Magellan Magellan eXplorist 300 User manual

Magellan eXplorist 300
Reference
Manual
Topics:
• eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver
• Using the eXplorist 300
• Starting Up
• Navigation Screens
• Points of Interest
• Routes
• Track Logs
• Weather
• Electronic Compass
• Preferences
• Specifications
• Accessories
• Contacting Magellan Support

IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, DO NOT USE THIS NAVIGATION DEVICE WHILE DRIVING
A VEHICLE.
Please do not try to change any settings on the Magellan®eXplorist™ while driving. Come to a
complete stop or have a passenger make any changes. Taking your eyes off the road is dangerous
and can result in an accident in which you or others could be injured.
USE GOOD JUDGMENT
This product is an excellent navigation aid, but it does not replace the need for careful orienteering
and good judgment. Never rely solely on one device for navigating.
USE CARE
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is operated by the U.S. Government, which is solely
responsible for the accuracy and maintenance of the GPS network. The accuracy of position fixes
can be affected by the periodic adjustments to GPS satellites made by the U.S. government and is
subject to change in accordance with the Department of Defense civil GPS user policy and the
Federal Radionavigation Plan. Accuracy can also be affected by poor satellite geometry and
obstructions, such as buildings and large trees.
USE PROPER ACCESSORIES
Use only Magellan cables and antennas; the use of non-Magellan cables and antennas may severely
degrade performance or damage the receiver, and will void the warranty.
LICENSE AGREEMENT
Thales Navigation grants you, the purchaser, the right to use the software supplied in and with
Thales Navigation GPS products (the “SOFTWARE”) in the normal operation of the equipment in
accordance with the terms of the End User License Agreement that is included with the product.
The SOFTWARE is the property of Thales Navigation and/or its suppliers and is protected by United
States copyright laws and international treaty provisions; therefore, you must treat the SOFTWARE
like any other copyright material.
You may not use, copy, modify, reverse engineer or transfer this SOFTWARE except as expressly
provided in the license. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by Thales Navigation and/or its
suppliers.
* * *
No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s
personal use without the prior written permission of Thales Navigation.
* * *
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
© 2004 Thales Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Magellan Logo, Magellan, eXplorist and TrueFix are trademarks of Thales Navigation.
631206-01 B
*** Warnings ***

Table of Contents i
eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Features of the Magellan eXplorist GPS receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Button Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installing the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using the eXplorist 300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Going to a Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Saving Your Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Tracing Your Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Additional Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Starting Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turning the eXplorist On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turning the eXplorist Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turning the Display Backlight On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using the eXplorist for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Navigation Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Accessing the Navigation Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Map Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Map Screen Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Changing Map Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Map Screen Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Showing or Hiding Map Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Customizing the Map Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Changing the Map Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Changing the Primary Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Compass Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Compass Screen Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Customizing the Information Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Position Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Position Screen Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Resetting the Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Satellite Status Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Points of Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Marking Your Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Quick-Marking Your Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Marking Your Position (Personalized). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Making POIs for Locations Other Than Your Present Position . . . . . . . . 27
Marking a Position by Entering Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Marking a Position using the Map Cursor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Marking a Position from a Map Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The POI Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Searching for a User-Entered POI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Nearest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Alphabetical . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Editing a User-Created POI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Deleting a User-Created POI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Viewing a User-Created POI on the Map Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Copying a Preloaded POI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Viewing a Preloaded POI on the Map Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
GOTO Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Creating a GOTO Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Creating a GOTO Route from the Map Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Creating a GOTO Route to a Map Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Multi-Leg Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Creating a Multi-leg Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Activating/Deactivating a Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Changing the Destination Leg of an Active Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Editing a Saved Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Reversing a Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Deleting a Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Copying a Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Viewing a Route on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Table of Contents ii

Track Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Track Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Stopping and Resuming Active Track Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Starting a New Active Track Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Saving an Active Track Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Creating a BackTrack Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Clearing the Active Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Converting the Track Log to a Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Viewing the Track Log on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Working with Saved Track Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Following Saved Track Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Reversing a Saved Track Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Deleting a Saved Track Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Weather Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Accessing the Weather Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Calibrating the Pressure Altimeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Electronic Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Calibrating the Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Turning the Compass Off/On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Restarting the GPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Setting the Map Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Selecting Navigational Units of Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Selecting the North Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Selecting the Coordinate System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Selecting the Map Datum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Using the Power Management Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting the Power-Off Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting the Light Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Personalizing the eXplorist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Selecting Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents iv
Clearing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Clearing All Track Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Clearing All User-Entered POIs and Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Clearing All Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Clearing All Track Logs, User-Entered POIs, and Routes . . . . . . . . . 77
Reseting the eXplorist to Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Contacting Magellan Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Features of the Magellan eXplorist GPS receiver:
eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver 1
Power Button
ENTER
ZOOM OUT
MENU
GOTO
ESCAPE
MARK
NAV
ZOOM IN
Arrow Joystick
Display Backlight
Button
Antenna
eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver (front)
• Built-in background map
• Preloaded points of interest
• Rugged design, rubber-protected
• 8 MB of background map
• 2-axis electronic compass
• Superior tracking with 14 parallel channels
• 14 hour+ battery life on 2 AA batteries
• TrueFix™GPS technology
• 3 meter accuracy (WAAS/EGNOS)
• Multiple track logs
• Stores up to 500 points of interest and
20 routes
• Pocket-sized and waterproof to IPX-7

Button Descriptions:
Power Turns the eXplorist on or off.
Backlight Turns the display backlight on. Sequences from off to low to high
intensity.
ENTER Used to access highlighted menu items or accept highlighted
buttons.
ESCAPE Cancels data inputs.
Closes the accessed function and goes back to the last viewed
screen.
Steps backward through the navigation screens.
ZOOM IN Used on the Map screen to zoom in on the map displayed. The
map display can be zoomed in to 100 ft. (35.0 m).
Also used to quickly step through the list of POIs when doing an
alphabetical search.
ZOOM OUT Used on the Map screen to zoom out on the map displayed. The
map display can be zoomed out to 1700 mi (2700 km).
Also used to quickly step through the list of POIs when doing an
alphabetical search.
MENU Brings up a menu with available options. Options can be selected
by using the arrow joystick to highlight the option and pressing
ENTER to access it.
NAV Steps through the navigation screens. (Map screen > Compass
screen > Position screen > Satellite Status screen)
MARK Used to save your present position as a point of interest. Points of
interest that you save are stored in the
My Points of Interest portion
of the database.
GOTO Creates a one-leg route from your present position to a destination
selected from the Points of Interest database or by using the cursor
on the background map.
Arrow joystick Pans the cursor on the Map screen.
Moves the highlight bar to select menu options and data-entry
fields.
eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver 2

eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver 3
Battery Door
Fastener
(Unscrew to
open battery
door to install
batteries.)
eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver (back)
Battery Door
Wrist Lanyard
Strap Mounting
Hole

eXplorist 300 GPS Receiver 4
Installing the Batteries
The eXplorist 300 uses two AA batteries
that are installed as shown in the
accompanying diagram. Be sure to
observe the proper polarity when
installing the batteries.
Under normal operating conditions you
can expect to get more than 14 hours of
battery life when using fresh batteries.
Tips on conserving battery life:
•
Turn the eXplorist off when not in use. Whether you are moving or standing still, the
eXplorist is constantly calculating position fixes and using power at the same rate.
So if you are going to be at the same position for any length of time, turn the
eXplorist off.
•
Use the Power Timer to automatically turn the eXplorist off. The Power Timer option
allows you to set a time that the eXplorist will automatically turn off when none of
the buttons have been pressed and you are not moving for a selected time. You can
select from 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes.
•
Use the display backlight sparingly. The most severe drain on the batteries is the
use of the display backlight. You will notice a drastic drop in battery life with the
backlight display on continuously. You should use the Light Timer to set a time
interval that the display backlight will automatically turn off when none of the
buttons have been pressed.
Setting the Power Timer
From any
Nav screen press MENU. Highlight Preferences and press ENTER. Highlight
Pwr Management and press ENTER twice. Use the arrow joystick to select 5 Minutes, 10
Minutes, 30 Minutes, 60 Minutes or Off. Press ENTER. Press NAV to return to the last
viewed navigation screen.
Setting the Light Timer
From any
Nav screen press MENU. Highlight Preferences and press ENTER. Highlight
Pwr Management and press ENTER. Use the down arrow to highlight the Light Timer field.
Press ENTER. Use the arrow joystick to select 30 Seconds, 1 Minute, 2 Minutes, 4
Minutes, 10 Minutes or Timer Off. Press ENTER. Press NAV to return to the last viewed
navigation screen.

5
The eXplorist 300 uses information from the GPS satellites orbiting the earth to provide you
with detailed information about your exact location. This is the foundation that your
eXplorist will use to provide you with the necessary information to arrive at your destination.
Going to a Destination
The most common use of your eXplorist will be to provide you with the navigation tools
you’ll need to arrive at your chosen destination. The simplest route, and the one used
most, is a GOTO route. This is a route that is computed as a straight line from where you
are to where you want to go.
Step One: Compute Your Position
The basic operation of your eXplorist is to use the GPS satellites to compute your pres-
ent position. This is done internally in the software of your eXplorist. The only thing
that you need to do is to give your eXplorist a clear view of the sky so that it can receive
the signals from the satellites.
Do:
• Point the antenna up toward the sky.
• Maintain a clear view of the sky.
Don’t:
• Cover the antenna with your hand or other objects.
• Point the antenna down.
• Stand under trees or other heavy foliage.
• Stand where the satellite signals are being blocked by large obstructions (such as
buildings, in a narrow canyon, etc.)
If you find that the eXplorist is not computing a position, just move to a place that has
a better view of the sky.
Anytime that you want to view the status of the satellites and
their signal strength, switch to the
Satellite Status screen. Here,
you will graphically see the satellites and their relative signal
strength. You need at least three satellites with good signal
strength (indicated by black bars) to compute your position. A
computed position with only three satellites is termed a 2D posi-
tion fix. Positions that use four or more satellites are called 3D
position fixes.
3D Position Fix
Tracking 7....
Using the eXplorist 300

Step Two: Where Do You Want To Go?
Now that the eXplorist knows where you are, you need to tell it where you want to go.
There are many different ways you can do this, but the simplest and most commonly
used is a “GOTO” route. This is a one-leg route with a beginning (where you are now)
and a destination (where you want to go). The destination is selected by using the
Points of Interest database. This database has two main options: positions you have
saved (
My Points of Interest ) or points of interest that have been preloaded into your
eXplorist (
Background Map ).
Creating a GOTO route is as simple as pressing the GOTO button and selecting the des-
tination from the points of interest database.
Step Three: Calculating Movement
As you move, your eXplorist is constantly calculating new positions, comparing the new
position to the previous position and calculating such things as heading and speed.
This is all done in the eXplorist’s software communicating with the satellites and is
instantaneously shown on your display.
Step Four: Providing Directions
Your eXplorist constantly computes a direct line from your present position to your desti-
nation. From there, it will provide you instructions to guide you along that straight path.
Unless you are on a large body of water, it will be unlikely that you will be able to follow
these instructions exactly. To compensate for that, your eXplorist automatically updates
the route, providing you with up-to-date information about getting to your destination.
GOTO routes are the simplest and most commonly used feature of your eXplorist 300. With
just the GOTO button the eXplorist will provide you with the tools needed to get to any point of
interest stored in your database.
Saving Your Position
Another commonly used feature of the eXplorist is saving your position to the points of interest
database. This feature is accessed by pressing the MARK button. When saving your position,
you can also add attributes like a selected icon or a name for the point of interest. This will
help you to find this spot in the future when accessing it from the points of interest database.
Suppose that you have set up camp for the night. Tomorrow, you plan on doing some
nature exploring and you want to be able to come back to the campsite when you are
done. Press the MARK button and set the name of the point of interest to “Camp”.
After your hiking is done, simply use the GOTO button and select “Camp” from the list
of
My Points of Interest. It’s that simple to find your way back.
While out fishing on the lake, you come across the perfect spot for catching your limit.
Next year, you want to be able to come back to this same spot. Turn on your eXplorist
and after it has computed your position, press the MARK button to save it. This time
you can enter the name “Catfish1” and save your point of interest. Next year you can
be back at the same hot spot with just a press of the GOTO button.
Using the eXplorist 300 6

A simpler example, and one you can do at just about any time, is finding your car in that
ocean of other cars in the shopping mall parking lot. Just park your car, step outside and
let your eXplorist compute your position. (Make sure that you have a clear view of the
sky.) Using the MARK button, save this position with the name “Car”. When you are
done shopping, just go outside the mall and create a GOTO with the destination “Car”.
No matter where you parked, your eXplorist will guide you back, simply and easily.
Tracing Your Steps
Hikers, mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts often need the option of leaving a trail of
breadcrumbs that they can follow back to where they started. The eXplorist has a feature
called
BackTrack that enables you to do just that.
It was mentioned earlier that your eXplorist is constantly computing your present position and
that you can save your position by using the MARK button. Now, imagine that your eXplorist
automatically saved your computed positions as you moved along the trail. Pretty soon there
would be a set of saved positions, like breadcrumbs, that represents the trail you have taken.
This is exactly what the eXplorist does. It saves the computed positions as hidden points of
interest and strings them together to represent your travels. This is called your
Track, and the
hidden points of interest are your
Track Log .
What your eXplorist enables you to do is to use this Track, reverse it and navigate you along the
same path that you followed to get you back to your destination.
You might drive to the ranger station and follow the trail that leads you to the waterfalls
you have been wanting to see. With your eXplorist turned on and able to compute posi-
tion fixes, you continue along the trail. The trail winds along and has many smaller
trails attached to it. As the day progresses you arrive at the falls. When it’s time to
head back to your car, you access your Track Logs list and select the
Active Track log.
Now, press MENU, highlight BackTrack and press ENTER. Your eXplorist will now
seamlessly guide you along the path, tracing your footsteps, back to where you started.
Another nice feature of Track Logs, which you may find useful, is that you are able to
save the Track Logs and recall them at any time. In the above example at the waterfall,
you could save that track and use it anytime you wanted to go back.
Using the eXplorist 300 7

Additional Features
Your Magellan eXplorist contains all of the features you would
expect from a high-quality Magellan-brand handheld navigation
device, as well as many more to make your outdoor experience more
enjoyable. You have the ability to customize the navigation screens,
enabling you to view the information that is important to you. The
eXplorist makes full use of the Map screens, enabling you to
graphically see your position, the route you are navigating, the path
that you have trekked (Track), as well as points of interest icons.
There is a built-in odometer so that you can log the distance of your
journey. User preferences enable you to set up and maintain your
eXplorist so that it fits your needs and requirements. The eXplorist
gives you all of this and more in an easy-to-use, portable navigation
tool that includes built-in help files that you can access in the great
outdoors.
Summary
Using the eXplorist 300 8
Magellan eXplorist 300
with optional
swivel mounting bracket
Go from this...
to this...
with this.

9
Turning the eXplorist On
To turn the eXplorist on, press the POWER button on the top right
side. To prevent the eXplorist from being turned on accidentally,
draining the batteries, you need to press ENTER when the
Startup
screen is displayed. You have approximately 30 seconds between
pressing the POWER button and pressing the ENTER button,
otherwise the eXplorist will automatically turn itself off.
Turning the eXplorist Off
To turn the eXplorist off, press the POWER button on the top right
side.
There is a 5-second countdown after you press the POWER button. If
you change your mind and decide to leave the eXplorist on, just press
the ESC button. If you press the POWER button during this
countdown period, the eXplorist will immediately turn off.
Turning the Display Backlight On/Off
The display backlight has three levels of intensity: off, low and high. When the eXplorist is
first turned on, the display backlight is off. Press the LIGHT button on the top left side of
the eXplorist to turn the backlight on low. Pressing the LIGHT button a second time sets the
backlight to high. To turn off the backlight, press the LIGHT button again.
Backlight
intensity changes
each time you
press the LIGHT
button.
REMEMBER: Using the display backlight causes severe drain on
the batteries.
Starting Up

Starting Up 10
Using the eXplorist for the First Time
Turn the eXplorist on. Press the Power button. When the Startup screen is displayed, press
ENTER.
Select Language. When you turn on the eXplorist for the first time,
you are given the option of selecting one of the ten languages that
will be used.
You can change the language selection at any time by accessing
Menu > Preferences > Languages.
Tip: If you accidentally change the language but you can’t read
the text and need to change it back, press the NAV button until
the Satellite Status screen is displayed. Press MENU. Use the
Arrow joystick to highlight the fourth line and press ENTER. Use
the Arrow joystick to highlight the fifth line and press ENTER.
The
Language Select screen will be displayed.
Read Warning. When you agree to the warning statement, press
ENTER to continue.
Compute Initial Position. For this operation, it is best if you are outside and have a clear,
unobstructed view of the sky. Without a clear view, this will take much longer and could
result in the eXplorist being unable to compute the initial position
automatically.
The eXplorist begins to compute your initial position. This may take a
few minutes while it is doing a
cold start .
Normally, when you first turn the eXplorist on it will compute your
position in a matter of seconds as it is able to do a
warm start . (An
explanation of
cold start vs. warm start is provided following this
section.)
The
Satellite Status screen is displayed, showing you the progress
of the collection of satellite data.
Language
English
Français
Deutsch
Nederlands
Suomi
Español
Italiano
Português
Svenska
Norsk
PRESS
Use arrow joystick to move
the highlight up and down.
Press ENTER to accept.
WARNING!
All data is provided
for reference only.
You assume full
responsibility and
risk when using this
device.
PRESS
TO AGREE
Press ENTER to continue.
Finding Satellites
Tracking 0...
Satellite Status screen shows
how many satellites are being
tracked, as well as the
relative strength of the signal.

The Satellite Status screen will continuously update, and you will be
able to graphically see how well your eXplorist is performing.
When the eXplorist has enough information to compute a position fix,
the
Satellite Status screen is replaced with the Map screen. The
arrow cursor in the center of the Map screen represents your
position. As you move, the arrow will point in the direction you are
traveling.
Tip: Use the ZOOM IN and ZOOM OUT buttons to change the
map scale so that you may see your present position better.
If the eXplorist is unable to compute your initial fix in a few minutes: If the eXplorist
determines that it is unable to track the satellites within a few minutes, it will present
you with the following screens in an effort to better determine its
approximate location.
Select Region. Use the Arrow joystick to highlight the region that
you are located in. With the region highlighted, press the ENTER
button.
Select Area. This displays a list of areas for the region you
selected. Use the Arrow joystick to highlight the area that
applies to you, and press the ENTER button.
Region
Enter Coord
USA
Americas
Europe
Asia East
Asia West
Starting Up 11
3D Position Fix
Tracking 7....
3.50mi
Heading Speed
48.0M
H
060 M
641
Cumberland River
River
62
62
Area
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado

Enter Current Time. Use the Arrow joystick to enter the current
time.
Arrow Joystick Up: Increases the highlighted number
Arrow Joystick Down: Decreases the highlighted number
Arrow Joystick Right: Moves the highlight one character to the right
Arrow Joystick Left: Moves the highlight one character to the left
Toggle between AM and PM by moving the arrow joystick up or down when
AM or PM is highlighted.
When you have entered the correct time, press ENTER.
Enter the Date. Use the Arrow joystick to set the date displayed
to the current date.
Arrow Joystick Up: Increases the highlighted number
Arrow Joystick Down: Decreases the highlighted number
Arrow Joystick Right: Moves the highlight one character to the right
Arrow Joystick Left: Moves the highlight one character to the left
When the month is highlighted, use the arrow joystick up or down to scroll
through the list of months.
When you have entered the correct date, press ENTER.
Accept Information. The Done button is highlighted at the
bottom of the display. Review the information you entered; if
correct, press ENTER.
Tip: If the time or the date is incorrect, you can fix it now.
Use the Arrow joystick to highlight the time or the date field
that you want to fix. With the field highlighted, press ENTER.
You can now change the information using the same
technique used before.
The
Satellite Status screen is displayed again, and the eXplorist
will try to compute your position using the information you just
provided.
Tip: If you notice that the satellite signal strength bars are
still not changing, try moving to a new location where you
have a clearer view of the sky.
As before, when the eXplorist computes the initial position, the
Map screen will be displayed, with your computed position
indicated by the arrow cursor in the middle of the display.
Starting Up 12
Time
37° 00.000N
Done
16 JAN 04
119°
00.000W
0
FT
09:06AM
Date
37°00.000N
Done
119°00.000W
0
FT
10:16AM
16 JAN 04
The latitude and longitude
that represents the center
of the region and area you
selected is displayed.
Date
37° 00.000N
Done
119°
00.000W
0
FT
10:16AM
21 MAY 04
Finding Satellites
Tracking 0...

Cold vs. Warm Start. When the eXplorist is turned on, one of the first things it does is
to find out which satellites are overhead, along with their relative position. It does this
by using a built-in satellite almanac. This almanac, when given the current date, time
and approximate position, can provide the eXplorist with information on which satellites
are overhead and their approximate relationship to the eXplorist. Now with information
on satellite availability, the eXplorist can begin setting its internal satellite channels to
receive satellite transmissions.
Cold Start. Cold start is defined as when the eXplorist does not have an
approximate position to use when referring to its almanac. This can occur when:
• The eXplorist is turned on for the first time after purchase. The memory is
cleared prior to shipping so that any position that may have been in the
eXplorist is set to a null value.
• If you have cleared the eXplorist's memory (found in Preferences) all of
the memory will be cleared and the last computed position will be set to a
null value.
• If you have traveled with your eXplorist with it turned off, the last position
saved may be so far away that when the eXplorist begins looking for
satellites, the ones it is expecting to find are not there. (As a rule of
thumb, any time you move for more than 500 mi [804.7 km] with the
eXplorist turned off, there is a good chance that it will start up using a
cold start.
A cold start should take no more than 2-3 minutes to compute the initial position
fix.
Warm Start. Warm starts are when the last position calculated before the
eXplorist was turned off is still in memory and you are in the same approximate
position. Most of the time that the eXplorist is turned on, it will be in its warm-
start mode. With a clear view of the sky, the eXplorist should compute its
position in a matter of seconds.
Conclusion
This concludes the initial startup procedure for the Magellan eXplorist 300. Once the Map
screen is displayed, you have successfully initialized the eXplorist and are ready to go.
Now would be a good time to familiarize yourself with the different navigation screens
(using the NAV button) and to set any preferences that may be different from the factory
defaults.
Starting Up 13

14
Accessing the Navigation Screens
The eXplorist has three navigation screens, as well as a Satellite Status screen that can be
accessed by pressing the NAV button. Each screen provides the same information in a
different format, giving you the choice of choosing the screen that best suits your needs.
Tip: The ESC button will also set through the navigation screens, just like the NAV
button but in the reverse order.
Map Screen
The first, and most commonly used screen, is the Map screen. The Map screen displays
your position, as well as POI’s and any background map data for the area displayed.
Highlights of the
Map screen:
• Use the zoom in/out buttons to change the scale.
• The arrow cursor in the middle of the display indicates your position and, if moving,
points in the direction you are heading.
• Press MARK to save your position.
• Use the Arrow joystick to move the cursor. The arrow cursor changes to a crosshair
cursor, with any available information about the position of the cursor at the bottom of
the display. You can also save the position of the crosshair cursor as a POI by pressing
the MARK button.
• Press ESC when you are done panning with the crosshair cursor to display your present
position with the arrow cursor.
• Press MENU and select Hide Map Info or Show Map Info to turn the information
boxes at the bottom of the screen on or off.
• Press MENU and select Customize page to change the information displayed at the
bottom of the screen.
• Press MENU and select Map Setup to change the orientation of the screen and the
primary usage (land or marine).
ent
1.60mi
352 o
M
4.3
M
H
Heading Speed
Speed Distance
M
I
M
H
To: Canyon
4.3 5.84
Glendora
210
vina
San Dimas
10
10
NAV
ESC
NAV
ESC
NAV
ESC
NAV
ESC
3D Position Fix
Tracking 7....
F
1292
34°06.556N
117°49.563W
01 FEB 04
03:30:36 PM
25
TFT
Location
Elevation Accuracy
Date/Time
Trip Odometer
0000.0
M
I
Battery
Navigation Screens