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Garmin Vista HCx or DeLorme PN-40


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Alright guys, I know there are a LOT of these "which GPSR should I get" questions, but I have narrowed my choices down to these two and am looking for thoughts.

 

I have a Nuvi 200w in my car, so I don't really need on-road navigation capabilities. I want to use a handheld unit for hiking and geocaching. I live in the mountains, so the ability to keep a satellite connection in the mountains and in dense trees is my highest priority. I want color, mapping, altimeter, all the bells and whistles (I am a bit of a gadget hound) without spending 6 or 7 hundred dollars.

 

Both units get good reviews; I like the fact that DeLorme offers a very affordable subscription map offer, but I like the interface and functionality of the Garmin I already have. I am most concerned about the sensitivity of the receiver to be able to get and keep a signal in wooded mountain areas, and I have heard that the Garmin is great for that. The DeLorme is about a hundred dollars more expensive, but the unlimited map plan makes that cost negligable...

 

Thoughts?

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I use a hcx . Love it . Works great . User friendly. Always keeps good signal in deep tree cover , even indoors! That being said. Wish i had a pn-40 ! For aerial photos and satellite imagery. Garmin won t do it! I hunt more than i cache , sure would be nice to have. Somethin to think about.. Can t speak of delorme ac curacy or signal keeping abilities, but i ve heard its pretty good.

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I have a Garmin 60csx and a Delorme PN-40. My 60 is a good unit but the -40 is now my primary receiver. I've taken both out on hikes in wooded areas and both maintain signal perfectly well. As mentioned before, the arial imagery is really nice. The paperless caching is also very nice to have. Delorme is releasing a firmware update in a few weeks focusing on geocaching features that should really make it shine above others. Just my humble opinion.

 

The fact that you already have a nuvi is good because I think that's the one area the -40 isn't very strong. It's primary mission is clearly offroad.

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is this really a fair comparison being that the pn40 is like twice the price of the vista hcx? i have the vista hcx which i got for 165 from target, isn't the pn40 at least 300?

 

Honestly, I am aware that the DeLorme unit is more expensive, but I have narrowed my choices to these...I am willing to pay more for the Delorme given that an unlimited maps subscription is $30 for a year, where the garmin maps are over $100 a pop...if it's a decent unit (as good as or better than the Garmin). It's not an apples to apples comparison, but I am looking for input on people who have used these units (and I am leaning towards the DeLorme I think, now).

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I think you'll have a hard time finding PN-40 owners who aren't happy with it.

 

I live in the mountains of PA and many of the caches around here are in dense stands of trees. On my first find with the new unit I got an accuracy reading of 0.1 ft while standing with cache in hand; some of the other logs for the same cache were reporting being off 90 feet or more.

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Definitely go witht he PN-40, you'll never be sorry! It is right now a very very good unit, but it will be even better as soon as they release the update. There is no comparisson between the PN-40 and the Vista, the PN-40 is twice the unit! The fact you can upload sat imagery, aerial imagery etc is AWESOME!

 

I think you'll be very happy to own the PN-40! I think you'll feel "adequate" owning the Vista. I would also buy the travel kit for the PN-40 so you never need to worry about battery life!! You'll be good to go!

Edited by Rockin Roddy
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is this really a fair comparison being that the pn40 is like twice the price of the vista hcx? i have the vista hcx which i got for 165 from target, isn't the pn40 at least 300?

[/quote

 

$289 for my PN-40; able to road route and includes Topo USA. How much did you pay for maps?

 

thats what i'm saying, they aren't really comparable. the original poster noted they know it's not an apples to apples comparison as well. touchy much?

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is this really a fair comparison being that the pn40 is like twice the price of the vista hcx? i have the vista hcx which i got for 165 from target, isn't the pn40 at least 300?

[/quote

 

$289 for my PN-40; able to road route and includes Topo USA. How much did you pay for maps?

 

thats what i'm saying, they aren't really comparable. the original poster noted they know it's not an apples to apples comparison as well. touchy much?

 

I think the point was, you paid $165 for the unit, how much more did it cost you to get the maps and set it up to even be somewhat comparable to the PN-40? I'm guessing it's pretty close to the cost of the PN-40! The maps come with the PN-40, so you're not needing to pay extra for that unless you want to "bonus" maps. The obvious bonus for the PN-40 is the paperless and the other bells and whistles which are not available for the Vista.

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