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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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 Waterproof Hiking GPS
Customer Review: Earthmate GPS PN-20
Summary: 3 Stars
When I used this product for the first time I was very much disappointed. I followed all instructions for setting up the software to work with the GPS itself. This is where it failed. The first thing I was told I had to do was update the PN-20 to which I connected it as instructed in the manual. It looked like all was fine for about 15 seconds then the update just sat there doing nothing at all. This is a firmware update in case your wondering. After well over an hour I decided that the update must have failed and I clicked "cancel" it did not cancel, the software or update itself was froze. I couldn't even shut it down and my computer told me that the program was not responding. I unplugged the GPS, The GPS was now useless due to a very bad update put out there by DeLorme. It would turn on only to show me a white screen beep three times and shut itself off. I searched their website for an answer and low and behold I found one. Many people seemed to have had this same problem and they put instructions on how to solve it on there site. However, even with said instructions nothing helped to revive my dead useless expensive new GPS unit. I called the company the following day and the service tech instructed me to follow there online help instructions. I told him I had done that already more than a few times and it was not working. I was then told I had to send the unit back to get fixed. I was not happy. I had to pay shipping to get the product and now had to pay shipping ' only by UPS also mind you ' to send it back. A week and a half later I got my GPS back. I decided NOT TO UPDATE the unit dispite there being a update available for it. It works ok now for the most part. Batteries die very quickly and the map software is VERY difficult and NOT USER friendly at all.
I wondered why there were so many USED units of this same GPS on e-bay as well as other sites like amazon. Now I know why. So many people had this same problem most of them just demanded their cash back. Can't say I blame them. I am keeping my unit only because I can't find one with the features I want for less than what I can afford. TO those of you looking at this piticular GPS " TAKE HEED" to getting into a big mess and possibly sending it back before you can use it. One alternative may be to buy USED because maybe the bug is fixed in those units. GOOD LUCK
Customer Review: Not all I'd hoped.
Summary: 3 Stars
Although I am familiar with the DeLorme Topo software, getting 7 ½ minute maps from Topo 2.0 up and running on the PN-20 was a day-long project. Don't read the manual because the information you need isn't in there. Use the on-screen help. If you want to use both 7 ½ minute and Topo 6.0 map displays simultaneously, there are some software problems that make route planning a frustrating experience. If loading detailed maps, you will definitely want an SD card and reader.
Unfortunately, I expected more than the tiny Earthmate display can deliver. The screen is just too small to see much. Zooming in and out is so slow and scrolling so sluggish that I didn't find the map display very helpful. If you are hiking an unfamiliar area you need a paper map as backup anyway and the paper map is more useful.
Comparing it to my old Garmin eTrex vista, signal acquisition speed is about the same, and the PN-20 is not noticeably heaver, but it's larger and more awkward to use. The Garmin is designed for one-handed operation. You can keep hiking. The PN-20 requires two hands. You have to stop.
If you've never owned a hand-held GPS before, this might be a good choice. If you already have one, it's probably not worth upgrading.
Customer Review: SOFTWARE INTENSE
Summary: 3 Stars
Well...I rated it down due to the very powerful but extremely cumbersome software.I have 17 hours invested and a long ways to go.It will DO what Delorme says as far as functions of the PN-20. Do not buy if you want to take it straight from the box and travel!. The world base map is absolutely
useless. There is more information on a globe. The 16 section USA regional maps that you must load are not much better. For the PN-20 to shine you must
use the software and select the high detail maps to send to the PN-20 via SD card!!. If you dont do this you will not get street level detail. You can still set up a route without the download but why? Isnt that why I bought this unit in the first place.
I did get the PN-20 to lock on 7 satellites inside a commercial industrial building.
If you like to fool with stuff more so than use it for its intended purpose than the PN-20 is for you. It will keep you off the street for a LONG time.
Be very careful about "Whats in the Box" on Amazons site versus what the vendor says is in the box!!! I was very disappointed as I did not get the travel package mentioned here. Live and learn!!
Customer Review: Great starting point for a GPS
Summary: 3 Stars
I got this GPS after much searching. I needed one for hiking and geocaching and this little dude was great! I never could get the card reader to work, but uploaded maps onto the card using the supplied cable. It is a tough GPS too; I dropped it numerous times (including in the water) and never had an issue.
I only had two problems with this GPS which eventually caused me to upgrade to the PN-40. First, sometimes it would just sap a battery down instantly. This only happened once or twice, but I would turn on the GPS and within five minutes it would shut down. Second, the processor in this is rather slow. It works when you aren't used to other electronics, but compared to ipods and higher end models, it is slow and annoying.
Overall, I would say this is a good beginner GPS to figure out if you like this type of GPS. If you want to do some driving with the GPS and want extra space and processing power, go for the PN-40 or higher.
Customer Review: Least User Friendly Software and Device Ever
Summary: 3 Stars
Listen to the other reviews, you will spend days trying to configure the software and device. No joke, days. While the maps are unbelievably great, the software is buggy, map downloads fail, and the device cannot pickup a signal without a clear view of the sky. I used to be a web developer and know my way around software, but the software for this device is ridiculous. Even worse is that the instructions with the device and software give you no help in getting up and running, which is absolutely necessary since you must load maps onto the device to make it useful. The only reason this is not a one star is the imagery, when you can actually get it working between software crashes, is great. Believe the other reviews about the setup time. I think some of the other reviews were written by friends of the company, this is not a user friendly device, but it works with a lot of effort.