In the past, we have reviewed both letterboxing.com and geochching.com. Well now Magellan has made the perfect companion to this hobby. The eXplorist GC is the best way to start out on any treasure hunt.
Unboxing and setting up were a breeze. Simply install the included batteries (AA) and turn it on. It's that simple. Once out in the open, it easily (less than 30 seconds) picks up a satellite signal. The second part of the setup is going to The Geocaching Dot Com website and sign up for a free account. Magellan makes it easy however, by giving you a 30 day membership to the premium site for free.
Once that is done, you simply hook up the eXplorist GC to the computer with the included usb cable and select the GeoCaches that you want to send to your device. Once you find them in your zip code/area, or the area you will be traveling in, you simply hit "SEND TO GPS" and they are instantly transferred to your device.
Before we go into the field testing, lets take a look at what it makes this a great device for family fun;
- Seamless connection to geocaching.com
- Complete paperless geocaching
- High-sensitivity SiRFstarIII GPS with 3-meter accuracy
- Record active track and see breadcrumbs on the map screen
- Includes trip odometer
- Waterproof to IPX-7 Standards
So how was it tested. Well, there were several Geocaches downloaded from various areas. The zip codes searched were 01863, 01930 and 04349. Several geocaches were downloaded and one was picked. My traveling companion was my trusty 7 year old assistant in the form of my daughter.
The first cache that We went for was named for the best team in Baseball, the Boston Red Sox.Once downloaded, it was time to go.
I took a look at the map and used my Magellan 3065 commuter GPS to get me on to the street shown. Then it was time for the eXplorist to take me to the treasure. After turning it on, it took less than 30 seconds to get a signal from the heavens and an additional 10 seconds to plot the course to the treasure we were looking for.
The eXplorist showed us to be about 1/4 mile from our goal. We set out and started the trek. The guidance from the eXplorist GC was phenomenal. This is a true paperless product. All the clues and details are in the palm of your hand. The 1/4 mile jaunt took about an hour, but that was more due to my "lectures" to my daughter on tracks we encountered, sounds we heard, etc.
Moral of the story; Magellan only boasts 3-5 yard accuracy, but the younger set of eyes with me, picked out our treasure find at about 5 feet, thanks to the clues that were downloaded on the device. So what was the treasure ? Well I ain't a gonna tell ya ! Do it yourself and you will find my signature and my daughters signature. And remember, Go SOX.
The Magellan eXplorist GC is bound to offer many hours of outdoors fun for older kids or even the whole family, including any four legged sniffer who may tag along (check laws on animal presence before bring Fifi or Fido). Check out Magellan's eXplorist series @ Magellan.com and get a great deal on them at Amazon.com.
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