DeLorme PN-40 vs Garmin Oregon for family geocaching

July 8, 2009

I am ready to purchase my second GPS. I have narrowed my selection down to the DeLorme PN-40 or the Garmin Oregon. I am in the military and travel every 4 years. My family geocaches three times a week in our local area, and on road trips. I like the map features on the PN-40, but they are limited to the US. I am not stuck on brand name. I just want a GPS that is accurate, and easy to work with geocaching.com!

I really need help making a good informed decision on which one to buy.

Edited July 8, 2009 by jdm2lpm

2.6k · July 8, 2009

For international maps (often free), you can't beat a Garmin. If you can wait a few weeks, you might want to check out the Dakota sereis, which should be brighter than the Oregon.

July 8, 2009

Yup. Garmin is the way to go for international.

Garmin:

Has an international support network, DeLorme is US-only

Has international maps available from the vendor. DeLorme is US-only. International maps require DIYing with XMap

Uses standard connectors for their cables - Any old mini-USB cable will do. Lose the cable for a DeLorme abroad and you're toast.

9.5k · July 8, 2009

Yup. Garmin is the way to go for international.

Garmin:

Has an international support network, DeLorme is US-only

Has international maps available from the vendor. DeLorme is US-only. International maps require DIYing with XMap

Uses standard connectors for their cables - Any old mini-USB cable will do. Lose the cable for a DeLorme abroad and you're toast.

Entropy, although technically correct for other overseas countries, you'll need to update your statement a little bit. Canada and Mexico street maps are now provided via Topo8. I can't speak for their other products though. I haven't been paying attention to that.

2.1k · July 8, 2009

Uses standard connectors for their cables - Any old mini-USB cable will do. Lose the cable for a DeLorme abroad and you're toast.

Which non-USB interface ensures the PN-40's compliance with the water proof specification.

So if your non-DeLorme GPSr with USB jack is dropped in the water, you'll have limp toast.

Your choice - it's tough to have everything.

July 8, 2009

Uses standard connectors for their cables - Any old mini-USB cable will do. Lose the cable for a DeLorme abroad and you're toast.

Which non-USB interface ensures the PN-40's compliance with the water proof specification.

So if your non-DeLorme GPSr with USB jack is dropped in the water, you'll have limp toast.

Your choice - it's tough to have everything.

Because the Oregon is IPX7 and has USB?...

9.5k · July 8, 2009

Uses standard connectors for their cables - Any old mini-USB cable will do. Lose the cable for a DeLorme abroad and you're toast.

Which non-USB interface ensures the PN-40's compliance with the water proof specification.

So if your non-DeLorme GPSr with USB jack is dropped in the water, you'll have limp toast.

Your choice - it's tough to have everything.

Because the Oregon is IPX7 and has USB?...

This is a weak link on the Oregon. It requires a plug to keep water from entering the USB port.The DeLorme proprietary setup doesn't require such protection.

July 8, 2009

This is a weak link on the Oregon. It requires a plug to keep water from entering the USB port.The DeLorme proprietary setup doesn't require such protection.

Both are still IPX7 rated.

Edited July 8, 2009 by FierceDeityLink1

8.9k · July 8, 2009

This is a weak link on the Oregon. It requires a plug to keep water from entering the USB port.The DeLorme proprietary setup doesn't require such protection.

Both are still IPX7 rated.

Unless you have the cover off is what I'm reading, I could be wrong....

July 8, 2009

Well, yeah. If the cover is off then water will get inside.

9.5k · July 8, 2009

This is a weak link on the Oregon. It requires a plug to keep water from entering the USB port.The DeLorme proprietary setup doesn't require such protection.

Both are still IPX7 rated.

No argument there, but the IPX7 rating applies as long as an appropriate seal is in place. Break that seal even the tiniest little bit and all bets are off.

2.1k · July 8, 2009

Break that seal even the tiniest little bit and all bets are off.

....all bits are off. :unsure:

July 8, 2009

My 2 cents worth are to go with the Oregon. I had a PN40 for a week and returned it back in December. I would get an OR 300, spend the $80 on City Navigator and download the free topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com.

The auto routing on the Garmin is far superior to the Delorme. It navigates to actual house numbers, not address ranges.

The "profiles" feature on the Garmin is one of it's biggest advantages. My automotive profile loads up citi nav maps, turns on auto routing, disables track collection and removes all of the menu items from the main menu that I don't use while driving. Once I get out of the car I simply switch to my geocaching profile which automatically switches to my topo maps, to direct compass point to point navigation, turns on track logging and enables the additional main menu items I use while geocaching like waypoint averaging etc etc.

My experience is that the battery life is better on the Garmin. Even though both use the same chip set, I found the Garmin a lot better under tree canopy. Your experience may vary!

The screen on the Garmin is bigger but not as easy to read as on the Delorme.

Somebody above suggested waiting for the Dakota series to be released - not a bad idea. It'll be interesting to see what chip set it will use.

2.1k · July 8, 2009

Stated needs: international usage and road use. Oregon is the unit to get.

July 8, 2009

I tested the Oregon screen in the sunlight, (where you would be if you want to obtain good satellite reception) and I was unable to read the screen from any angle in the sun, completely washed out, you can use the highly reflective screen as an emergency mirror to send signal to airplanes when you get lost because you will have no idea of where you are.

Since a GPS device does not work under the trees or in any shaded area, I would have to say the Oregon is as useless as a brick during the day time.

I noticed a few rumors about the upcoming Garmin Dakota as having a brighter screen as if anyone had seen this gadget but the device is not out yet, so, there is no reason to assume the new screen will be better or worse until it comes out on the market, so, so far, it sounds like wishful thinking. It is important to test the new device in the sun before you buy it.

4.3k · July 8, 2009

Maingray, you beat me to it :unsure:

If a required feature is missing, it doesn't really matter how good the GPS is at other things.

DeLorme does not sell maps for outside of North America. Also, even though DeLorme's Topo 8 does include road data for Canada and Mexico, it does not include the topo data for any locations outside of the USA.

There's an interesting discussion over on DeLorme's forum about that the border between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario look like -- the transition between having and not having topo data is funny.

July 8, 2009

I tested the Oregon screen in the sunlight, (where you would be if you want to obtain good satellite reception) and I was unable to read the screen from any angle in the sun, completely washed out, you can use the highly reflective screen as an emergency mirror to send signal to airplanes when you get lost because you will have no idea of where you are.

Since a GPS device does not work under the trees or in any shaded area, I would have to say the Oregon is as useless as a brick during the day time.

It works well enough for me in broad daylight, you just need to turn up the backlight. And GPS devices work under tree coverage nowadays.

July 8, 2009

ARAVA,

What!?

Edited July 8, 2009 by Whimppeys

9.5k · July 8, 2009

Since a GPS device does not work under the trees or in any shaded area, I would have to say the Oregon is as useless as a brick during the day time.

Eh? I haven't seen a GPS not work under trees and shaded areas. I've seen some not have real good reception but that is generally not the case with the models currently for sale.

July 8, 2009

To be honest, my Oregon 300 is easier to read in direct sunlight with no backlight than it is in the shade of the car's interior.

July 9, 2009

I tested the Oregon screen in the sunlight, (where you would be if you want to obtain good satellite reception) and I was unable to read the screen from any angle in the sun, completely washed out, you can use the highly reflective screen as an emergency mirror to send signal to airplanes when you get lost because you will have no idea of where you are.

Since a GPS device does not work under the trees or in any shaded area, I would have to say the Oregon is as useless as a brick during the day time.

I noticed a few rumors about the upcoming Garmin Dakota as having a brighter screen as if anyone had seen this gadget but the device is not out yet, so, there is no reason to assume the new screen will be better or worse until it comes out on the market, so, so far, it sounds like wishful thinking. It is important to test the new device in the sun before you buy it.

This is a ridiculous post - every thing stated is just plain incorrect.

July 9, 2009

duplicate post

Edited July 9, 2009 by GerIRL

July 9, 2009

My 2 cents worth are to go with the Oregon. I had a PN40 for a week and returned it back in December. I would get an OR 300, spend the $80 on City Navigator and download the free topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com.

The auto routing on the Garmin is far superior to the Delorme. It navigates to actual house numbers, not address ranges.

For the record, the Delorme PN-20/30/40 does search for, and navigate to, actual building numbers within those address ranges. The price of the Delorme devices includes topographic and street vector data for the entire USA and street data for Canada. Limited routable road vector data is included for Mexico.

38.2k · July 9, 2009

If you want to use it for automotive navigation, forget the PN40. It does some things well, but road navigation is not one of them. Its road routing is very primitive, especially if compared to Garmin's City Navigator.

Edited July 9, 2009 by briansnat

July 9, 2009

The OP also mentioned being in the military - the impression I've gotten from map requests over at gpsfiledepot.com and the maps Coggins there (who is also here) has made is that U.S. military personnel are using Garmin receivers in some areas (probably because the DAGR has limited availability and only displays your lat/long?). For the OP, the apparent "community" support within the military from guys like Coggins provides another advantage to the Garmin.

July 9, 2009

If you want to use it for automotive navigation, forget the PN40. It does some things well, but road navigation is not one of them. Its road routing is very primitive, especially if compared to Garmin's City Navigator.

On the contrary, the Delorme PN-40 does do City Street Navigation quite well in most parts of the USA with the latest free firmware downloads, as it is based on the Delorme Street Atlas USA computer software. However it reportedly does not create routing as intuitively, nor have as large a screen, as gps products designed primarily for sheltered solo navigation inside an automobile.

But if your need for automobile naviigation is minimal, as mine is, under normal driving conditions, but you like the novelty of having an all purpose GPS that can accurately do road routing as well as outdoor hiking in one handheld unit that can also serve as aGPSr for computer navigation as a bonus, then the PN-30/40 can serve you well.

The PN-20 is less suitable for real time road navigation, because it has slower processing.

July 10, 2009

If you want to use it for automotive navigation, forget the PN40. It does some things well, but road navigation is not one of them. Its road routing is very primitive, especially if compared to Garmin's City Navigator.

On the contrary, the Delorme PN-40 does do City Street Navigation quite well in most parts of the USA with the latest free firmware downloads, as it is based on the Delorme Street Atlas USA computer software. However it reportedly does not create routing as intuitively, nor have as large a screen, as gps products designed primarily for sheltered solo navigation inside an automobile.

But if your need for automobile naviigation is minimal, as mine is, under normal driving conditions, but you like the novelty of having an all purpose GPS that can accurately do road routing as well as outdoor hiking in one handheld unit that can also serve as aGPSr for computer navigation as a bonus, then the PN-30/40 can serve you well.

The PN-20 is less suitable for real time road navigation, because it has slower processing.

I'll have to say that I also find the PN-40 delorme mapping combination to be all but worthless for street navigation. For me, the accuracy problems with the maps have caused far more problems than they have been worth. All street maps programs have errors in some areas, but the Delorme maps have been the worst.

For the original poster, my suggestion would be the Garmin. You'll find many more options for maps, and you'll also find it much easier to exchange waypoints, tracks and routes with others in the assorted areas you travel to.

38.2k · July 12, 2009

If you want to use it for automotive navigation, forget the PN40. It does some things well, but road navigation is not one of them. Its road routing is very primitive, especially if compared to Garmin's City Navigator.

On the contrary, the Delorme PN-40 does do City Street Navigation quite well in most parts of the USA with the latest free firmware downloads, as it is based on the Delorme Street Atlas USA computer software. However it reportedly does not create routing as intuitively, nor have as large a screen, as gps products designed primarily for sheltered solo navigation inside an automobile.

But if your need for automobile naviigation is minimal, as mine is, under normal driving conditions, but you like the novelty of having an all purpose GPS that can accurately do road routing as well as outdoor hiking in one handheld unit that can also serve as aGPSr for computer navigation as a bonus, then the PN-30/40 can serve you well.

The PN-20 is less suitable for real time road navigation, because it has slower processing.

I just loaded Topo 8 and the latest firmware and I still find the street navigation software to be quite primative.

For one, route calculation is very slow.

As an experiment, this afternoon I compared my PN40 with Topo 8 against my 60CSX running City Select V6. I selected the supermarket about 3 miles from my house. The 60CSX calculated the route in 7 seconds, while it took 38 seconds for the PN 40 to calculate the same route.

Then when I reached an intersection I purposefully turned in the opposite direction. The Garmin told me to make a U-Turn at first, then after about 30 seconds it figured out my direction of travel and calculated a completely different route. Meanwhile the PN40 went into a "recalculating route" loop and for the next mile it could not generate a route. Once I stopped, the PN40 was able to recalculate a route and was happy, but it couldn't do it while I was driving for some reason.

On the return trip I went out on the highway. Keyed in my home address on the Garmin, but I've never for the life of me, been able to find an address with my PN40. I key in the address and it searches for about 2-3 minutes, then tells me it can't be found. I've yet to encounter an address that the PN40 knew about in the 5 months I've had the thing.

Anyway, I had marked my home coords so did a go to with the PN40. There is a left turn on the nearby highway that was removed about 12 years ago and replaced by a "jughandle". The Garmin knew about the jughandle and and me turn right at the intersection. The PN40 was telling me to make an illegal left turn.

I've found this to be pretty common with the PN40. It doesn't seem to know about jughandles. It was not the first time it was telling me to make a left turn, when I should have been turning right onto a jughandle.

On the way back again I took a wrong turn on purpose and the 60CSX recalculated without missing a beat. The PN40 on the other hand went into its "recalculating route" loop again. It does not recalculate routes well (or at all) on the fly. Once I stopped, it was able to regenerate the route. My guess is that its route processing is so slow that by the time the new route is generated it is no longer valid and it tries to re-calc it again, and again, and again... It had this problem with Topo 7 and the old firmware and still has it with Topo 8 and the new firmware.

It is also missing some other nice features. When a turn comes up with the 60CSX the backlight comes on and a closeup screen of the intersection pops up - very helpful with the small screens on handhelds. The PN40 doesn't do this.

You'd think that DeLorme, having built their business on maps, would be an industry leader with auto navigation software. I was very surprised (and disappointed) to find out that they were not.

Will the PN40 get you to where you want to go? Probably eventually, but as I said, it is quite primitive when it comes to automobile navigation.

July 12, 2009

i'd go with the garmin as well, they are known to be the best units out there.

8.9k · July 12, 2009

i'd go with the garmin as well, they are known to be the best units out there.

Are they really?

1.5k · July 12, 2009

It is also missing some other nice features. When a turn comes up with the 60CSX the backlight comes on and a closeup screen of the intersection pops up - very helpful with the small screens on handhelds. The PN40 doesn't do this.

And I particularly LIKE those features when using the GPSr while navigating my motorcycle especially at night. I have it handlebar mounted and would NEVER hear upcoming turn beeping, but do notice the large pop-up upcoming turn notification. And while night riding it's GREAT the Garmin lights up at upcoming turns. Not a chance I'm gonna miss that!

July 12, 2009

i'd go with the garmin as well, they are known to be the best units out there.

Are they really?

well, for people that like the top-of-the-line units, best of the best, go with the garmin.

8.9k · July 13, 2009

i'd go with the garmin as well, they are known to be the best units out there.

Are they really?

well, for people that like the top-of-the-line units, best of the best, go with the garmin.

I would be willing to bet there's a whole bunch of people who'd disagree with you and showed so by purchasing otherwise....but I do like the suggestion that your comment is fact instead of opinion!

PN owner, proud and completely happy! Do I agree that Gamin is the best there is? Not likely! Have I been known to buy anything but the best? I don't think so.....

9.5k · July 13, 2009

i'd go with the garmin as well, they are known to be the best units out there.

Are they really?

well, for people that like the top-of-the-line units, best of the best, go with the garmin.

This is a subjective opinion of course. The Oregon and Colorado have not been without issues. This forum is full of issues regarding both.

The PN may not completely fit certain criteria, but the Garmin certainly isn't the catchall for everyone either. IMO it's overpriced and you need to buy extras in order to gain that "superior" navigation. Aside from the lack of a light up screen at the turn notification, the PN has navigated correctly for me and the current firmware takes it from being slow to being reasonable and is now able to reroute while at 60MPH instead of going into reroute fits prior to FW 2.5.

The OP is military though, and is subject to being stationed where the PN may not be ideal.

Edited to add: BrianSnat, you had me looking up jughandle. It looks like an interesting but confusing concept on surface streets... for outsiders especially accustomed to standard left turn lanes.

Edited July 13, 2009 by TotemLake

2.1k · July 13, 2009

Edited to add: BrianSnat, you had me looking up jughandle. It looks like an interesting but confusing concept on surface streets... for outsiders especially accustomed to standard left turn lanes.

It was a term totally unknown to me until I went on a business trip to New Jersey a number of years ago.

38.2k · July 13, 2009

Edited to add: BrianSnat, you had me looking up jughandle. It looks like an interesting but confusing concept on surface streets... for outsiders especially accustomed to standard left turn lanes.

It was a term totally unknown to me until I went on a business trip to New Jersey a number of years ago.

It isn't a totally NJ thing as I've encountered them elsewhere, but NJ is the jughandle capitol of the world. You

usually can't make left turns here on major roads. Point is that Garmin knows about them and the DeLorme doesn't.

Another feature that the Garmins have is that they provide written turn instructions in bold, easily readable letters. "Left onto DeLorme Drive". "Stay right", etc. The PN40 doesn't do that.

I can, and frequently use my 60CSX (and before that my 60CS) for automotive navigation. I have no need for a separate unit like a TomTom or Nuvi for the car. No way I could or would rely on the PN40 for that for all the reasons I mentioned here.

the current firmware takes it from being slow to being reasonable and is now able to reroute while at 60MPH instead of going into reroute fits prior to FW 2.5.

My experiment today proved that is not the case. Perhaps it can work OK at 60 MPH on a limited access highway, but it could not recalculate routes at 35 MPH on local streets. The 60CSCX handles those quite nicely, even with the obsolete City Select software.

Edited July 13, 2009 by briansnat

9.5k · July 13, 2009

the current firmware takes it from being slow to being reasonable and is now able to reroute while at 60MPH instead of going into reroute fits prior to FW 2.5.

My experiment today proved that is not the case. Perhaps it can work OK at 60 MPH on a limited access highway, but it could not recalculate routes at 35 MPH on local streets. The 60CSCX handles those quite nicely, even with the obsolete City Select software.

Then I guess we'll agree YMMV. The greater Seattle metropolitan area is not a limited access highway system.

8.9k · July 13, 2009

the current firmware takes it from being slow to being reasonable and is now able to reroute while at 60MPH instead of going into reroute fits prior to FW 2.5.

My experiment today proved that is not the case. Perhaps it can work OK at 60 MPH on a limited access highway, but it could not recalculate routes at 35 MPH on local streets. The 60CSCX handles those quite nicely, even with the obsolete City Select software.

Then I guess we'll agree YMMV. The greater Seattle metropolitan area is not a limited access highway system.

I have to agree with TotemLake, my PN-40 does a great job of routing and recalculating. Went to an event yesterday and we found ourselves wanting to go look about outside the park, after an hour and a few crazy turns led us quite a ways away from the event, I asked my PN to lead me back and it routed me within a very acceptable time (couldn't tell you the exact time but it wasn't too long in calculating). As we neared, we decided to take a detour and the PN just kept recalculating as we drove until we finally turned the way the PN asked us to and we were then led right back to the event!

35mph on very tight Ann Arbor Michigan streets, 75mph on I-94, 55mph on some streets outside of Ann Arbor....no problem. After the event, we headed home via a crazy out of the way direction which brought us to the boondocks, but even faced with dirt roads all over the place, the PN routed us right on home!

Is it the quickest? I doubt it! Is it the best? Probably not. BUT, I bought it to find caches and found the bonus of routing to be a great thing!

One thing Brian, even if the PN told you to turn left on that jughandle, you were able to visually detect the proper way to get back on track...right? I mean, it didn't force you to make a dangerous manuever, did it? My point, don't rely fully on that electronic gadget to keep you 100% safe! Make sure YOU are doing the right thing when driving and drive responsibly PLEASE!! I would add that I too ran into a few jughandles here in AA yesterday and the PN led me right through them without a problem! It also handled the local roundabouts (those silly circles put in place of intersections) without a problem, even having me go around one to make a turn on the road at my 9 o-clock!

Now, has it made mistakes? Oh yes...one place in particular, it led me up a dead-end which used to be the on-ramp for I-94 having me believe that was the entrance....no biggie though!

Sitting here, I decided to have the PN route me to a cache 30 miles away, it calculated the route in 7seconds...WOW! On the compass screen, the unit tells me I need to turn left onto Devil's Lake hwy. It says this and has icons pointing me in the right direction....yours doesn't do this Brian? On the next page, it tells me I need to turn in 19' or about 20 seconds (and rising since I'm not moving) and on the next page, it has a list of all the turns, the names of the roads and the distance to each turn! On the map page, there's a nice orange line on the route I need to follow, all nicley highlighted for my viewing pleasure!

I'll try another route later when I leave to get my tire replaced on my motorcycle...

1.7k · July 13, 2009

One of my children, with no prior experience, announced that she was driving to Boston and then to Cape Cod for 4th of July weekend , OMG say mom and dad--Solution-- Garmin Nuvi 205 -- $95--NEW. Trip went fine up and back, long and short I can not think of any good reason to use a handheld for motor vehicle.

9.5k · July 13, 2009

One of my children, with no prior experience, announced that she was driving to Boston and then to Cape Cod for 4th of July weekend , OMG say mom and dad--Solution-- Garmin Nuvi 205 -- $95--NEW. Trip went fine up and back, long and short I can not think of any good reason to use a handheld for motor vehicle.

True, but in a pinch, the handhelds do an amazing job, primitive or not.

Roddy,

One thing Brian, even if the PN told you to turn left on that jughandle, you were able to visually detect the proper way to get back on track...right? I mean, it didn't force you to make a dangerous manuever, did it? My point, don't rely fully on that electronic gadget to keep you 100% safe! Make sure YOU are doing the right thing when driving and drive responsibly PLEASE!! I would add that I too ran into a few jughandles here in AA yesterday and the PN led me right through them without a problem! It also handled the local roundabouts (those silly circles put in place of intersections) without a problem, even having me go around one to make a turn on the road at my 9 o-clock!

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to slightly disagree with you. Signage to outsiders can be quite confusing. I saw a sample on wikipedia and I'm simply amazed at the expected navigation by complicated and confusing signage for first timers. Knowing which lane to be in is extremely helpful. So if the GPS is routing you to make a left turn and it turns out you have to be in the right lane to loop back, it could put you miles out of your way to get to your destination.

4.3k · July 13, 2009

...and that's why I hardly ever use routing and live guidance on any of my GPSRs. I just study the route befoere I leave and I'm content to have a highlighted line on the map marking the route. I don't even bother to copy the YBR files (routing info) to my PN-40

But that's just me.

Edited July 13, 2009 by lee_rimar

2.6k · July 13, 2009

I am ready to purchase my second GPS. I have narrowed my selection down to the DeLorme PN-40 or the Garmin Oregon. I am in the military and travel every 4 years. My family geocaches three times a week in our local area, and on road trips. I like the map features on the PN-40, but they are limited to the US. I am not stuck on brand name. I just want a GPS that is accurate, and easy to work with geocaching.com!

I really need help making a good informed decision on which one to buy.

Discussions about jugheads and routing use in the states might be better off in their own thread.

My brother just retired from the USAF, in addition to being stationed in the states,he was stationed at both Misawa AFB and Howard AFB overseas with his family, not to mention various TDY's. I would think the OP would like to hear solutions for instances like this.

9.5k · July 13, 2009

I am ready to purchase my second GPS. I have narrowed my selection down to the DeLorme PN-40 or the Garmin Oregon. I am in the military and travel every 4 years. My family geocaches three times a week in our local area, and on road trips. I like the map features on the PN-40, but they are limited to the US. I am not stuck on brand name. I just want a GPS that is accurate, and easy to work with geocaching.com!

I really need help making a good informed decision on which one to buy.

Discussions about jugheads and routing use in the states might be better off in their own thread.

I disagree. The advisement of roadtrips makes this a relative subset of this discussion. Knowing what routes best if you're going to be in that particular area is very relative to this thread. As a member of the military service, they are likely to find themselves there. Jughandles is a unique navigational phenomenon slowly being adopted by different regions and recently fully adopted in a city in Australia as a means to increasing traffic flow and reducing traffic patterns. As a navigation aid, the GPS should be expected to eventually know about these.

2.6k · July 13, 2009

I am ready to purchase my second GPS. I have narrowed my selection down to the DeLorme PN-40 or the Garmin Oregon. I am in the military and travel every 4 years. My family geocaches three times a week in our local area, and on road trips. I like the map features on the PN-40, but they are limited to the US. I am not stuck on brand name. I just want a GPS that is accurate, and easy to work with geocaching.com!

I really need help making a good informed decision on which one to buy.

Discussions about jugheads and routing use in the states might be better off in their own thread.

I disagree. The advisement of roadtrips makes this a relative subset of this discussion. Knowing what routes best if you're going to be in that particular area is very relative to this thread. As a member of the military service, they are likely to find themselves there. Jughandles is a unique navigational phenomenon slowly being adopted by different regions and recently fully adopted in a city in Australia as a means to increasing traffic flow and reducing traffic patterns. As a navigation aid, the GPS should be expected to eventually know about these.

Totem, if you are going to quout me, then quote me in full. What will a DeLorme or Garmin do in those international examples, one of them where they drive on the other side of the road? Can you get maps and what is involved work and cost wise. Edited July 13, 2009 by coggins

1.5k · July 13, 2009

... ummm I think the OP ran away screaming some time ago

9.5k · July 13, 2009

Totem, if you are going to quout me, then quote me in full. What will a DeLorme or Garmin do in those international examples, one of them where they drive on the other side of the road? Can you get maps and what is involved work and cost wise.

Coggins, I quoted that which was relevant to your statement; that the jughandle should be on a separate thread. That is what I disagreed with. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn't argue for or against the Garmin or DeLorme, only the need to be able to correctly navigate. Considering the OP is a military member, his station can be on both coasts as well as international.

Edited July 13, 2009 by TotemLake

July 13, 2009

I can not think of any good reason to use a handheld for motor vehicle.

How about the person already owns a handheld? Why should they spend another $95 for a dash mounted GPS?

8.9k · July 13, 2009

I can not think of any good reason to use a handheld for motor vehicle.

How about the person already owns a handheld? Why should they spend another $95 for a dash mounted GPS?

I would tend to agree with Pack on this, the car units will do the job much better than any handheld can. With the turn-by-turns being spoken (on most car nav units) and bigger screens, it'd be hard to find a better way to get around...but some of us are more than happy with the units we have (mine's a PN-40).

4.3k · July 13, 2009

Why should they spend another $95 for a dash mounted GPS?

"Right tool for the job."

I've used a variety of GPS units for a variety of purposes. The difference between a handheld meant for hiking vs an automotive unit is significant. Even a low-end Nuvi (or even an old StreetPilot) intended for auto-navigation (with a big screen and spoken directions) is better/safer to use in a car than handheld unit.

That's not to say that you CAN'T use a handheld in the car -- just that it's not really the best tool for the job.

July 13, 2009

The statment was not, "which is better, handheld or car unit?"

It was,

...

I can not think of any good reason to use a handheld for motor vehicle.

I would tend to agree with Pack on this, the car units will do the job much better than any handheld can

Better? If you mean the car unit will have more functions (voice, beeps, warnings, blu tooth connectivity, mp3 player, larger screen) okay, but a route is a route. I doubt a specific manufacturer has different routing software for their handhelds vs. their car models.

Again the car units may have more functions in them because they have more hardware but the actual routing software is likely the same.

DeLorme PN-40 vs Garmin Oregon for family geocaching

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