Magellan Triton 300

• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 11 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 4 stars

  Overall, a disappointment in my book.

  by williarc1 on January 8, 2008

  Pros: Accurate, Fast aquisition, aesthetically pleasing

  Cons: Incompetant operating system, challenging software, sluggish

  Summary: Since none of the reputable tech sites have decided to review the Magellan Triton series, I will take the task upon myself. I found no good information on Tritons before ...

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  Summary: Since none of the reputable tech sites have decided to review the Magellan Triton series, I will take the task upon myself. I found no good information on Tritons before purchasing one, so I hope to arm you with the information you need to make a wise decision before purchasing. First and foremost, if you value customer support whatsoever, keep in mind Magellan has the worst customer support known to man. Everything is outsourced straight to India, and they are rude, incompetent, and offer absolutely no technical knowledge about any of their products. Now to the Triton – and the bad comes out first. I was excited to find a product within my price range (I have the 300), but as often as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The learning curve is somewhat difficult if you are used to a Garmin. The menu’s seem somewhat illogical to navigate through; it seems like it’s a one way street…you’ll understand if you operate one. The buttons are not comfortable or backlit in the cheaper models, and are very difficult to push. The operating system can be a bit confusing at some points in time, and often overcomplicates a task that would be much simpler on other units. It’s also extremely sluggish! It takes a full 6 seconds to load the manual coordinate input screen; so that’s 6 seconds for the Lat, and another 6 second wait for the Long. The coordinate insertion process also takes a bit of getting used to. Finally, the basemap is extremely basic and disappointing. On the plus side, the unit possesses the Sirfstar III antenna dramatically increasing accurateness and reducing satellite acquisition time. To my surprise, I first loaded mine inside the house with full bar reception. Aside from the learning curve and sluggish behavior, the operating system is very aesthetically pleasing – it just looks good. The screen resolution, colors, and navigational screens are easy on the eyes. In daylight however, the screen is quite dark without the use of the backlight. The worst part about the Tritons is, by far, the software compatibility. I still can’t manage to load any detailed maps from previous Magellan software, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to. Also, DO NOT BE FOOLED: The National Geographic maps (or any detailed maps for that matter) as advertised are not free by any stretch of the imagination. Even if you pay for them, good luck getting them to work with the VantagePoint software. All in all, not the best unit I’ve seen. Once you adapt to the unit, it gets the job done. It may be descent for the price, but I have not yet decided whether to return it, and take my chances with something else.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  This unit can be extremely frustrating to use.

  by beachbumfj on December 7, 2011

  Pros: Locks onto satellites quickly and, once figured out, is a joy to use with TOPO map software.

  Cons: Poor battery life and the unit can be frustrating to use with the home computer if you forget the proper steps. It is not very user friendly.

  Summary: I know that the Magellan Triton 300 is an older GPS unit, but I just wanted to post this for all of us who bought this unit and have been ...

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  Summary: I know that the Magellan Triton 300 is an older GPS unit, but I just wanted to post this for all of us who bought this unit and have been constantly frustrated trying to use it. Please pick your way through my following ramblings:
  
  I have the National Geographic TOPO map program loaded onto an old computer that runs XP, I have the VantagePoint (Magellan) program loaded on that unit and have the required cable that links the GPS unit to the computer.
  
  This is what I have learned recently regarding the unit. A downloadable update for the GPS unit and the VantagePoint software is now available from Magellan that fixed one of the issues that was a pet peeve of mine: You can now delete the "base map" from the unit, giving yourself some extra available memory. Just make sure that save the base map on your computer using the VantagePoint software.
  
  I was having a hard time downloading a map from my computer to the GPS so I Googled the following question to find out how to download TOPO maps from the computer to my GPS and this is what came up:
  "How do I load a National Geographic TOPO!® 4 Map to a Triton® series GPS device?"
  Follow the steps below:
  1. Ensure VantagePoint™ software is closed
  2. Select "Connect to PC" under settings and connect GPS to PC
  3. Open up the National Geographic TOPO! 4 application
  4. Make sure you are using TOPO! 4 v 4.5 by clicking on info and selecting check for updates
  5. Using the "print export tool" drag and draw the area you wish to download to your Triton device
  6. Right click over the map and zoom in to the level 5 scale
  7. In the lower right hand corner of the maps screen click onto "Export Map"
  
  Once you follow those instructions, loading the map to the GPS unit was easy. The only problem was a limited amount of memory in the unit since I opted to not get the Triton 400 with the SD card (big mistake). Like I mentioned earlier, more space is available once you delete the base map.
  
  In regard to the poor battery life, I noticed that you can improve battery life by using lithium batteries compared to alkaline batteries. As I deal with guilt issues over throwing alkaline batteries away, I used rechargeable NiMH batteries on a recent trip and needed to keep spares charging on a wallet sized solar charger for backup. I have not timed battery usage ever since I updated the firmware so I don't know if that has improved in that respect. I wonder if battery consumption will improve if you turn off the map (MENU-VIEW-MAPS-IMAGE MAPS).
  
  You can delete maps that you have stored on your GPS by linking the GPS unit with your PC, using the data cable, and then using the VantagePoint software. You can save maps with VantagePoint as well.
  
  I know that I only covered the tip of the iceberg, but I just wanted people to know that with the right updates, the unit does work, it just can be a frustrating experience. That is the reason that I gave it a 2 1/2 star rating.

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• 8 stars

  Great unit for the price.

  by bigron0909 on April 27, 2010

  Pros: Very easy to use; brilliant crystal clear color display; already set up for geocaching; decent battery life; good satellite reception; durable feel; accurate; waterproof.

  Cons: Base map isn't very detailed-no topo; PC cable is cumbersome to attach to unit; didn't come with a lanyard cord; instruction booklet isn't very detailed.

  Summary: I primarily bought this GPS for geocaching. I've read several reviews stating the unit "freezes up" and the batteries has to be removed to reset, that it isn't ...

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  Summary: I primarily bought this GPS for geocaching. I've read several reviews stating the unit "freezes up" and the batteries has to be removed to reset, that it isn't waterproof, it's not user friendly. That is not the case with my experience with it. No freezing up, haven't had it in water so that is to be seen if it leaks or not. Menu navigation is easy. The user manual isn't very detailed but it is pretty easy to change the settings and things once you fiddle with it a while. I would like to have a built in topo map with it, but for the price I can't complain too much. The base map basically shows cities, towns, interstates and US highways, nothing fancy like the more expensive units. Topo maps can be downloaded via National Geographic TOPO! Maps. They seem a little pricey for me though. All in all, I like it and it works for me. I would recommend this GPS unit.

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• 7 stars

  A great little geocaching companion!

  by CherryLaneStation on July 31, 2009

  Pros: So far it's been dead-on in finding Geocache coordinates (sometimes within 3 feet or so)
  I love the easily customizable features
  Works great with geocaching.com

  Cons: Customer service is out of India (annoying -- I want to talk to someone who really knows the product, not someone who just looks up answers in a book -- I can do that!)
  VantagePoint, their software, needs a lot of improvement.

  Summary: This was my first GPS. A friend has the cheaper yellow Garmin, but she has to enter every character for each geocache, so I wanted something that could sync to ...

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  Summary: This was my first GPS. A friend has the cheaper yellow Garmin, but she has to enter every character for each geocache, so I wanted something that could sync to my computer. This one does so through the VantagePoint software that comes with the unit. VantagePoint is clunky, but hopefully it will be improved over time.
  
  I've read a lot of reviews that say that this machine stops working, and I've only had mine a short time, but I've been very please with it. I've taken it along on geocaching adventures with friends and mine tends to be among the favorite of the 2-3 GPSs our group uses.
  
  Battery life is pretty good (haven't needed new ones so far, but I don't use it daily) and it has worked well on cloudy days. I'm still learning how to use it, and wonder if I want to upgrade to the 400 (only necessary if the SD card slot will read/store GPS files -- but customer support says it won't. If I ever find out that it actually will, I'll be angry -- I've written to the only Magellan email address I could find on this and so far no answer).
  
  I wish it came with a hand or neck strap and/or carrying case -- expensive electronics really need those! But they are cheap enough to purchase.
  
  For the price (I really didn't want to go over $100 and this was $150) it meets my expectations. I'm very please so far.

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• 1 stars

  Avoid until they fix the problem

  by b.ricks on June 23, 2009

  Pros: None. It started bad and has gone downhill from there.
  Originally, I really liked the accuracy but...if it doesn't work accuracy isn't very helpful.

  Cons: Magellan should never be selling something that is defective, knowintg it is defective.
  I had to wait for months for my original unit because of bugs. When it quit. each succeeding unit didn't work. Should be pulled off market.

  Summary: See my review/updates starting with the 200 (3 of them), 300 (2), 400..so far...All replacements for original purchase.
  I still don't have a working unit after ...

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  Summary: See my review/updates starting with the 200 (3 of them), 300 (2), 400..so far...All replacements for original purchase.
  I still don't have a working unit after original purchase over 1 1/2 years ago. There is a serious problem they can't solve (mine keeps changing coordinates to what it wants) and Magellan is still selling units.

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• 7 stars

  Good for my first GPS unit.

  by Mysterydude08 on February 14, 2009

  Pros: Great battery life with the right batteries; accurate location, elevation, magnetic or true compass; Able to locate satallites for increased signal strength.

  Cons: Not much detail for mountains, Little to no signal strength in inclimited weather.

  Summary: I like this unit alot, there was the choice of the Megellan 400 or 500 Triton series; since I was a tad bit short on cash I bought the 300 ...

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  Summary: I like this unit alot, there was the choice of the Megellan 400 or 500 Triton series; since I was a tad bit short on cash I bought the 300 series instead. I happened to fiddle around with it for a while, and had a slightly hard time adjusting the time zone since it was almost near alaska's time zone.
  
  This unit was just something to keep my mind occupied, but please do not use this unit or any GPS unit as a device to save your life. GPS units can be helpful, but it can also be helpless in some situations.
  
  I recommend this unit for hikers, travellers, or for someone who wants to know how a true GPS unit performs.

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• 1 stars

  Not for 1st timers- sucks batteries- instructions poor

  by sudek062 on January 7, 2009

  Pros: Bright screen display. Good features (once you figure them out)

  Cons: Instructions are poor and difficult to understand
  battery life is terrible!!!!!
  limited map support

  Summary: I guess if you have an older unit and are upgrading to a color unit, this one is ok.
  If you are a novice, this is not a good unit ...

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  Summary: I guess if you have an older unit and are upgrading to a color unit, this one is ok.
  If you are a novice, this is not a good unit to start with. And you better pack a huge supply of batteries. The battery life is horrendous. Especially if it is cold. I couldn't get more than a few hours usage out of a set of batteries.
  BIG disappointment for being my first GPS.

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• 1 stars

  Don't get caught lost with this disfunctional item

  by jgoneau on June 23, 2008

  Pros: no pros - item should be recalled

  Cons: slow to react, drains batteries, software freezes, horrible tech support

  Summary: This was purchased for me as a gift in December 07. Right out of the box, I could not get the VantagePoint software or TOPO software to react with my ...

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  Summary: This was purchased for me as a gift in December 07. Right out of the box, I could not get the VantagePoint software or TOPO software to react with my Triton. I called tech support (in some far off land) and was simply told I was doing it wrong. Turns out that TOPO does not recognize the Triton without a software update (which didn't come out until the spring of '08). After a few days, I noticed that even with new batteries, the power bar would never reach 100% and would drain batteries within a matter of 2 hours. After two weeks of use, the Triton froze completely showing only a blank screen. Turning the unit off or replacing the batteries did not work. I brought the unit back to the place of purchase and they gave me another one, just in time for my road trip across the country. However, after a few days, the new unit froze again during use and I could not get anywhere with it. I once again contacted tech support and was told that I had to send the unit to Ft Worth, TX for repair and that I would have to pay the shipping charges. So, I paid the $15 ground shipping and received the repaired unit back no less than 1 month later. Two weeks later, the unit froze again and is a paperweight. Ugh! I brought the unit back to the place of purchase in total frustration. I was told by the store associates that the Magellan Triton was rushed onto the market for the holiday season and has had nothing but problems. They allowed me to return the Triton and gave me credit towards a new GPS unit. I picked up a Garmin Venture and have been amazed ever since.
  
  For anyone who is considering the Triton for whatever reason - hiking, sailing or just tooling around, I do not recommend it whatsoever. If lost in the woods or ocean, the Triton is not reliable at all. In fact, it could even be your demise if you start making tracks only to be stuck in the woods no longer able to backtrack to safety.
  
  This item should be recalled.

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• 5 stars

  Works fine but could be much better!!

  by wlockard on May 23, 2008

  Pros: H20 Proof, rather easy to use, rugged

  Cons: Read review

  Summary: I have read various other reviews of this product and wanted to add my own opinion. First off, this is my first handheld gps so I have no basis of ...

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  Summary: I have read various other reviews of this product and wanted to add my own opinion. First off, this is my first handheld gps so I have no basis of comparison. Initially upon purchasing this product I was rather disappointed in its interface capabilities with Apple/Mac. This is my own fault as I failed to check on this prior to purchase. I use this unit primarily for geocaching so hooking to a computer is a necessity. There are solutions for this but it is an extra step that should have been avoided by Magellan. I contacted their product support to make sure it would not work with mac and their response was "use a different computer". So far the unit has worked fine. It appears to gain and maintain satellite communication. The screen is easy to read but can be hard in certain lighting settings. The supplied software seems to work fine so long as it is on a PC. I have been using this one several times a week over the past few months. The buttons are easy to use and seem to be well placed. The battery life appears to be as described (10 hours). There are some problems which may be addressed through future shareware updates. In other units I see that there is accurate, to the feet, to a destination. This unit does not seem to allow for that. For example, if you are looking for particular coords it gives accuracy in .5 mile increments. This may be a user issue but so far I can't find the option to change it. There is NO sd card slot on the 300 model. The 400 allows for this. Spend the few extra bucks. OK, overall for my uses, geocaching, this unit is fine. If I had it to do over I would have purchased a different unit. One, because of my interface issues and secondly, to display accurate distance to a destination. If someone is reading this and has suggestions for these problems, please leave a comment.

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• 2 stars

  Not all Functions Available

  by brenhamjeff on May 19, 2008

  Pros: cool color screen

  Cons: you can NOT currently store tracks! Software not fully developed!

  Summary: I purchased a Magellan Triton 300 because I lost my old Magellan Explorist 300 over the weekend. I loved the look and the interface but I could not get it ...

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  Summary: I purchased a Magellan Triton 300 because I lost my old Magellan Explorist 300 over the weekend. I loved the look and the interface but I could not get it to set the time for my region or save a track I had created. I called tech. support in India and and they had to walk me through setting the time. I ask why these steps were not in the CD instructions. The reply was the instructions are still being written. On to the "can't save a track problem". She put me on "hold" for a minute or two and when she returned to the line she informed me that feature was still under development. I was shocked to say the least. Magellan should print "BETA" across the box in big bold letters. I returned the Triton to the store I bought it from and got a refund. I love the Explorist 300. Very easy to use. Intuitive, simple, and very handy on the water or the trails. They should have never done away with the Explorist, or at least until they had something to take it's place. Shame on Magellan!

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