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jerseydave
01-20-2011, 17:19
OK, someone talk me out of buying this GPS.

I know many will say it's not NEEDED for the AT, and I generally agree.
I would like to have a GPS however, just in case I find myself alone out there somewhere, on a poorly marked trail, in doubt of my position.

Had my mind set on Garmin....... was gonna go with the 60CSX or 62ST.
Too much $ for one, and I'm told the TOPO is great on the Delorme.

I'm buying a GPS.
I think I've decided on the PN-40.

Tell me why I WON'T be happy with this unit.

Thanks,
Dave

Mountain Wildman
01-20-2011, 17:33
Well, With batteries it weighs 7.3 ounces.
It's fairly easy to use, I got one brand new off of e-bay for $172.60
It's 5 1/4" long
2 1/2" wide across the face
and 1 3/8" depth.
At almost a half pound, I will probably not carry it on my Thru-Hike since the A.T. is so well marked with white blazes, from what I understand.
You may not use it on the A.T. but it is a nice GPS none the less.

jeremesh
01-20-2011, 17:45
I have had a few garmin gps and now have the delorme.

The good

It is very accurate and I have almost never lost signal on it while out in the woods... driving through the city yes, but not in the woods. Even when I have been in some deep San Fran valleys, I kept signal.

With a $29.99 annual map subscription you can download and install all kinds of awesome maps.. usgs quads, color aerial imagery, NOAA charts, Satellite imagery... it's just awesome!!.

You can put up to a 16 GIG memory card in there and it holds a lot of data.

The Bad

Even on power saving mode, I can rarely get more than a full days use out of one set of alkaline batteries, or one set of lithium rechargeable batteries. BUT, I keep it on all the time because I like to collect the data. If you are only going to have it on periodically for positioning or whatever, probably not an issue.

The screen is smaller than most other GPS on the market now. I would kill for a bigger screen on this thing.

The delorme topo software that you use to work with your maps is not the most intuitive... it takes a while to learn it but once you do, it is very powerful. You can even scan in maps and import those into the software for transfer to your GPS.

My biggest complaint!! It takes a considerable amount of time to put together a mapset, save it off, and then load it to your GPS. If you think you will spur of the moment, download some maps and go... it aint happening... think at least several hours to get it set up.

But overall, I would recommend it. You may want to go for the PN-60 with SPOT though... more expensive but its a cool black instead of a cool orange :-)

10-K
01-20-2011, 17:50
I almost pulled the trigger on the PN-40 and went with the Garmin eTrex Vista HCX.

Steep learning curve but I believe the topo maps I've got loaded on it for GA/NC/TN are as good as any you can buy and coupled with my Nat Geo Southern Appalachian Mountains software I can load almost every marked trail into the unit layered on top of the topo. Perfect.

58starter
01-20-2011, 18:38
I have the PN 40 and carry it on section hikes. The computer program that comes with it is great and allows you to print out any route you want to hike. I turn mine on in the morning and at the end of my hike each day just to see how far I am from my next camp site.

Wise Old Owl
01-20-2011, 18:42
I CANT IMAGINE TALKING YOU OUT OF IT... Come join the GPS club...

JaxHiker
01-20-2011, 19:00
Tell me why I WON'T be happy with this unit.

It's not a 60CSX. :D

jerseydave
01-20-2011, 20:09
It's not a 60CSX. :D

Seriously, what does the garmin have over the pn40?

leaftye
01-20-2011, 20:11
There's a PN40 kit on BPL for $225 right now. There's also a Colorado 400t for $160.

weary
01-20-2011, 22:18
I bought my PN 40 mostly to produce maps showing the 31 miles of trails in my small town. It works great for that purpose. Battery longevity is not a strong point, but for my purposes it is not a major issue. A pair of double A's serves me for a couple of days without problems. I watch for sales and buy them for less than a buck -- sometimes for as low as 50 cents.

I've used cheaper Garmins and was frustrated with finding a satellite. The PN 40 has always found satellites -- and quickly.

jerseydave
01-20-2011, 22:39
Come on guys, you have to be more convincing than that..........

Sounds to me like you are all telling me that this is a good choice for a reliable GPS.

Thanks

trrubicon06
01-20-2011, 23:55
I'm the one that has the PN-40 list on BPL. I don't know the rules on links here.

As far as the PN-40 goes... it's the bomb! I loved it. I mainly got it for Geocaching and saving tracks on my bike. But, I've not done either in probably 6 months and it's just lying here unused. For someone with the time and know how, it can be used for so much.

Lostone
01-21-2011, 08:09
Compared to the garmin unit's the battery life is terrible, the computer interface is miserable and they are not that accurate. what I mean by that is hiking with the boy scouts we had 3 guys with PN-40 on a hike and none of them agreed and they varied on location by 100 feet and 30 feet in elevation.

Bottom line, if you want it, buy it and learn to use it, learn it's strength and weaknesses.

jerseydave
01-21-2011, 13:42
Bottom line, if you want it, buy it and learn to use it, learn it's strength and weaknesses.

No, actually the bottom line is that I'm looking for posts just like yours that bring up real issues I'd like to consider BEFORE finalizing my purchase.

I'm looking to make an informed decision on the right unit so I'm happy with my purchase.

Thanks for the input,
Dave

Buffalo Skipper
01-21-2011, 14:32
I have the PN-30. The three differences are the Electronic Compass, the Altimeter, and the cost. It uses less juice than the PN-40. Software takes some getting used to, but once you do, it is great.

forum.delorme.com is great for helping with the learning curve.

I use mine for tracking. Good product. If..I mean when I do my through hike, I will likely take it along in the unlikely event of being lost.

jerseydave
01-21-2011, 14:59
One thing I have read and heard over and over is that the Delorme TOPO software is great, but very time consuming with a big learning curve.
Battery life also played a part in my final decision.......

Spent the last hour reading, re-reading, and comparing the reviews between the Delorme PN-40 and the Garmin 60csx.

Generally, overall, I have to say it seems as though people are a bit happier with the Garmin 60csx.

I pulled the trigger and just ordered the Garmin 60csx off the big "A.com" site for the same price that I could get the Delorme for.....$200.

Hope I made the right choice.

Thanks for the help,
Dave

wrongway_08
01-21-2011, 15:38
I love mine!

Only 2 things I wish is that the maps loaded easier/faster and the screen was bigger But small price to pay.

Never had a problm in freezing temps, rain, sleet or whatever i've thrown at it.

Sorry to give you bad news but you should buy it.

QiWiz
01-21-2011, 16:56
I have had a few garmin gps and now have the delorme.

The good

It is very accurate and I have almost never lost signal on it while out in the woods... driving through the city yes, but not in the woods. Even when I have been in some deep San Fran valleys, I kept signal.

With a $29.99 annual map subscription you can download and install all kinds of awesome maps.. usgs quads, color aerial imagery, NOAA charts, Satellite imagery... it's just awesome!!.

You can put up to a 16 GIG memory card in there and it holds a lot of data.

The Bad

Even on power saving mode, I can rarely get more than a full days use out of one set of alkaline batteries, or one set of lithium rechargeable batteries. BUT, I keep it on all the time because I like to collect the data. If you are only going to have it on periodically for positioning or whatever, probably not an issue.

The screen is smaller than most other GPS on the market now. I would kill for a bigger screen on this thing.

The delorme topo software that you use to work with your maps is not the most intuitive... it takes a while to learn it but once you do, it is very powerful. You can even scan in maps and import those into the software for transfer to your GPS.

My biggest complaint!! It takes a considerable amount of time to put together a mapset, save it off, and then load it to your GPS. If you think you will spur of the moment, download some maps and go... it aint happening... think at least several hours to get it set up.

But overall, I would recommend it. You may want to go for the PN-60 with SPOT though... more expensive but its a cool black instead of a cool orange :-)

I agree with just about all of the above. Weight of my PN-40 is 6.4 oz with lithium AA's.

The ability to get unlimited topo, aerial photos, and satellite photos downloaded to PC and into GPS for $29 a year is WONDERFUL. Was actually able to buy a card for this for about $22 on Amazon.

If you use lithium batteries and just turn it on when you need to check position, the batteries will last a good long time (even longer if taken out of unit at night or in town or when not needing to use it).

That said, I own one but will not be taking on AT (partly because I'll use iPhone if need be to check my position). The PN-40 is now inexpensive because of the new PN-60, which you do not need unless you want the SPOT combo (expensive, but great for remote trails or off trail out West, but not necessary on AT at all IMHO).

jerseydave
01-21-2011, 17:49
Thanks everyone for all the info both pro and con.

It was a hard decision to make, but I did decide to go with the Garmin 60csx.

If for some reason I do not like it, I'll sell it and possibly reconsider the pn40.

Dave

TheChop
01-21-2011, 17:55
I have the PN-60 and during my most recent foothills trail adventure it seemed like everytime I took it out to get a reading I got...

NO FIX

Whereas the Garman eTrex Vista I have only drops when I'm deep in a shelter. (I got the PN-60 due to Spot)

lilricky
01-21-2011, 23:55
One of the things you will hear on these forums and on the trail, is that GPS's are a waste of weight. Don't believe them. A GPS can be incredibly useful on the AT. For example, I put together a gps track of the entire AT with shelter, town, and points of interest waypoints. And in each waypoint's comments, I placed info, like for shelters, I put how many people it will hold, when it was built/last renovated, where the nearest water is. For the towns, I have phone numbers for shuttles, restaurants, post offices, etc including hours of operation. It comes in very handy on my AT hikes. If you would like it, private message me and I'll get it to you.