New Delorme PN-40

[AugustFalcon]

Originally Posted by gearmaker

...
Does anyone have a link for transfering the Delorme Topo maps to a Garmin readable file?...

Alas, there is no such magic link; nor will there ever be one unless Garmin ponies up huge bucks to Delorme.

[eakins]

have no fear of sp3 for xp.
i load it on all client's machines.
win2k is finalized at sp4 plus hot fixes & ie 6 (which you should have all of this if you still run this os)

Originally Posted by ramz

Thanks for the screen shots - very nice. I like what I see...

Topo7 requirements include Windows XP SP 3. Will it truly NOT run on SP 2?
------------------------
I called Delorme. They said the wording was confusing:
U.S. Version Microsoft Windows XP or 2000 (Service Pack 3 and higher)

SP 3 applies to Windows 2000; XP with SP 2 is fine.

[eakins]

BIG dolorme question???
can maps produced for Garmin gps, such as the all important Bicimaps, run on this unit???

EVERYONE programs for Garmin (& NO ONE talks about Delorme),
so does this play with those???

i'm not talking about importing/exporting .gpx tracks (which i assume this does), i'm talking about whole maps produced for Garmin gps.

if not, every bell and whistle won't matter for Delorme.

[Mat_Sci]

One of the features that has me most interested in the Delorme is the ability to turn track into routable trails for sharing. I have also drawn in missing segments of a road before (TOPO 6.0) to make it routable. These are great features. I email'd them and got more information, that others checking this thread out might want to look at.

Hello Scott, thanks for expressing your interest in DeLorme's new Earthmate PN-40. As part of the project team I am very pleased with the potential of this new device and the Topo USA software that goes along with it to create our GPS mapping solution. I've actually written a blog post with suggestions for mapping trails with our GPS device and Topo USA, you might find it interesting and be able to draw parallels to your primitive road mapping scenario.

http://blog.delorme.com/2008/10/11/m...rthmate-pn-40/

We are working on several projects right now related to cross-platform support. I'm not sure if you are familiar with Geocaching.com, but this modern treasure hunting activity is taking off in the GPS community and has drawn quite a few "cachers" to our new device and the functionality that we are getting ready to release. Read more about our Geocaching.com Initiative here...

http://blog.delorme.com/2008/11/11/g...he-mac-and-pc/

As for user driven trail content, you should check out our Eartha Community Atlas project, an early effort by DeLorme to create a social network where our users can post their trail content and share it with others. I've included a link to our Off-Road Motor Sports community. While the number of contributors is still fairly low, we're keeping an eye on use to see when interest might warrant additional efforts in that area. Check it out, you might find some motorcycle trails in your area.

http://www.eartha.com/Off_Road_Motor/

[rwamf]

Originally Posted by eakins

BIG dolorme question???
can maps produced for Garmin gps, such as the all important Bicimaps, run on this unit???

EVERYONE programs for Garmin (& NO ONE talks about Delorme),
so does this play with those???

i'm not talking about importing/exporting .gpx tracks (which i assume this does), i'm talking about whole maps produced for Garmin gps.

if not, every bell and whistle won't matter for Delorme.

You can get Xmap from Delorme and with that you can put most anything you can scan, and put it on the GPS
They offer it for $99 as the owner of a PN40 I think.

[ramz]

rwamf,

I see you put a DIFFERENT PC screen shot into post #23, you sneaky devil.

Today, I ordered Topo USA 7 and the one-year map database access. Soon I'll be makin' my own maps

[Ron E]

To move or transfer files you can try the following set up. I'm not big into computers or the GPS thing, so no promises. I found this on another site I regularly visit. Try: http://www.gpsbabel.org/.

No promises said or implied.

[cmack]

My mom bought one of the PN-40's for my dad for X-Mas, on my recommendation. Although he doesn't ride bikes (quads and boats), he is an avid outdoorsman and wanted a good handheld unit. I started out looking at the Garmin Colorado/Oregon units, but the Delorme PN-40 offers so much more for the money. The imagery and maps literally blow the Garmin units away. I got to spend a little time with the unit, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. This could very well be the best Adventure based GPS I've come across, and certainly has given me the itch to upgrade.

[JimC]

Originally Posted by cmack

....This could very well be the best Adventure based GPS I've come across, and certainly has given me the itch to upgrade.

This could be true if
.......Your travels never take you out of the United States as no maps of anywhere else are provided by Delorme
.......You only use your GPS to find a route to a destination in life and death situations because this GPS does a horrible job of routing
.......You can live with a screen the size of Garmin Etrex
.......You can live with a GPS that doesn't display street names on the screen 98% of the time
.......You don't use the find function very often, because you won't with this GPS
.......You don't mind using one of the poorest user interfaces in the GPS industry today, for both the mapping software and the GPS
.......You like playing with your GPS and mapping software rather than riding
.......You are a techno nerd and like spending lots of time building your own maps and figuring out complicated ways to do be simple tasks

For me the Delorme GPS's are very narrowly focused units, they are not a good all around GPS. What they do very well is find a specific LAT/LON spot on the ground (as long and you use your Nuvi or Map Quest to get you close). They can display USGS Topo Quad Maps and Satellite images. They are picking up a very active and vocal following among geocachers. If you are like RWAMF and spend a great deal of time recording and logging trails in a local area this GPS along with the map download subscription is probably just what you need.

Having owned both the PN-20 and PN-40 units for short periods of time I concluded that they were poor choices for Adventure travelers who like to travel long distances and explore unknown areas. The allure of satellite maps on your GPS loses some luster when you realize that the state of Nevada requires 23 gig of storage for the USGS Quad maps and 362 gig for the color satellite images. When you find out the usable zoom on the GPS is +-2 or 3 zoom ranges they become even less attractive. I have been using Delorme mapping software for many years and while I loved the look of the maps on my PC, I find them no more accurate than the Garmin maps I use. In my opinion the new map displays on the Garmin Colorado and Oregon units with elevation shading are much better than the Delorme GPS displays.

Using the Garmin Mapsource software with Google earth gives you a significant amount of the features of the Delorme GPS and maps without having to learn the painful interface of the Delorme software. If the Delorme package intrigues you, buy the Delorme TOPO 7.0 East or West Regional software with the Downloadable Map subscription. For about $75 you can get the mapping software and satellite imagery on your PC where is makes the most sense. The Delorme software will exchange route, track, and waypoint data with the Garmin GPS's. The best of both worlds perhaps?

Personally I wouldn’t buy anything for the next couple of weeks until we see what new products are announced at the CES show.

Jim in Sacramento

[Cpt. Ron]

Jim, what do you currently use?

[JimC]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Ron

Jim, what do you currently use?

Hi Cpt.

I currently use a Garmin Colorado 300, and Oregon 300 and an Etrex Legend HCx. How I ended up with both the Oregon and Colorado is another story, but I will probably keep only one of the two and as of right now I'm not sure which it will be. The Legend HCx is usually my choice when on a dirt bike or more seriouse off road work as it is small and light and will run for 3 days on 2 AA batteries and not worrying about a power cable can be nice sometimes. None of the 3 are perfect GPS's, but they all meet my modest requirements. I could live with any one of them as my only GPS.

Jim in Sacramento

[IDScarecrow]

I was comparing the PN-40 and the Nuvi 500 at the local outdoor shop - the sales guy was pushing the Nuvi hard, claiming that the PN-40 wouldn't stand up to the vibration of being mounted to a dual sport motorcycle. Any thoughts/opinions/experiences?

[JimC]

Originally Posted by IDScarecrow

I was comparing the PN-40 and the Nuvi 500 at the local outdoor shop - the sales guy was pushing the Nuvi hard, claiming that the PN-40 wouldn't stand up to the vibration of being mounted to a dual sport motorcycle. Any thoughts/opinions/experiences?

I personally think just the opposite. The PN-40 is a very well made and rugged GPS. I would have no qualms at all using one on a dual sport or dirt bike. I personnaly think the Nuvi 500 would be the more fragile of the two.

Jim in Sacramento

[rwamf]

Originally Posted by IDScarecrow

I was comparing the PN-40 and the Nuvi 500 at the local outdoor shop - the sales guy was pushing the Nuvi hard, claiming that the PN-40 wouldn't stand up to the vibration of being mounted to a dual sport motorcycle. Any thoughts/opinions/experiences?

Wrong, I would disagree with that salesman as he clearly knows nothing.
The PN-40 has proven very rugged on my dirt bike, much more than my Garmin 60c.
I have never played with the Nuvi500 so I don't know how rugged it would be, the other street Nuvis I have played with where pretty cheap IMO.

[Sparrowhawk]

Jim, I appreciate your detailed discussion. Until family responsibilities (parents and children) lessen I am looking at mostly local rides (1-3 days) on USFS roads and trials on my LC4E so some of the limitations you list may not be a deal breaker.

I've boiled my list down to the PN40 and the Garmin 60/70 Cs units because I will be using it a lot for off bike use and want one where I can replace batteries in the field. I suppose the newer Etrex Legend could be in there as well. I've used a Colorado and liked it but it just does not seem to be as good a value.

Beyond the TOPO software complexities and routing deficiencies are there any other issues that differenciate between the PN40 and 60/70 Cs units like the way they store and manage routes or GPX files etc.?