Magellan eXplorist 100
Price £99.95
Tel 01621 853003
Web www.magellangps.com
Size 119 x 56 x 33mm
Screen size (diagonal) 58.4mm
Powered by Two AA batteries
Battery 18 hours
Comments You can tell a lot about a sat-nav system from those few seconds after switching the unit on. If, minutes later, you're still waiting for it to recognise satellites and compute its position, you know you're not dealing with the latest technology. But have no such fears with this product. Despite being the cheapest, and most basic, handheld unit Magellan do, it grabbed satellites very quickly. But, to be honest, we weren't too surprised. Magellan now use the same Sirf III antennae and processing system found in most automotive units, in all of the eXplorist range. Being the baby of the line-up, it did not surprise us to find that the display does not support mapping. And most of the features are basic sat-nav functions such as Routes, Waypoints, and Back Tracking. It is possible to store, and name, up to 500 waypoints, and you can have a maximum of 20 routes, though each is restricted to 30 waypoints only.
Verdict Basic non-mapping unit with robust satellite performance.
Rating: * * *

Garmin eTrex
Price £119.99
Tel 0808 238 0000
Web www.garmin.co.uk
Size 50 x 110 x 30mm
Screen size (diagonal) 60mm
Powered by Two AA batteries
Battery Life 22 hours
Comments Unlike auto- motive sat-nav, the handheld market is much more stable. This means models tend to have a much longer lifespan before they're replaced. But, even by this market's standards, Garmin's eTrex has been around for a considerable amount of time. And that is certainly a mixed blessing. On one hand it means that Garmin must have got the design right – and the unit definitely looks as fresh today as it ever did. But on the other hand, the big minus is that newer designs offer better technology and features. In terms of capability, the eTrex unit is roughly on a par with Magellan's eXplorist 100 (see above). The display does not support mapping, and the unit predominantly uses basic waypoints, routes, and trackback navigation. But Garmin is slightly more generous with the routes, allowing up to 20 of them, consisting of 124 waypoints each. But the unit is less intuitive to use than Magellan's new baby, and it's noticeably slower at finding the satellites initially.
Verdict Still looking cute after all these years, but the limited performance is beginning to highlight its old age.
Rating: * *

Magellan eXplorist 600
Price £389.95
Tel 01621 853003
Web www.magellangps.com
Size 119 x 56 x 33mm
Screen size (diagonal) 58.4mm
Powered by Li-ion, or optional AA battery adapter
Battery 14 hours
Comments A brilliantly thought-out package that exceeds expectations in almost every way. We'll talk about the fantastic array of functions this unit offers in a moment, but what we really like is that this is just as small and easy to use as the basic eXplorist 100 (see left). Cynics might suggest that a unit of this price should have a bigger screen, but the high-resolution colour display always feels adequate. So, back to those extra functions. A barometric altimeter gives altitude and air pressure readings, and there's even a thermometer built in. A three-axis electronic compass gives faultless direction readings, even if the unit is held vertical for easier screen reading. Extra outdoor information includes fishing and hunting times, sun and moon position markers, and tides and currents for the more nautical among us. Internal memory is a poor sounding 6Mb, but an SD card slot allows cheap, and almost infinite, expansion.
Verdict Very powerful and easy to use, whether guiding you through town or the great outdoors.
Rating: * * * * *

Garmin Geko 301
Price £199.99
Tel 0808 238 0000
Web www.garmin.co.uk
Size 98 x 48 x 24mm
Screen size (diagonal) 42.7mm
Powered by 2 AAA batteries
Battery Nine hours
Comments Another Garmin unit that's been around for some time. And, unlike the colourful eTrex (see left), this one's age becomes apparent as soon as you pick it up. It's the smallest unit in the group and one of the smallest handheld systems available. But that also means the screen is somewhat pokey and the compact dimensions dictate that tiny AAA batteries are used instead of the far more practical, AAs - and this leads to the worst battery-life performance here. But what, exactly, can the unit do compared to the cheaper eTrex? Well, the display still doesn't support mapping of any kind, but Garmin has again been generous by allowing 20 routes each with up to 125 waypoints. A barometer is also built in, for barometric and altitude readings, and there's even a standard electronic compass. Celestial tables and a hunting/fishing calendar continue the serious outdoors theme.
Verdict Lots of extra features, but still only a non-mapping display.
Rating: * *

Garmin GPSMAP 76
Price £199.99
Tel 0808 238 0000
Web www.garmin.co.uk
Size 155 x 68 x 35mm
Screen size (diagonal) 68mm
Powered by Two AA batteries
Battery 16 hours
Comments This unit's predecessor the GPS 76 was very much aimed at marine users. And while you could load road maps and more detailed cartography, the unit's paltry 1Mb memory proved to be restrictive. So, along came this unit – the GPSMAP76. You only have to look at the spec sheet to spot the product's marine ancestry. Not only is it waterproof, it can float, too, so if you drop it in the drink, it'll sit happily on the surface waiting for you to pick it up. Increasing the memory to 8Mb makes the unit a little more usable with detailed maps but, these days, 8Mb is rather poor for a non-expandable system. Also the benefit of having that great big screen is rather diminished when you realise it's not colour. Although the unit is generous with basic GPS functions such as 1000 waypoints, and 50 routes made up of up to 125 waypoints each - the only extra features are celestial, tidal and hunting tables.
Verdict This marine derived unit has limited land use, but at least it floats.
Rating: * * *

Magellan eXplorist 210
Price £174.95
Tel 01621 853003
Web www.magellangps.com
Size 119 x 56 x 33mm
Screen size (diagonal) 58.4mm
Powered by Two AA batteries
Battery 18 hours
Comments Magellan has played a winning hand here. The relatively basic black-and-white screen keeps the price down but this is a surprisingly powerful piece of kit. Full mapping is supported and the unit is supplied with a pretty comprehensive European basemap. A very impressive 22Mb memory means there's plenty of room for extra detail to be loaded whether it's Magellan's excellent, Ordnance Survey derived, Topo cartography or its Direct Route software (which will allow the unit to work in an automotive sat-nav role). We were impressed with this unit's robust satellite grabbing performance and its refusal to lose them in less than ideal situations. That massive memory really boosts the basic GPS performance, too. Waypoints are still restricted to 500 but you can now have 150 files, each containing 20 routes made up 30 waypoints.
Verdict One of the cheapest dual-purpose systems currently available.
Rating: * * * *

Garmin eTrex Vista Cx
Price £349.99
Tel 0808 238 0000
Web www.garmin.co.uk
Size 50 x 110 x 30mm
Screen size (diagonal) 60mm
Powered by Two AA batteries
Battery 32 hours
Comments The second eTrex is a dramatically different unit to the baby of Garmin's range, which is to be expected considering the significantly higher price. In many ways this is Garmin's equivalent to Magellan's all-conquering eXplorist 600 (see page 67, top right). Both are compact and powerful, and both can be used for detailed mapping or automotive navigation. Both have high-resolution colour screens, too. Garmin added a joystick-based menu to make the unit a little more user-friendly. But, although this is an improvement over the basic eTrex's few buttons, it is still not as easy to use as Magellan's button-panel and menu system. In terms of features, both have an altimeter, barometer, and electronic compass. Ultimately, though, the Magellan's faster and more robust, satellite performance wins the day.
Verdict Good, but not fast or easy enough to use to take the top award.
Rating: * * *

Magellan eXplorist XL
Price £439.94
Tel 01621 853003
Web www.magellangps.com
Size 163 x 74 x 34mm
Screen size (diagonal) 88.9mm
Powered by Four AA batteries
Battery 18 hours
Comments The eXplorist XL is aimed at marine users, with the same celestial, tidal and current information capability as the eXplorist 600 (see page 67, top right). But no boat is needed because the large screen is beneficial to anybody. With Direct Route software loaded, this is more capable than most handheld units when performing automotive navigation. And it's a delight to use when Topo cartography has been loaded. A 30Mb internal memory makes it just possible to load all your favourite routes, the road information to your holiday destination, and the immediate area's detailed cartography. And if you can't quite fit all that data in, the SD slot allows practically infinite memory expansion. To keep the price reasonable, Magellan has kept advanced functions — such as the altimeter, barometer, thermometer, and compass — off the unit. But the simple button layout remains the same.
Verdict Fairly basic, but we love that big colour screen.
Rating: * * *