Delorme PN-40 - decided not to buy (Pros & Cons)

[+user13371]

Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago.

If you stay within 15 miles, you'll be fine

 

Unfiltered list of caches within 15 miles of Chicago 41.880N, 087.624W

 

If you want to range further, you'll have to filter it a bit, perhaps eliminate micros or multis or some other types you're not interested in.

Edited September 12, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+briansnat]

As others said, you certainly can input coords.

 

I have one and I've encountered other negatives.

 

1. Reception doesn't come close to my 60CSX. I can't use it for trail mapping which is one of my primary uses for a GPS. I've had 3 different units and all 3 had the same issue, so I doubt I had 3 lemons.

 

If you are going to be doing trail mapping with your GPS, make sure you have your GPS positioned in its optimum orientation. This is usually determined by the antenna technology used by the GPS. For the 60CSX, it likes to be positioned vertically with the antenna pointing up. the PN-40 likes to be horizontal with the screen pointing up. So, if you are doing trail mapping with a PN-40 (or other GPS that use a patch antenna), a good place to mount it would be on a shoulder strap on top of your shoulder with the screen facing up. For a 60CSX (or other GPS that use a quad helix antenna), a good location would be on the front of a shoulder strap, or in a pocket of a daypack with its antenna pointing straight up.

 

In your trail mapping comparisons, how did you have your units positioned?

 

--Marky

 

I usually put one in each cargo pocket in my pant leg which may not be optimum position for the PN40. Which leads to another issue with the PN40, there is no good way to carry the thing. The case they sell holds it vertically.

 

Besides today's units shouldn't be so sensitive to position. I had to deal with stuff like that with my old Etrex. I've successfully mapped trails with my 60CSX sitting inside my pack at the bottom. Maybe I'm asking too much for the PN40 to get the same outstanding reception as the 60CSX, but that brings me back to my original point.

 

Are you seriously telling us you can't find any way to carry your GPS? I take you to be an intellignet person, but if you can't find a way to reasonably carry your GPS...

 

I carry mine either in a pocket, around my neck or in my hand and have not seen a single problem with reception.

 

Yeah I did, I carry it in the cargo pocket of my hiking pants as I mentioned. It was pointed out to me however that carrying it that way could be the reason I do not get good reception. Again, I can carry my 60CSX there without issues, so apparently I'm expecting too much out of the PN40.

[+dakboy]

Caches & waypoints are not involved with this memory discussion at all. They are loaded into a separate area of the internal memory & you always have space for 1000.

Thanks Dak....I was curious about how the caches & waypoints would play into all this. As far as caches go - what do you do if you're caching in a big city? Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago. Having to pick and choose is a little frustrating!

Well, you can only get 500 caches in each PQ, so you're going to be selective by default anyway.

 

Can you do 1000 caches in a single day in the first place? Do you plan on doing any multis? Or Unknowns? Are you going for the express purpose of caching, or will you be going to a few restaurants/museums/points of interest which you could use in a route or a few small, targeted PQs? You'll be filtering things before you send them to the device.

Edited September 12, 2009 by dakboy

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Caches & waypoints are not involved with this memory discussion at all. They are loaded into a separate area of the internal memory & you always have space for 1000.

Thanks Dak....I was curious about how the caches & waypoints would play into all this. As far as caches go - what do you do if you're caching in a big city? Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago. Having to pick and choose is a little frustrating!

Hey GeoGorilla. As you've guessed there are a lot of caches in The Windy City. One way to whittle it down to a more manageable sized group if you have GSAK you can filter caches by any criteria you want. As an example I randomly picked Chicago zip code 60616 just because it was near the center of the city and made that my center point in GSAK. Then I told GSAK I only want to see caches that are either Traditional or Virtuals and that I wanted a list of all caches within 20 miles of the zip code in all directions. Oh I also told it I only wanted it to display caches that have a listed cache size of small, regular or large. I hit the magic Go or Send button (I forget the correct name of it) and in a matter of a few seconds GSAK has whittled my database of 12,555 geocaches that I keep constantly updated via PQs so no info is ever older than 7 days old and bam it shows me 498 geocaches that fit the exact criteria that I told it to use as it's selection criteria. I LOVE MY GSAK!!!!

 

I forget (the older I get the more I do that) what GPSr you're using. If it's a Delorme PN series GPSr GSAK now has a Beta version which now works great with those GPSr's. If you're using a Garmin or Magellan it's always (well always in my short 1 year of caching) has supported those models. If you're not a GSAK user yet I'd strongly recommend you get a local cacher who's familar with it to show you the ropes. If it hadn't been for an experienced cacher taking me under his wing I never would have learned anything about it since I avoid almost all forms of software whenever possible. Also at GSAK they do have a forum very similar to this one where you can ask questions and read others posts. Everybody says the Premium Membership at gc.com is the best money you'll ever spend and while I won't argue that because it is true, but I would add that GSAK ties it for a great use of a few dollars and it's not just for a year of using GSAK it's pretty much pay once and then you can use that version for the rest of your life without ever spending another penny on it.

 

Sorry I just can't seem to keep my forum posts short. I do apologize to everybody. We've all got our faults and that just happens to be one of mine. Happy caching everybody!!!!

 

Edit to add: Sorry for jumping into the middle of your conversation. I just love GSAK and couldn't resist putting my 2 cents in.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Michigan Cacheman

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Sorry, I didn't think the first post took.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Michigan Cacheman

[+GeoGorilla.com]

Seriously, 1000 caches and you're worried you'll have to pick and choose??

It's not about picking and choosing - it's about hitting caches when I have time depending on how the day goes. I could come in on the Eisenhower and be downtown - but then head up north on Lake Shore. Chicago covers 227 square miles and there are 6,667 caches listed in "Chicago City" on the Illinois caching page. I can keep doing what I do now - hit a wifi spot and see what's close by, but I'm just looking for ideas as to how other people are managing large areas of caches.

[+GeoGorilla.com]

Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago.

If you stay within 15 miles, you'll be fine

 

Unfiltered list of caches within 15 miles of Chicago 41.880N, 087.624W

 

If you want to range further, you'll have to filter it a bit, perhaps eliminate micros or multis or some other types you're not interested in.

 

I'm not sure where you got that number -but on the Illinois state cache page they list 6,667 caches in the city of Chicago.

[+TotemLake]

As others said, you certainly can input coords.

 

I have one and I've encountered other negatives.

 

1. Reception doesn't come close to my 60CSX. I can't use it for trail mapping which is one of my primary uses for a GPS. I've had 3 different units and all 3 had the same issue, so I doubt I had 3 lemons.

 

If you are going to be doing trail mapping with your GPS, make sure you have your GPS positioned in its optimum orientation. This is usually determined by the antenna technology used by the GPS. For the 60CSX, it likes to be positioned vertically with the antenna pointing up. the PN-40 likes to be horizontal with the screen pointing up. So, if you are doing trail mapping with a PN-40 (or other GPS that use a patch antenna), a good place to mount it would be on a shoulder strap on top of your shoulder with the screen facing up. For a 60CSX (or other GPS that use a quad helix antenna), a good location would be on the front of a shoulder strap, or in a pocket of a daypack with its antenna pointing straight up.

 

In your trail mapping comparisons, how did you have your units positioned?

 

--Marky

 

I usually put one in each cargo pocket in my pant leg which may not be optimum position for the PN40. Which leads to another issue with the PN40, there is no good way to carry the thing. The case they sell holds it vertically.

 

Besides today's units shouldn't be so sensitive to position. I had to deal with stuff like that with my old Etrex. I've successfully mapped trails with my 60CSX sitting inside my pack at the bottom. Maybe I'm asking too much for the PN40 to get the same outstanding reception as the 60CSX, but that brings me back to my original point.

 

Are you seriously telling us you can't find any way to carry your GPS? I take you to be an intellignet person, but if you can't find a way to reasonably carry your GPS...

 

I carry mine either in a pocket, around my neck or in my hand and have not seen a single problem with reception.

 

Yeah I did, I carry it in the cargo pocket of my hiking pants as I mentioned. It was pointed out to me however that carrying it that way could be the reason I do not get good reception. Again, I can carry my 60CSX there without issues, so apparently I'm expecting too much out of the PN40.

Yah, a patch antenna to work like a quad-helix.

Edited September 12, 2009 by TotemLake

[+dakboy]

Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago.

If you stay within 15 miles, you'll be fine

 

Unfiltered list of caches within 15 miles of Chicago 41.880N, 087.624W

 

If you want to range further, you'll have to filter it a bit, perhaps eliminate micros or multis or some other types you're not interested in.

 

I'm not sure where you got that number -but on the Illinois state cache page they list 6,667 caches in the city of Chicago.

The Illinios state page lists all caches in Illinios, how do you know it's showing you only Chicago?

 

There are just short of 15,000 caches in all of New York State. Do you honestly believe that the city of Chicago has, within its limits, over 1/3 the count of an entire state?

 

According to this page, there are 13,271 caches in the entire state of Illinios. According to you, one half of them are in Chicago alone.

 

Something doesn't add up with your claim of 6667 caches in Chicago.

 

lee_rimar told you where he got that number from. A 15 mile radius around the coordinates given.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

Sunday I'm gonna be in downtown Chicago and I imagine there are more than 1000 in Chicago.

If you stay within 15 miles, you'll be fine

 

yards of the downtown police station, you might be fine.

[+user13371]

Caches within 15 miles of downtown Chicago

I'm not sure where you got that number...

On the Geocaching website, with the linked I posted. Click it. Edited September 12, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+user13371]

...screen drawing is glacially slow when it gets a bit cold. Morning temps were in the high 30s/low 40s and I couldn't believe how long it took to draw screens. When the weather warmed during the day it was fine....

Just to re-visit this point quickly.

 

Brian, while I don't doubt your personal observation, I don't think it's typical. Either something is wrong with your GPSR, or there's something else going there on beside moderately chilly temperatures. I've asked on the DeLorme forum, I started another thread here, and did my own "freezer tests" and cannot duplicate your result.

 

I can think of lots of reasons why someone might not want to buy a PN-40, but having to put it away on any day that gets into the 30's wouldn't be one of them.

Edited September 13, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+Marky]

I carry mine either in a pocket, around my neck or in my hand and have not seen a single problem with reception.

Trail mapping is a little less forgiving that other uses of GPSrs, which is why it is important make sure you have the GPS positioned correctly if you are trail mapping. This is true for quad helix antennas as well as patch antennas. I would bet that if Brian took two identical 60 csx and placed one at the bottom of his pack in the horizontal position and one in the vertical position on a shoulder strap, or a pocket on the backpack, he would see that the one at the bottom of his pack wouldn't perform as well, and that the track would have more errors.

 

--Marky

[+GeoGorilla.com]

Something doesn't add up with your claim of 6667 caches in Chicago.

I don't know dakboy...I"m not interested in getting in an argument over the number of caches in Chicago. I was merlely using it as an example and looking for opinions/dicussion on how to manage or deal with a large number of caches.

[+dakboy]

Something doesn't add up with your claim of 6667 caches in Chicago.

I don't know dakboy...I"m not interested in getting in an argument over the number of caches in Chicago. I was merlely using it as an example and looking for opinions/dicussion on how to manage or deal with a large number of caches.

And I was just using a counterexample to demonstrate that you may very well be worrying about something that isn't even an issue. Others have already pointed out that the "problem" is grossly overstated.

[+user13371]

... looking for opinions/dicussion on how to manage or deal with a large number of caches.

Well, the PN-40 can only hold 1000 waypoints (whether they're "regular" or geocache waypoints) and a pocket query from GC.Com can only deliver 500, max.

 

So... yeah, in a big metro area you're gonna have to do some shuffling to pick and choose. My own technique as a Portland pedestrian and cyclist might not suit everybody, but here's what I do -- even if you wouldn't do the same thing, you might adapt the method to your own needs:

 

I have a single PQ based on a "caches along a route" -- I made a GPX of my typical commute to work, uploaded it to my account in GC.com, and set up a PQ to collect the kinds of caches I'm interested in (active, traditional, excluding micros) within 5KM on either side of my route. So any day that I feel like caching on the way home from work, I've got the current list.

 

If I plan a hike somewhere out of my usual area, I just plan a basic route and build a similar route file and ask for caches within a wide distance on either side. I rarely even get close to the 500 per PQ limit.

 

Hope that helps.

[+TotemLake]

Yah, it used to be about managing 100 then 200 waypoints. Then it was upped to 500 and yet geocachers wanted more. Magellan had a neat trick about managing files of 200 waypoints each. Garmin does this with GPX files but I haven't read enough about file management with them. I had concerns about 1000 not being enough but the reality is this is very easy to manage with the way I play. Your mileage will vary, but you might want to analyze what you really do versus what you think you want to do and see if there is a happy medium.

Edited September 15, 2009 by TotemLake

[+steve p]

I'm not sure where you got that number -but on the Illinois state cache page they list 6,667 caches in the city of Chicago.

The Illinios state page lists all caches in Illinios, how do you know it's showing you only Chicago?

There are just short of 15,000 caches in all of New York State. Do you honestly believe that the city of Chicago has, within its limits, over 1/3 the count of an entire state?

According to this page, there are 13,271 caches in the entire state of Illinios. According to you, one half of them are in Chicago alone.

 

Something doesn't add up with your claim of 6667 caches in Chicago.

On that same page that you cite if you scroll to Chicago and click 'get caches' you will see the number in Chicago. Today it shows 6,691, which is pretty close to the 6,667 figure that GeoGorilla cited and would account for a handful of new caches in the last few days.

 

I don't see an amount listed for the entire state of Illinois on that page. Where did you see the 13,271?

[+dakboy]

On that same page that you cite if you scroll to Chicago and click 'get caches' you will see the number in Chicago. Today it shows 6,691, which is pretty close to the 6,667 figure that GeoGorilla cited and would account for a handful of new caches in the last few days.

 

I don't see an amount listed for the entire state of Illinois on that page. Where did you see the 13,271?

The link in question: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?state_id=14

 

This is a full-state search. If you change the state ID to 33, you'll get all caches in New York. 51 is Wyoming (they're alphabetical).

 

I don't see the text "Chicago" anywhere on the page I referenced, so I have no idea what you're referring to.

 

Thus far everyone who has a concrete number has provided a link; everyone who has claimed that there are 6600+ caches in Chicago has only stated this number, but has provided no link or reproducible instructions for getting that count. Please, tell us how you get this count, because I can't figure out how to do it.

[+Maingray]

http://www.geocaching.com/local/default.aspx?state_id=14

 

The true State page on gc.com has always had a state license tag in top right hand corner, and a nice overview of the state..events, major cities etc. Always a useful but little used feature.

 

If the link above still gets you to the wrong page, go to the main "hide and seek" page on gc.com, find the "LOCAL STATE PAGE" drop down list and choose Illinois. Get the right drop down.. there are two choices on that search page. You want LOCAL. It probably just uses Chicago as the central start point and ends..dunno.

 

Now as to how accurate their definition of where Chicago begins and ends is room for another thread, but i think we've discussed Chicago enough. It's windy enough in here aleady...

Edited September 15, 2009 by Maingray