Get Gear: Handheld GPS & Navigation

Review by R. Keller:

Was looking at several alternatives for a hiking GPS when I noted Amazon’s excellent price on the PN-30 (9 as of 10/23/09). With the faster dual-processor setup, fixed WAAS bug, and higher sat tracking count, the PN30 is a great little GPS for that price.

Using a SDHC 8GB card I was able to quickly load the supplied base topo maps for NV, AZ, CO, NM, UT, CA, and OR. At first cold turn-on it took about 10min to lock in several sats to get a fix. However, all cold starts since then have taken about 30 seconds to get a 3D fix. Very nice. That was the ‘easy’ part about setup.

If you want color map overlays, aerial image overlays, etc. you have to use the Topo8 software and the netlink feature. There is a learning curve here and while it is not cliff-like, it is somewhat steep (particularly compared to a Garmin GPS, for example). I was able to get a few different areas of aerial image overlays and color maps for a couple of hikes I was going on, however, the download link failed on the 2nd set of maps and continued to fail. As a prior reviewer stated, you can still get them via email, which ended upworking fine. Still feel like I’ve only barely wet my feet as it were with the Topo8 software. I’ll keep digging (luckily there is a wiki and a support board), but it is like slogging through a swamp getting around in there.

The unit itself has a small but VERY VERY visible screen for daylight use. I can barely see the screen on my friend’s Garmin Colorado 400T, but the PN30s screen is super easy to read outside in bright light. Yes, compared to some other units out there the PN30s screen is quite small, but you get a damn good screen for quality and daylight visibility. I’ll tell you, it is not fun trying to read my friend’s Garmin 400T in bright daylight…there’s quite a bit of cursing going on at times! (Don’t get me wrong the 400T is very NICE, but that horrid screen just does not work in the daylight)

Interal setup is not particularly user-friendly, but it is doable without the manual if you want to go that way. Pages are straightforward, and layering easy to figure out (though learning what Level of Detail to use in Topo8 BEFORE you download is a good idea since my aerial images are not visible at all until you get down to about 640′ scale).

Phsyically, it is a bit ‘fat’ at the bottom, but tolerable and fits the hand well. I have a few gadget pouches and it does not fit in a normal camera pouch due to the thickness at the bottom (~2.5″). The little metal dots for the USB interface connection are okay, though getting the plug in the first time was struggle. It was tight and I thought I was going to break the unit. I understand the use of the metal dots to keep the unit sealed, however, I wonder about connectivity and conductivity over the life of the unit. I guess we’ll find out. Same with the memory card location. To keep the unit water-tight it is located under the back panel, beneath the batteries. Get a big SDHC card so you don’t have to swap out the card.

I looked at the PN40, but with nearly all of the same features, the PN30 was the best ‘bang for the buck’. I am quite happy with the unit thus far. I’d have rated it a 5 if it was not for the less-than-user-friendly setup and Topo8 software (and really out of date road maps for Vegas!)

Review by D. Davis:

Just got this Delorme PN-30 about a week ago. I extensively researched handheld GPS units before buying this one. I was leaning towards the Garmin Oregon, but I need to actually see the screen in very bright light…like when I’m kayaking out on the open water…so that unit was out…as well as all their other similar offerings. So despite the reviews about the Delorme PN units being a bit hard to use, I decided to get it.

First off, it is NOT hard to use. Anyone with even the slightest ability on a computer can get this unit up and customized to their liking. The complaints about the non-functional link to their on-line map library must have been heard, because mine worked like a dream. I only had one download not go to completion (using my free worth of maps, satellite and aerial images#…and that could have been my connection to the internet…which is sometimes less than optimal. Everything else went like a dream. You select which sections of the grid you want…for me it was around a lake I like to kayak in and some hiking areas…you ADD those to a list…which you accept and then download. A little menu box pops up with a list of maps you’ve downloaded and a list of what is on the GPS. You simply click on the map you want to install on the left column…which is what is now on your computer…and click on the destination folder you want on your GPS…either the internal memory or SD card. Then just click button to load it in, and it is done. Large files…like entire states take longer when using a USB connection, so it’s best to just pop the SD card into a card reader or slot on your computer to speed things up.

The quality of the maps that come with the unit are superb. And…if that wasn’t good enough, you can overlay things like satellite images right over the regular map. So, for instance, when I’m kayaking at my favorite lake, when the GPS is in that geographical area, automatically, it switches to a very detailed and accurate sat map so what I’m kayaking in looks exactly like where I really am. I have noticed with the rise and fall of the lake level…older topos show peninsulas and other features that are no loner there…and are now islands. This is kind of frustrating. Even google earth’s image is not correct. But the sat images from Delorme which I got for free, (due to their worth of free images that come with the unit)were right on..and very clear. Any of these additional maps can easily be switched off if you do not want them to automatically come up when you’re in the relevant geographical location.

Other nifty features are things like the unit’s ability to switch to night-mode automatically, based on when it knows sunset occurs. I was driving out of a labyrinth of roads in a housing development, and the night mode made it very easy to retrace my route out, without messing up my dark adaptation…very nice feature.

So, all in all, I would say Delorme has a real winner with the PN-30. It blows my eXplorist 500 right out of the water! The maps are superb, the ability to customize is amazing, and it is just a solidly built, great little unit. And, it is obvious that Delorme has made its online map downloading feature function correctly and quickly.

Review by ideastoday:

Before buying this new Venture HC, I had spent many hours trekking with several of the original eTrex models over the years. I think it’s fair to say that while the concept of the original eTrex was great, the execution was frequently disappointing.

It disappoints no more. The Venture HC is the eTrex perfected. It remedies almost every shortcoming that plagued the original models. The new high-sensitivity receiver is amazingly effective. Countless times I’ve stood in wide open spaces cursing my old eTrex because it wouldn’t acquire a single satellite. Last night I turned on the Venture HC on the bottom floor of my two story house, and it locked onto 8 satellites…through the roof and the upper floor! No more “need a clear view of the sky” messages. Amazing.

The old monochrome display has become color, and the user interface is now substantially more intuitive, while adding even more functionality. The cable, which was serial on previous models, has been upgraded to USB, another welcome improvement. The case is somewhat wider than before, but the design bears a strong resemblance to the original eTrex.

A basemap is included but it’s just that – basic. It shows the largest highways, bodies of water, and has some limited capability to display highway exit services. If you need turn-by-turn street directions, an eTrex is not for you. This is a GPS receiver true to Garmin’s outdoor GPS heritage.

Promised battery life (14 hours) is near the bottom of the range when compared to the existing eTrex models, but is still perfectly adequate and has posed no problems.

One weakness that remains is Garmin’s waypoint manager PC software. It has the feel and functionality of a software product released circa 1994. Garmin could certainly develop a better PC interface. For you can buy ExpertGPS from Topografix, or download the free version (EasyGPS)from their website. Either is far more functional than the Garmin OEM software.

Still, the software criticism is a quibble. The Venture HC itself is great. It is a market changing product that renders all previous eTrex models (and many competitors) obsolete. Finally, an affordable outdoor GPS receiver that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Review by Ken A. Huth:

I was totally chessed off at Magellan when my Explorist 100 died under warranty and they refused to support or repair it (this was a new unit!). So I only considered Garmin based on liking my car unit.

Mac Users:

It’s a bit tricky, but I am able to use the USB cable and the ‘send to Garmin’ to automatically load waypoints from geocaching.com. One warning is that they have a Mac firmware web updater and it’s very new and froze on my attempt to use it, which blanked my unit. [...]. I did the update for this unit on a friends PC and it went fine.

There are some Mac caching software, but none of them are working for me with this unit. So keep that in mind if you really want to go beyond the web waypoint downloads. That’s a bummer, since Maccaching and GeoJournal look like they’d be great.

The included software does not work on a Mac, so ignore that CD. From the Garmin site, you can download the plugin for Mac to make Safari aware of the unit so you can do the “send to Garmin’ trick. They also have the Mac version of their WebUpdater (the one that hosed my first unit) on their site. Finally, you don’t need any USB drivers for Tiger or Leopard OSX, so don’t worry about them only being for Windows on the Garmin site.

Usage:

Crazy fast turn on and acquiring satellites. We are thrilled that we can turn it on in the car and it will start to pick up satellites right away. Our Magellin (an cheap 100 unit) would take awhile even outside in cloudcover.

It also seems to save all the time, as the shutdown is very fast, with no ‘saving’ note like our Magellin made us wait for.

I guess our only complaint is that we like to use the backlight a lot and that sucks batteries. It’s winter now, and so many days and locations are dim, and without the backlight, the unit can be pretty dim to read. It takes 2 AA’s. It also has a system pref for the type of battery you use (Alkaline, NiMH or LiOn), why? Maybe to only USB charge when they are NiMH’s?? But remember to set that to the correct type.

We really love auto loading the coordinates. And even with the free account on Geocaching.com, we get the cache name, GC# and coordinates. That saves tons of time and mistakes. We find ourselves loading up any cache that interests us, just in case.

Accuracy:

The unit seems right on. Our other unit would usually be more like 20-30 feet accurate in the woods, and this one led us right to the cache and showed 16′ accuracy at that point under normal tree cover. It also refreshes more often than our old unit, so it feels more responsive. No more going 20 feet and then seeing that the arrow just didn’t update to show we were going the wrong way, or overshot.

Build:

It seems solid and took our last rainy hike well. The back has a bit of a gap, but the seal must lock in fine. It uses the ‘D’ lock, so just half a twist to lock and unlock, which is fast and appreciated on a cold cache while changing batteries. We always had to dig to get the Magellin’s ring out and turning to pop the back.

Thumb toggle:

If you’ve used the old Garmin’s with button input, the toggle on the front is really welcomed. We zip through data entry and you push the toggle in to accept an entry. It’s also a shortcut to Mark your current location (holding down the toggle button). Another tip is that holding down the lower left button brings up the ‘Find’ menu quickly.

Speed:

One thing I noted was that when I went just one setting more on ‘detail’ for the maps, it really cut the redraw speed (which is a tad slow to begin with), so that was disappointing.

Hope that helps someone and happy caching!

for Team Spiderweb4-2

Review by L. Gautreau:

I just got my Lowepro and after reading all of the reviews that noted that the battery storage was too tight, they might have fixed that because my batteries fit with no forcing at all. Basically a perfect fit.

Haven’t used the case yet but it looks and feels good.

Review by Gwyneth Calvetti:

Before I write anymore, let me share that I use my handheld GPSr primarily for geocaching….nearly weekly. When out in the field, it is not at all unusual for me to be hiking several miles through dense wooded areas, slogging through wetlands or paddling a kayak along a river to reach my intended destination. So please keep that in mind as you read my comments.

This carrying case is built with the kind of construction one expects from Lowepro; quality materials, practical closures and little extras, such as the carabiner clip for one’s belt. The design is such that it has the flexibility to accomodate different brands of handhelds. Most often, I use a Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator, but it can also hold my Magellan Triton 500 Handheld Navigation System nicely. I liked the little zipped compartment for storing an extra set of batteries, but did find it to be a really tight fit for the two AA Hybrids my unit requires. The neoprene fabric offers excellent protection from nicks and scratches to the handheld unit itself.

That said….as one whose use of the handheld requires it to be visible and in hand for most of my travels on trail, the enclosed nature of the design is a bit curious to me. I have found myself using the carrying case more for storing my handheld when not in use. On the trail, it becomes an extra item to manage. I would guess that for those whose use involves following well marked trails for most of their journey, this carrying case would be a nice way to carry the unit while keeping it protected and hands free for other activities. Hunters heading to a deer stand or fishermen to a hot spot may find this to be exactly what they need to keep their unit stowed away once they arrive on site and start doing what they came to do.

Review by Grant Fritchey:

I’m not one of those extreme high-end geocachers. I just love a walk in the woods. However, I want to find the cache when I go to look for it. Last year I upgraded from a Garmin Explorer to a 60CSX and was in love. Unfortunately that got stolen. I’ve saved my money and now have the Colorado 400t. It’s everything my 60CSX was and more. The new rocker control is a lot easier to use than the controls on the 60CSX or the Explorer. The accuracy is fantastic. With the City maps plugged in the road navigation is wonderful. This really is the best GPS unit I’ve used for hiking & caching. I’m really impressed with the ability to swap between profiles, using the Automotive until I hit the trail and then switching back to the Geocaching mode. Start up time & satellite acquisition are good. They’re now supporting SD instead of the mini-SD cards and that’s a good choice on Garmin’s part. A lot of the new interfaces are improved over the old ones plus, like the old ones they’re customizable.

Like everyone else, the fact that only one cache at a time is visible is a pain, but all the other features quickly wash that away. I haven’t found the maps to be inaccurate, but then I mainly use it for off-road hiking and the hills, mountains & streams are pretty solidly in place, even in Massachusetts. It is a little dim in bright sunlight.

Despite these small shortcomings, this is a wonderful GPS unit. I intend to get years of use (and hang on to it more tightly).

UPDATE: Garmin released a software patch that fixed the problem with displaying multiple cache’s. That’s one less of the few and small negatives to worry about. I’m still loving this GPS unit.

Review by Carrie Smith:

This would be a fantastic unit if the accuracy was there. The Geocaching functionality is great, the 3D topo maps are beautiful for a base map, and the unit is fun to use. Compared to Garmin’s star product, the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx 2.6-Inch Mapping Handheld GPS, it’s a little harder to figure out how to do various things such as enter a route, and figure out the distance between two points. I would have kept the unit if only it were accurate. I had trouble finding a cache and noticed the location of the cache kept bouncing all over the place. I started to test the unit by taking a reading and checking it against Google Earth and Nat Geo Topo! software, as well as another GPSr. It was off by as much as 400 ft, and only as close as 40 ft. I also tested it with a few known benchmarks. At that point I did some research to determine if there was some calibration I could do to solve the problem, and found that other people have experienced the same problem. Several people reported it as a recurring problem cured by a power reset. My guess is the new chip Garmin put into the Colorado is not as reliable as the SiRF Star III chip used in the past. If that is the case, an update will not cure the problem. I personally want a unit I can rely on and needed to purchase now, so I exchanged it for the well regarded but older Garmin 60CSx, which contains the trusted SiRF Star III chip. If you really want the new features and can hold off buying, I recommend you wait until the accuracy has been tested by consumers for a longer period of time. If you don’t mind an occasional reset, and having to guess if your unit is giving you accurate readings or not, this is a good GPSr.

Review by R. World:

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 0 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 .25 per square kilometer. The unit comes with a free voucher for 0 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.

Review by S. CLOWN:

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!!