust after one use in the rain. Not what I'd expect from an "M" for "Marine" Magellan nautical navigation device. Never even submerged the unit (which Magellan claims it can withstand for short durations in up to three feet of water). Simply, "waterproof" is a severe stretch. "Water resistant" is even a stretch. Buy the 330M because it accomplishes the electronic wizardry you expect in a GPS unit, but also bear in mind that in the rain it will need to be operated in a plastic Ziploc bag.
2/3/2003 12:00 AM | Rating:
Handy and fun toy
-
There are many things I like about this unit -- it's very light and compact, and I find it easy to use.I found the base map surprisingly detailed (for my area), and uploading the detailed map from MapSend filled in all the tiny roads.Now the downers: - MapSend needs some lovin'.I can't just pick the ...baudrate I want; it must "discover" it.Interestingly, certainmismatches between what it was trying and what the 330 wasexpecting made MapSend crash.Just let me pick a number, .... - MapSend doesn't try anything past 19,200BPS.The thing(supposedly) works at 115,200. - Still waiting for street maps of Europe. - It won't plot a (street) course for you.Not a big deal forme, but if your primary usage is in a car in places you don'tknow, you'll probably want one that draws the "right turn here"arrow and talks to you, etc...Since I use it on the water andfor hiking the 330's behaviour is just fine (it can draw astraight line from your present position to any desiredlocale).
7/22/2001 12:00 AM | Rating:
Great item, very easy to use
-
It works very well, it is easy to use and for the price there is no better! The battery life is not very long, so I recommend to purchase the cigarette lighter power adapter to go with it! I have some problems downloading routes, which I have not resolved yet, but I also did not spend a lot of time resoloving it, so hopefully it is an easy fix. I also wish they had a nice portable mount for it since I use it in the baot and on land!
7/14/2001 12:00 AM | Rating:
Absolute Must for Boating and Land
-
The 330M is an absolute piece of work. Durable, floatable and easy to use make this little GPS a must for outdoor or travel activity. Accuracy is excellent. I have been able to lock down by coordinates, measure speed, distance between way points, and track my course with 98-99% accuracy. The interface software and cable between the PC and the GPS is fun and easy as well. Storing information, uploading or downloading is very easy. The software is stable on Win 98 and Win 2000. The GPS is small but a very powerful tool and I would recommend this to anyone.
7/5/2001 12:00 AM | Rating:
Beats the eTrex by a mile!
-
I tried both the Garmin eTrex and the Map 330M.The Magellan has it hands down.First, the unit comes with the CD-ROM map software and a PC cable.Second, it is incredibly accurate and even pulled in sattelite signals from inside my house. Third, it links with the sattelites in seconds. Fourth, the display is great. Fifth, and most importantly for me, it has easy to use buttons on the front panel rather than obscure buttons on the side.The button configuration is important because when you are navigating in the car or boat you can one-finger the display to change screens, zoom in or out on the map and move the cursor around on the nav screen.I found that my hand covered the screen on the Etrex which rendered hitting the buttons a pain and I felt it would only be possible to use the Etrex by taking it off its bracket and holding it in the palm of my hand (great for hiking, lousy for cars and boating).
Everything is nicely laid out, the menus are easy to understand and the entire unit is very intuitive.There is a lot of information already loaded on the Map 330 and even more detail is available from the CD-ROM.
I think everyone is a little too impressed with the Garmin product line (I have an older unit).After only a few days I am convinced that this is the best unit for land AND sea.
7/2/2001 12:00 AM | Rating: