Frodo_Underhill

I really like the looks of the Delorme pn-20/pn-40 models and have been reading about them since the pn-20 first came out. From all that I have read over that time it seems that these units to indeed have more fragile screens than some other models out there. Do a quick google search you will find that there are quite a few other people who have had the exact same thing happen shortly after getting their new delorme gps. I'm still interested in the PN-40, but would hate to loose any of the durability that any of my past gps units have had. I did a quick google search on "broken screen" for various GPS models. Here are the reported hits from Google DeLorme 3,580 Garmin 56,400 Magellan 21,700 I am not sure I would have drawn the same conclusion as you did. LCD screens will break if you drop them just right. That is just the nature of the beast. The fact that DeLorme is willing to repair the unit is commendable. And I have had a PN-20 for over a year now. Have dropped it a few times and fortunately everything is still in good working order.

Congrats to Muddy and Amused for conquering the Challenge. It was great fun watching you and the other cachers tackle the beast. You just never know about sequels. From all the fun gipsie had organizing this series I would not bet against it. Though next time I think she should broaden her horizons beyond the Mid-Atlantic region. I wonder if we can reserve GC1ZZZZ for the next challenge??

GPX is the way to go. Download them via pocket query from geocaching.com and then load them into Topo 7 and then transfer them to your GPS. Its that easy. You may also run them through GSAK if you care to filter the pocket query for whatever caches you are interested that day then save the results to a new GPX file, load that into Topo7 and then transfer it to your GPS. Also check over at the DeLorme forum - they are very helpful over there.

I have been able to get the fix to work on a Meridian Gree, Gold and Color units. Same data structure - just in slightly different locations in each file. (I know - I should have put this all in one posting )

I found the same thing on a Meridian Gold. I then cleared the memory using MENU - SETUP - CLEAR MEMORY - ALL after which the unit shuts down by itself. I then turned the unit back on and let it acquire a lock and within 10 - 12 minutes it had a WAAS lock and was receiving data from both PRN-135 and PRN-138 (hidden menu #3). Looks like Magellan had us clearing the memory when doing a firmware update for a reason.

Your best bet may be to find a unit for parts on eBay. They come up now and then and you are taking the chance on the screen working or not. But if the price is low enough it may be feasable. I was able to get a unit for parts a while back. Paid too much for it but I was able to get a Color unit that was still capable of receiving WAAS corrections back into working order. Never could find a source for those screen - probably not been made in years.

GerIRL - I've had a PN-20 for a year now and it gets WAAS all the time as opposed to a Maggie I have that is no longer WAAS capable. If you are having trouble with WAAS check with DeLorme. Or check their forum - better info over there as the DeLorme engineers check it and interact with their customers. Good luck! And if you would like to trade your PN-40 for a PN-20 - just get in touch!

My blue Mustang has been spotted on more backroads in The Wharton than I care to recall. The rangers stopped me once to make sure it wasn't stolen. They figure a 2WD like that out in the middle of nowhere might be hot.

With some luck an avid duck hunter will find it by accident and log the cache.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However you might actually want to check the device out at one of the stores. My eyesight is not what it used to be but a hands on demo of the PN-20 at REI last year sold me on the unit. The clarity of the screen is amazing and having USGS Topos and photo imagery enhances the utility of this unit. The PN-40 is everything the PN-20 was but better. And yes I have held a PN-40 - was fortunate enough to catch a demo of the product by a DeLorme engineer at L.L. Beans. If you are going to speak against the product, you might want to have more information by actually holding and checking one out.

Monmouth County would be covered by the Central Jersey group. Central Jersey Geocaching Though there is quite a lot of overlap and cross membership between the various Jersey caching clubs.

Harry, Read the listing again. It references a cemetery as a part of the story and the puzzle is solvable at home. So there is no need to go to a cemetery. Hopefully that will work for you. The PMC series is a quite diverse selection of puzzles and cache styles. Well worth the look. The ones I have issues with involve canoes and climbing - but then that's what teaming up against the CO was meant for! Frodo

Unfortunately, most pre-Triton Magellan models are past their end-of-life and no longer supported with software updates. So this option is not open. If you are in NJ, the current WAAS satellites will show up low in the SW sky and they will be designated by 135/138 under secret menu 3. The old WAAS satellites are in the SE sky and are 122/124. (For NC, satellites will likely have the same relative positions in the sky but a little higher above the horizon than in NJ) The GPS will still work quite well without WAAS. Where WAAS is most useful is in taking precise coordinates for placing caches. For finding them - when you are within 20 - 30 ft, put the GPS in your pocket and use the "force" to find the cache. Good luck!

While I was walking to from one cache to another this afternoon I was thinking about the WAAS problem with the pre-Triton Magellan GPSr. As I understand it, if the GPSr was on-line when the WAAS satellites where changed and it received the updated satellite info from the old satellites and its memory has not been rest since that time, then it is capable of receiving the WAAS corrections from the new satellites. Now if the memory is cleared on that GPSr, the factory defaults from ROM are loaded into memory and the GPSr will not recognize the new satellites. There is something in the memory of that WAAS capable GPSr before it is reset that allows it to identify the new satellites. It is doubtful that anyone will ever be able to reverse engineer the firmware – just too complicated. However has anyone ever thought of dumping the entire contents of the GPSr memory to a file of a GPSr that recognizes the new WAAS satellites and then taking that memory dump and loading it into a GPSr that does not recognize the WAAS satellites? It’s a brute force memory. Might be crazy enough to work. You would need a program to access all of the memory within the GPSr. None of the built in functions are going to handle this. We would need a small program that could be loaded into the GPS to dump the data to the serial port and then another to receive the data in the next GPS. Some one a while back worked on porting uClinux to the Magellan Meridians and got as far as getting a program to read the buttons to run. However the site with this information is no longer active so that is gone. So the vision would be to dump the data from one WAAS capable GPS and package it with a program to install this data on a non-WAAS capable GPS and restore WAAS. Crazy idea or not? What do you think? And is anyone capable of pulling this off?

I transitioned from a Meridian Gold to the PN-20 in December. My experience was that the PN-20 works fine under heavy tree cover. Also from caching with other cachers with Meridians, the PN-20 will bring you directly to the cache. No circling and wandering about like you do while you wait for the Meridian to catch up. I find the PN-20 is just a more responsive and accurate unit. This is all based on my experience - your mileage may vary.

I applaud the courage of the Groundspeak staff on making any changes what-so-ever on the forum since change here, no matter how well intended, is usually greeted by thunderous complaints. I am just so happy that this name change did not re-ignite the North/South Jersey controversy. To quote Shakespeare, "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" I think it is time to go find some caches.

Gav, Do your research and make an informed decision. There are some things the PN-20 does well - maps, good reception. And there are some things it does not do well - routing, panning and zooming maps - very slow in both instances. I would make up all the routes in Topo7 and transfer them to the PN-20. It does not excel in routing. The DeLorme forums have been pretty open about the good and the not so good. I am very happy with my unit. In particular I got some additional software - XMap - which allows you to load scanned maps into the unit. I have been able to put in some historical Topo maps and it has worked great for finding old abandoned roads in the state forest here. But don't ask me to calculate routes on the unit - not its strong point. If you are in need of highway routing you may want to look at one of the Garmin units or other dedicated car units. Frodo

The PN-20 works real well for caching. It comes with Topo 7 mapping software which is also used to load waypoints into the GPS. What I do is use GSAK to produce a GPX file of the area I will be caching in. I load the GPX file into Topo 7 and then download the caches into the GPS. The first 800 characters of the cache listing will show up in the comments field of the waypoint on the PN-20. With GSAK you can select additional info to put in the comment field such as Terrain, Difficulty, cache type, hints, etc. So you can go paperless for most caches with the PN-20. DeLorme has also been very attentive to the caching community and has been incorporating their comments into firmware revisions. This is a great mapping unit - comes with all the maps you need and has the ability to load additional maps such as USGS TOPO's and ariel photos etc. The unit and the DeLorme software have a bit of a learning curve to them but well worth the time and the effort. And the unit gets great reception and I have found it to be quite responsive and accurate even under dense folliage. Check out DeLorme's forums for further details.

We have a DeLorme Challenge here south of the border in New Jersey and having the bookmarks available has proved invaluable in administering the tour. Just can not imagine how anyone would be upset about their cache being bookmarked in this manner. You can always make your book mark "shared" but not "public". That way your DeLorme cache committee will have access to it for checking your finds yet it will not appear on the cache page to annoy the cache owner. Best of luck with whatever you come up with

It's dead. When will it rise again - who knows? If the proprietors are listening, perhaps they will grace us with an update.

Moderator. Would you please shut this thread down. It has served its purpose. Thank you. Frodo

Folks, it is evident you don't care for the cache series. So by all means please ignore it. There are however quite a few cachers that are enjoying these caches. Networking with other cachers in other lands to get the coordinates to find the local cache is a new experience and its fun. In the process cachers are meeting other cachers on line and learning a little about the history of Camden and some of the other cities that host the Peter Pan statues. To paraphrase one of the organizers, surely this type of collaboration fits in with the spirit and fun of a world-wide GPS based sport/game As to how you log this cache or the series - well that's up to you. Log only what you find or log everything you participated in. Or ignore the series and let the rest of us have some fun seeking Pete Pan. What we are doing in this series is not intended to harm or diminish your caching experience in any way. Peace, Frodo

The Peter Pan (Camden) cache has just been approved and is now available to seek and find. Thanks to our reviewer Pofe and the Peter Pan team for making this cache happen. GV1899C - Peter Pan (Camden)

The Peter Pan (Camden) cache has just been approved and is now available to seek and find. Thanks to our reviewer Pofe and the Peter Pan team for making this cache happen. GV1899C - Peter Pan (Camden)

I'll second that nomination. Great bunch of cachers who cover the South of Jersey. We don't have mountains but we do have Pines and cedars, beaches and marshes, urban and rural - just about everything but mountains! We also know how to stash caches and enjoy the game!