DeLorme Tips and Tricks

[+TotemLake]

Okay, first DIY is set up. There are two links so you can bookmark the first one. First is the contents and will be updated with another routable track tutorial.

http://www.totemlake.org/Delorme-DIY.htm

 

The next two links are of primary interest for the Northwest Trails Project.

 

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-transferdrawlayer.htm

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-RoutableTrackLayer.htm

 

Hope this helps!

[+LandRover]

Okay, first DIY is set up. There are two links so you can bookmark the first one. First is the contents and will be updated with another routable track tutorial.

http://www.totemlake.org/Delorme-DIY.htm

 

The next two links are of primary interest for the Northwest Trails Project.

 

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-transferdrawlayer.htm

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-RoutableTrackLayer.htm

 

Hope this helps!

Thanks TL, I don't know why I wasn't able to figure it out on my own it's such an simple process.

[+TotemLake]

Okay, first DIY is set up. There are two links so you can bookmark the first one. First is the contents and will be updated with another routable track tutorial.

http://www.totemlake.org/Delorme-DIY.htm

 

The next two links are of primary interest for the Northwest Trails Project.

 

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-transferdrawlayer.htm

http://www.totemlake.org/DeLorme-RoutableTrackLayer.htm

 

Hope this helps!

Thanks TL, I don't know why I wasn't able to figure it out on my own it's such an simple process.

Yah... no it isn't . I have a few more years experience in this map software. Picking it up for the handheld was a simple extension for me.

[+ladybug*]

 

Greetings Fellow cachers. I'm new, I received the pn-20 for christmas. How do I go paperless and get more then just the coords? There is so much more info that this newbie needs. Including the encrypted tips sometimes. Is it possible to get this info on my gps as well or do I still need to print this out so I have a clue? Hope someone can help me here.

 

Thanks, great day.

Carol Jo

Livingston, MT

[+TotemLake]

 

Greetings Fellow cachers. I'm new, I received the pn-20 for christmas. How do I go paperless and get more then just the coords? There is so much more info that this newbie needs. Including the encrypted tips sometimes. Is it possible to get this info on my gps as well or do I still need to print this out so I have a clue? Hope someone can help me here.

 

Thanks, great day.

Carol Jo

Livingston, MT

Import the GPX to your Topo, then export the waypoint layer to your handheld using the Handheld export. You are limited to 1000 waypoints on the PN-20 so plan your GPX wisely. Alternatively, you can copy the individual waypoints to another Waypoint layer by way of copying it to a Draw Layer, then copy the Draw Layer back to another Waypoint Layer, which then can be exported to your handheld.

 

Soon this will be simplified by utilizing a direct download from Geocaching.com in the same manner as Garmin receivers do now. The software is currently being developed to GC's requirements. DeLorme expects to begin beta testing it soon and then will be released to the public for use.

[Moun10Bike]

Thank you, TL, for all of your efforts on this! It will really help people get Northwest Trails into their PN-xx's!

[+TotemLake]

 

Greetings Fellow cachers. I'm new, I received the pn-20 for christmas. How do I go paperless and get more then just the coords? There is so much more info that this newbie needs. Including the encrypted tips sometimes. Is it possible to get this info on my gps as well or do I still need to print this out so I have a clue? Hope someone can help me here.

 

Thanks, great day.

Carol Jo

Livingston, MT

Import the GPX to your Topo, then export the waypoint layer to your handheld using the Handheld export. You are limited to 1000 waypoints on the PN-20 so plan your GPX wisely. Alternatively, you can copy the individual waypoints to another Waypoint layer by way of copying it to a Draw Layer, then copy the Draw Layer back to another Waypoint Layer, which then can be exported to your handheld.

 

Soon this will be simplified by utilizing a direct download from Geocaching.com in the same manner as Garmin receivers do now. The software is currently being developed to GC's requirements. DeLorme expects to begin beta testing it soon and then will be released to the public for use.

I just read a comment from Team Delorme where the GC update is for PN-40's and is in Beta testing now. I'm not sure how this will fare for PN-20's yet.

 

M10B, I'm only too glad to pitch in for this effort.

[+ladybug*]

Import the GPX to your Topo, then export the waypoint layer to your handheld using the Handheld export. You are limited to 1000 waypoints on the PN-20 so plan your GPX wisely. Alternatively, you can copy the individual waypoints to another Waypoint layer by way of copying it to a Draw Layer, then copy the Draw Layer back to another Waypoint Layer, which then can be exported to your handheld.

 

Soon this will be simplified by utilizing a direct download from Geocaching.com in the same manner as Garmin receivers do now. The software is currently being developed to GC's requirements. DeLorme expects to begin beta testing it soon and then will be released to the public for use.

 

Thank you..........now if I only had a clue what this means LOL.........so what's a gpx and what are the steps to import it to my topo? then export to the waypoint layer? I guess I'm more of a monkey see monkey do kinda gal. Either that or first you press this then ya do this then you push that then you do the other. I hate it when I am the only "special" one in the group.

 

Thanks,

Carol Jo

ladybug*

[+ladybug*]

 

Greetings Fellow cachers. I'm new, I received the pn-20 for christmas. How do I go paperless and get more then just the coords? There is so much more info that this newbie needs. Including the encrypted tips sometimes. Is it possible to get this info on my gps as well or do I still need to print this out so I have a clue? Hope someone can help me here.

 

Thanks, great day.

Carol Jo

Livingston, MT

Import the GPX to your Topo, then export the waypoint layer to your handheld using the Handheld export. You are limited to 1000 waypoints on the PN-20 so plan your GPX wisely. Alternatively, you can copy the individual waypoints to another Waypoint layer by way of copying it to a Draw Layer, then copy the Draw Layer back to another Waypoint Layer, which then can be exported to your handheld.

 

Soon this will be simplified by utilizing a direct download from Geocaching.com in the same manner as Garmin receivers do now. The software is currently being developed to GC's requirements. DeLorme expects to begin beta testing it soon and then will be released to the public for use.

 

 

OHHHHH I figured it out.

 

thank you thank you

Ladybug*

[+TotemLake]

I'm glad you figured it out.

 

I'll be setting up another How To on this for other folks. Might take me a coupla days though. I'm kinda committed to a couple of other things.

[+coreynjoey]

I'm glad you figured it out.

 

I'll be setting up another How To on this for other folks. Might take me a coupla days though. I'm kinda committed to a couple of other things.

 

As a new PN-40 owner, I really appreciate all the help you're providing!!

[+TotemLake]

It occured to me Embra's link handles ladybug*'s the issue nicely. I'll word it better tonight.

[+Shop99er]

I got the PN 40 over Christmas and I have a couple of major issues with it.

 

First is the way it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. Today I used it with the backlight off and it still used up a set of batteries in no time flat.

 

I have ordered a cigarette lighter/USB port to juse in the car so I can at least have it off battery when we are routing to a cache. I'd like to get an extra USB cable but I haven't been able to find where if even IF I can order another one on the cheap.

 

My other issue is how clunky it is to transfer from road directions to direct. I'm wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong or don't have set up correctly yet but when I go from road to direct I have to go find the cache then go through the dog and pony show of getting it to go direct. Am I doing something wrong? Is there an easier way to do it?

[+TotemLake]

I got the PN 40 over Christmas and I have a couple of major issues with it.

 

First is the way it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. Today I used it with the backlight off and it still used up a set of batteries in no time flat.

 

I have ordered a cigarette lighter/USB port to juse in the car so I can at least have it off battery when we are routing to a cache. I'd like to get an extra USB cable but I haven't been able to find where if even IF I can order another one on the cheap.

 

My other issue is how clunky it is to transfer from road directions to direct. I'm wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong or don't have set up correctly yet but when I go from road to direct I have to go find the cache then go through the dog and pony show of getting it to go direct. Am I doing something wrong? Is there an easier way to do it?

I haven't had much opportunity to go cache hunting with it yet so haven't played with this aspect but I'll certainly look into it tomorrow when I have more time on my hands.

 

As for the battery, check in the Device Setup\System\GPS Setting is in Power Saving mode if you want to lengthen the batery life. Otherwise, it will chew through it pretty good.

 

As the PN-20 is the same form factor as the PN-40, I googled and found this. It's the only link that came up with a USB cable not including the GPS. Otherwise, you'll need to check with Delorme regarding another cable.

[+tosatony]

I've also been gifted with a Delorme PN-20 this Christmas and am new to GPS terminology and features. I'm looking forward to any advise on how to transfer info from the geocache website and onto my unit. I was a little disappointed to find out that my Mac would not recognize the DVD's provided from Delorme, so I have to use my old desktop PC.

 

Tosatony

[+TotemLake]

I've also been gifted with a Delorme PN-20 this Christmas and am new to GPS terminology and features. I'm looking forward to any advise on how to transfer info from the geocache website and onto my unit. I was a little disappointed to find out that my Mac would not recognize the DVD's provided from Delorme, so I have to use my old desktop PC.

 

Tosatony

See my site for the DeLorme DIY Links.

 

http://www.totemlake.org

[+TotemLake]

 

My other issue is how clunky it is to transfer from road directions to direct. I'm wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong or don't have set up correctly yet but when I go from road to direct I have to go find the cache then go through the dog and pony show of getting it to go direct. Am I doing something wrong? Is there an easier way to do it?

It looks like there are two ways to change the navigation. One is to go through the Menu/Waypoint scroll to the cache, then change the navigation there. The other, and looks like more simple method is to go to Menu/Route. When asking the GPS to start navigating to the waypoint, it automatically creates a route in the Menu/Route. It's easier to scroll through that than 1000 waypoints and you can delete it when you're done.

[+tosatony]

I've also been gifted with a Delorme PN-20 this Christmas and am new to GPS terminology and features. I'm looking forward to any advise on how to transfer info from the geocache website and onto my unit. I was a little disappointed to find out that my Mac would not recognize the DVD's provided from Delorme, so I have to use my old desktop PC.

 

Tosatony

See my site for the DeLorme DIY Links.

 

http://www.totemlake.org

Thanks!

[+TotemLake]

Bug issues I know about have been posted and linked from the DIY page. I will be adding more information as time allows. Bugs I discover will also involve a search on the DeLorme forums before I post there for advisement to the DeLorme Engineering Team. I'm also planning pages for kludges and wish list. The wish list will be features that are not currently part of the feature set already in place. Kludges are features already in place, do not represent a malfunction, but do represent a dysfunction.

 

I also want to add when I'm updating the pages, some of the images may not show up. Please wait about 3 minutes and try again.

Edited January 1, 2009 by TotemLake

[+Shop99er]

I got the PN 40 over Christmas and I have a couple of major issues with it.

 

First is the way it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. Today I used it with the backlight off and it still used up a set of batteries in no time flat.

 

I have ordered a cigarette lighter/USB port to juse in the car so I can at least have it off battery when we are routing to a cache. I'd like to get an extra USB cable but I haven't been able to find where if even IF I can order another one on the cheap.

 

My other issue is how clunky it is to transfer from road directions to direct. I'm wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong or don't have set up correctly yet but when I go from road to direct I have to go find the cache then go through the dog and pony show of getting it to go direct. Am I doing something wrong? Is there an easier way to do it?

I haven't had much opportunity to go cache hunting with it yet so haven't played with this aspect but I'll certainly look into it tomorrow when I have more time on my hands.

 

As for the battery, check in the Device Setup\System\GPS Setting is in Power Saving mode if you want to lengthen the batery life. Otherwise, it will chew through it pretty good.

 

As the PN-20 is the same form factor as the PN-40, I googled and found this. It's the only link that came up with a USB cable not including the GPS. Otherwise, you'll need to check with Delorme regarding another cable.

 

I checked and I didn't have it on Power Saving mode! Thanks for that tip. We'll give it try on the way home tomorrow and see how that does.

[+Shop99er]

Still having a time/number of step issue with going from the street by street driving directions to the direct directions. It's really only a problem when I'm done going street by street to a direct line to a cache and the cache is within a fee hundred feet of the last turn.

 

Although I am getting more and more little niggly issues. Like not being to search for a cache by name. Scrolling through alphabetically is too slow. And am I just too old or is the type really really small?

 

I think it's more of my problem because I keep wanting it to do the things that my Garmin did with that sort of speed and clarity.... clarity meaning 'what I'm used to'.

[+Shop99er]

Still having a time/number of step issue with going from the street by street driving directions to the direct directions. It's really only a problem when I'm done going street by street to a direct line to a cache and the cache is within a fee hundred feet of the last turn.

 

Although I am getting more and more little niggly issues. Like not being to search for a cache by name. Scrolling through alphabetically is too slow. And am I just too old or is the type really really small?

 

I think it's more of my problem because I keep wanting it to do the things that my Garmin did with that sort of speed and clarity.... clarity meaning 'what I'm used to'.

[+coreynjoey]

Although I am getting more and more little niggly issues. Like not being to search for a cache by name. Scrolling through alphabetically is too slow.

 

I agree, the sorting of the waypoints is really limited. There is a way to search by name though. You click on the little magnifying glass button. At the top, next to Show, select Waypoints. You can change the symbol to the closed chest (at least that's how my caches are loaded), then you can type in a name. Klunky, but it works.

[+TotemLake]

Still having a time/number of step issue with going from the street by street driving directions to the direct directions. It's really only a problem when I'm done going street by street to a direct line to a cache and the cache is within a fee hundred feet of the last turn.

 

Although I am getting more and more little niggly issues. Like not being to search for a cache by name. Scrolling through alphabetically is too slow. And am I just too old or is the type really really small?

 

I think it's more of my problem because I keep wanting it to do the things that my Garmin did with that sort of speed and clarity.... clarity meaning 'what I'm used to'.

The type is small. No doubt about it. My concern was alleviated when I could still read it though. YEMV. It was getting difficult for me to read the MeriPlat so this was a marked improvement for me.

 

I'm going to equate moving from a Garmin to the PN-40 the same as going to a movie that's named after an old favorite and you find it's totally different. It doesn't make it bad, it just makes it different. It's the same thing with me and moving from the MeriPlat. It's a different way of doing things.

[+coreynjoey]

The 2.5 Firmware update is now available Here . You must be logged into the Delorme forum to download the update! There's a Windows and Mac update available.

 

Geocaching support:

 

-Geocache/Waypoint Comment character limit increased from 800 to 15,000 characters. This is only for Geocaches sent to the PN-40 using the Send to GPS Plugin (http://www.delorme.com/geocaching/plugin/).

 

-Added graphics to the Geocache Comment page which indicate Size, Difficulty and Terrain.

 

-Moved the Hint to the bottom of the Comment for Geocaches sent from the Send to GPS Plugin.

 

-Added a new Geocaching page, which separates Geocaches from Waypoints. This page allows you to sort Geocaches by Name/Distance/Logged/Not Logged.

 

-Added new Geocaching Symbols to match those used by Geocaching.com.

 

-Field Notes support allows you to create field notes directly on the PN-40, which can then be uploaded through your account at www.geocaching.com.

 

-Geocaching wizard steps you through the process of Routing to a Geocache, Logging your Geocache find, Entering a Field Note then moving on to the next Geocache you want to find (closest, or selected from the list).