Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First I would like to say that this is my first GPS unit and that I have been researching several different GPS brands and models for about a year and a half. I travel quite frequently to South America and I wanted a unit that I could view (and navigate) major cities and roadways in SA. I also wanted a compass, color screen and overall, an easy to use unit. I was first interested in the Magellan eXplorist series 300 thru 600. The 600 had all of the features that I wanted but when I called for some pre-sales support, they told me that the unit will work in SA but there are just no maps available for the unit. So for $349.99 (MSRP) you can get a 600 with the North American base map installed. To get any sort of detailed maps add another 149.99 for Mapsend. And after reading the horrible reviews about eXplorist series on cnet and Amazon, I decided to check out other units. I then looked at the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx. However, the unit has a small screen and again, numerous reviews complaining about battery issues and accuracy. When I called Garmin for some pre-sales support, I was on hold for 43 minutes and when someone finally took my call, I was disconnected. So I decided to keep searching.
Researching Consumer Reports, I came across Lowrance. The name sounded familiar since we used their equipment onboard naval vessels. After a few weeks, I settled on the iFinder Expedition C.
THE UNIT: The color screen measures approx. 1.75 X 2.25 inches and the image is excellent. Good color, street names, roads, and boundaries show up very well. It is a solid unit and fits well in the hand and it's very easy to navigate thru the screens using just your thumb. Buttons are rubber and easy to push. Uses 2 AA batteries (unlike the eXplorist 600 that uses a special battery...you can get AAs all over the world) and so far my Energizer NiMH rechargeable batteries have been working just fine. It also has a slot for a standard SD memory card (1 GB Max). It is waterproof up to 1 meter in water for 30 minutes (IPX7 Standard). It comes with a 12 volt car adapter and a pretty good, easy to understand manual. It can track up to 16 satellites at one time but I have only seen as many as 9 on my unit at one time. The unit can play MP3s (only with a special adapter cable sold separately).
THE MANUAL: I skimmed the PDF manual before I purchased my unit to be sure of certain features and ease of use (you can learn a lot about a product by reading the manual first!). It seemed fairly easy and basically self explanatory. Reading PDF page 28 gives you a quick and easy reference to get you on the road or trail fast. However, anything other than the basic features, it will take some time to memorize menu locations and options. So if you really want to utilize the full potential of the unit, you will need to read the manual with the unit on hand (If you don't want to utilize the units full potential, don't buy the Expedition). The manual is quite lengthy but well written and highly detailed. At this time, I have not found any typos or wrong information in the manual. It will just require patience reading page after page.
THE SOFTWARE: The unit comes pre-loaded with a basic map of the entire world. What this means is that you can only see US state boundaries, major US freeways and roads, cities, major bodies of water, and country boundaries. Since I wanted some detailed maps of South America, I wanted to purchase the Freedom Map of the world but the service technician who I spoke with over the phone told me that it is not worth the $99.99 investment since the extra details are not quite there yet. I purchased the USA Topo Map Create Series 6 accessory package (includes an SD card, Card Reader, and 6 CD ROMs) for $95.00 from LEI. The SD card is 64MB (58.5 MB after formatting) and the CD ROMs are series 6.3. To my surprise, the USA Topo Map Create 6.3 does come with the entire world. However, only the 48 US states and Hawaii have the detail down to the street level (Alaska only shows major roads and cities). So for the rest of the world, cities, major lakes, major roadways and waterways are present...far better detail than what comes preloaded with the unit. So I am thinking that the Freedom map of the world would have been a waste of money because I am completely satisfied with the detail of South America. The Map Create is extremely easy to work with. I have yet to read the manual about the software and I have loaded quite a bit of maps to my GPS unit. I purchased 2 512 MB and a 1 Gig card and on one 512 MB card I loaded the entire South American continent, Central America, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Washington, and Florida. Europe takes up only 4 MB of space (But remember, it's the details that take up the space). As far as the mapping software is concerned, you are able to select what details you want to load onto your GPS unit. For example, if you like railroading, you can choose to have all the railroads displayed. You can have all the restaurants or lodging facilities to show. It's up to you. But the more you want the more space it takes up. There are 21 categories (and numerous subcategories) you can select from (Highways, landmarks, elevation, structures, and hunting and marine navaids just to name a few). The state of Colorado takes up 125 MB with all 21 items selected. With 16 items selected it takes up 27 MB. South America takes up 3.86 MB (again, you're not loading all the roads and restaurants either). Map Create 6.3 comes with 6 CDs and you need to install all 6. After the installation, you will need to keep the first CD in the drive each time you open up the program. The LEI card reader was somewhat difficult to install (yes you need the special LEI card reader if you are going to download maps onto SD cards for your unit). My first two attempts trying to get the mapping software to recognize the reader failed. The third time I used the drivers off Lowrance web site and that didn't work either. I then extracted the drivers off of the CD ROM and finally I got it to work. You cannot save any maps from Map Create 6.3 without the card reader and SD card installed. But once the files are on the SD card you can transfer them to a folder on your PC for backup. Once you have downloaded your specialized maps from Map Create to an SD card, all you have to do is install the SD card into your unit, turn the unit on and it loads the maps, with all its details, automatically on boot up. You are only allowed to have a maximum of 5 SD cards. I don't know what you can do if an SD card gets stolen, lost, or destroyed since I have not had that happen to me yet.
Before installing MapCreate, any running anti-virus programs need to be disabled. Even at that, when I installed Map Create, it totally corrupted Norton Anti-Virus. I had to re-install Norton and all its definitions.
ACCURACY:
The unit itself is very accurate. When I'm driving on a freeway, the MPH on my screen is dead on (probably a little more accurate than the cars speedometer). Also, with the zoom at 0.05 miles (the width of the freeway is around ¾") the unit detects when I am changing lanes. When I am walking in the street with the unit, it detects when I walk around parked cars. I am very impressed. However, the maps are not always that accurate. There is a park behind my house and the map shows it over and down two blocks. According to the map on my GPS, I live one street to the west of my actual location. The GPS signal is probably dead on but the map isn't. Sometimes when I am driving down side roads, it shows that I am about 2 or 3 blocks off (but other side roads it is very accurate). But on major highways and even major roads, it lines up well. Now realistically, being a few blocks off probably isn't that bad. It will get you where you need to go and back again.
WHAT I LIKE:
The unit finds satellites very quickly and the unit is very accurate.
Hardware and software are easy to use
Search feature allows you to search an address, a street, or a restaurant.
Battery life is more than acceptable to me
Screen is very crisp
Unit is very sturdy and durable
Lowrance customer service (and pre-sales support) is excellent
WHAT I DON'T LIKE:
I don't like the fact that I have to extract the batteries in order to remove the SD card. It is very annoying, especially during the experimental stage.
The unit does not have a standard headphone jack
There is a rubber flap on the back of the unit that covers the external antenna port. The rubber flap does not seat very well and keeps popping off (I'm sure the carrying case that you can buy separately will solve that problem but the case looks cheap).
I wish that the manual came with a laminated card (or a PDF that you can download) with a brief description of the menu options. Sort of like a quick reference page that you can carry with you instead of bringing the entire manual along. I am in the process of making one but it is taking some time.
You now have my ten cents worth. As far as I can tell, Lowrance is the way to go. Good Luck!
Five Months Later:
Now that I have had my unit for awhile, I would like to add and subtract a few things that I mentioned in my last review.
The unit is still awesome and learning how to use it is fairly simple and I have no regrets about my purchase. There are just a few things I would like to mention that will hopefully help you determine if this is the unit for you.
LEI
LEI is a Lowrance subsidiary that provides software and accessories for products that Lowrance makes. Their web site can be accessed via the Lowrance home page or http://www.lei-extras.com/store/default.asp. Be careful...Read more›
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Lowrance iFinder Expedition C Waterproof Hiking GPSProduct Description: Find your way to your destination in lavish color with the iFinder Expedition C 16-channel handheld mapping GPS. This compact and portable GPS system offers everything you could want or need when either planning or taking a trip, including the unique "Scout Mode" option to mark area perimeters and create borders, an electronic compass, barometric altimeter with weather predictions, built-in microphone, MP3 player capabilities through the MMC/SD digital media memory card slot, and more. There's even a built-in microphone for recording voice notes to waypoints. Watertight with a sure-grip rubber welt seal, the Expedition C comes with a classic black and silver case.
Reliable, accurate, and user-friendly, the Expedition C features a bright, 2.83-inch diagonal color TFT display with 320V x 240H pixel resolution and a white LED backlit screen for excellent direct sunlight and low-light or night viewing. But it's the built-in continental United States and Hawaii background map (with interstate exit services) that makes this model the ideal travel companion. And because the Expedition C is compatible with optional plug and play Lowrance FreedomMaps, Fishing Hot Spots Elite, LakeMaster ProMaps, NauticPath, and Navionics electronic charts, it can easily accommodate any additional navigation tools you need.
Full of helpful and time-saving features, like dual processors for high speed screen updates and dual Easy and Advanced operation modes, the Expedition C makes trip planning a breeze. In addition, this system gives you access to 1,000 waypoints, 1,000 event markers, and 100 routes, as well as up to 100 savable and retraceable plot trails, with up to 10,000 points in any trail. You can also take advantage of the 40 map zoom ranges (from 0.02 to 4,000 miles) and 63 graphic icons for noting special spots or points.
For added convenience, the Expedition C includes an antenna port for connecting an optional external GPS and WAAS antenna, as well as a 12 volt plug power adapter for in-vehicle or ATV use. It also operates up to 14 hours or longer on two "AA" batteries (not included) and comes with a full, one-year warranty.
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