DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 Street Atlas 2007 U.S.A./Canada Map CD-ROM (Windows)

by DeLorme

Product Details

• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00094OT54
• Item model number: AE-007461-201
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com

This package of the Earthmate GPS LT-20 GPS receiver and Street Atlas USA 2005 software can turn your laptop into a powerful GPS tracking device. The GPS LT-20 is a high-performance, easy-to-use link to the satellite navigation technology of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Accessing these satellites is available for no additional charge. Earthmate, connected to a USB laptop PC, shows your real-time position on detailed Street Atlas USA maps anywhere in the U.S., so you will always know where you are and where you need to go.

Compact and Powerful

This new GPS unit is one of the smallest on the market, measuring just 1 7/8" w x 2 5/8" h x 9/16" thick. It comes with an attached 5' cable with a suction cup on the cable designed to hold the GPS against the windshield or on the dash for optimum performance. Just plug the other end of the cable into the USB port of your laptop PC. It is best to avoid rapid and far-ranging temperature extremes, bringing the GPS indoors when not in use, just as you would a cell phone. The yellow reflective casing helps reduce high temperatures while on the dash.

(Phone shown for size comparison only)

Getting Started Is Easy
Plug the Earthmate GPS LT-20 into the USB port of your laptop PC. The low-power chipset draws power from your laptop, meaning no GPS batteries are needed. Install the Street Atlas USA 2005 software, and load the entire second data disc onto your hard drive if you want. The software also includes over 4 million places of interest. Place the GPS as close to your front windshield as possible, ideally using the enclosed suction cup on the attached cable to hold the GPS against the glass. Click on the software GPS tab and you'll see your position updated in real time on the maps as you drive. There are many custom GPS options included within the GPS tab.

Abilities at a Glance

Create address-to-address routes in the U.S. (and major and secondary routes in Canada) Calculate overnight stops and fuel stops, including fuel costs Find more than 4 million places of interest located from your GPS position, including hotels, gas, food, lodging, banks/ATMs, schools, colleges, hospitals--and also named places such as Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and UPS Stores GPS track using the Show Turns window and see large arrows with your next two upcoming turns shown with large text Select high-contrast map colors for improved in-vehicle visibility, helping to reduce in-vehicle glare Listen to spoken directions calling out upcoming turns Issue spoken commands (microphone recommended for best performance) and receive replies to common travel questions such as "How far to the next turn?" Add and name new local roads to the maps and these new roads will be included in automatically generated routes Use VIAs to select individual road segments to force the automatic routing to recalculate to your preferences Automatically receive new route updates when you stray off course, selecting the distance off course you want to be before the software recalculates your directions Add MapNotes, measure distances, and much much more Access the GPS satellite system for no charge beyond the cost of the receiver
	Hear samples of Spoken Directions using Earthmate GPS with Street Atlas USA 2005 Turns in Washington, DC (MP3) Nearest fast food (MP3)

What Is WAAS?
WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System and is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections. As is true of the GPS satellites, there is no extra charge or equipment required to take advantage of WAAS. Because the new Earthmate USB GPS is WAAS-enabled, it is possible where WAAS is available to experience accuracy of under three meters for the majority of tracking time.

How WAAS Works
The system consists of roughly 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States. These ground stations monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations are located on each coast and these collect data from the reference stations and create a GPS correction message. This correction takes into account GPS satellite orbits, clock drift, and signal delays, typically caused by atmospheric conditions. The corrected differential message is broadcast through one of two geo-stationery satellites or satellites with a fixed equatorial position. Any WAAS-enabled GPS, such as the Earthmate USB GPS, is able to read this signal and benefit from the enhanced accuracy.

WAAS Performance Considerations
As is true for all GPS usage, the location and environment of the user will cause variability in WAAS performance. For instance, the position of the satellites over the equator make it difficult to receive the signals when mountains or trees obstruct a clear view of the horizon. Therefore, it is safe to say that WAAS provides the best performance in open-area situations. Unlike DGPS (differential GPS), WAAS does not require additional receiving equipment.

Product Description

The Earthmate LT-20 GPS System is a powerful, portable tool for in-vehicle GPS tracking. This WAAS-enabled receiver has DeLorme's proprietary Kalman filter for superior accuracy and fast acquisition. The 12 channel, low power chipset provides improved GPS tracking in weak signal conditions, plus a cold start time of less than 45 seconds.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Auto Routing, Not So Good Database, May 15, 2005

By 

Navigator Herb (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 Street Atlas 2007 U.S.A./Canada Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Electronics)

I've been using a Garmin E-Trex for some driving navigation (not it's main purpose) for some time. Having wanted something better for driving, I saw this as an inexpensive solution to use my laptop and have large screen GPS navigation. In short, the active navigation direction (including voice) work pretty well, the large display (my laptop) is great, but the database and route management tools lack.

Having only used this H/W & S/W (the included Street Atlas) for a few days, I'm sure I haven't figured it all out. Still, I quickly found that the database only knows about one of the several Home Depot stores in my area. I looked for the hotel I'll be staying at on an upcoming trip, and it is not in the database. A two year old street in a newer nearby residential street is not present. In each of these cases, my Garmin MapSource s/w had these elements, and the level of detail and accuracy are better, too. I've found work arounds by creating waypoints where I know things I'll be going to are located (Delorme won't let me move an existing waypoint that I've created, so if it's not right, delete and recreate). I'll probably use it for such things as our RV traveling, but when I want to find the nearest hardware store... well most anything, I'll pull out my little E-Trex.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tracks well but disappointing sensitivity, March 29, 2006

By 

A. Reehal "A Reehal" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 Street Atlas 2007 U.S.A./Canada Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Electronics)

I've had this for a couple of weeks and have used it in Jacksonville FL, Charlotte NC, and Seattle WA. I already own a Garmin handheld but wanted something I could hook up to my laptop. Installation was a breeze, and the led is very useful. However, I found this GPS takes far longer than the Garmin to acquire satellites and seems to be affected by clouds. In the car I've been averaging about five minutes before the led goes green. Once it locks on it is very good at tracking movement, although even the 2006 version of the maps seems out of date. Overall, it was pretty successful in helping me find my way around.

On a plane it's very unpredictable. Flying from Jacksonville to Seattle it was able to capture a signal going north towards Charlotte but soon as we turned west it couldn't hold a signal despite showing four satellites being available.

It's nice having such a small unit, but it appears they have compromised on the antenna too much and sacrificed sensitivity.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb navigation system, September 30, 2005

By 

PR - See all my reviews

This review is from: DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 Street Atlas 2007 U.S.A./Canada Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Electronics)

Practically hands-free using voice commands via microphone and aural response from the software. Maps are not always 100% accurate, but none of the mapping software I've used ever are 100% accurate. Use common sense and check your route. Firmware updates available from DeLorme website.