DeLorme PN-40

This is a review for the PN-40; it applies to the PN-30 as well, identical but for the absence of the compass and barometer. I've owned the unit for roughly a year and have been consistently impressed. It… is rugged, accurate, feature-rich, and a pleasure to use. It is not perfect. I use the unit solely for biking and hiking, not for automotive navigation. My impression is that PN-40 is not particularly well-suited for navigation, though it can do it, in principal. (The few times I have experimented with road navigation, route computation and update has been painfully slow. Additionally, there is no particularly handy way to navigate to locations that are not already waypoints. As this is obviously not what the PN-40 was designed for, I forgive the unit these "faults.") Accuracy: Its accuracy seems to on par with the Garmin 60csx (which, as far as I can tell, the gold standard for accuracy). In demanding side-by-side tests, I believe that PN-40 accuracy is a hair poorer than the 60csx, but better than the new Garmin units (Colorado/Oregon). Sensitivity: I regularly use the unit under a dense tree canopy and have had excellent reception. Ease of use: The unit itself is a pleasure to use; I find the menus to be well laid out and intuitive. The Topo 8.0 software, on the other hand, is a real hassle. While the software is quite feature-rich, the user interface is...well...deplorable. I use it just infrequently enough that I spent the bulk of my time hunting through menus to try to locate the relatively basic functions I use. That said, Topo 8.0's routing algorithms seem very good. I have been especially impressed with the "bicycle" routing setting. I should mention, also, that at the moment Topo 8.0 does not run on OS X, a serious shortcoming. Form factor: The actual form factor of the unit is perfectly satisfactory; it's not as sleek as the new Garmin units, of course. It is, on the other hand, very rugged. I don't take particularly good care of mine, and it shows very little wear. Maps: This is one dimension where deLorme dramatically outshines the competition. For a modest $25/year, a subscription to the deLorme mapping service gives you essentially unlimited access to USGS 1:24k contour maps of the US, nautical maps, satellite maps, &c. One of the PN-40s selling features is that it can overlay several different maps in the main display. I find the base maps for the unit quite good, but have really only tested these in a narrow area. HOWEVER, as far as I know, deLorme does not sell maps for other countries (even Canada) for the PN-40. If you are enterprising, you can download (often free) geotiff maps and load them on to the PN-40, but you need extra software from deLorme for this trick; I haven't experimented with this.

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This unit is very accurate and works very, very well. It acquires satellites very quickly and the screen is very bright and easy to read in sunlight. ( I've not yet used it for marine purposes so I'm not… sure how it would handle glare and very, very bright conditions. Battery life seem reasonable. If I were reviewing the unit itself on it's own it would get a five star review, the unit is not difficult to operate, albeit the learning curve navigating menus and sub-menus. The Topo Usa software that is bundled with it and is essentially the unit's operating system is as difficult to use as they come. I don't know who they get to design this software, but it is the least intuitive program I have ever used. I'm not exaggerating. I bought a copy of Topo USA many years ago (version 1.2.4) just to print out some hiking and fishing topo maps of my area. The old version was just as impossible as the current Ver.8. Ease of use has not changed a bit. It's impossible to navigate the controls and the menus. None of the mapping options follow any linear progression and downloading maps from their web site to the unit is as buggy as Windows 95, and direct download from web to unit doesn't work. It's workaround (as explained by telephone tech help)is ridiculous. I assure you it is not my computer, my video card or usb port compatibility.BTW, I have the most recent firmware update installed. The unit is great, but you will have to spend an awful lot of time with the software and the map interface. This unit is NOT for the casual weekend user in my opinion. Also, I think it ought to come with a zippered case, if for nothing else, to protect the screen and store an extra set of batteries.

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I waited a month before I wrote this review ,I have used this GPS every day. I have used many GPS ,starting with my 1996 BRUNTON ,just died and miss it the most(very accurate). First the good ; Screen,… face, maps are very nice . Than the bad ; Batteries life terrible Accuracy ,in my part of the woods Maine is far from good ,not better than my $127 E TREX . Compass; At the best UNRELIABLE ,do not depend on it for your life saving. Have to recalibrate every time you change the batteries,which is often . Gave up ,bought the rechargeable accessories. Take for ever to get to the point ,by than you are going somewhere else.KEEP A REAL COMPASS WITH YOU. Map access download a pain . Map interface great,if you have only that to do ,take time to learn and impliment . Not user friendly. I do use computer dayly . In all ,for PRO who have time and money maybe . For amateur ,the price and need do NOT match.DO NOT recommend Delorme has some great features ,hardware remain to Garmin. GET TOGETHER FOR the best GPS.

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I received PN 40 last Christmas. I wanted it for grouse hunting. Just finished a week of grouse hunting and found this unit to be just what I wanted. I had an Garmin 12 from which I was able to downland… my waypoints to TOPO 8 and then download them to the PN 40, this went smoothly after I figured out the correct com port. I was able to download aerial imagery to the PN 40 without a problem. I really like the track feature which shows where I've be walking. Also, I was surprised at how much distance we walked while hunting, typically 7 to 9 miles per daily trip. The tracks can be downloaded to TOPO 8 which is nice for future reference. It's nice when you can use the PN 40 to go across country just by looking at the screen and placeing the arrow where you what to go, it shows the distance and bearing, that way I can avoid unproductive areas. Printing maps is easy. The only complaint I have is battery life. I use Lithium batteries and get about a day and a half use from them. I get about half a day of use from the rechargable batteries. The point being, make sure you have extra batteries with you.

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