|
|
|
|
|
Magellan
SporTrak Map GPS Review |
04th May 2003
|
|
Review by
Dave Burrows
The SporTrak Map is one of
Magellan's newer range of handheld GPS Receivers. The SporTrak range
are small, rugged, built to last and are for the serious map navigators in mind.
The SporTrak Map comes
standard with 8mb ram which includes a base map. The North America base map
includes US Cities, Interstate highways, political boundaries, major waterways
and airports.
The European version contains the same information except
the UK edition base map has UK Towns/Cities and major roads and motorways.
Like with Garmin, Magellan also offer an extra installable map CD called MapSend.
This allows you to upload and store these maps to the
Meridian with greater map detail than provided in the base maps. Magellan
have chosen not to fit the SporTrak Map with any additional storage solutions,
which is a shame, and makes the Meridian range more usable for mapping.
|
|
The SporTrak Map looks and
feels rugged, and is considerably smaller than the Meridian range of GPS
Recievers. Magellan say the SporTrak Map is
waterproof, and complies with IEC-529 IPX7 specifications. The sides of the
SporTrak Map are rubberised and easy to grip, it has a backlit keypad, albeit
smaller than the Meridian GPS and a backlit
display which caters for large fonts.
|
|
The Technology
Like many
other handheld GPS receivers, the SporTrak Map can track up to 12 satellites at any one time
out of the current constellation, and fully supports WAAS (Wide Area
Augmentation System) in the US and EGNOS in Europe. With current GPS accuracy, the
SporTrak Map will be accurate within 3 meters or better depending on line
of sight to the satellites and the amount of strong satellite signals
the receiver has.
The
SporTrak Map
comes with 9 customisable
screens which show
satellite constellation, maps, compass, Bearing/Heading screen, GPS Co-ordinate screen, Track screen, Track details screen, speedometer |
The Bearing/Heading screens and Track
Screens give information like Bearing, speed, direction and ETA
options. The Meridian comes standard with support for up to 20
routes, 500 waypoints and up to 2000 track points which should be
enough for the average walker and supports 12 built-in co-ordinate
systems and 76 datums.
Screenshots from the Magellan GPS
If you're looking to use the
SporTrak Map for walks and hikes, you will certainly like the Track back
feature which is more accurate than Garmin's equivalent
system allowing you to accurately track back to each waypoint, which
makes it easy if you get lost and need to re-trace your steps.
Like many other GPS Receivers, the
Meridian also has compass support with Northfinder technology showing
you which direction is north no matter where you stand on the earth,
it also contains sun rise and sun set times and moon phase for any
date/location in the world. |
Back Cover
The back cover is different compared to
the Meridian range as the back cover doesn't actually come apart.
The battery compartment is now accessed
from the bottom of the receiver and has a twist screw loop which you
can fix a hand strap to, and to access the battery compartment you
need to make around 18 turns of this loop anticlockwise then pull and
the battery compartment will come apart.
Like the Meridian range, the SporTrak
Map contains 2xAA batteries which are included in the box.
Unlike the Meridian GPS, the SporTrak
Map does not come with an external storage (SD) slot. It does
come equipped with 8mb RAM over the Meridian GPS 2mb RAM, which
comprised of 2mb being used for the European basemap of roads,
waterways, parks, airports and more. The aditional 6mb gives you
greater scope of using MapSend data downloaded to the SporTrak Map to
enhance the detail of the onboard maps.
The PC/Pocket PC connection support on
the back I don't particularly like. You have 4 metal contact
plates and a screw thread.
You then have to match the
cable up exactly, and turn the screw head about a dozen times before
it fully locks into position. Although this does give a firm
connection, I much prefer Garmin's cable connections over Magellan's.
You shouldn't have to keep screwing or unscrewing the
cable, but when you do it takes a while, where as Garmin's like many
plug/sockets are keyed and push straight on giving a tight connection.
The SporTrak Map will run for approx 15
hours of use on a set of 2xAA Batteries. |
|
|
|
MapSend & DataSend Maps
MapSend
offers detailed street-level maps of the U.S. available in regional
files allowing you to download just the maps you need, saving memory
while making GPS navigation even easier.
The MapSend® Streets in the US CD-ROM contains highly-detailed maps
that can be easily downloaded from your PC to your handheld GPS
receiver for a fun and simple way to navigate.
Map details include streets, lakes, rivers, coastlines, parks,
hunting and fishing, railways and points of interest for the entire
United States. You choose the regions and level of detail to
download for maximum memory efficiency.
The data can then be updated or overwritten with new map regions.
|
Create your own waypoints and routes on your PC, edit and download
them to your GPS receiver for use on your adventure. Save thousands
of routes on your PC for recording your every journey.
Plotting your current position in relation to surrounding landmarks
is fun and easy, and your GPS search function will find street
addresses and points of interest, quickly and safely guiding you to
those locations.
MapSend is
currently available seven different flavours:-
-
MapSend
BlueNav Charts
-
MapSend
Streets & Destinations Canada
-
MapSend
Streets & Destinations in the US
-
MapSend
Streets Europe
-
MapSend
Streets in the US
-
MapSend
Topo in the US
-
MapSend
WorldWide Basemap
Magellan
also offer DataSend and DataSend Europe which allow you to create
your own personal charts. The unique DataSendTM Europe
software allows you to download your routes and waypoints from your
GPS receiver to your PC, to easily record your journeys and edited
them for future use on a new adventure. For use with your Magellan
SporTrak, GPS 315, GPS 320 or SP24 receiver. |
Comparing Handhelds
Pitting the
SporTrak Map
against the Magellan Meridian GPS and the Garmin GPSMap76S, on a
windowsill which really doesn't pick up much of a signal at all, we
found the
SporTrak Map to have slightly
less signal compared to the other two receivers. The antenna
within the SporTrak Map is smaller than the Meridian GPS and this does
show.
Garmin GPSMap76S, Magellan SporTrak Map
and Magellan Meridian GPS
If size is an issue to you, and you want
a GPS receiver to put in the pocket, then the
SporTrak Map will probably win
over the Garmin GPSMap76 and Meridian GPS size.
Like most of the Magellan range, the
SporTrak Map is no exception
and is kitted out for most
European countries including language support for English, French,
German, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch.
|
GPS
Hardware TTFF (Time To First Fix)
|
Cold
Test 1 |
Cold
Test 2 |
Cold
Test 3 |
Cold
Test 4 |
Cold
Test 5 |
Cold
Test
Average |
Warm
Test |
Hot
Test |
CoPilot CF |
1m 22s |
1m 8s |
56s |
1m 17s |
54s |
1m 07s |
52s |
16s |
Emtac
Sleeve/CoPilot |
40s |
37s |
42s |
37s |
46s |
40.4s |
10s |
9s |
Emtac/Socket BT
GPS |
47s |
53s |
42s |
36s |
38s |
43.2s |
10s |
17s |
Garmin
eTrex |
39s |
44s |
40s |
41s |
43s |
41.4s |
8s |
N/A |
Garmin
eTrex Summit |
38s |
41s |
45s |
39s |
42s |
41.0s |
8s |
N/A |
Garmin eTrex Vista |
37s |
57s |
32s |
35s |
38s |
39.8s |
17s |
N/A |
Garmin GPSMap76 |
42s |
34s |
23s |
56s |
32s |
37.4s |
12s |
N/A |
Garmin GPSMap76S |
32s |
53s |
32s |
39s |
36s |
38.4s |
11s |
N/A |
Garmin
Geko 101 |
1m 37s |
45s |
38s |
44s |
41s |
53s |
15s |
13 |
Garmin
Geko 201 |
34s |
45s |
38s |
43s |
40s |
40s |
19s |
10 |
HaiCom 302 CF |
50s |
33s |
1m 25s |
36s |
1m 25s |
57.8s |
23s |
10s |
HaiCom 303 MMF |
42s |
1m 05 s |
41s |
1m 02 s |
1m 18s |
57.6s |
36s |
3s |
Holux GM-210 |
42s |
38s |
35s |
37s |
42s |
38.8s |
30s |
4s |
Holux GM-270 |
54s |
1m 07 s |
1m 03s |
50s |
1m 12s |
61.2s |
39s |
4s |
Holux GM-270U |
46s |
49s |
42s |
1m 01 s |
49s |
49.4s |
35s |
3s |
Holux GR-230 |
1m 02s |
55s |
50s |
49s |
52s |
53.6s |
39s |
5s |
LeadTek 9531
/ 9532 |
29s |
37s |
39s |
41s |
43s |
37.8s |
9s |
5s |
Magellan Meridian Range of GPS |
38s |
53s |
43s |
33s |
35s |
40.4s |
18s |
15s |
Magellan SporTrak
Range of GPS |
37s |
47s |
46s |
41s |
41s |
42.4s |
19s |
16s |
Navman 3000
(ROM 2.0.0) |
49s |
52s |
1m 33s |
3m 23s |
8m 5s |
2m 56s |
20s |
11s |
Navman 3400/3420
(ROM 2.1.2) |
1m 33s |
2m 30s |
1m 32s |
52s |
1m 17s |
1m 32.8s |
20s |
12s |
Navman 3450
(ROM 2.1.2) |
57s |
50s |
1m 09s |
48s |
1m 0s |
56.8s |
20s |
11s |
Navman
4400 |
53s |
1m 03s |
1m 19s |
54s |
53s |
1m 00.4s |
0s |
0s |
Pretec Compact CF |
1m 28s |
2m 47s |
57s |
45s |
1m 2s |
1m 23s |
1m 16s |
12s |
Pretec Compact LP
CF |
3m 48s |
5m 32s |
4m 59s |
1m 53s |
4m 02s |
4m 04s |
52s |
33s |
Rikaline X5 |
41s |
41s |
34s |
41s |
42s |
39.5s |
39s |
0s |
Rikaline X6 |
34s |
60s |
44s |
48s |
57s |
48.6s |
38s |
0s |
RoyalTek Onyx |
1m 28s |
1m 39s |
2m 23s |
1m 38s |
1m 35s |
1m 46s |
1m 24s |
17s |
RoyalTek Sapphire RGM |
1m 02s |
1m 0s |
56s |
41s |
55s |
54.8s |
37s |
10s |
RoyalTek RBT-3000 |
57s |
46s |
43s |
41s |
55s |
48.4s |
30s |
9s |
RoyalTek RGM-2000 |
48s |
52s |
40s |
45s |
39s |
44.8s |
33s |
7s |
SysOnChip BT GPS |
48s |
77s |
66s |
67s |
51s |
61.8s |
37s |
4s |
SysOnChip CF Plus (SIRFXTrac) |
40s |
30s |
33s |
38s |
39s |
36s |
30s |
0s |
TFAC
MG30 Mouse |
1m17s |
1m 26s |
1m 38s |
1m 36s |
2m 11s |
1m 37s |
34s |
4s |
TomTom
Bluetooth GPS |
48s |
52s |
46s |
59s |
51s |
51.2s |
37s |
3s |
|
Fastest
TTFF
Cold
Tests |
Slowest
TTFF
Cold
Tests |
Manufacturer
Stated
Times
|
Warm
TTFF
Tests |
Manufacturer
Stated
Times |
Hot
TTFF
Tests |
Manufacturer
Stated
Times |
CoPilot CF |
54s |
1m 22s |
Not Stated |
52s |
N/A |
16s |
N/A |
Emtac Sleeve/CoPilot |
37s |
46s |
Not Stated |
10s |
N/A |
9s |
N/A |
Emtac/Socket BlueTooth
GPS |
36s |
53s |
1m 20s |
10s |
45s |
6s |
10s |
Garmin eTrex |
39s |
44s |
45s |
8s |
15s |
N/A |
N/A |
Garmin eTrex
Summit |
38s |
45s |
45s |
8s |
15s |
N/A |
N/A |
Garmin eTrex Vista |
32s |
57s |
45s |
12s |
15s |
N/A |
N/A |
Garmin GPSMap76 |
32s |
56s |
45s |
12s |
15s |
N/A |
N/A |
Garmin GPSMap76S |
32s |
53s |
45s |
12s |
15s |
N/A |
N/A |
Garmin Geko 101 |
38s |
1m 37s |
45s |
15s |
15s |
13s |
N/A |
Garmin Geko 201 |
34s |
45s |
45s |
19s |
15s |
10s |
N/A |
HaiCom 302 CF |
33s |
1m 25s |
48s |
23s |
38s |
10s |
8s |
HaiCom 303 MMF |
41s |
1m 18s |
48s |
36s |
38s |
3s |
8s |
Holux GM-210 |
35s |
42s |
45s |
30s |
38s |
4s |
8s |
Holux GM-270 |
50\s |
1m 12s |
45s |
39s |
38s |
4s |
8s |
Holux GM-270U |
42s |
1m 01s |
45s |
35s |
38s |
3s |
8s |
Holux GR-230 |
39s |
1m 02s |
45s |
39s |
38s |
5s |
8s |
LeadTek 9531 /
9532 |
29s |
43s |
48s |
9s |
38s |
5s |
8s |
Magellan Meridian
Range of GPS |
33s |
53s |
<2m |
18s |
<1m |
15s |
<15s |
Magellan SporTrak
Range of GPS |
37s |
47s |
<5m |
19s |
<1m |
16s |
<15s |
Navman 3000 |
49s |
8m 05s |
2m 0s |
20s |
48s |
11s |
18s |
Navman 3400/3420
(ROM 2.1.2) |
52s |
2m 30s |
2m 0s |
20s |
48s |
12s |
18s |
Navman 3450 (ROM
2.1.2) |
48s |
1m 09s |
2m 0s |
20s |
48s |
11s |
18s |
Navman 4400 |
53s |
1m 19s |
n/a |
0s |
n/a |
0s |
n/a |
Pretec Compact CF |
45s |
2m 47s |
1m 0s |
1m 16s |
45s |
12s |
8s |
Pretec Compact LP
CF |
1m 53s |
5m 32s |
2m 10s |
52s |
45s |
33s |
20s |
Rikaline X5 |
34s |
42s |
45s |
39s |
38s |
0s |
8s |
Rikaline X6 |
34s |
1m 00 s |
45s |
38s |
38s |
0s |
8s |
RoyalTek Onyx |
1m 28s |
2m 23s |
45s |
3m 0s |
45s |
17s |
20s |
RoyalTek Sapphire
|
41s |
1m 02s |
45s |
37s |
38s |
10s |
45s |
RoyalTek RBT-3000 |
41s |
57s |
45s |
30s |
38s |
9s |
8 |
RoyalTek RGM-2000 |
39s |
52s |
45s |
33s |
38s |
17s |
45s |
SysOnChip BT GPS |
37s |
77s |
45s |
37s |
38s |
4s |
8s |
SysOnChip CF Plus (SIRFXTrac) |
30s |
40s |
45s |
30s |
38s |
0s |
8s |
TFAC MG30 |
1m 17s |
2m 11s |
45s |
34s |
8s |
4s |
0.1s |
TomTom Bluetooth
GPS |
48s |
59s |
45s |
37s |
38s |
3s |
8s |
|
Connecting the Magellan to a PC or Pocket PC
Magellan ship a PC data cable in all
their GPS Receiver boxes so you can connect the Magellan GPS Receiver
to a PC which has a DB9 (9 pin Serial) connector. These are
pretty much standard on all computers, except some newer computers
tend to favour USB or Firewire over Serial.
You can also connect a Magellan GPS
Receiver to a PDA like a Pocket PC or Palm PDA. You can do this
by purchasing a cable set from
PC-Mobile. The
cable should comprise of two parts, the first part is the cable that
screws onto the back of the Magellan like the one below.
The second part of the cable will have a
3.5mm socket on one end which will connect with the 3.5mm plug (left)
and the other end of the cable will have a PDA connector. This
then allows you to use your favourite GPS Receiver on your favourite
PDA and utilise a whole host of other mapping products anything from
Topographical products like Fugawi, OziExplorer, Memory-Map to Street
Routing software like TomTom Navigator, PowerLOC Destinator and you
don't then need to purchase a second GPS Receiver if you're primary
use going forward will be on the Pocket PC! |
Summary
The
SporTrak Map is a good GPS Receiver. The receiver is
small, lightweight and has all the standard features that
you'd want in a handheld GPS Receiver, the only thing lacking from
this receiver is to be able to expand the store space allowing for
larger maps to be downloaded with MapSend. If the amount of
space for map data is crucial, then you may want to look at the
SporTrak Pro or the Meridian GPS.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|