Magellan® eXplorist™ XL
Reference Manual
***WARNINGS***
IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, DO NOT USE THIS NAVIGATION DEVICE WHILE DRIVING  A VEHICLE.
Please do not try and 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.
This product is an excellent navigation aid, but does not replace the need for careful orienteering and good 
judgement.  Never rely solely on one device for navigating.
USE GOOD JUDGEMENT
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, like buildings and large trees.
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.
USE PROPER ACCESSORIES
LICENSE AGREEMENT
Thales  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 with the product.  
The SOFTWARE is the property of Thales 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 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.
*  *  *
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.
© 2005 Thales Navigation, Inc.  All rights reserved.  
The Magellan Logo, Magellan, eXplorist and TrueFix are trademarks of Thales Navigation Inc.
631288-01 B
Table of Contents
eXplorist XL GPS Receiver 
Features of the Magellan eXplorist GPS receiver: 
Button Descriptions: 
Installing the Batteries 
Installing an Optional SD Card 
Connecting to a Personal Computer 
Starting Up 
Turning the eXplorist On 
Turning the eXplorist Off 
Turning the Display Backlight On/Off 
Using the eXplorist for the First Time 
Conclusion 
Using the eXplorist XL 
Going to a Destination 
Saving Your Position 
Tracing Your Steps 
Additional Features 
Navigation Screens 
Accessing the Navigation Screens 
Map Screen 
Map Screen Overview 
Changing Map Scale 
Map Screen Modes 
Showing or Hiding Map Information 
Customizing the Map Information 
Displaying Street Information 
Changing the Map Orientation 
Changing the Primary Usage 
Changing the Map Detail 
Changing the Track Recording Intervals 
Customizing the Display 
Compass Screen 
Compass Screen Overview 
Customizing the Information Fields 
Position Screen 
Position Screen Overview 
Resetting the Trip Odometer 
Satellite Status Screen 
Satellite Status Screen Overview 
eXplorist XL GPS File Structure 
Basic File Structure 
File Structure Overview 
Using the Filing System with POIs 
Using the Filing System with Routes 
Using the Filing System with Track Logs 
Points of Interest 
Marking Your Position 
Marking Your Position (Personalized) 
Making POIs for Locations other then your Present Position 
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Marking a Position by Entering Coordinates 
Marking a Position using the Map Cursor 
Marking a Position from a Map Object 
The POI Database 
Searching for a User-Entered POI 
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Nearest 
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Alphabetical 
Editing a User-Created POI 
Deleting a User-Created POI 
Viewing a User-Created POI on the Map Screen 
Copying a Preloaded POI 
Viewing a Preloaded POI on the Map Screen 
Showing or Hiding a User-Entered POI on the Map Screen 
Routes 
GOTO Routes 
Creating a GOTO Route 
Creating a GOTO Route from the Map Cursor 
Creating a GOTO Route to a Map Object 
Multi-Leg Routes 
Creating a Multi-leg Route 
Activating/Deactivating a Route 
Changing the Destination Leg of an Active Route 
Editing a Saved Route 
Reversing a Route 
Deleting a Route 
Moving a Route 
Copying a Route 
Viewing a Route on the Map 
Track Logs 
Track Logs 
Stopping and Resuming Active Track Logging 
Starting a New Active Track Log 
Saving an Active Track Log 
Creating a BackTrack Route 
Clearing the Active Track 
Converting the Track Log to a Route 
Viewing the Track Log on the Map 
Working with Saved Track Logs 
Following Saved Track Logs 
Reversing a Saved Track Log 
Deleting a Saved Track Log 
Moving a Saved Track Log 
Copying a Saved Track Log 
Advanced Features 
Using Area Calculation 
Deleting All POIs from the Area Calculation List 
Editing the POI List in Area Calculation 
Computing Best Fish/Hunt Times 
Accessing Hunting and Fishing Times 
Changing the Position 
Changing the Date 
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Displaying Sun and Moon Information 
Accessing the Sun/Moon Function 
Changing the Position 
Changing the Date 
Viewing the Vertical Profile 
Using the Simulator 
Simulating on a Saved Route 
Communicating with a Personal Computer 
Connecting to a Personal Computer 
Changing Modes 
Working with Files on the Personal Computer 
Magellan Geocache Manager 
Magellan Geocache Manager 
What is Geocaching? 
What is the Magellan Geocache Manager? 
How Do I Install the Magellan Geocache Manager? 
Using the Magellan Geocache Manager 
Magellan Geocache Manager Tools 
Working with Geocache Files 
Adding Other Downloaded Files to the List 
Uploading to the Magellan eXplorist 
Using the eXplorist with MapSend 
Using the eXplorist with MapSend 
What is MapSend? 
Overview of Uploading Detail Maps from MapSend to the eXplorist 
Transferring POIs, Routes, and Track Between MapSend and eXplorist 
Transferring POIs, Routes, and Tracks to MapSend 
Transferring Waypoints, Routes, and Tracks from MapSend 
Preferences 
Restarting the GPS 
Using Active Setup 
Changing the Default Folders 
Selecting the Background or Detail Map 
Setting the Map Units 
Selecting Navigational Units of Measure 
Selecting the North Reference 
Selecting the Coordinate System 
Selecting the Map Datum 
Using the Power Management Tool 
Setting the Power Off Timer 
Setting the Light Timer 
Personalizing the eXplorist 
Selecting Languages 
Clearing Memory 
Clearing Track History 
Clearing User-Entered POIs and Routes 
Clearing Routes 
Clearing Active Track , User-Entered POIs and Routes 
Resetting the eXplorist to Factory Defaults 
Setting Alarms 
Setting the Clock 
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Setting the Time & Format 
Setting Daylight Savings Time 
Specifications 
Performance 
Physical 
Power 
Memory 
Coordinate Systems 
Routes 
Track Logs 
Points of Interest 
Navigation Screens 
Alarms 
Accessories 
Contacting Magellan Support 
Contacting Magellan Support 
Contacting Magellan in North America 
Technical Support 
Warranty Service 
Contacting Magellan in Europe 
Technical support and warranty service 
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Table of Contents
eXplorist XL GPS Receiver 
Features of the Magellan eXplorist GPS receiver: 
Button Descriptions: 
Installing the Batteries 
Installing an Optional SD Card 
Connecting to a Personal Computer 
Starting Up 
Turning the eXplorist On 
Turning the eXplorist Off 
Turning the Display Backlight On/Off 
Using the eXplorist for the First Time 
Conclusion 
Using the eXplorist XL 
Going to a Destination 
Saving Your Position 
Tracing Your Steps 
Additional Features 
Navigation Screens 
Accessing the Navigation Screens 
Map Screen 
Map Screen Overview 
Changing Map Scale 
Map Screen Modes 
Showing or Hiding Map Information 
Customizing the Map Information 
Displaying Street Information 
Changing the Map Orientation 
Changing the Primary Usage 
Changing the Map Detail 
Changing the Track Recording Intervals 
Customizing the Display 
Compass Screen 
Compass Screen Overview 
Customizing the Information Fields 
Position Screen 
Position Screen Overview 
Resetting the Trip Odometer 
Satellite Status Screen 
Satellite Status Screen Overview 
eXplorist XL GPS File Structure 
Basic File Structure 
File Structure Overview 
Using the Filing System with POIs 
Using the Filing System with Routes 
Using the Filing System with Track Logs 
Points of Interest 
Marking Your Position 
Marking Your Position (Personalized) 
Making POIs for Locations other then your Present Position 
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Table of Contents
Marking a Position by Entering Coordinates 
Marking a Position using the Map Cursor 
Marking a Position from a Map Object 
The POI Database 
Searching for a User-Entered POI 
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Nearest 
Searching for a Preloaded POI using Alphabetical 
Editing a User-Created POI 
Deleting a User-Created POI 
Viewing a User-Created POI on the Map Screen 
Copying a Preloaded POI 
Viewing a Preloaded POI on the Map Screen 
Showing or Hiding a User-Entered POI on the Map Screen 
Routes 
GOTO Routes 
Creating a GOTO Route 
Creating a GOTO Route from the Map Cursor 
Creating a GOTO Route to a Map Object 
Multi-Leg Routes 
Creating a Multi-leg Route 
Activating/Deactivating a Route 
Changing the Destination Leg of an Active Route 
Editing a Saved Route 
Reversing a Route 
Deleting a Route 
Moving a Route 
Copying a Route 
Viewing a Route on the Map 
Track Logs 
Track Logs 
Stopping and Resuming Active Track Logging 
Starting a New Active Track Log 
Saving an Active Track Log 
Creating a BackTrack Route 
Clearing the Active Track 
Converting the Track Log to a Route 
Viewing the Track Log on the Map 
Working with Saved Track Logs 
Following Saved Track Logs 
Reversing a Saved Track Log 
Deleting a Saved Track Log 
Moving a Saved Track Log 
Copying a Saved Track Log 
Advanced Features 
Using Area Calculation 
Deleting All POIs from the Area Calculation List 
Editing the POI List in Area Calculation 
Computing Best Fish/Hunt Times 
Accessing Hunting and Fishing Times 
Changing the Position 
Changing the Date 
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