I'm in love!

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

I'm sitting here at my computer and I'm loading aerial photos into my new Delorme PN-40. How cool is that? So now the geocaches that are loaded into my GPSr show up overlaid onto the aerial photos. Before I even head out to find a cache I've got a good idea of what the area looks like and potential obstacles I'll encounter when I arrive at my parking spot.

 

Speaking of parking there won't be anymore of the driving around all sides of a park trying to find the parking lot, just check out the aerial photo and it's easy to spot them and then I go straight to it which means with the time I save I can use to find more caches. Yep, I'm in love with my PN-40! Now I've just got to think of a name for her!

 

Here's another cool thing about getting the aerial photos installed in my GPSr, I did it without having to read the owners manual for either my GPSr or the Topo 8 software. I'm sure sooner or later I'll run across the steep learning curve that others said there is, but at least as far as loading maps and using the imagery library it's a piece of cake. I'll admit it took me about an hour to figure it out, but for a non-tech savvy person like me to figure it out that quickly I'd say that's pretty cool!

 

Thanks to everybody that's shared their opinions on the PN series and convinced me that it was in fact the best option for me and my budget. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited August 29, 2009 by Michigan Cacheman

[+Team CowboyPapa]

.... I'm sure sooner or later I'll run across the steep learning curve that others said there is,.........

Well, allow me to suggest this location to encounter that as that is where mythology resides.

 

Yes, it is my primary mode of caching now, using the aerial photo imagery on my PN-40.

There are two local cachers that have mothballed their G devices and have aquired -40s

after seeing how mine works.

[+TotemLake]

You crack me up.

[+simbre]

.... I'm sure sooner or later I'll run across the steep learning curve that others said there is,.........

Well, allow me to suggest this location to encounter that as that is where mythology resides.

 

Yes, it is my primary mode of caching now, using the aerial photo imagery on my PN-40.

There are two local cachers that have mothballed their G devices and have aquired -40s

after seeing how mine works.

 

Team Cowboy Papa,

what size SD card are you using? I have a 16gb in my PN30 but it seems that the aerial maps will eat up that card.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

 

Team Cowboy Papa,

what size SD card are you using? I have a 16gb in my PN30 but it seems that the aerial maps will eat up that card.

Huge Roger that!

 

I have many more than 16GB cut and saved for my 16GB card and downloading more as I type.

 

Thing is, an 8GB card is twice the cost of a 4GB and 16 is twice of an 8, roughly.

However, a 32GB is about three times a 16, so most of us have the 16GB cards although some are using the 32GB editions.

 

OTOH, I can carry on the 16 the Hi-Res City 133 aerials of my local area where I geocache the most in addition to some CDOQQs of nearby areas.

However, I have removed until next year, a dozen GB or more of aerials that I used earlier this spring for a trip to northern AZ and the later this summer for a trip to the High Sierras.

Now, next year when I go back to those places, as I do every year, I'll take them off their permanent storage on a hard drive and put them back on the SD card for the trips.

Transferring to the SDHC card out of the PN-40 and in a card reader is not all that tedious on an annual basis.

[+northsnowshoe]

I'm sitting here at my computer and I'm loading aerial photos into my new Delorme PN-40. How cool is that? So now the geocaches that are loaded into my GPSr show up overlaid onto the aerial photos. Before I even head out to find a cache I've got a good idea of what the area looks like and potential obstacles I'll encounter when I arrive at my parking spot.

 

Speaking of parking there won't be anymore of the driving around all sides of a park trying to find the parking lot, just check out the aerial photo and it's easy to spot them and then I go straight to it which means with the time I save I can use to find more caches. Yep, I'm in love with my PN-40! Now I've just got to think of a name for her!

 

Here's another cool thing about getting the aerial photos installed in my GPSr, I did it without having to read the owners manual for either my GPSr or the Topo 8 software. I'm sure sooner or later I'll run across the steep learning curve that others said there is, but at least as far as loading maps and using the imagery library it's a piece of cake. I'll admit it took me about an hour to figure it out, but for a non-tech savvy person like me to figure it out that quickly I'd say that's pretty cool!

 

Thanks to everybody that's shared their opinions on the PN series and convinced me that it was in fact the best option for me and my budget. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

You made a good decision buying the PN-40. It is a great GPSr for geocaching, especially with aerial photos loaded on it. I guess I'd have to say I love mine to. Good luck geocaching.

[+radak9]

Huge Roger that!

 

I have many more than 16GB cut and saved for my 16GB card and downloading more as I type.

I know that there is no real clear cut answer here, but..... approximately, what is the square mileage area that can go on to a 16gb card (actually have about 14gb free with topo maps on it). 100sq miles, 250???

[+TotemLake]

Huge Roger that!

 

I have many more than 16GB cut and saved for my 16GB card and downloading more as I type.

I know that there is no real clear cut answer here, but..... approximately, what is the square mileage area that can go on to a 16gb card (actually have about 14gb free with topo maps on it). 100sq miles, 250???

It'll be fairly easy to extrapolate If you have your PN, cut a small amount of CDOQQ and make note of the square mileage in the NetLink bluebox when it tells you the number of tiles and square mileage covered. Then do the appropriate math.

[+DonB]

Just curious, what website do you get the aerial photos from for the PN-40

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Just curious, what website do you get the aerial photos from for the PN-40

When you load the Topo 8 software that came with your PN series GPSr it will have a tab that says "Netlink". When you click that tab you'll see prominently displayed on the next screen a picture of an aerial photo and you click on that and then your options as far as what type of imagery you want pops up. If somebody with more experience reads this please feel free to correct anything I accidentally may have messed up due to being sleep deprived.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Michigan Cacheman

[+Rockin Roddy]

Just curious, what website do you get the aerial photos from for the PN-40

When you load the Topo 8 software that came with your PN series GPSr it will have a tab that says "Netlink". When you click that tab you'll see prominently displayed on the next screen a picture of an aerial photo and you click on that and then your options as far as what type of imagery you want pops up. If somebody with more experience reads this please feel free to correct anything I accidentally may have messed up due to being sleep deprived.

 

You've got it right MI Cacheman, the aerials are provided by Delorme exclusively for the PN series (at this time of course, who knows what will come in the future). The links are all provided with the T8 software, you need a subscription (there's a free trial included with your PN purchase) in order to take advantage of those aerials!

 

I'm waking up after a long day (and night) of caching, hope to meet up with the MI Cacheman and crew later today!! We'll put more of a smile on your faces then, my friend!!

[+user13371]

...what website do you get the aerial photos from for the PN-40

In additon to using the Topo software that came with the PN-series, you can also go to http://data.delorme.com to select and download imagery. There is good and bad about that:

 

The "good" is that you can do this from any computer, and the imagery is delivered "pre-cut" for copying directly to your SD card or PNs internal memory. So non-PC users can get maps without needing Topo loaded on their computer.

 

The "bad" is a side effect of those good points though: The imagery you download CAN'T be used within Topo or viewed on your computer. Pre-cut for the GPSR, that's the only place you can use it.

Edited August 30, 2009 by lee_rimar