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Delorme PN-20


Kavid

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Kavid, I've had my refurbished PN-20 for about a month. See below for Pros & Cons. I'm sure others will chime in that have spent much more time with it but this is just my opinion for now.

I have had a Magellan Map 330, Garmin etrex and a Magellan Explorist 210 in the past for comparisons

 

Pros

Very simple to use (UI just makes sense)

Picks up Sats quickly (most of the time)

Layering of the different types of maps works great (order, hybrid & on/off)

Batteries last about 10-12 hours using Alkaline (could be con for some)

Customization of what is on the screen is great (maps, aerials, NOAA, etc)

Topo 7.0 software (fantastic at planning geocaching, hiking, biking trips

Screen is very readable and pixel resolution seems great (great screen)

Unit has a very high quality feel to it (buttons, lanyard, high impact plastic casing)

Floats and is water resistent! (IPX7 standard is what I think they call it)

Search by waypoint type near center or alpha works great (shows distance count down in real time to each)

Trip computer has about everything you can think of

Pick which screens you want to cycle through (compass, map, trip comp, waypoints, etc)

Yellow color (easy to see when dropped down a hillside, I've done this already)

Hybrid maps with topo info on top of aerials, USGS, etc.)

Works great with trail mapping and routes

Does basic waypoint routing great as long as not in big urban area

Works great with .gpx files (descriptions, hints, etc)

TigerGPS has them refurbed for $199.99 with everything as new

Delorme's forum & customer support are about the best you can get

 

Cons

Screen refresh can be slow at times (.25 to .5 mile screen refresh the worse for me)

Balks at picking up Sats on occasions (changing batteries usually but very seldom)

Screen could be a tad bigger (usually not a problem)

Waypoint and Find listing can take a while to retrieve points (I use 800 so that is probably why)

 

This is my opinion in a nut shell. I wouldn't trade this thing in for any other GPS currently on the market!

Edited by peto_geo
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There are a number of discussions about the PN-20 on these boards. Here is a search listing topics for the Delorme PN-20 (some obviously more pertinent to your question than others).

 

My short synopsis: great value in an outdoor-oriented handheld, but if you want to do a lot of street routing you might be more satisfied with a Garmin handheld.

 

Take a look at these screenshots.

 

Edit to add: I feel comfortable enough with the redraw rates, and I do some other things to try and reduce the load of what is admittedly a very busy processor (e.g., I hold my waypoint list down to 300-500). If you are concerned about performance, you may want to consider the upcoming PN-40.

Edited by embra
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I have had the opportunity to use the PN-20 a few times. It’s a good GPS but you just have to figure out if the trade-offs (v/s other models) are okay with you. 64k color screen is nice and crisp but it's a touch small. Aerial photography and topo options are nice but the possessor is painfully slow. Topo maps of the USA are the best I have seen but there are no maps for anywhere else (not even Canada).

 

If your thinking of a PN-20 I would really consider waiting for the PN-40 to see what it is like. If it's getting a bigger screen and faster processor (and some more maps) it could be a really great product.

Edited by ryleyinstl
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No Comparison between Triton and PN-20!

I had the Magellan Triton 400 for about a week and tried to like it but just never got that "I really like this thing" feeling. Firmware was pretty up to date so I don't think that was the problem. Unit locked up on me several times over the course of the week I owned it. I've been a Magellan owner/guy for a long time. No more!

 

The paperless caching seemed to work well on the Triton and the Sirf III chip picked up satellites quickly but the basemap was worthless to me. I installed NG State Topo and it looked good while in the house with backlight on but once outside in the sun it was (again to me) almost unreadable. PN-20 screen and maps are amazing inside and outside! It also does paperless caching very nice also.

 

PN-20 is (to me) worlds better and much more enjoyeable. Maps are second to none and the unit has that quality feel to it. Again, just one opinion here.

 

Only problems with the PN-20 are a smallish screen (exact same size as Triton) and screen refreshes can be slow. It's all worth it to me though.

Edited by peto_geo
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The paperless caching seemed to work well on the Triton and the Sirf III chip picked up satellites quickly but the basemap was worthless to me. I installed NG State Topo and it looked good while in the house with backlight on but once outside in the sun it was (again to me) almost unreadable. PN-20 screen and maps are amazing inside and outside! It also does paperless caching very nice also.

 

 

I caved and bought a refurbished PN-20, but I can't figure out how to go paperless. Help please!

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We have you covered at the Delorme boards, where you also posted. Short answer: import the gpx or loc file from gc.com into Topo7 as a draw layer, then exchange the waypoints to the PN-20.

 

The description and hint (if you downloaded a gpx file) will show in the comment field of the waypoint. The PN-20 allows up to 800 characters in the comment.

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Can anyone tell me about the Delorme PN-20, reviews, pros, cons?

 

I bought a PN-20 as a backup for my Garmin 60csx. I returned the PN-20 twice. The first time Delorme replaced some component and the second time they sent me a new unit. Even the new unit gave me troubles! All too often it took up to 15 minutes to pick up satellites and in general it was terribly slow compared to my 60csx. After a month of struggling with it, I sold the PN-20 on eBay and bought a second Garmin...

 

Now if only Garmin would sell professional level mapping software.

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