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58starter
11-27-2009, 08:26
Was ready the Thanksgiving ads and saw the Delorme GPS is on sale at Bass Pro Shops.
Does anyone have one or have ever used one? I would really like some input as it may be my Christmas present.

Happy Hiking.

58starter
11-27-2009, 08:27
Guess I am still asleep. I meant I was reading the ads.

Schuetzen
11-27-2009, 09:08
If your Bass Pro Shop is anything like the one nearest to me they only had one if it was a good price. I don't waste my time going for a sale item there, they never actually have them.

Painted Turtle
11-27-2009, 09:57
I have the old PN 20 and it is OK. The only real good part of it is the Topo (software) map that comes with it. There are lot of nice little planning features in it also.
You can track yourself on your hike and then when you get home you can down load it to the map. Some would say so what I know where I went, but a year 10 years down the road it will still be there, for reference or planning.

Works nice for day hikes,Geo caching, and weekenders(fresh batteries on the weekenders and spares). Not great in heavy over head cover. They are fun toys, but only that. You do not NEED them on the AT by any stretch of the imagination.

mister pooh
11-27-2009, 10:38
I have the PN-30 (the PN-40 without the altimeter and compass) and love it. Painted Turtle is right, it's the software that makes it great. Topo USA is a little hard to learn, but very cost effective. It also has the same sensitive GPS chip that Garmin uses in their top end units. I can get a fix in my house. One word of warning, the PN units love batteries.

You can get a lot of help and info at Delorme's forums at http://forum.delorme.com/ .

If the price is right get it, you won't be sorry.

58starter
11-27-2009, 10:56
Thanks all and Mr. Pooh,

Can ;you download the AT shelter waypoints to the GPS for hiking.

mister pooh
11-27-2009, 11:04
You can! The ATC and a lot of other places have the shelters in .gpx format, so you import the file into Topo USA then put the waypoints onto the unit. Pretty simple process.

humunuku
11-27-2009, 17:33
I think the pn40 is really good. I used it ton the last 6 month making maps for my last book. Alway picked up in the TN forests, batteries last about 8 hrs. It's a way better deal than garmin option.

Painted Turtle
11-27-2009, 17:57
One word of warning. With Topo 7 The "AT" and where it says it is on the map are not always the same.

Just as a reference the lower half of the Roller Coaster where it comes into Front Royal (North to South) was way off. There have been other spots also and Shelters. All due to relocations over the past 15 - 20 years that were never updated. Now Topo 8 may have fixed them. This is not a reason not to get it but just as with all software a little bug you should be aware of.

As I said and others it eats batteries always have fresh ones with one spare set. Especially if you are tracking. And as an after though I have been playing with the idea to get the PN40. It has a lot of improved features over my 20

weary
11-27-2009, 23:10
One word of warning. With Topo 7 The "AT" and where it says it is on the map are not always the same.

Just as a reference the lower half of the Roller Coaster where it comes into Front Royal (North to South) was way off. There have been other spots also and Shelters. All due to relocations over the past 15 - 20 years that were never updated. Now Topo 8 may have fixed them. This is not a reason not to get it but just as with all software a little bug you should be aware of.

As I said and others it eats batteries always have fresh ones with one spare set. Especially if you are tracking. And as an after though I have been playing with the idea to get the PN40. It has a lot of improved features over my 20
I've had a PN 20 and toyed with learningg the PN 20 since it came out. I'm far from being an expert in GPS matters. But I am now facing the chore of accurately mapping 31 plus miles of town land trust trails over the next very few weeks.

Anyway, I figured if I was going to have to learn the ins and outs of a Delorme GPS, I might as well work with the newest and best device around. So after the Sunday NYTs arrived, I bought a PN 40 from the J'nR ad on the back of the Times Sunday arts section. It cost me around $239. The Delorme list is around $400. I thought it a bargain until my wife came over and said the PN 40 is being advertised on Amazon for $199.

Whatever. It's among the better GPS devices. around according to most of the reviews I've read. A friend is using my 20 and the 40 won't be here for another day or so. But I'll TRY to post a review once I experiment a bit.

Weary

58starter
11-28-2009, 10:39
Thanks Weary, you may have saved me $50 or more. I am still doing my research and may get the Pn40 for Christmas.

dlh62c
11-28-2009, 17:37
I have one. It's my first GPS. Having said that, I'm by no means an expert. While the screen is small. I think its the best one out there for viewing in direct sunlight. Go to Delorme's web site and read some of the forum posts for yourself. I think their customer service is purdy good. I plan to use mine for motorcycle travel. I wanted something small, robust and weather proof. I feel the battery life could be better.

I will warn you that Delorme just released a worldwide base map for use with their products....but it's $1000. If you think, you would use the it for a routable route though any other country other than US/Mexico/Canada...then your money would be better spent on a Garmin product.

I can't commit on its ability to search for addresses. I use it primarly for following jeep trails and such.

daryl

dlh62c
11-28-2009, 17:57
I almost forgot....I agree with the other posters, reguarding the learning curve of TOPO USA, it does take some time, but it's powerful. I will warn you....you will need a DVD drive in your computer to load it. I also had to add more RAM to the old girl.

daryl

MoBill122
12-08-2009, 17:06
I bought a PN 30 from REI on sale a way back for $199. Not an expert with a GPS, but have noticed a lot of the north Georgia trails are on the topo.
If you're going to carry it on the AT, beware you will need a set of batteries daily, especially if you are tracking. I've turned OFF all the features I don't think I'll use out on a trail.

XCskiNYC
12-11-2009, 23:07
One word of warning. With Topo 7 The "AT" and where it says it is on the map are not always the same.

Just as a reference the lower half of the Roller Coaster where it comes into Front Royal (North to South) was way off. There have been other spots also and Shelters. All due to relocations over the past 15 - 20 years that were never updated. Now Topo 8 may have fixed them. This is not a reason not to get it but just as with all software a little bug you should be aware of.

As I said and others it eats batteries always have fresh ones with one spare set. Especially if you are tracking. And as an after though I have been playing with the idea to get the PN40. It has a lot of improved features over my 20

Very true about the trail being off. That's how it is on my PN20 (with
Topo 7). Comparing the fix to known street intersections, the unit is accurate to within a few feet. So the problem has to be that where they indicate the AT is on the Topo USA digital map is not actually where the AT is. It's always showing me about a quarter of a mile away from the trail.

I've also found the unit to be a battery hog. A pair of standard alkaline AA's will go in three hours. From reviews on Amazon, it appears that the PN40 is just as bad or maybe even a little worse on battery consumption -- since it has two processors instead of one this would make sense.

To answer the OP's query: the PN40 improves on the PN20 in that it gets the fix much faster and it can get a fix in difficult locations such as under a canopy of trees (i.e., most of the AT). It also redraws the maps faster. The PN20, between its slow screen redraws and the modest size of the screen itself (2.2 inches) does not give you the greatest situational awareness. So the PN40 does much better on this count. The screen is identical (the whole outer unit is the same actually) but the redraw is way faster.

The PN40 comes with the Topo USA software as well as digital maps, that at the max rez will show 20-foot contour lines, covering the whole country. Usually with Garmin units you pay separately to get 100,000:1 topo maps, either about $85 for a set covering the eastern seaboard (the whole AT included) or about $100 for a set covering the whole U.S.

The PN40 also has a barometer and a digital compass.

Amazon does have a package deal on the Garmin Oregon 400t that includes the whole set of topo maps for the U.S. for about $350. This GPS has 3.0-inch screen and a touch-screen interface versus the PN40's rocker switch interface. This probably makes it a much more useful navigational tool in that it's going to give you a much more detailed outlook on the terrain. The Oregon has the barometer and digital compass.

The outstanding feature of the Garmins, in my opinion, is their moderate battery consumption. Garmin rates them as getting 15 to 20 hours from a pair of AA's and user feedback does support this claim.

humunuku
12-12-2009, 09:56
Very true about the trail being off. That's how it is on my PN20 (with
Topo 7).

I've also found the unit to be a battery hog. A pair of standard alkaline AA's will go in three hours. From reviews on Amazon, it appears that the PN40 is just as bad or maybe even a little worse on battery consumption -- since it has two processors instead of one this would make sense.



If you turn down the screen brightness all the way (if your using it in a forest it still plenty bright) the batteries last MUCH longer. I use cheap Energizer rechargeables and always get atleast 8hrs a set, some days up to 10 hrs. I used the GPS 5-8hrs every saturday and sunday from Feb-Aug last year and it worked great.

Painted Turtle
12-12-2009, 10:30
Try this web site. They have very good reviews and a strong ask - answer section with each review.

http://www.gpsreview.net/

Painted Turtle
12-12-2009, 10:37
Very true about the trail being off. That's how it is on my PN20 (with
Topo 7). Comparing the fix to known street intersections, the unit is accurate to within a few feet. So the problem has to be that where they indicate the AT is on the Topo USA digital map is not actually where the AT is. It's always showing me about a quarter of a mile away from the trail.

I've also found the unit to be a battery hog. A pair of standard alkaline AA's will go in three hours. From reviews on Amazon, it appears that the PN40 is just as bad or maybe even a little worse on battery consumption -- since it has two processors instead of one this would make sense.

To answer the OP's query: the PN40 improves on the PN20 in that it gets the fix much faster and it can get a fix in difficult locations such as under a canopy of trees (i.e., most of the AT). It also redraws the maps faster. The PN20, between its slow screen redraws and the modest size of the screen itself (2.2 inches) does not give you the greatest situational awareness. So the PN40 does much better on this count. The screen is identical (the whole outer unit is the same actually) but the redraw is way faster.

The PN40 comes with the Topo USA software as well as digital maps, that at the max rez will show 20-foot contour lines, covering the whole country. Usually with Garmin units you pay separately to get 100,000:1 topo maps, either about $85 for a set covering the eastern seaboard (the whole AT included) or about $100 for a set covering the whole U.S.

The PN40 also has a barometer and a digital compass.

Amazon does have a package deal on the Garmin Oregon 400t that includes the whole set of topo maps for the U.S. for about $350. This GPS has 3.0-inch screen and a touch-screen interface versus the PN40's rocker switch interface. This probably makes it a much more useful navigational tool in that it's going to give you a much more detailed outlook on the terrain. The Oregon has the barometer and digital compass.

The outstanding feature of the Garmins, in my opinion, is their moderate battery consumption. Garmin rates them as getting 15 to 20 hours from a pair of AA's and user feedback does support this claim.

Mine is not Always a .25 mile off. I have logged 1238 miles of the "AT" of this I have tracked about 250 miles. Of those I would say (and this is only a guess without going back and looking) about 75 miles of it are off and of those 30 off by .25 or more. Don't forget the more overhead cover the more your GPS is going to be off (talking the PN 20) so take that into consideration.

Painted Turtle
12-12-2009, 10:41
OPPS also all the relocations through the years that Delorme has not caught up to. Like Delorme has the AT going through Goverment property as you come south from the Roller Coaster into Front Royal Rt 522 Chester Gap.

rlharris
12-12-2009, 18:53
Another factor that affects the accuracy of any GPS unit is the number and location of the satellites it "sees" at a point in time. Recently I was trying to document the survey rebar locations on my property. The unit I was using was only picking up two satellites; both of which were nearly overhead. The accuracy was off by almost 65 feet! A few days later, with over a haf-dozen satellites in view, the accuracy was greatly improved.

There is a web site that will give you the satellites you can expect a GPS unit to receive at a given location on a given time and day.

Unless DeLorme has added their own plotting to the underlying USGS topo maps (used as the basis for the early Topo series of DeLorme products), any trails will be those of the USGS maps and they can be very old (and thus not alway accurate).

Takijeep
12-14-2009, 20:35
I do have a pn-40 and litium batteries are worth the extra money for multi day use just know that the battery kife gauge will look full for almost the entire life of the batteries and only drop down for the last 4 hours or so!