After much comparison of Magellan and Garmin GPS, I plunked my $$ down on Magellen. pPurchase decision - My impression from OTHER reviews and info for Magellan was great hardware, weak software but considering all pluses, minuses and price points and my usage: hiking, biking, back-country skiing, driving, boating, I chose a Magellan Meridian Gold, 32meg memory, and Mapsend Topo Sofware. Keep in mind there's a lot to choose from and yet none seemed PERFECT. pI've now had it for 2 weeks of vacation time biking, hiking, driving and land surveying in S. Utah. I monkeyed with this unit everyday, becoming completely familiar with it's usage. pThe Good: Solid, durable hardware. The Gold has a great feel, is a good size and fits into any of my outdoor shirt pockets. It holds satellite signal extremely well in trees, 2nd story house, Utah canyons. Solid feeling buttons and rubber armoring are all great. Seems to do very well on batteries using roughly a pair or less a day. (I already have a charger and extra batteries from my digital camera and headlamps).pThe Bad: Mapsend topo software at 1:100,000 is not really precise at closest level. However, the amount of built in software and downloaded maps are sufficient for my usage and I can imagine the memory and processor speed needed for 1:24,000 topos. Also on the positive side Mapsend and Magellan built-in software has a ton of info! It's great having altitude, moon/sun info, vertical trip projections, and much more. pThe Ugly: Magellan's method of setting routes and backtracking is absolutely terrible for my usage. I am so annoyed with this, I would return it if I hadn't already used it 2 weeks. Here's the deal - pIf you go out for the day and retrace your route exacty, or just set it for the car in general it works very well. But so does a few cents worth of flagging, popcorn, or the cheapest GPS available.pIn reality, I usually go on a hike, bike, or ski in some type of semi circle and at some point want to return to my nearest backtrack point and THEN start backtracking. I want the unit to beep when I get near the next point and keep counting them down. In the canyonlands of Utah and backcountry skiing here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this could really be useful.p However, this ONLY works easily if you exacty retrace your trail.pSo... in everyday usage where you aren't going exactly back down your same trail (why have a GPS?) you have to build a route with the GPS and/or go through the user database and select the nearest backtrack points. And then if you don't keep manually going through the database and selecting the next point, it will just keep pointing back at the last one. This is ridiculously time consuming on a day hike and makes operating the GPS the whole excecise instead of enjoying the outdoors. THIS SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE EASILY CHANGED BY MAGELLAN BY SOFWARE PROGRAMMING.pMore ugly: Really ugly. pOkay, so you set waypoints along your way using the GPS. Great, it does this well with 2 clicks. But THEN what??? It's back to the problem above. pIt takes SEVEN screen operations and even more arrowing buttons to get a single one of these into a route. This completely insenses me. I could walk around circles for a day and eventually catch up to my wife and find the car in the time it takes to make a route! WHY CAN'T MAGELLAN MAKE IT SO I SELECT ALL THE POINTS FOR A ROUTE AT ONCE!!!???? How about storing waypoints in separate databases to start with? Or using two buttons in a computer-like fashion to highlight and select?pTHEN: after I've got a route made HOW ABOUT if the GPS allows me to select manual or automatic retracing???? In other words, I want to go on a trip and set waypoints along the way. (Remember this is easy) Then, no matter where I am when I want to return to camp, I dump all my waypoints into memory in a few clicks, point the way to the nearest, and as I approach each new one, (automatic mode) the GPS beeps and rolls over to the next (lower number) waypoint.pIf Magellan would make route setting and retracing easy, this would be a real must-have piece of gear for all my trips. At present, it's an electronic toy to play with while walking on flat ground or while my wife is driving the car. To give it the benefit of the doubt is also perhaps a good last resort safety measure so that if I get really lost I know where the nearest town is. pThe annoying part is it is so close to being great, but Magellan's software programmers apparently never leave the office!pOne last word - I find the Gold a great decision over the Platinum for using less batteries, having less to break, not needing re-calibrated everytime you change the batteries (daily) and knowing I haven't paid even more for some hardware that is mostly a toy because of the software behind it. Plus, I wouldn't go somewhere I could really get lost without a basic topo map and compass!pThree Stars overall for amazing toy that gives you info from satellites in outer space!

Since the Meridian is the ONLY hand held GPS receiver with expandable SD Card memory, how can any other unit compare?brIt has superior reception and is also the only unit with rubber "armor" coating and a frame protecting the viewing screen.br The second day I owned my Meridian Gold I got out of my car, forgetting that the unit was on my lap. The Meridian hit the asphalt with a loud whack but never suffered a scratch.br The thing seems to lock on to sat signals like it's hungry.brThe base map often shows roads and details I did not expect to see.brMy only complaint is that, like the other GPS makers, Magellan charges way too much for their map software.brAfter spending hundreds of dollars for a GPS receiver, it is quite disconcerting to be charged and additional 50-100 dollars for the software.brSeems to me they would sell a lot more units if the software was more affordable or even if they charged a little more for the receiver and included one software CD.(worked for NintendoG)

I've been looking for a GPS unit for a while. Garmin and Magellan are obviously the two key players in the market, and honestly, at this level ($200+) issues like accuracy aren't the decision point.pI started seriously looking for a unit after going out Geocaching with a couple of buddies. In that single use, I started to realize what I really wanted in a GPS unit. The top of the list was comfort in your hand - to use any unit in the field you're holding it in your hand. The unit should be comfortable, and the buttons should be easy to get to.pOne thing that immediately came to light was that most of the Garmin units are _not_ comfortable to hold, and those that are, really only "work" in your left hand. That didn't make much sense to me and basically eliminated all of the Garmin units.pOff to Magellan!pThe most popular of the Magellan units is the Map 330, and it is a wonderful unit. But, the one thing that bothered me about it was the memory size. 8 meg is a lot, but I was worried that I may have to sacrifice coverage area for detail. That lead me to look for a 16meg unit, and when I found out that the Meridian Gold also had an MMC (SD/MMC) memory card slot in it for map downloads, that seemed simply perfect.pAnd it is. The unit is great - I have no qualms about recommending this box, or _any_ of the Magellan units. They're well built, easy to use, have clear displays and... fit in either hand. :)

Just got my Magellan Meridian Gold. I have a couple of years experience with a Magellan Tracker. It was/is fine, but the Gold is just fantastic. pFIRST: Do NOT go out in the woods with _just_ a GPS, any GPS, even a GPS with maps and a compass. Take a _real_ compass. And, a _real_ map or chart. pSECOND: Take at least one extra set of batteries. pOK, now let's go for the Gold. How good is it? I live on a hill, in a single story house. If I sit here at my PC and hold the Gold outstretched in my right hand, then pass it to my left hand, and stretch it out, the Gold tells me it moved 5 feet North (to my left). Or, 5 feet South (back to my right). Of course, it can "see" two "WAAS" or "W" satellites from here, plus 5-8 regular GPS satellites. Right through the ceiling, attic joists, and roof. pI went to the bank today, parked perpendicular. I backed partly out of the slot, and then stopped for another car. The Gold told me I had moved 8 feet in the correct direction. I'm sure it was receiving the "W" satellites there, too. pFrom OFF, it comes on fast. Then you actually have to click past a "lawyer" screen (my term) to get to the good info you need. Bummer. pIt runs as long on two AAs as my Tracker ran on four (17-18 hours, but I haven't confirmed it). The display is wider than my Tracker, and is much easier to read. pThere is no compass in the Gold, but there is a compass-type display. You still have to move to get a correct orientation, but not far, see above. pThe included maps are good, for working at the Interstate and US Highway level. Get down to major state highways, still pretty good. Below that, you need help. And, help is available. I have both topo and street software, but I haven't tried using it yet. pLots of icons available for your marks, but it still allows only 500 landmarks and 20 routes, regardless of how much memory you add. I've got a 16mb chip, but haven't installed it yet. pSummary: This is a new generation of GPS, I'd say its the 3d; the Tracker was 2d, and I passed on the 1st generation. The displays and features are better, and the map chart display capabilities are really great.pCaveat: The manual is on a CD. It is about 80 pages. Better study it at home before you go on a trip -- unless you take a laptop too.

I have owned this unit for over a year now, and when I first started playing with it I thought it was a nifty device, but quickly discovered many of the shortcomings listed in the other reviews. I will spare you most of the repetition, but just let me say that the unit is as sturdy and easy to use as the others are saying.pI am writing this review because Magellan has just come out with new software, DirectRoute, that makes the Meridian truly useful for daily urban/suburban use. This software, along with a firmware upgrade that lets you utilize up to 65 MB on your Secure Digital card, makes this unit ROCK! DirectRoute is a software package (purchased seperately) that gives you TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS, a feature that this unit seriously needed. I have been using the new software for a week now, and I can't get enough of it. As you start your journey, it maps out a route for you, and provides visual directions and beeps as you approach the next street to turn on. If you stray from your route, the RE-ROUTE feature re-routes your path on the fly, allowing you to bypass traffic and deal with detours with the flick of a button. They have also updated the points of interest, and are using more up-to-date maps. My father lives in a new housing development (less than a couple of years old, with new streets, in the suburbs of Los Angeles) and, to my surprise, his street is listed on the map. pFor durability and reliability, this unit gets high marks. New software features have been slow coming, but the folks at Magellan have regularly put out numerous firmware updates and software upgrades that just keep making the unit better and better. pAs for the reviews that talk about the unit dying, or the screen going blank, or whatever problem, they just got a faulty unit, so don't let that dissuade you from purchasing this nifty little toy.

After comparing all the various Garmin and Magellan models, I went with the Meridian Gold because of the large basemap and the sale price ($199 when I got it). The included map was quite accurate in the US, but when we went over to Canada the map had us 100 feet out into Lake Ontario while parked on the beach.Where this receiver really shines is with the new (optional) MapSend DirectRoute software. The Navtech maps are high-quality and quite recent, too. I live in a new subdivision and all the streets are correctly listed. With a 128MB SD card as storage, I can get about a quarter of the entire US down to the street level loaded. With DirectRoute loaded, the Meridian Gold is pretty good at street address routing. It's only suggested one bizarre route, but once I passed the unusual turn, I pressed Reroute and it correctly recomputed the remainder of the trip to my house. (Of course, had I followed it, I may have had a shorter trip, but it was a state highway with traffic lights instead of the usual Interstate.)When used with the freeware QuakeMap, the unit correctly locked my home waypoint right in the middle of my driveway on the aerial photos. (Good, of course, because that's where I was standing when I took the fix!) For the money, this is a nice unit to have, and with the extra DirectRoute software, a much cheaper alternative to the standalone vehicle GPS nav systems.

This review is how to make your Meridian GPS more useful.
br /First buy the Magellan MapSend DirectRoute 980654-03 Map CD.
br /As the Meridian Gold lets you load street level maps onto SD memory cards. I got a 512 SD card and loaded 8 regions onto the card. When using the Mapsend directroute software you can create
br /64 MB or less regions. I was able to put the entire US into about 20 regions (with overlap). I was then able to save these regions to my hard drive (and then copy them to another medeia).
br /Once your regions are saved you can rename them anything as long as you leave .IMG at the end.
br /Now with a SD memory card reader all you have to do is drop and drag your region maps to any number of SD cards. I used a 512 SD card and I can fit 8 regions onto my Meridian Gold (Go into the menu page down to card utilities and load whatever map you have on your SD card, If you gave them a name to can tell them apart. You can only load one region at a time but this will save you from going back to the CD everytime you need new maps).

Meridian Gold - Good value for Hiking and Car Navigating
br /Pro: The Meridian Gold is good at holding satellite signal. Uses up to 500 Meg SD or 1 Gig SD cards to hold extra detail maps. Serial PC interface to upload / download maps or waypoints with PC.
br /
br /Con: This is an older Magellan product. About 8 oz. 2 inches longer than more modern GPS models. Interface to PC is serial not USB, so uploading PC maps to GPS is slow. Instead, better to use a USB card reader to load 64 mb detail maps to SD cards in about 3 minutes. You load the road or topo maps in 64Mb chunks (each 64Mb chunk covers 2 to 4 US states). The MapSend software asks whether to load via serial, load via USB card reader or save to PC harddrive.
br /
br /Summary: I've used this GPS for mountain biking, hiking, car trips, and positioning antenna tower for a wireless internet service over the last 6 months.
br /
br /Some discount retail stores have this at $200.
br /
br /Easy to learn interface. Offers 7 data screens including a plotting map of current position, satellite status, 1 screen with large fonts easy to see while driving, a compass, odometer and other screens. All screens can be customized for type data shown: speed, avg speed, max speed, ETA, distance, bearing, heading, next turn, position error, Course to Steer, Velocity Made Good and others.
br /
br /20 routes and 500 waypoints. You can edit waypoints on the GPS, but it's easier using Topo, Direct Route or other Magellan MapSend software and serial cable attaching to PC.
br /
br /Waterproof(IPX7 standard) and rubber armored case. 2 level glowing screen for night which shortens normal 2 AA battery life of 8 hours. Base map is ok for highway driving but I got MapSend TOPO for hiking / mtb riding / detailed streets. GPS seems to accurately track bike trail, max and avg speed of my bike.
br /
br /Has a great street address look up feature in the GPS that plots the location of a business or home. Very handy for finding parties or restaurants or businesses that I've never been to here in Buckhead/Atlanta.
br /
br /Great GPS for the dollar.

A comment about the accracy mentioned by others. Somebody said if you zoom in and in there would be mis-match between the displayed track and street/road in the map. But my finding is that if you stay at any zoom level for a while, the displayed track will gradually close to the street/road in the map. The reason, I guess, is that at different zoom level the GPS calculates with different accuracy. so when you zoom in to a more detailed level, the previous calculated data is just not accurate enough for the new level. So if you want accuracy, stay at that zoom level for a while. When I did in this way, the mismatch is really about 3-5 meters as advertized by the manufacturer.pI just used it during my trip to LA and SF where I was totally a stranger. The GPS really helped me a lot, especially at night when it was difficult to see the street name. It did lose signal when I was in downtown SF, in the "concrete jungle" . However, this was expected. What could it do if it couldn't see the satellite.

This is a great GPS system. The base map is fairly detailed and the unit is very easy to navigate. I was trying to decide between the new Magellan Meridian series and a couple of Garmin models. What sold me was the button layout and larger display on the Meridian series. The Gold had more base memory than the standard Meridian and the same amount of memory as the more expensive Platinum unit, so I went for the middle ground. pI have used the unit a couple of time for Geocaching and had no significant problems even under tree cover. It is winter so the reception may not be as good when the trees start to get their leaves. Great overall system. I have not tried it with any add on map systems.

After reading the reviews from others I am posting a reply to some problems others have had with the Magellan Meridian Gold. I have been using mine for two years, I have also used other Magellan products as well was Garmin products. I have sold GPS gear going beck to before the first gulf war and I have been a retail GPS buyer, I have put issues that others have had in quotes, followed by some simple explanations.
br /
br /"The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that it does have the rebound effect or whatever"
br /
br /Well this is a non issue, if you are geocaching you are going to start looking for a cache when you are within 20-30 feet, just put the GPS in your pocket and start looking.
br /
br /
br /"I find the Magellan software to be a bit primative. For example, if you add map data for a region to the Meridian memory, it erases all the old map data you had before."
br /
br /Not if you use a card reader
br /
br /
br /"Probably the strangest shortcoming is that you can't get the unit to display the map, speed, and odometer at the same time!"
br /
br /You have to customized the screen to do this.
br /
br /"The Ugly: Magellan's method of setting routes and backtracking is absolutely terrible for my usage. I am so annoyed with this, I would return it if I hadn't already used it 2 weeks. Here's the deal -
br /If you go out for the day and retrace your route exacty, or just set it for the car in general it works very well. But so does a few cents worth of flagging, popcorn, or the cheapest GPS available."
br /
br /Well, this is what a backtrack is, I do not know what this reviewers use would be, but it appears to not be the norm.
br /
br /"Okay, so you set waypoints along your way using the GPS. Great, it does this well with 2 clicks. But THEN what??? It's back to the problem above."
br /
br /This person does know what a back track is.
br /
br /"The GPS consistently showed me 50-500 feet from my actual location."
br /
br /In two years on using my Meridian gold I have never had this problem, check the map datum
br /
br /

Although it is somewhat more expensive than other models on the market, this unit performs remarkably well. Other units I've used don't even come close when comparing features and accuracy. The display on the unit is much larger than any of the Garmin models and the accuracy is fantastic. I combined this with the Topo maps and was amazed by how well it coincides with reality [which is definitely not the case with the eTrex units]. I use it for Hunting and Fishing, but primarily for Geocaching. Several times it has put me within a foot of the cache. I highly recommend this unit.

I own one of these for more than a year now. Since then actually I bought a Garmin auto GPS which is much more expensive. The one I bought came with a mapping software, not the direct route. Therefore, it does not help me auto navigate. Only shows my current position. It is very difficult to find a place because of limited menu functions.
br /
br /However, I found something that may help other users. Contrary to what the manual says, I could use a 512MB SD card and loaded a bunch of maps with USB connection straight to the card using SD card adapter. All you need to do is to limit each file well below 64MB and follow the indexed file naming used by the unit. This worked for me and the unit could recognize all the areas in all the files that I uploaded.
br /
br /Additionally, it is impossible to upload a lot of data with the supplied serial cable. USB transfer was fast.
br /
br /Cheers.

Owned the unit for over 2 weeks and was very dissappointed at first: the so called built-in base map contains only very major highways and railroads against a huge blank area. most of the time it would show my position in the middle of the blank area - not much fun at all. To add to the frustration, either the unit or the so called bas map was inacurate: i was riding along the 401 but my position was showing some 250 meters south west! this was proved in other situations too.
br /
br /This inacuracy was corrected with a 100$ topo map. Once installed, everything changed - each and every time the unit positions me exactly where i'm supposed to be. Map accuracy is a whole different matter though (see my review of mapsend topo canada).
br /
br /Back to the unit: it is very large compared to explorist but appears sturdy - I dropped it on a concrete sidewalk and nothing happened to it.
br /
br /It does not fit comfortably in my hand - it simply is too big, and I have large hands.
br /
br /Large screen is a plus.
br /
br /Battery life is very poor (and i disabled the screen lights!). With the so called base map (blank screen with a small arrow showing your position) it would run about 10 hours on a fresh set of energizers. Once the topo map was installed fresh batteries won't last 3 hours!
br /
br /Only maps of up to about 15 megabits function well in the unit - anything over and the unit has problems loading them on the screen. This means that you must prepare several small maps and load them onto your SD card.
br /
br /SD card is a plus - you can have as many maps as you wish provided they are small. I'm using a 64 mb card with several maps of about 10 mb each and everything works smootly.
br /10 mb map spans an area of about 250 - 300 kilometers. once you leave the area you must manually load a new map area.
br /
br /Big problem: obsolete parallel connection to your computer. This only proves problematic if you need to upload or download your own waipoints, or upgrade firmware, because maps can be written to an external reader/writer. For instance my laptop does not have a parallel port which means i must decide what maps i need before going on a trip, load them using my desktop and hope it's all i need - but what happens on the road?
br /
br /On a good note - i found a car mount at a dollar store. it is sold as a cell phone stand but it is adjustable to fit different sizes, and is just perfect for the meridian (at maximum stretch), and i suspect other models too.

I use the Meridian mounted to my bicycle, and have found it to be excellent! It's accurate, and works fine under even heavy foliage. The display is generally easy to read, and it's easy to operate while pedeling.
br /
br /I rode 350 miles in nearly constant heavy downpours of rain during the 2004 Bon Ton Roulet ride in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Without any additional water protection, the unit came through like a champ!
br /
br /The bicycle mount Magellan sells is not suitable or use without modifications. The first time I ran over a large bump, the Magellan GPS unit popped off the mount and slammed into the pavement. The good news is that the unit survived with no damage. A little stick-on velcro was all it took to prevent a recurrance - though I now also tie the wrist strap to the bike as an additional safety measure.
br /
br /I find the Magellan software to be a bit primative. For example, if you add map data for a region to the Meridian memory, it erases all the old map data you had before. On the other hand, the tracking function is fun - upload the track to your computer, and you can watch the history of your progress as a moving pip on the map. All this requires extra software of course.
br /
br /Probably the strangest shortcoming is that you can't get the unit to display the map, speed, and odometer at the same time! So on a ride with cue sheets, one is constantly toggling back and forth between the odometer and the map. You can disply all kinds of other useless combinations of data you would never want - but the one that is built-in to every vehicle ever made (distance and speed) isn't available when the map is shown!
br /
br /A set of batteries lasts me about one solid day of riding (maybe 8 hours or so). The map display is easy to read. Some of the other data (the odometer, for example) consists of black on a dark background, and can be hard to read.
br /
br /Despite its shortcomings, which could be easily addressed, I really enjoy my Magellan Meridian - it's gotten me out of trouble more than once, and its extremely relliable and rugged.

This is a good unit. The base map is slim. Mapsend Topo software really enhances the functionality of the unit. The tech support from Magellan/Thales is non-existant. I waited for over an hour on the telephone on two different attempts to get help. I have sent e-mails to the company as well (with no response to my inquiries). I like the GPS but it is a shame that tech support is not readily available.

Purchased one of these and when I contacted the manufacturer, Magellan, was told they no longer offer support for the unit but they would gladly allow me some credit towards a newer model. Sure got screwed on that deal!

I used to own a Magellan Sportrak until the screen broke in a fall. I decided to stay with Magellan simply because of laziness of having to learn all other set of buttons and file formats. I went with the Meridian Gold because of its large screen and the fact that it was SD Card capable.
br /
br /I was surprised to find that the Meridian has more or less the same functionality that my five year old sportrak had.. No innovations in five years. Also, the connector cable that came with the meridian is a 9-pin COM port. None of my computers has a COM port. Everybody uses USB today, why is Magellan so far behind in updating their products? I then thought I would transfer my waypoints through the SD card instead of the cable, however, the file produced by the GPS on an export is not recognized by the TOPO software on the PC. I basically have to write a little excel macro to change the headings and columns so that the topo map can read my waypoint and routes.
br /
br /I was very disappointed with the fact that Magellan hasn't evolved at all in the last few years. If you have an old GPS and you think you should get new technology from Magellan, I recommend you stick to the old.

I'm new to the GPS device crowd (bought mine for geocaching). I'm a gearhead, so I went straight for the Platinum version.brI had nothing bad to say, until I got the MapSend (Topo version) software. It's buggy; crashed a few times, intermittently lost the ability to connect with the device. Magellan technical support was pleasant and seemed knowledgeable (even had me bending a paper clip to make a jumper to test the serial cable), but never quite solved the issue. pI solved both the connection bug and the download speed problem by getting myself a USB SD card reader ... and following the directions on the note from the Magellan product support page. The download time for 30 megs dropped to about 40 seconds.pNow I'm happy again. pAll I need to make things perfect is for Magellan to add a planisphere feature. They already tell me where the sun and moon are supposed to be; wouldn't it be great if I could get the thing to tell me what I'm looking at in the night sky, given current location and bearing!? Oh yeah; and the MapSend European version won't be of any use to me until it covers Scandinavia.

Works great!! Don't know what some of the others are doing wrong, but I find this unit very accurate. While driving around town and the country it had me pin pointed perfect and followed me turn for turn. Also works well inside a building and in your auto.

This is a great gps. After using the Magellan Meridian Gold, i fell in love with it. it was easy to use, fits in your hand nice, and has a easy to read large screen. It was a little bigger than i thought it would be but seems a little more rugged than the little Garmin's. I compared prices and brands and decided to get the Meridian Gold. I bought min eat Wal-Mart for $199.83 which was about as cheap as I could find it on the web. I would strongly recomend this GPS. It is a good price for what you get, maps aren't graet but overall is great GPS. Good buy, good GPS.

It's a bit of a joke to include the word "waterproof" in the title for this product. The battery and memory card cover is so loose you can see right though it to the other side. Small sized hail would be able to get into this unit! Magellan uses the term "rugged and waterproof" on the box, and it does appear somewhat rugged, but by no definition of the word is it waterproof. Other than that ... this is my first experience with a GPS and to me, it seems unnecessarily difficult to use for anything other than "hey look, I'm heading east at 3 mph!". I'll spend the time and try and learn its idiosyncrasies, but I'm disappointed it wasn't more useful straight out of the box.

First I noticed that map tracking is all over the place with MapSend Streets USA. It is usually 200' to 300' off. Then I noticed that there is no base map when you load MapSend Streets Europe. When you zoom out to see major highways there are none. Then I noticed that you can't upload a region from the USA and a region from Europe into the unit together. This is needed if you would like the arrival and departure regions loaded without fuss. I suppose this could be resolved by using multiple SD cards. My real complaint is the attitude of this company. I sent them a couple of e-mails 4 days ago asking about these issues. They have never replied other than automated responses. Finally, I called them this morning and here is what I was told. 1: The maps are old and were designed for the 330 not the Meridian. (There was no mention of this in their advertising.) 2: If I want a base map of Europe I would have to get a Meridian with that feature. (I spent money for a map of Europe and they didn't think I would need major highways?) When I voiced my displeasure with these answers I was transferred to a supervisor. I calmly explained my displeasure whereupon he raised his voice to an unacceptable level and flatly told me I should not expect better accuracy in a GPS map and that I should get the Europe version if that's what I wanted. Customer Support yelling at the customer, that's a twist. The unit itself is beautiful, just a bad company. As an afterthought. I have a Delorme that plugs into my laptop. It is 3 years old and is far more accurate using Delorme's maps. Unfortunately it not as portable as I need.

I've had my MeriGold for a little over a year now and have been completely satisfied.
br /
br /I use it in cars, planes, hiking and geocaching. It has great features, but especially the expandable memory is what made the decision for me.
br /
br /The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that it does have the rebound effect or whatever, but it is minimal and easily dealt with if you know about it. It really only is an issue while geocaching. In a car or plane or even hiking, it wouldn't be an issue.

Not very functional, screen difficult to read, download information takes forever, doesn't use roads when calculating distances, does line of sight. Need lots of extras to make this even slightly useful. If you are planning to use this in your car, I would definitely get a different product as this is almost worthless. Won't hold much info from software as downloads are limited to 4 regions of about 16K.

I got the meridian marine a week ago, but didn't have time to check it. Two days ago, I opened the box and turned it on to make sure it is working. it turned on, good, set the time and date, good. Turned it off. than I get curious about my new gps and wonder how it is doing. Tried to turned it on. Oopppss, try again, oops again,change batteries, did not help. I can't understand how a "new" product can die on the second try. It must be a quality concern!! brI called the 800 number, wait 10-15 minutes, tried what she said,didn't help. she said it is most probably the battery holder.they want me to send it back, but I'm not sure who is going to pay for the shipment.brI don't want to be hard on the product because I did not have a chance to use it. I just want to share my experience.brActually, this is what reviews are for,isn't it?

As with other reviewers, I look long and hard at Magellan and Garmin, but ultimately chose Magellan because of the memory card capability. I like the hardware but the base map is complete rubbish and you need to have a memory card and buy optional map software to get a usable unit. The problem is the copy protection on the software ... you must have the distribution CD in the drive to load the software and backup copies are not allowed. To add insult to injury, if you damage your distribution CD, Magellan charges the outrageous price of $25 to swap for a good CD. All in all, the negative points on the software tip the scale to Garmin.

After playing with the Meridian for about an hour and thinking this is cool, I tried to find San Francsico in the "goto" listing of cities and I tried to find it alphabetically...no luck. I'm not going to trust the Meridian when I'm in the back counrty if it cant even find a major city. It's got to go. I'll stick with good old fashioned maps!

I'm not sure this is the place to search for my answer. If not, please guide me to a proper source.pWe bought this product for Christmas and used it for some geocaching in CO. Returning to AZ we used it successfully here in Tucson. A month a go, while in Flaggstaff, we hoped to enjoy some more treasure hunts and our GPS wouldn't work properly. It skipps around even if we don't move. Regardless the scenery in Flaggstaff was wonderful, but after much effort we had to give up without any accomplishments. Please could you direct us to a place of service for this problem? We really found this GPS easy to understand convenient, but it needs to work properly. Thank you.

THIS GPS WORKS BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD. I WOULD DEFINATELY RECCOMEND THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING A GPS.