jlundquist1's Full Review: Caliber P-3600 Car GPS Receiver
I received the Caliber P 3600 as a Christmas gift....sort of. My wife told me she wanted to buy me a gps but didn't know which one. Good thing, neither did I. I tried to research them as best I could. I've noticed this isn't an easy task. I really wanted a GPS that I could use in my vehicle, but also one I could use as a hand held for geocaching and trail marking. If you've read some of my other reviews you know that we do alot of camping. Obviously we like to hike, but sometimes the part is getting there!
I'll be honest. I've never geocached before and I don't know jack taco about GPS. After researching a bit, I realized that no one made a gps I wanted, or I couldn't afford one. The jury is still out on that, but after some serious time on the WiFi, I decided on the Caliber P3600. We/I didn't want to spend more than $250 and I nabbed this one for $220. My second choice was a Garmin Street Pilot for about $240.
I have to say I'm very impressed with the Caliber. I'd never heard of the brand before, but after reading about it on several websites; this one and the manufacturers www.calibergps.com I felt comfortable ordering one. After deciding the Caliber was the one I wanted I searched a while and found it for the low price. Man what a great deal.
As a vehicle navigation device:
This GPS rocks! It comes with a 1gb sd card that is loaded with the entire US. Garmin's I looked at came with much less memory and only part of the country loaded. You could of course buy more areas, key word is BUY. The Caliber comes with it all. This unit has 2 simple buttons: power & menu. It also has a 3.5'' touch screen so there are many ways to input info. The unit comes with an AC power adapter, a DC power adapter, a suction windshield mount (which is VERY secure and in my mind..PERFECT) and all the software from the installed SD card on a CD rom in case you lose it.
Ok I'm no tech guru. All the controls seem fairly easy to use, and like I said with the touch screen there's lots of buttons. While driving, although not recommended, you can control the unit. The biggest concern I noted on other internet reviews what that there was no easy way to change the volume or brightness. I don't know if the manufacturer heard this or if it always existed, but if you hold down the menu button for three seconds you get a volume/brightness/calibration menu. The driving navigation is in my opinion, very good. My mother has a Chevy Avalanche with a factory (DVD) navigation system. I find the Caliber easier to use. I also noticed that it's easy to navigate just using the voice prompts, without looking at the screen on this unit. That is assuming it's accurate. Yes there are errors on the map with this unit. I immediately downloaded the updated software (super easy if you have an SD reader on your computer from the Calibergps website) but noticed that many errors were still there. However my mothers Avalanche system had the exact same errors, so I don't think you can attribute this to the Caliber system. The turn by turn navigation is great. Bottom line, even with the errors, it still gets you there, which is what I want.
The system also includes a "trail mode". I tried this out today. YOU have to mark the trail and the system will rememer it. You can mark your begining point, along with unlimited (depending on your memory) waypoints. The system will then give you guidance along your trail after you've saved it, including back to your begining point. You can also enter in locations with GPS co-ordinates. I've found this is difficult for geocaching b/c the system will always assume you're driving there, and be precise to a road. You can either in trail mode or with a diagnostic function track your exact co-ordinates once you get there. One thing I like about the Caliber is that whenever you are navigating it always shows an "as the crow flies" line to your destination.
Ok here is the cool part: The Caliber P3600 also functions as an MP3 player and picture viewer (.JPG, .GIF, etc.) The unit has as I said a 3.5'' screen and you can show all your photos in a slideshow/full screen. I haven't tried the MP3 function yet. If you put the SD card in your computer (with reader) there are pictures/mp3 folders. The unit only has a single speaker, but it has a headphone jack. I wouldn't take it jogging for fear of dropping it, but you could.
The Caliber p3600 has an internal lithium ion battery which depending on websites you look at lasts 3-6 hours. Oh jeesh I didn't look in the manual...yes I did! The major CON of this unit is that it's made in KOREA, shipped to SEVERAL different countries, and the manual is well, basic. My advice is to read the manual, use the unit, then read it again, then scratch your head and try and figure it out. How can I say it? It works, the manual somewhat shows you how, but alot is left to you. There does seem to be good customer support on the www.calibergps.com website.
Overall I'm very satisfied with this unit. The price can't be beat!!! Did I say you can't beat the price? Compare Tom Tom and Garmin to this unit.
Portable GPS navigator helps get you to your destination quickly and easily Pre-loaded with highly detailed, up-to-date NAVTEQ street-level data for t...More at Amazon Marketplace
The CALIBER P-3600 is a precisely calibrated, easy to use personal navigation system. It works straight out of the Box Just Plug it In and Go! T he 3....More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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