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Delorme Earthmate PN-20 Handheld GPS (with Topo USA 8.0 & 1-GB SD Card & Reader)
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| Price: | $249.95 |
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by Altrec
20 new or used available from $137.95
Average customer review:
Product Description
Includes Topo USA 8.0 DVD mapping software with full U.S. topographic and street maps, plus aerial imagery
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #9657 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: DeLorme
- Model: AE-7843-201
- Released on: 2007-05-31
- ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
- Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Dimensions: 4.00" h x 5.70" w x 7.80" l, 3.45 pounds
- Native resolution: 176 x 220
- Display size: 2.2
Features
- An All-in-One Handheld GPS Solution from DeLorme
- High-resolution 2.2 TFT color screen for total clarity under a variety of lighting conditions
- Fast acquisition times, outstanding signal retention
- Holds up to 10 tracks (10,000 points per track), 1,000 user-defined waypoints, and 50 routes
- Pre-loaded worldwide highway/major road base map
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Amazon.com DeLorme, famous for its topographic and street map detail, has created a GPS receiver to enable anyone to use a wide variety of detailed maps and aerial imagery for all outdoors activities. The Earthmate GPS PN-20 is a low-cost, high-sensitivity, fully integrated handheld GPS that delivers capabilities previously unavailable at any price.
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 DeLorme maps and imagery on a handheld GPS |
GPS for wherever you go. On Trail.... On Road... On Water....
An All-in-One Handheld GPS Solution from DeLorme
Includes Topo USA 8.0 DVD mapping software with full U.S. topographic and street maps, plus aerial imagery
- NMEA-compliant 12-channel receiver
- Fast acquisition times, outstanding signal retention
- High-resolution 2.2" TFT color screen for total clarity under a variety of lighting conditions
- 75 MB of user-available internal flash memory
- SD card slot for up to 2 GB additional memory
- Holds up to 10 tracks (10,000 points per track), 1,000 user-defined waypoints, and 50 routes
- Aerial imagery available for free download
- Pre-loaded worldwide highway/major road base map
- Waterproof to IPX-7 standard
- Impact-resistant rubberized housing
- On-device road routing
- Runs on 2 AA batteries (included) or available lithium-ion rechargeable battery
- WAAS-enabled
- Device dimensions: 2.43" W x 5.25" H x 1.5" D
- Weight 5.12 oz.
Why the All-in-One PN-20 Handheld?
Maps Included
No extra maps to buy. Includes DeLorme Topo USA 8.0 DVD software with full, updated U.S. topographic & street maps to export as needed to your PN-20. Also includes an on-device highway-level world base map.
FREE Aerial Imagery Downloads
Includes $100 worth (400 sq. km) of DeLorme Aerial Data Packets of your U.S. areas of interest. Download Aerial Data Packets containing black & white aerial imagery (DOQQs), Sat-10 colorized satellite imagery, and scanned USGS 7.5-minute quads using Topo USA’s NetLink tab.
Multiple Views of the Same GPS Location
On-device data layering lets you select which map or imagery type to see of your GPS location. Switch among data types to gain a comprehensive view of where you are--it’s revolutionary and provides a whole new level of geographic detail.
Bright Color Screen
Works in bright sunlight to total darkness. Sharp brand screen featuring the latest transflective screen technologies to maximize visibility under a variety of lighting conditions.
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Rugged and Waterproof
Conforms to IPX-7 waterproof standard with impact-resistant rubberized housing for a solid grip. Concealed battery compartment with SD card slot. Includes two AA batteries.
High-Performance Technology
Features STMicroelectronics chipset with SiGE RF front-end and DeLorme firmware for outstanding signal acquisition and retention. Works equally well under dense foliage or in-vehicle.
Easy Exchange of Maps, Tracks, and Waypoints
Exchange pre-cut multi-state routable regions between Topo USA on the desktop to the GPS, or select only the specific, customized areas you want--topographic maps and imagery. Exchange routes, tracks, and waypoints between the GPS and Topo USA (two-way transfers).
Extensive On-Device Memory
75MB of internal flash memory available in addition to the preloaded world base map. Holds up to ten tracks (10,000 points per track); 1,000 user-defined waypoints; and 50 routes. SD slot also available.
Powerful Topographic Software Included
The included Topo USA PN-20 software is loaded with additional capabilities for use on a desktop PC. Create automatic road and trail routes, elevation profiles, and realistic 3-D flyovers. No extra charge to you--a $99.95 retail value by itself!
A Powerful Partnership
Earthmate GPS PN-20 and Topo USA
The Earthmate GPS PN-20 with included Topo USA 8.0 DVD software provides a complete two-way map data, waypoint, and track log transfer capability:
Maps Included
It's a powerful way to create and save detailed GPS-accurate maps for use on the desktop software and on the GPS.
- Prepare exactly the maps and imagery you want on the desktop, including waypoints, tracks, and automatically generated routes, and then transfer to the Earthmate GPS PN-20
- Once you’ve been in the field or in-vehicle with the Earthmate GPS, transfer your new and updated waypoints and track logs back to the Topo USA desktop software and edit and save within your map files
Topo USA/Earthmate PN-20 Map Exchange Overview
DeLorme has pre-cut U.S. multi-state regions within the included Topo USA software. This allows you to update the world base map on the GPS with more detailed routable U.S. highway and major roads for your region(s) of interest. This design maximizes user-available, on-device internal memory for even more detailed topographic maps and imagery you cut from Topo USA of your precise areas of interest. The Eastern 1(A) multi-state region, as an example, requires 12 MB, with a total of 75 MB available on the device. These precut regions are located in the left window of the Handheld Exchange dialog, which is also where your map packages, waypoints, and tracks will be stored once created. (Note: you can store up to 2 GB of data on an SD card. The SD card slot is located within the battery compartment, beneath the batteries.)
The PN-20--Topo USA 8.0 System comes with:
Street and Topographical Maps
View Maps | Detailed U.S. Street & Topographic Maps
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View Maps | U.S. Regional Routable Highway Maps
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View Maps | The DeLorme World Base Reference Map
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Aerial Data Packet (ADP) Downloads--400 sq. km FREE!
Comprised of the three layers for a chosen area.
View Maps | USGS 7.5-Minute Quad Maps
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View Maps | DOQQ (Digital Orthoquads) B&W Aerial Imagery
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View Maps | Sat-10 Color Satellite Imagery
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Customer Reviews
great maps for hiking
The Topo 6.0 maps that come with this unit contain surprisingly detailed topographic information. Most popular hiking trails are included. You can preview them at (you need to create a free account)...
data.delorme.com
The PN-20's main rivals are the Garmin units. The Garmin mapping software can be previewed by following the appropriate links here...
www8.garmin.com/cartography
These topographic maps are generally inferior to those of the Delorme unit (you can discover this for yourself by accessing the websites above). The PN-20 nicely superimposes street and topographic/hiking info into the one map which I don't believe the Garmin units do. The mapping software is included free with the purchase of the PN-20. You have to pay an additional amount of more than $200 for both topo and street maps with the Garmin units. One drawback of the PN-20 mapping software is that is highly user UNfriendly. Also, if you want to cut a large map section (say of the entire state of California, with all contour information included), it will take your computer many, many hours. It is possible however to download all street information, from interstate freeways down to tiny alleys, for an entire state, without contour information, in an hour or so. On the plus side, once you master it, the mapping software can be very powerful.
The screen is full-color as opposed to the Garmin models which only display 256 colors. The PN-20 can display aerial, satellite and usgs topo quad images that you download for $0.25 per square kilometer. The unit comes with a free voucher for $100 of image downloads (400 sq. kilometers). This can be a very useful feature for hiking, as many unnamed trails and paths are visible from the air, and hence appear in the aerial photographs. One warning, if you have poor eyesight you might have difficulty reading the small type on the screen.
The signal reception is good. It works inside a car and under moderately dense canopy. Under very dense canopy it will loose the signal. The initial lock can take a few minutes, depending on how far you have moved since the device last registered a location. I haven't used the Garmin units but my guess is that the PN-20's signal reception is significantly better than the Etrex's but not quite up there with the 60cx's, which apparently acquires an initial lock within a few seconds. I've found the typical accuracy the device settles down to is roughly +/-50ft under some canopy, +/-30ft if you're driving down a suburban street, and +/- 10ft if you're on a freeway.
The battery life is good, ~8 hours with moderate use and medium backlight.
Auto-routing functionality is built in, but limited. If you want the unit to direct you from address A to address B you have to use the Topo 6.0 software on your computer, to create the route and then upload it onto the device. The procedure is fast and straightforward once you learn how to do it. The software enables you to create via and stop points for your route, which can be useful. You can also calculate road-routes by clicking on start and end points on the map (ie without entering addresses). Once you enable auto-navigation, below the map will be displayed the distance and expected time to next turn, the name of the street or exit, and an arrow indicating the direction to turn. It will beep twice for each turn, once to alert you in advance, and a second time to indicate when the actual turn should take place. All in all I found the auto-navigation feature was quite effective, though not as user-friendly as a purpose built auto-GPS such as the Garmin Street-Pilot. Perhaps the biggest downside to using this device for auto-navigation is that you have to wait a minute or two after switching it on for an initial-lock.
One general drawback is the slow processor. Map redraws can take up to 30 seconds depending on what information is being loaded, though typically they take 5-10 seconds. At times it can be frustrating, though for conventional use the delay is tolerable.
Another drawback is the street maps are a tad crude. For example, a curved street will appear as a couple of straight lines joined together. Also, some sections of the street maps are misaligned by more than 100ft. These are typically streets in suburban (non-metropolitan) areas but it can occasionally be frustrating, particularly when driving, as the unit can display your position as in between two roads. I believe the Delorme Street-Atlas maps don't have this problem, but they are not compatible with the PN-20 yet (apparently Delorme is working on a patch to make them compatible).
All in all, the ability to display aerial photography and accurate hiking information makes this a break-through device, though the slow processor detracts a little from the novelty.
SOFTWARE INTENSE
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!!
Great for the outfoor enthusiast
I find the Delorme PN-20 to be one of the most exciting GPS models on the market--although, as a new model, it has a few rough edges to be smoothed out. Those who use it primarily for outdoor activities like hiking or biking should be pleased; those who want something mostly for automobile use will probably be happier with something else.
On the plus side, the maps are the best I know of that can be transferred to a GPS. I particularly like that trails are routable (although at the current time these routes must be created in the included Topo 6 USA on the PC and transferred to the GPS). Also, user-created tracks can be saved to Topo6 as routable trails. Personally I have not found the aerial or satellite imagery that useful--but the USGS 7.5 topo maps on a GPS are pretty cool. The display is somewhat on the small side, but of great visual quality.
Secondly, the support available from Delorme by phone (email support seems to lag) and in the Delorme user forum is top-notch. When the PN-20 was first released, a serious bug soon emerged. Delorme had a firmware fix available 4 days after the bug was identified. Delorme appears to be solicitous of customer input for improvement, and seems committed to regular firmware updates (the first major update came about 3 months after the initial release). PN-20 packages purchased directly from Delorme allow for a 30-day no-questions-asked return. It's less clear to me how generous Amazon is on GPS returns.
Third, I think the PN-20 gets power options right: one can use a variety of AA battery types or an optional Li-Ion that can be internally recharged. That battery is a standard CRV3 rather than some proprietary design--although not all CRV3 brands seem to work properly (checking in the forum advised).
The last thing I would note on the plus side is that reception and accuracy seems quite good. Compared to my Magellan Explorist 500, the PN-20 seems to do slightly better. While accuracy is diminished under dense foliage--as with any unit--I have always been able to maintain a signal lock while geocaching or hiking.
Shortcomings include the fact that PN-20 does feel soggy in executing tasks. Redraws usually only take 3-4 seconds, but scrolling the screen takes patience. Although the PN-20 handles a file of up to 1000 waypoints, I find the unit works much more efficiently if I hold the file down to a couple hundred. Creating a street route on the PN-20 can take several minutes, and I find address searches intolerably long. It *does* all these things, but users will be happier if they can plan routes and searches ahead of time on the PC for transfer to the GPS. The PN-20 does allow for the insertion of via points to shape a route in the GPS, so it has a leg up on Magellan's MapSend DirectRoute. Improving the efficiency of firmware algorithms may help, but it might be until we see a PN-30 with a beefier processor that autorouting becomes a satisfying experience.
Another minus is that the PN-20 does not currently allow for more than a single waypoint file, and neither waypoints, tracks, nor routes can be saved to the SD card. I fully expect that a future firmware upgrade will change this, so a large number of such files can be available for field use.
The PN-20 is not for everyone. It's a new, cutting-edge model--Delorme's first integral handheld GPS--and I think it will be a little while until the firmware is tweaked and smoothed to allow for the full potential of the hardware. For those who place a high priority on map quality and plan to use their GPS primarily for outdoor activity, I think it's a good choice that shows favorable signs of becoming even better.
