RRLover

Safari & Firefox are supported browsers, are you using either? Norm

DeLorme has free software (Send to GPS browser plugin, Cache Register 2.0) which does this. Both these features : "Send to GPS" & "CacheRegister 2.0", work on an Mac w/out having to load Windows in any fashion. Also, the "pre-cut" maps can be loaded to device sans Windows, as well as images from DeLorme's data site. Windows only comes into play if one wants to use the Topos 7, or 8, or Topo North America9 software(s) for displaying routes, tracks, and waypoints, as well as cutting custom maps using user defined parameters that are either more, or less robust than what DeLorme chose to include in their pre-cuts. Usable with a Mac sans Windows? Yes! Can you avail all the features? No! What your needs are, and what hoops you're willing to jump? That's your call. I agree w/Lee, for out of the box seamless simplicity? Garmin may be the easier choice. Norm

The Astro(?) line from Garmin is dedicated to working w/upland field dogs & possibly sight/scent hounds. Fairly close to what SAR and perp. tracking would entail. Working in conjunction w/the Garmin software on an portable or base PC should be fairly straight forward. Although working in 'real-time' on the PC may present some significant challenges, post event analysis should be "a cake walk". Norm P. S. : Lil' girl in my avatar has one leg towards a tracking title, we'll see how it goes, she is ambitious. The Groundspeak software squashed the image due to my not cropping to the correct dimensions.

No, you don't. The iPhone 4 has an electronic compass. If the readings are off, move away from interference sources and wave the phone in a figure 8 pattern to recalibrate it. I have an 3GS, I found charging it and using the iHome IA5 alarm clock thingy has done some weird stuff to the compass. I suspect the magnet structure in the speakers. On-line I purchased an 30 pin male to 30 pin female cord so as to get some distance twixt the two. My suspicions arose when I noted that anywhere w/in 5-6 feet from the clock unit the compass would point straight at it, I think keeping the phone just a couple inches from it over night affected the compass. It usually took a couple hard resets simultaneously, and some vigorous shaking, and a re-cal. to get its wits about it. With the addition of the new cord and an "In your face" clamp on clip it's feeling much better now. Norm

WOW! now there's a QA test I don't think DeLorme thought of. Norm

Yes it works in the stated manner on an eXplorist. Mark a waypoint then manipulate the pointer to the coordinate fields and alter to the desired result. Norm

Multiple dedicated user/gurus can be found here : http://forum.delorme.com/ "Cream o' the Crop" . . . so to speak. Be prepared to explain briefly where your difficulties lie, even if it is square 1. Norm

You'll have to hack(jailbreak) the phone, and add a BlueTooth stack for it to recognize an bluetooth receiver. I don't know the software or procedures, but Apple doesn't want ya using outside hardware at this(or probably any) time. Norm

ROFLMFAO! Norm

Perhaps you aren't aware, perhaps you are; DeLorme's PN-XX devices ship w/Topo NA 9. This software contains mapping data available to the user that pretty much all the competition sells over and above their handheld offering's base maps. So DeLorme sorta supplies you w/the free maps, and the software to manipulate data on your Windows computer. They have limited offerings presently for those who insist on native Mac use, and remain mum about any future offerings beyond CacheRegister 2(or is that II). BootCamp is an kluge that DeLorme quietly recommends, though a few have had varying levels success using the different Windows emulators, Delorme stops short of recommending their use. If one doesn't need the features of Topo as a whole product Mac users do have the ability to load pre-cut vector maps to the device natively via Mac. I've not pursued knowledge regarding the various flavors of Linux. Norm

It's not a simple solution, it's a kluge; using VMs, and BootCamp. Their devices are expensive, purchasing XP is a cost over and above, and dealing w/all of the compatibility issues of Windows and the attendant software SNAFUs make that option less appealing. When I went on a search of their USA mapping data it sends you to some mini airplane/ hang gliding website that you have to join just to navigate the site, still got a lot of wrinkles to iron out, but I'll still keep an eye on them. The Adventura(?) is like $750.00 w/out NA maps, too rich for an experiment to me. Norm

All of the above use proprietary algorithms to state what they consider to be their best guess as to how close the device is to the reported coordinates. These formula are not shared w/us, or each other. It's just a way to say you have a nebulas percentage of being within this "guestimate" of feet to the stated position. The proof is in the pudding, take them out and check them against a known corrected 'benchmark' and weigh for yourself the accuracy of each device. Do this on different days and at different times, as the satellite constellation plays a major role, . . . and is in a constant state of flux. Norm

so this is an airplane then, right? Well, . . . Saab does make a mean fighter, or @ least they used to. Norm (former owner/pilot(?) of a model 97(ninety seven, NOT nine-seven)) now lusting for a Land Rover 101 fc, my, how times change one!

How is the OP holding the device? The iPhone 4 has different areas of the housing acting as antennae for the different aspects of radio transmission/ reception. If one holds adjacent areas of the housing all bets are off, antennae are tuned for their specific needs, human tissue conducts enough to upset the balance, especially when contacting(in close proximity) two antennae @ the same time. Presence or lack of a cover also could have an effect on X/R efficiency. The little lines of demarkation between the different "zones" are quite fine and may not be noticed w/out close scrutiny. This is a hardware issue in the design of the case; ya win some, ya lose some. I'll wait for #5 Norm

It's the "four-way button" used to move the cursor. Similar action to the "joy-stick" on a "game control(er)". Norm

Did you allow the PN to download the full data while you were outside? Any unit on a cold start in a new environment takes roughly 20-25 minutes to get the full ephemera.

I believe the 2 AA's included with device are the Energizer Advanced lithiums, while the e-lithiums are the Energizer Ultimates. Under GPS Specifications in the linked PDF; shouldn't the first line have an green check mark for : "GPX file exchanges to SD cards(waypoints, routes, tracks, geocaches) " in the column for PN-40? (TNA9, & firmware 2.8/3.1 inclusive) Norm

"Like" X2 Norm P. S. : Splashy : If muster is passed, PM me . . .

Can a bicycle designed to be used on-road be used as a mountain bike? Yeah, but it ain't much fun. Norm

Post #6 should have been post #1! Norm

Is there a separate "Geocaches" folder on the new PNs? Or did you mean "Waypoints"? Terminology IS important, I'm not being picky, a new user could get quite perplexed if one casually mixes terms and they don't recognize, or know enough to know better. Norm

If you look up, ........ right about here ^ in the reply box is a little green icon that looks like a computer monitor, try that. Norm

Lee : I'm guilty of reading the post lightly, and taking it at face value, also, of not doing more in-depth research towards ascertaining the posters device of choice. My apologies for bringing you into the fray w/an offhand, off the cuff response. Better attn. to detail should be the fix, . . . or not. I'll work harder at that task. Norm <edit> above post stricken from record, & this one ammended

<delete> Norm

Also, this may be of interest to those using their OSs set up in a language other than US English : http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?p=163279#p163279 Norm