Customer Reviews

DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Waterproof Hiking GPS

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I must say that I find it interesting that there are so many glowing reviews about this flawless GPS. I am always skeptical of anything that sounds too good! I read many of the reviews online, and after evaluating the specifications and features, opted to buy the Delorme PN-40. Prior to this purchase, I owned a Garmin 60CSX GPS. I believed that the Delorme was poised to be a significant improvement in both the tracking ability and the display of aerial overlays.

Let me begin by stating that I don't believe there is a perfect GPS except from the perception of the user and their application. If it meets your criteria, then it serves the intended purpose! That being said, let me try to summarize my personal observations from my point of view.

After purchasing the Delorme PN-40, I quickly signed up for the $29.99 annual download service to take advantage of this impressive feature. I have downloaded about a dozen maps at this posting and must say that Delorme has been very effective in minimizing the number of maps that can be downloaded. First, the size of the maps you can download for each map type (color aerial, USGS, etc..) is restricted to some size in sq Km. This isn't too much of an issue as they are large enough for my typical hike. Second, I have found that the download speed is being limited to speeds on the order of 15-20Kb/s. This is incredibly slow considering the capability of cable is in excess of 700Kb/s. A typical download time for the maximum 250sq/km file is over 1.5hrs. In addition, many of the downloads stop prematurely, and this requires you to download the entire file again (a download manager isn't able to resume the download after termination). I have spent days trying to download a single file due to premature downloads (and no, my modem and router aren't the cause!)

The learning curve for uploading the map files to the PN-40 is tricky and not documented very well. It took me (I'm an electrical engineer) about 4 hours to sift through the documentation along with some trial and error. Once downloading was accomplished, I found that the display of the maps was pleasing, but lacked detail.

I then took the Delorme PN-40 and Garmin 60CSX (Sirf Star III chipset) on a 9 mile hike in Forest Park located in Portland Oregon. I used fresh Powerex Medion batteries in both GPS's. The temperature outside was about 35degF and the hike took approx 5 hours. My findings are as follows:

The Delorme PN-40 took several minutes longer than the Garmin 60CSx to lock onto the satellites before a 3D view was possible. The Delorme circle of uncertainty, accuracy of the location, varied significantly while standing in the same spot on open terrain with no obstructed view of the sky. The variation would be on the order of +- 15ft to +-40ft. The Garmin locked onto the signal vary consistently for this same location with variations of only +-2ft. I found the aerial display on the Delorme to be difficult to see without the backlight. Note that the isobar lines aren't easily seperated from the aerial background. It may just be me, but I'm not color blind and have good vision. The Garmin display is easier to see, I think, because there isn't much clutter on the display (the backlight helps very much in low light also). The Delorme tracking lines are superb! It is easy to see where you have gone and is nicely color contrasted to the background map. The Garmin tracking points are almost impossible to see (until downloaded to your PC) as they blend into the topo map! The last point I want to make concerns the battery life, and this was the biggest issue for my personal use. The Delorme battery life was barely acceptable (for my purposes) under the conditions of this hike (cold and wet for 5 hours). The battery indicator on the Delorme started dropping after about 2.5 hours and declined steadily for the remainder of the hike. The last hour of the hike I expected the Delorme to shut off, but the batteries did hold out for the full hike. The Garmin battery life remained at full for the entire hike. You can argue that my test wasn't exactly fair since the batteries weren't brand new and don't know how often I used the backlight, but I didn't expect the Delorme to start indicating reduced battery power so soon. A sample size of one unit is not exactly a great indicator of all the units sold, but then I'm not being hired by anyone or trying to take sides! Obviously, you must be the decision maker for your application.

I will say that both products performed well enough for this one hike. I prefer the Garmin for satellite reception, consistent locking, battery life and ease of software use. However I do like the display capabilities of the Delorme. Also, the Delorme mapping is far superior to Garmin, but at the expense of a steep learning curve. I also want to mention that Delorme did a great job for allowing use of every battery type you might want to use; from lithium ion to alkaline. Also, I really appreciate Delorme giving easy access to the full capacity of a 32Gb SDHC card (which I verified worked well), but you do need plenty of storage for the hybrid aerial maps.

In summary, let me say that in my opinion I feel that Garmin has the lead on GPS hardware and that Delorme has the lead on Mapping software. I would love to see a product created by the merger of these two companies to take advantage of both of their strengths. Good luck on your purchase decision.

Note that I am not an employee of either company, and have no personal bias towards them. I also own products from both companies!

I had a chance to try the PN-40 extensively on a recent off-trail desert hiking trip. The unit performed flawlessly, and though I'm pretty picky about features, at the end of the week, I still didn't have a wish list.
Delorme's new high resolution color aerial imaging is a real upgrade from it's previous topo and "satellite" imagery. Comparing side by side with Google Earth, Google has a slight edge on resolution, but it's pretty close. And for a mobile GPS, the resolution is more than you need, and you can zoom up on details that provide more than enough detail. Delorme's new subscription pricing option of $30 for a year's worth of unlimited map downloading is a much better pricing model than the old "pay as you go", which got expensive fast.
The PN-40 is fast, both in GPS acquisition and map re-drawing. The GPS continued to track while in my pocket. It acquires a fix after being turned on often within 30 seconds. The map re-draws are not silky smooth if you set it to always orient "heading up" as it constantly tries to adjust to your varying direction. But in "north up" and "course up" mode, where the map is static and your arrow is moving, the unit is very easy to use. And zooming in and out is almost instantaneous, which is much faster than older handheld GPS models with high resolution aerial maps.
Planning routes and waypoints on the included Topo software is an easy way to plan hikes, though you can also pick points on the little screen on the unit if you don't have a computer nearby. That's a slower process as you have to use the four-direction round button, which is not that easy to nagivate around extensively.
The unit is rugged, with high impact, tough plastic on the outside, and a battery case the screws tight with finger screws to make it water resistant.
The unit is easy to use but has a whole lot of layers of complexity if you want to do more. It took me several days of heavy use before I felt I knew all the menu options. There are a lot of ways to customize the unit, which is probably why I didn't feel I wished for much at the end of the hiking week.
Though you could use this for auto routing, I find my regular auto GPS a lot easier to use for that. But for anything off roads, such as hiking or jeep riding, this unit is really great.
Here's a few tips I learned using it:
1) Sometimes the unit will not be recognized by my computer when I first hook up the USB cord and turn it on. For some reason, if I just turn the unit off, wait a bit and then back on, the computer recognizes it on the second try.
2) Don't be afraid to turn up the display brightness to full brightness. It's a lot easier to see in the day, and since the unit runs on two AA batteries, it's no problem if you need to switch them out. I found that two AA batteries lasted a day and a half at full brightness with the display set to automatically turn off after 30 seconds of no use.
3) I scratched the screen with my car keys in the same pocket, so watch out for the screen and sharp or metal objects.
Portable high resolution GPS has finally become reality. I really enjoyed my hiking trip, being able to plan complex routes in advance, and see exactly where I was when out in the backcountry or on trails. I was able to make some smart decisions while hiking when it was getting late and I needed to figure out a new way back out. It took years for my dream of a hand held GPS with high resolution maps to finally happen. I highly recommend the PN-40.

I received my new DeLorme PN-40 GPSr the other day.

First off, let me state that my previous GPSr was a basic Etrex. It was pretty weak, but helped me find lots of geocaches. Now, keep in mind two weeks ago I had NO intention of getting a DeLorme. I was pretty set on getting the Garmin Oregon, and had just an inkling of the PN-XX's. So, I headed on over to the DeLorme forums and posted some questions. The level of attention I received from the members as well as employees of DeLorme really impressed me. Couple that with a DeLorme employee's blog post which pretty much seemed to be a direct answer to my questioning about Mac support, and I was sold. I'm willing to wait a month for limited Mac support, and know that they are working towards more support down the road.

So, onto my first impressions. This might not have the bells and whistles aesthetically of the Oregon (by this I mean large touch screen, lack of buttons), but it ROCKS. I really have nothing to compare it to other than the Etrex, but it is FAST, fast, FAST! I've heard the PN-20 took a while to render maps and create routes. This rendered maps real-time while I was driving. It only took a few seconds to calculate a driving route. Really amazing. On top of that, it took quite a few minutes from a cold start to acquire a 3-D fix, but once it did, every restart after that had an almost instant fix. Literally, I turned it on and it acquired a fix.

The driving directions were very accurate, and the beep was sufficient for me to know to turn. If I had the travel kit, I could keep the backlight on in the dark, and have no problem finding my way to other addresses. Speaking of addresses, the maps that come with this are GREAT! So easy to load the pre-cut area maps that come on the accompanying DVDs. I haven't tried to cut maps online yet, but I plan on grabbing a bunch of satellite imagery, as that is one of the key points that sold me on the PN-40.

Now, onto the main reason I wanted a new GPSr, geocaching. The Etrex served its purpose, but sometimes I would be walking around an area for over an hour, with the GPSr jumping all over the place. With the PN-40, it took me right to the cache. I had already read the hint, so I thought I knew where it was. The GPSr showed that I was only 2 feet from where I thought it was!!! Unfortunately, I couldn't find it at first, so I keep looking, and finally I find it a couple of feet from where I was first looking. I look at the PN-40, and sure enough it was registering 0 feet. Maybe this was beginner's luck, but I was impressed.

I am simply AMAZED. This was the greatest geocaching experience I have ever had. I loaded Color Aerial Imagery onto my PN, and it was literally like i had Google Earth as GPSr. I viewed all my caches on the map, scrolled to one I wanted to hit, and routed to it. It was so accurate it was scary! I was in heavy foliage at times, and it never lost a 3-D connection. It wasn't jumping all over the place like my old GPS did. This was steady! In fact, I think the biggest problem is that the people who placed the caches had a less accurate GPS, thus throwing off the coords slightly.

I had the PN auto-routing for roads to each cache. Once I got to the area, I just let the GPS lead me to cache. Some of the caches I didn't even read, I just made my way to the area and found it.

I'm already having a lot of fun with this. It's a big change from my Etrex. My biggest concern was that I would have buyers regret and wished I bought the Oregon. So far that is not the case. Once I start loading all kinds of different maps, which come with the GPSr (and for $29.99, I can get a year subscription of unlimited map downloads of their online maps), I don't see how the Oregon can even compare.

I could not be happier with my purchase of this treasure! I am really amazed how the PN does everything! I can't wait for the next firmware update to get the enhanced geocaching features. The PN-40 can only get better.

BTW, 7 for 8 caches today, and the one I couldn't find was definitely gone.

Great job DeLorme!

alright let's review this thing.
the pn-40 from Delorme is one bad mammajamma. but not in a "why did i spend that wad of cash" kind of way, more of a "i can't believe i can do this" kind of way.
let me preface this review by saying that my main use of this device is geocaching. (though its orange case makes it incredibly more difficult to act as though i'm talking on my phone than staring at a map when there are Muggles--non geocache folk--around). with that said--i've used both Garmins and a Delorme for geocaching and feel i've got a good idea of the capabilities of both.
i've used/use a Garmin E-Trex Venture, Nuvi 200, Colorado 300, and a Delorme PN-40.
i started out with the Venture, though after it's horrible screen size and poor zoom feature--upgraded to the Colorado 300. i paired that with my Nuvi 200 (make it easier on yourself--purchase a car gps to get you to the area of the cache, then use a handheld to narrow down your search to the foot), and after reading reviews of the PN40 and the website data--i returned it within a month to purchase a pn40 from amazon.
--you can actually read my review of the venture vs. Colorado on the Colorado 300 info page through amazon--
now, on to the important stuff. i'll make it basic with little bits of details throughout.
A) battery life== (4/10)Good Lord buy rechargeable batteries. the only way you'll reduce battery consumption on this unit is by immediately disabling the GPS when you're not searching for something, turning off the "ROUTE" feature, or decreasing the backlit feature.a good pair of AA batteries will last you about an hour in this, and those are LithiumIon batteries, my friends, not those alkaline pieces of junk. buy rechargeable batteries and save yourself the hassle of using the last bit of juice to search for a nearby convenience store that sells them.
B) satellite acquisition==(5/10)i say this because it's jumpy. cold boots are almost guaranteed to present you with a 3 minute wait for a good lock on adequate satellites. warm boots are a little faster, about a minute to a minute and a half wait time. however the 'iRaster' feature on this device is amazing and Garmin can't compete with it. (iRaster is the ability of the unit to actually show landmarks/caches/physical land features in the direction relevant to your physical location--so if you walk north on the atlantic coast and suddenly turn to walk south--the screen will do the same and the ocean will almost immediately appear on the left side of the screen.)
C) Compass feature==(7/10) sorry Garmin, you just can't win. with Garmin, the unit has to be held level, while the pn40 can be held diagonally, vertical, horizontal--just about any way you want and it still gives a FAIRLY good read.
D) Screen== (6/10) yes, compared to the Colorado which has a larger screen, this pn40 seems less of a workhorse. but what it lacks for in screen size, it makes up with durability. although you can purchase a screen-protector from most outdoor stores, i've not removed the original one on the unit when i removed it from the box nearly 4 months ago and it still works fine. the size of the screen is large enough to be read while held a foot away and can actually be viewed in direct sunlight. (backlit feature is changeable)
E) Durability== (9/10) this is the life of the geocaching party. face it--when you're geocaching or hiking you don't always have two hands on your GPS unit. this pn40 is amazing. i've dropped mine on concrete, grass, wood, brick and tile and it barely has a scratch on it. yes there are small scuff marks on the back rubber casing, but you'd never know i've taken it on more than 70 cache hunts ranging from the deep woods, coastal areas, and sand covered terrains you see while doing various geocache hunts. and it keeps going. oh yeah--it's water proof. yeah. not RESISTANT. i mean it's water proof. drop this unit in a stream and you've got time to laugh about it, tell your friends, and then decide if you want to put on gloves before reaching in to pick it up. don't believe me? go online to Youtube and search for Delorme PN40 Water test. most of the videos you see will actually be from the Delorme developers CAMPING and HIKING and putting it through their OWN tests. yeah. didn't know Delorme was that type of company did ya? unlike Garmin which has different teams to do that--Delorme actually tests everything themselves.
F) Design== (8/10) i've heard people talking about how they can't use this unit with gloves on, or the buttons are too small. to me that's ridiculous. the buttons are bulbish, raised, and feature a "click" noise (not digital--actually clicks even when the unit is off) and separated enough that you know exactly what button you're pushing. all of them are adequately spaced with obvious descriptions of their features. MENU=access different main fields, ENTER=verify entry, QUIT=abort application or changed field, PAGE=cycle windows, IN/OUT= zoom in/out of the map as well as cycle up or down a listing, MAGNIFYING GLASS=search (by address, Point of Interist or POI for short, city, landmark, etc...) POWER KEY=turns it on/off as well as changes the backlit feature, PUSHPIN=mark a location on the map....The casing is a durable plastic with rubber trim, the buttons are rubber, the battery compartment houses the SD card slot and is held on via two screws which can be turned using the fold-up knobs.
G) Memory==some models have 1 GB onboard memory, a few deluxe have 8GB, but don't let any small number like 512MB or 1 GB deter you. most SDHC (high capacity) cards can be purchased for a very small cost--Target has a 4GB for around $16, an 8GB for about $30. the PN-40 supports up to a 32G sdhc card. furthermore, most Garmin's will only allow you to hold up to 500 points per track, the Delorme default is 10,000 points. if you're big into hiking--these track points will be important. you can use the added "Back On Track" feature that will open up your last Track Log and guide you back to your origin. the data trasnfer into your memory feature will occur more quickly if you transfer maps directly to your SD card in the unit (even noted by Delorme)
H) Maps==do yourself a favor, buy the annual 29.95 map subscription. this gives you UNLIMITED downloads of ANY MAPS from Delorme. cool thing about their maps--if you've ever used Google Maps--you'll be right at home. you can actually download Color Aerial Imagery (some cities are high-resolution) and overlay streets, waypoints, geocaches, and landmarks/POI's ontop of the color imagery. it is an amazing help in urban geocaching.
I) Support==(10/10) if there were any reason to ditch a Garmin, it's for the customer support. i've had to call Delorme twice--and each time i wanted to talk to the supervisor to commend my customer service rep. they're amazing. any technical questions i had--were actually answered by the people who DEVELOPED the pn40, not trained part-timers who don't know more than what the developers could have simply relayed in an email. more recently, the company released TOPO8 (their topography software) and i lost my AnnualMapKey which allows me to download unlimited maps for a year. i had to call in to retrieve my MapKey after i lost my paper and it was sent to my email in one hour by a supervisor without any problems--just had to verify my original creditcard info used to purchase it--no questions asked).
J) Software==(6/10) the only reason i give this such a mid-rating is because it's not really intuitive software. it's not something you can figure out in 25 minutes; this software is something you have to study up on via tutorials, forums, or user hints. once you figure it out--it's not so bad. any maps you want to download have to be requested from the Delorme server. basically it works like this. Highlight map areas you want, submit that 'order' to Delorme server, wait to the maps to be assembled to be downloaded (usually compiled in 5 minutes), download (depending on which type of map--black and white, color, aerial, topo, hi-resolution it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes, save & rename, send to your GPS. you can only submit an order for a certain amount of Grids of a map and only transfer a certain amount of map sizes to your device at one time.
K) Unit operating system== (4/10) i'd rate this higher if it didn't seem so basic. there's no frills here. this is a BASIC operating system and series of windows through which to navigate. unlike the Garmin Colorado 300 which has a very pleasing Vista-like appearance of operations, the PN40 system looks like an original early 1990's PC DOS screen. i'm not gonna lie, it's not pretty. but this isn't a GPS for people looking for something pretty----the PN40 is used by professionals in the park service, city service, state use, and commercial companies. people like us Geocachers are just getting in on the action after Delorme released the Geocaching tool and managed to get GEOCACHING.COM to release a plug-in that sends geocaches directly to the unit.
L)Paperless Caching= (10/10) ok so this isn't really a big feature to most--but to geocachers it awesome. it's the greatest thing. unlike BASIC gps units--paperless caching allows you to 'save' the webpage of a geocache to the pn-40 and access it while you're away from the computer. can't find the cache? look on the cache page on the pn40 and read the user comment of the person who left it--they included a hint and now you can use it to help you find it. or, read the other comments of people who have found it/didn't find it and see what they suggest to do to help you find it. this is such an amazing feature. few devices have this feature, and the Garmin Colorado 300 does as well, and it's definitely worth the extra money if two units are on your mind.
M) WAAS enabled and 32 channel STMicroelectronics Cartesio chipset
N) forums==(10/10) i've had problems with it. everyone does, like they do with any company product. Delorme has amazing forums and i've gotten numerous replies within minutes of posting a problem or question. and Delorme actually has a BETA testing group in which you can apply to test their new products.
O)i actually purchased mine in april of this year, Topo 8 was released in June or July---a software which costs $100. Delorme has a policy that if you purchase a unit or software and a new version of that software is released within one year--they'll update yours for free. i called, explained the situation and for the price of shipping/handling i got the BRAND NEW TOPO8. seriously. that's a company that cares and wants to keep your business.

so after all of that, what's a good basic summary?
Pro's==Maps,Zoom Ability, Durability, Sensitivity, Support, paperless caching
Cons==battery life, Topo software, slow satellite acquisition time

all in all, i wouldn't go back to Garmin if Garmin called me and said they wanted me to have a free unit.
i don't work for either of these companies, though if i did i'd apply to Delorme first, and i haven't been compensated for any of this.
i hope this has been helpful,
if this is for geocaching-----don't put it off any longer--just get it and freaking enjoy it!

to date i've found over 100 caches, remember to CacheInTrashOut!, and more than half of them are due to this unit being so precise!

If the reason you're considering the pn-40 is because you're driving to meet friends and they call you on your cell to tell you that they're going to this other restaurant and here's the address... and you want to type that into your gps while you're stopped at a traffic light and have it give you the route, well, read no further - this is not for you. The pn-40 won't do that, at least not unless you've got your pc in the car with the topo 7 software loaded onto it. On the other hand, if you're looking for a gps to use after you get out of the car this is it.

I was about to buy a (cheaper) Garmin vista HCx but heard about the pn-40. I've been a huge fan of Delorme atlases for many years and I decided to give them my business. Here's why I'm glad I did:
1) there is the huge library of satellite imagery and aerial photos and more available for download (you are going to pay for the $30 annual subscription, get used to it) - it really is something like having google earth on a hand-held gps. If you're going on a hiking trip and you want to have arial photography available for the place your walking to, you just download it and copy it to the pn-40. You can have a variety of map types loaded onto the gps and select which one you want to look at as you go
2) the pn-40 has onboard memory and an SD card and it's fast
3) while I don't find the topo 7 software stunningly intuitive and I don't care for the help screens, it is powerful and gets the job done (note, if you want to get to the waypoint tool, you have to be in the draw tab)
4) despite what I said above, the pn-40 comes with *excellent* onboard US street maps. If you have the foresight to create waypoints for the places you want to go before you leave the house you can ask the gps to give you a route from whereever you are to your waypoints.

With respect to the topo 7 software: the package comes with an offer to get an upgrade to the most current version within 6 months of your purchase (it costs $10). I'm holding onto that offer, and hope that Delorme makes some improvements.

The reason I almost didn't buy the pn-40 is because I periodically hike out of the US in South America and Asia and spots like that. I asked DeLorme about their international support and they honestly admitted they weren't planning anything special. That said, they do have basic international coverage (borders and major roads) which sounded pretty skimpy, but then I couldn't find evidence that Garmin or Magellan had anything much better.

I purchased a Delorme PN-40 GPS for the purpose of geocaching. I already own a Garmin GPSMap 60CSx and a Garmin eTrex Legend, so although I did not really need another unit I wanted one so that when geocaching with my kids we would each be carrying a GPS and not reliant on one another. I have been very satisfied with my Garmin units but was impressed with the reviews and feature set of the Delorme, so I bought it with the expectation of it being acceptable for my uses as a backup unit. It has exceeded my expectations. It is not without flaws but it is a tremendous GPS that is very much worth every penny of the purchase price.

It is very similar in hard interface layout to my 60CSx, with the same buttons doing similar functions though in different locations. This makes working with the Delorme simple in that I immediately found myself familiar with how to work this GPS. The software interface is different, though, and is unlike any other unit with which I have worked. Different is not wrong, but it means a learning curve for those who use Garmin or Magellan units.

The first power-on of this unit is the most painful as it searches for the satellites. After this initial acquisition, however, power-up is always appreciably faster and the acquisition of satellites faster.

Once the GPS has acquired the satellites, it has proven itself to be very accurate and stable. It is not unusual to navigate to a location and have the unit lead me to a point less than a foot away from the lat/long specified. Reported accuracy on the screen is typically between 6 and 11 feet.

The accuracy does diminish under heavy canopy but no more so than my Garmins do. In dense tree cover I found that it maintains its location quite well most of the time, though it occasionally gets confused and leads me in circles. It seems to do this at times when my 60CSx is having no trouble, but it also seems to have no trouble when the Garmins are confused. This brings up a good point - different GPS manufacturers, using differing chip sets, will have varying environments in which their GPS units work better than others and sometimes not as well as others. It is important to keep this in mind and to select a unit that is best suited for the need.

The compass is excellent. Once calibrated it seems to be very accurate and does not need for the unit to be held level flat when in use in order to get a correct bearing. The 3D compass is something that is lacking in my Garmin units, but newer units have this feature now and it's wonderful. Manually calibrating the compass is easy and all you have to do is to follow the instructions on the screen (it equates to a series of arm motions).

This is a rugged and sturdy unit and can handle some jostling. It does as well in wet, rainy weather as it does on clear days. It is waterproof and can be submerged, but I am not daring enough to try this voluntarily.

One point on which many people complain is the screen size. Yes, it has a smaller screen than average units but it also seems to be bright and readable even in direct sunlight. Sure, larger would be nice but clear and readable is far preferable.

Delorme ships their Topo product with this GPS and it is the deal-maker that gives this GPS a decided edge. The maps may be cut and transferred to the PN-40 through Topo, or the pre-cut maps may be used instead. To get Garmin's MapSource costs an extra $100, which makes the PN-40 an even better deal. The maps are of good quality and are sufficient for hiking and driving alike. For most uses the pre-cup maps will be sufficient, but higher resolution images can be cut from Topo.

Right out of the box, my PN-40 was defective and had problem with the screen. I was not convinced that it was a problem until I called Delorme, and I was told to ship it back. In one week's time I had a completely new unit that has worked flawlessly ever since. While I was disappointed with the first unit being defective, I was shocked at how responsive Delorme is to customer requests for assistance. It is clear to me that they stand behind their product.

Less than three weeks after I purchased my PN-40, Delorme released Topo 8. My unit shipped with Topo 7. I called Delorme and asked about an upgrade, and for the cost of shipping a new Topo 8 DVD set was sent to me.

Map updates on the PN-40 are FAST. Scrolling is not exactly smooth but the dual-core processor embedded within keeps up quite admirably.

One drawback with this unit is that, at this time, importing waypoints and geocaches requires a different software set than can be used with Garmin and Magellan units. It can be done with Topo, and for geocachers there is Cache Register, but GSAK and other common tools do not transfer successfully at this time. Hopefully this will be remedied in the near future. Granted, this is easy enough to do, but one cannot have a single software application that can work with multiple units of different brand.

Another drawback is that this GPS loves batteries. On new, fully-charged NiMH batteries one can expect maybe 10 hours of operation before the unit gracefully turns itself off. On a long trek it is therefore a good idea to bring along extra batteries. Because alkalines tend to drain more quickly in electronics, I would recommend using either NiMH or lithium batteries.

The Delorme PN-40 is a very nice GPS for consumer use. It is accurate, it holds its signal well, has a great display and comes with Topo which combined all make this unit hard to pass up. It's not perfect by any means, but it is still excellent and should be considered when looking for a good handheld GPS.

The main differentiators between the DeLorme PN40 and the competition are as follows:

1) Cost of ownership - When you buy the PN40 you get everything you need to get started. You get the DeLorme TOPO software which includes the detailed contour maps for the entire US as well as all the road data. There is no additional software to buy in order to get started. The price of the PN40 is substantially lower than other brands if you compare functionality.

2) Support - DeLorme has an Internet forum that has a wealth of knowledge already archived. You can do a search on the previous posts or ask a question on the message board and get a response any time any day. If that doesn't satisfy you, you can call customer service or tech support where a real DeLorme employee will answer the phone and speak American English.

3) Additional Aerial/USGS/NOAA data - For an additional $29.95 you can download all the color, black and white, hi resolution city aerial imagery, NOAA charts and USGS maps for one year. These maps work very nicely on the PN40, ideal for boating, geocaching and hiking. The aerial imagery can be hybridized with contour maps so you know exactly where you are and what obstacles are in front of you.

I have owned 4 GPSs over the past few years. I have a Garmin Quest for on-road use, but didn't care for the Garmin topo maps. I first tried an eTrex from Magellan, but didn't like the fact that there were no topographical details. I later purchased a copy of Delorme Topo USA and was impressed with the graphics. Then the PN-20 was released that could display those graphics. I have owned a PN-20 since it came out, but was frustrated with the speed of the unit, even though everything worked great. Don't get me wrong - the PN-20 is a great unit - but the PN-40 is even better, and with the support from Delorme and Earthmate I expect further improvements to the firmware in the future. This unit works both on-road and off and can do street-by-street routing. One of the things I like best is the ability to transfer data (waypoints, tracks, maps, drawings, etc) between your PC and the unit. One way that I use the data is for uploading track data to the PC to show where I have ridden. Another way is to pre-plan your trip and download the waypoints and routes developed on the PC to the PN-20/40.

If all you want is a GPS that shows a blank screen when you're off-road, but will get you back to your camper when out hiking, or to a geocache there are cheaper products that will do the job. BUT - if you want to see where you are at out in the wilderness AND have a GPS that provides you with street level detail in town, the PN20/40 is for you.

I used to own the Garmin Vista until it was stolen out of my car, so I have been looking for a new better GPS that is not so restrictive with maps and software like Garmin. AS I read reviews DeLorme was raved about due to its software, even tho it is really hard to learn how to actually use it. So I took the unit hiking and having already read the reviews about how bad this thing is with batteries I took 4 fresh Energizer batteries. On the first hike I hiked Samuel P Taylor state park(Barnabe Peak, Mills trail and devils gulch loop around 9 miles). 4 hours into the hike I checked the battery indicator and it was displaying 1 bar left, so to be safe I changed them. I was able to use them again Sunday for arounf 4-5 hours before having to change them again.

I really like this GPS but I hate having to carry batteries now. When I dont have the unit in use I take out the batteries because it even when the unit is off it still drains the batteries on the time. So if you can get passed the battery issue then I think you will enjoy this GPS unit. The ONLY reason I am thinking of keeping it is because of the software. Garmin cannot compare! My Delorme came with all the software I will need and its Topo 7 software will be a great tool after I learn it more.

My Garmin came with nothing.... you have to buy all their maps seperatly and that $75-100 per region.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

This is a nice little unit. I especially like the ability to download color satellite photos to overlay them on your topo map. I had purchased one of the first TOPO DVD and enojoyed using. I was a little disapointed that not much has changed in version 7.0 execpt of the ability to down load overlays. The electronic compass is not to bad but it did take a couple of attempts to calibrate correctly in order to work properly. The biggest problem I see with the unit is it's battery life. I had put new batteries in the unit a couple of days earlier and used it for a short period of time to establish my home location, downloaded some satellite images of the area I was going to be hunting and I thought I was ready to go. However, as I got to my spot in the dark the low battery indicator came on. I had to power down the unit hoping some of the battery would came back to get me back to my car. It did but it was a little nerve racking because I had forgotten my backup compass. If taking the unit to an area you're not farmiliar with make sure you print a map from the TOPO program and bring a backup compass or carry lots of batteries with you.