Magellan Triton 500

Basic Overview

This is my first GPS that I own, but not the first one that I have used. I have used it pretty extensively for about 6 months. The last two firmware updates seem to have taken care of all the bugs that I have encountered.

This GPS has good accuracy and I have had no problems acquiring satellite connections even under a thick forest canopy. I also find it easy to navigate and operate the unit itself. I have Accuterra Northeast and Nation Geographic Topo Explorer Deluxe installed and a 4Gb SD card with no issues. It syncs both ways with vantage point very easily to save all of your data or you can sync only one way if you so choose to either from the Gps To PC of From the PC to The GPS. It is water resistant not waterproof and the color is bright enough to see if you drop it in the fall leaves.

Bells & Whistles
It has a bunch of extra features on it that make it very versatile for different activates and can also be easily turned off so you can preserve battery power. The back lighting is also adjustable in several levels which also saves battery power.

Power
I have used Standard Duracell & Energizer batteries, Energizer rechargeable batteries & Energizer Lithium batteries. I like the Energizer Lithium batteries best they weigh 1/3 to 1/2 less than other types and last a lot longer. How much longer depends on how many bells & whistles you have activated. When it is connected to the PC it doesn’t use the installed batteries it powers through the connected sync cable you don’t even have to have batteries in the unit.

Maps
It has a very very basic base map and the Accuterra maps are nice they have a lot on trail’s on them but not all of them and it can also be used as a road map in ways because most all roads ate in it. N/G Topo maps work very nice and have 2 levels to there maps a basic 1:00 and the more detailed 1:2400 topo maps. The 1:2400 must be downloaded from N/G through the Topo Manager.

Overall Conclusion
I am very happy with this unit, it is a nice unit to own for a wide verity of activates and will serve you well. Furthermore you get a lot of bang for you buck and it is very reasonably priced for what you get, some other brands are almost double the price for similar options.

Recommended Accessories For A Good Start
Accuterra maps
Energizer Lithium batteries
A carry case with a one piece or closed belt loop
A cheap cut to fit screen protector

I purchased the Triton 500 prior to going on vacation in Kauai, HI. I wanted to go hiking on some of the many trails. After I purchased it, I found out that it had no topos pre-loaded. Why would one buy a handheld GPS without topos?

I live in the SouthEast, so I purchased a Southeast set and a West set of maps found out that they were keyed only to that unit S/N). I downloaded the maps to the Triton and it worked for the first day (of 9 days). The next day, during a hike, the Triton lost the maps including the street maps that were preloaded.

That night, I attempted unsuccessfully to re-load, then to get help from tech support, but no response. It was useless the rest of the vacation. My son had a Garmin and we used it. When I got home, I returned the unit for a refund and attempted to get a refund on the map packages. Magellan refused, even though it could only be used on that unit. I did not trust the unit, so I didn’t exchange it for another Triton.

I finally did what I should have done in the beginning. Do a cost comparison and check the ratings. I found out that the Delorme PN-20 bundle had topos for the whole US for about the same price as just the naked Triton. If I got the equivalent topos for Triton it would have cost me 5 times the cost of the Triton. I decided to take the loss on the Magellan software and purchase a Delorme.

In summary, someone would be crazy or down-right stupid (like I was) to have purchased a Triton. I won’t purchase another Magellan product. There is too much quality competition out there.

I received this unit two years ago for a birthday gift due to that I have to have one for K9 Search and Rescue. I have not had a problem with this unit and it puts me right on track. Magellan puts out the perfect GPS for all ages and uses. I will continue to use Magellan GPS and their products.

I would buy this again but knowing that their is a camera on other models and water resistance I would probably go with another Magellan now that I learned to use a gps on the 500. It's a great learning gps that walks you through easy instructions. Great for geocaching, but with Search and Rescue I need to update my gps.

I highly recommend the Magellan 500.

I have three of these units and another Triton 400, all of which I have used with the Boy Scouts and in numerous situations at Camps, on trails, on backroads, at Camporees, and in Troop Committee Meetings. I went into the world of Magellan in 2008; I tried out a Triton 2000 but found it very difficult to manage, necessitating a full User's Manual and the Unit, which doubled the total pack weight and did not solve the frustration!

The Triton 500 is much easier to use, allows downloading of the wonderful National Geographic colorful TOPO! maps--use the Vantage Point softward (free download) to do these transfers to your Unit--and always provides a "you are here" point of reference in fog and rain and forests where no reference points can be seen.

Please do not expect your GPS to be a voice-recorder, camera, flashlight, and an entertainment center; I suspect you purchased it as a navigation device. Be patient with the steep learning curve, practice a lot, and learn how the Unit works. Set battery lighting on medium or low, give yourself 30 seconds of light whenever you set out to find locations, to avoid a re-click to get the light to return.

The support staff in the Phillippines are very good, very patient, very helpful; I am grateful to them for helping me to learn. Do not give out the Units to kids or adults who do not know how to use them. The Units may "crash" and give you threatening messages; remove the batteries, wait a minute, replace the batteries and all will be forgiven. Use lithium batteries and you'll get about 10 hours of life. Carry extra batteries in the field; use a small, padded digital camera case to protect the screen.

All four of mine, 3 - 500's and 1 - 400 (an on-sale item!) function well. Barometric pressure readings are not accurate, but altimeter works fine. Always carry a map and compass as insurance; protect the Unit from the busy hands of "cute seventy-pound Scouts" who think a GPS is a video-game! Be patient and you will learn! Enjoy the maps.

I received this unit one year ago as a Christmas gift. I have not had a problem with this unit and it puts me right on track. Magellan puts out the perfect GPS for all ages and uses. I got disabled and don't need it no more. Will let it go for $150.

The 500 is a great learning GPS that walks you through easy instructions. Great for geocaching.

I highly recommend the Magellan 500.

Better than the 300. I purchased the map combo pack and it works well enough and the Canadian map series is very good. I can change maps from one section of Canada to another. The topo maps from National Geographic do not exist for Canada, which is too bad. The memory is adequate for the job and the processor works well.

The reason I did not give it 5 stars is the fact that some features in the programming can be a bit of a pain; the tech support, when needed, is poor (though they try hard, it's hard to get through); and the Vantage Point (VP) program should come on the accompanying CD. The manual is saveable pdf file which I like but others don't. The VP program itself is quite neat but maps can't always be saved to other units--though it may be just me.

All in all I am glad to have the machine the problems that my friend's unit (another slightly older 500) have been ironed out. This unit (500 Triton) I could recommend, not like the 300 Triton.

Rock solid unit.

I had a Magellan Sportrak Map unit, but this blows it away with USB connectivity, map downloads, SD card support and so much color! Very nice feel and the buttons are great.

I use it mostly for geocaching, and having all the cache data in one unit is fantastic. Androids and Apple products can do this too, but not with the precision of a purpose-built unit.  I just cannot get over the map features while hiking the hills looking for a geocache.

Yeah, I got it for $4 + tax at Goodwill (new).