The review of a Magellan Triton Handheld GPS is quite extensive in that they have various Models such as Magellan Triton 200- North America to Magellan Triton 2000- North America. (Ranges include the 200,300,400,500, 1500, and 2000 Models).

Each one is having its own specific positive points. Easy to use handheld GPS sets provide crystal clear Quality of the Image on a wide screen, which has a full color display of the Maps and relevant Data. Furthermore the sets are Waterproof! The Models include a 2MP Camera, LED Flashlight, Voice recorder, and with SD card compatibility to allow you to capture pictures and sound as you travel. With a 3-axis compass, and a built in barometer it is a Navigators dream! The choice of Maps is exceptional. You have a wide array of maps including Outdoor and Recreational Maps, Street Maps- which give you a turn-by-turn guidance with a refined point of interest mapping system, which allows you to mark vantage points such as Fuel, Cash, Food, Lodging, etc to make your traveling pleasure enhanced. Marine maps-, which is, not only maps but also gives you every bit of guidance about Tides, currents, Winds, and any navigational assistance you require on your sojourn in the seas.

All this with availability for updates as and when it is required. Special software such as Mapsend Lite, MapSend Manager, and VantagePointä are Downloadable. The set is designed for precision navigation using the state of art technology, and software for fastest GPS positioning acquisition in its class. The high resolution and high range system allows for GPS positioning and tracking and mapping even in cloudy weather, and while traveling through deep canyons and between mountains. The Pictures and Sounds you have captured can be shared with your friends after downloading on your PC and uploading on the web. The set comes along with an AC Power Adaptor, which has a built-in USB converter, and also a Power saver Mode. Additional accessories such a bicycle mounts, USB cables, Carrying pouch, External Antenna, Swivel Mounts for certain Models all make up the Magellan Triton Handheld GPS system a welcome choice for buyers.

GPS ,Global Positioning System, is a navigation system that utilizes 24 orbiting satellites to fix your position on earth. It is accurate to within in 50 feet for the customer units. GPS units vary in size and can be large commercial, auto , or handheld.
They are very lightweight and meant to be carried easily. The screens are smaller and come in color or monochrome.They resemble a walkie talkie in size and structure. The battery life can vary between 15 to 35 hours. Most are loaded with North American maps. The real power is in the loaded maps. Handheld GPS units rely on waypoints for navigation. A waypoint is just a map marker. The loaded maps can be very detailed.

Some points to consider before you purchase a handheld GPS unit

1. Make sure it has at least a 12 channel parallel receiver system
2. Check the comfort in size and weight for your practical use
3. Maximum waypoint inputs preferably over 500
4. At least 20 route memory capacity
5. Waterproof is worth the extra charge
6. Screen size and mapping features

The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx hand held GPS is well worth the price of two hundred and fifty dollars to four hundred dollars you may pay for it. This device is extremely portable and easy to o use.

The Best Features

• The cold acquisition times of this GPS is forty five seconds while the warm acquisition time is 15 seconds or less. Compare this to its comparable counterparts and it is easily identifiable as money well spent.
• The GPS receiver is 12 channels and the device has an accuracy rating of position 15 m, velocity .05 meters per second. The update speed of this device is 1 second.
• The system has a USB serial connection which allows for the user to simply plug the system into their home PC and update the devise.

Bonus Features

• This GPS features numerous functions to including the speed you are traveling, the heading you are traveling in, the distance to the new position, and altimeter, elevation reading to let you know your altitude above or below sea level you are at.
• The special features this devise includes a digital alarm clock, games, a calendar, barometer, custom POI’s, preinstalled POI’s.
• The device allows the user to attach an external antenna connection (not included with the purchase) The 60CSx has megabytes of built in memory to all the storage of numerous mapped locations and way points.
• There is a sixty four megabyte removable SD card slot (SD card not included). The software associated with this GPS is Map Source, Blue Chart, City Select, and US topo.
• The navigation system holds up to 1000 different way points that cover up to fifty different routes and stores over 10000 different tracking points. Each route stored can possess up to 250 way points. The devise is powered by AA batteries and will work approximately 18 hours without a recharge.

Accessories such as a belt clip, ;lanyard, strap and USB cable accompany the device

Overall Recommendation

This small compact GPS is a must have item for the average tracker, hiker and is a rugged devise which can withstand the harshest environments. A little costly but is worth every penny. Although there are numerous GPS devices on the market the Garmin proves itself to be above the rest when dealing with portable efficient devices.

When looking to buy a handheld GPS unit, do you know where to begin? Since they can be somewhat pricey for a device most persons don’t use every day, you want to choose wisely. GPS units are communicating with several satellites which are orbiting the earth, and you want this transmission to be fast and accurate.

Secondly, you are probably going to be using your handheld GPS unit outdoors, so you will want it to be water resistant. And the third item to consider, since the information is displayed on a screen, would be that you want the screen to have an efficient visibility for viewing in the glaring sunlight, as well as viewing at night, even with night time’s obvious lack of lighting.

When looking at GPS handheld units to determine the quality and speed potential of the connection to satellites, look to see how long it takes for the maps to display. You can also research reviews. The personal experience of users will tip you off, or tell if the description on the box matches reality. Make sure you check the package information or in the booklet that comes with the unit for waterproof or water resistant features. Most of the units on the market are waterproof.

Questions To Consider

How large of a screen does the unit have? You need to be happy with the size of the screen for your unit. You may be fascinated with the tiny screen and how all those pixels can be so accurate in such a small place, or maybe a smaller unit works as well for a smaller price.

What if the unit you are looking at has a prestigious brand name label, yet a small screen display? Even though these can only vary so much in the size of the screen (none will be huge), even a quarter of an inch might make a difference in your comfort.

The next factor about the screen of a GPS unit, are that the screen lights up, which means the night viewing should be easy enough, but for the daylight hours you probably want to be certain the GPS boast of high color, this will help ascertain you great visibility. Checking the screen view, the waterproofness and the speed of receiving or displaying the satellite signals, will guide you into determining a good and sensible purchase.

One way to use a handheld GPS device is the way that I use one. I am a FedEx driver and use one to help locate addresses. It is especially useful when I am learning a new route, it keeps me from constantly reading directions or looking at my outdated atlas and maps. When using one on a new route it saves me a minimum of an hour a day. Even on routes I know well, it easily saves me half that for those streets I don’t know well.

The beauty of using a handheld GPS unit for this is that when I get home I can take it out of the van and use it for other things if needed. Of course it would be good for anyone who needs to find lots of addresses. Pizza guy, Car Repo guy, newspaper guy all can use a good handheld GPS.

Another thing they are good for, is research into historical stuff. I know some historians use one to try to find the exact location of things. Plus they use them to mark locations of archeological finds. A handheld GPS device is very important when you are carrying lots of heavy gear in the woods. Being small and portable it does not take up much space or add a great deal of weight to your load.

Another great use for a handheld GPS is for people who use metal detectors, whether hunting for gold or lost coins or whatever. Say you find an old home site and get a coin or two. Mark that location down in the GPS, and wait until the next big rainstorm. Go back to that place and run you metal detector again. Possible the rain has disturbed the ground and brought more treasure to within range of your metal detector. The same would apply to where you may have found some specs of gold if you are a miner. Having several GPS saved locations in the same general area can allow you to revisit places where you already had some success. This saves you that very precious commodity, TIME

The first, and probably the most important, thing to consider when purchasing a handheld GPS unit is the sensitivity of the receiver. The choices are low- and high-sensitivity. If you are a casual user who does not care about the exact coordinates but only about the general area, then save a little cash and go low-sensitivity.

Personally, the high-sensitivity is a MUST. It allows you to get within +/- 4 feet of an exact coordinate, depending on cloud cover, tree cover, etc. The high-sensitivity may cost just a little more and it is well worth it.

Another thing to consider about GPS units seems like pure vanity, but the screen’s color can be very important. Most GPS units are either green tinted or multi-colored. The green screen is fine if you are looking to use the GPS for rugged activities or you do not care about appearances. The green screens also use less battery power to backlight it in darkness or shadows. On the other hand, multi-colored screens use more battery power to be seen, but the appearance is far better. Many colors also enable you to use color coded waypoints, which helps you distinguish between several different waypoints, or markers, within the same area on you GPS’ map.

A third thing to take into account before buying a GPS unit is if maps or mapping software is included with your purchase. If your unit does not have road maps, topographical maps, etc., then you will have to spend more money on them later on if you desire to have them on your GPS (a must for me). Some GPS unit boxes will not tell anything about the map software on them, and this can fool many novice buyers into purchasing the GPS and feeling let down when they turn it on.

Most GPS units come with very basic maps on interstates and major highways. If you are using the GPS for hiking, hunting, fishing, or another other activity in forests or wilderness, topographical maps should be a must. If you are using the GPS for navigation or geocaching, more in-depth road maps should be considered.

I personally recommend the Garmin eTrex Venture HC (or any from this series). They contain base maps, but come with software that can help manage other in-depth maps that you can purchase separately.