DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 Waterproof Hiking GPS
by Delorme Mapping
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List Price: Our Price: $189.00 You Save: $10.95 (5%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 Waterproof Hiking GPS
Customer Review: Two days out of the box
Summary: 5 Stars
Prior to ordering the PN-20 the only GPS I had used was the navigation in my wife's car. I selected this unit so I could do some geocaching and, since my wife sells real estate, I thought it would be nice if we knew her signs were on the right property. Based on reading reviews, I was expecting a capable device, a poor instruction book, and a fairly steep learning curve. I was not disappointed in any of these areas.
Yesterday, after loading some maps we took it around Hood Canal and went up to Port Townsend. We had the top down on the miata. If you zoom out a bit the unit did a pretty good job of tracking where we were, with useable maps that let us see where we were. As others have said, you don't see very far down the road like in a road navigation system, but you get lots of contours, points of interest, and things to talk about along the way. Although I have made the trip many times, I can't believe how much I learned new about the area we were travelling through. The battery lasted about 10 hours.
Now about the instructions. There should be a card telling you to go to Delorme dot com and click on technical support. Then you need to visit the forum and read the stickies on how to install the SD card, how to install the Topo disks, how to get around the endless frustration you will experience if you hit the software cold like I did. There is a wealth of material in the forum that can lead you out of the frustration you will be feeling if you embark on your own to figure out this device.
It is ironic that a device that is intended to provide guidance is packaged by people who can't create a simple route of instruction to get you up and going. But the good news is that if you go to the forum you can learn to do some amazing things. I have located my first geocache and I have learned how to get corners of property coordinates into my pn-20 to the point that we can better assess where the property really is and that the sign is probably in the right spot.
In sum, I think the Pn-20 is a bargain and plenty capable of meeting my needs.
Customer Review: Best mapping on a GPSr
Summary: 5 Stars
The DeLorme PN-20 has the best mapping hands down. With the included $100 worth of free imagery (which include DOQQs, Sat-10 colorized satellite imagery, and scanned USGS 7.5-minute quads) make this a very useful GPSr to use. I use my PN-20 mostly for mountain biking, hiking and geocaching and being able to have the aerial imagery on there is very very cool. Some places have changed and some places have not, I am usually in places that have not changed too much in the recent years and have been able to find trails that I had not known about.
One of the things that blows me away with this unit is the many ways to utilize the features in Topo USA and have that same data appear on the PN-20. I have a separate map cut with all of the fire districts on it for my county and then a another map with all of the EMS districts on it. These are all done using polygons. There is just so much that can be done, it is truly amazing.
If you are worried about how long it takes to load maps, I strongly suggest getting and using an SD card and card reader reader to load larger maps. Loading smaller maps to the PN-20's internal memory is not that big of an issue.
On the lines of customer service, it is very hard to beat DeLorme's, they have been very responsive to customer needs and quick turn around time for a replacement unit if needed (When I had gotten my first unit, there was an issue with the reception and DeLorme promptly replaced it and have be been happy with it since then). As with any mass produced item, there are bound to be some that have their problems (the same thing happened to me way back when I got my brand new Garmin 60CS, the mini USB plug on the back of the GPSr became loose).
There is a lot of good help for new users on the DeLorme forum by knowledgeable users and staff! Yes, there are still a couple of minor buggies but DeLorme is working on another release to address these issues and to add more user requests. This is another reason why I like DeLorme so much, they actually listen to their users.
Customer Review: Does everything I wanted it to do.
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased on 05/04/2009
I've had this unit now for several months. I needed something I could load topo maps in for off road motorcycle riding and hiking.
Pros:
- Usually links up and gets 3-D fix in about 20-30 seconds.
- Battery life seems pretty good with about five hours on a set of NiMh rechargeble AA's.
- User interface is laid out well. I can press buttons with gloves on.
- It does exactly what I needed to do, which is guide me over mountains on back roads.
- Mine came with Topo 7 software. Although 'clunkier' than using Google maps or MS Streets, it still does exactly what I needed. Makes it easy to map my route on the PC and then send it to the PN-20.
- Is definitely waterproof and shock resistant. Definitely.
Cons:
- Screen is a little small. Font size for text/menus is small. I need my glasses to read.
- Not the best for street mapping/routing on the fly (without the PC software). If your looking for a GPS unit to use mostly for street navigation, then keep on looking. This is not the droid you are looking for.
- does not play MP3s, WMAs, or other music files. Does not play videos. Will not take/make phone calls. Does not make my coffee in the morning. Does not shoot out laser-beams to destroy my enemys.
Overall if you want a tough little GPS that can guide you over back roads (mine is usually on a RAM mount on my off-road motorcycle) then this might be the ticket for you.
Customer Review: The right GPS for hiking & backpacking
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had the Earthmate GPS PN-20 for about 24 hours. I sat down and within 3 hours I had it set up and ready to attempt locating a cache in the Sierra's outside Truckee, CA. It took a bit of concentration to familarize myself with the included DeLorme Topo USA v6.0 mapping software. The software is really great and easy to use to push things down to the internal memory of the PN-20 or the SD card. Also very easy to move tracks and waypoints off of the device on to a computer. The instructions included with the device worked for me and allowed me to get up and running although your experience may be different. The PN-20 screen quality is excellent. The device worked well under a heavy canopy of trees. I really like the control buttons on the face of the device. Much better than my Garmin eTrex. While I was not successful in locating the cache after two attempts I had a blast and logged over 6 miles hiking in the effort. One more note the device stayed put on my dash because of the material on the back of the PN-20 and this was while I was crusing along a road at 45 mph which had many switch-backs. I bought the device for my wife's birthday which is in a few days but I thought I would try it out and then put it back neatly in the box so it looks like new when I give it to her!Customer Review: Great Tool for a Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I was in the market for a gps and was not sure what to buy, but after reading other reviews of the Earthmate PN-20, it seemed evident that it was the best buy. I have not been disappointed. Some have remarked that the screen draws are slow and that it takes some time to acquire a signal, but since this is my first gps, I haven't noticed. Works great for my application. I've been using it for scouting deer hunting areas. I check out the aerial photos for a likely spot, then by using the gps can walk right to it and see if it looks as good on the ground as it did from the air. It's great for marking the location of trail cams and tree stands. I'll never use plastic marking tape or "bright eyes" again. The only drawback is that if you have to power down in the woods, it is difficult for it to pick up a signal and get a fix, when you have a canopy of trees overhead. Seems to maintain a signal very well as you travel in the woods if you enter with a good 3-d fix. For the price there is nothing that compares, you don't need to purchase anything else and as some have said, with the downloadable aerial photos, it's like carrying Google earth in your hand. I highly recommend.