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Garmin Oregon 550T vs Delorme PN-40

ozonelayer

By ozonelayer
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ozonelayer

+ozonelayer

Posted
Posted

I'm thinking about taking a major jump from a 10 year old Magellan Map 330 to a Garmin Oregon 550T or a Delorme PN-40.. $200 price difference is a big problem.. Wanting a color screen. I like the screen size of the Garmin.. But have read on here peoples opinions on which one to buy.. I want to down load geocache straight from my computer to my GPS. No where around here has both to go in and compare them.. How easy are they to use.. I still don't know which one to buy...

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MrRocketMan

+MrRocketMan

Posted
Posted

I have both and use them only for geocaching. Hands down, the Oregon. I had the Delmore 1st, used it for about a 1000 caches and it is a very fine machine. But only holding 1000 caches (the 550 holds 5000), not being able to drag and drop gpx files to it and the big color screen make a big difference. The compass in the 550 is better also. It is extremely more easy to calibrate (even easier then the Oregon 300, my wife runs with one of those) while the Delmore makes you do a dance to calibrate. The Delmore is a hair more accurate and a bit more rugged but the pluses of the Oregon make it a hands down choice in my book.

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Chi-Town Cacher

+Chi-Town Cacher

Posted
Posted (edited)

Greetings! Well I'm a HUGE fan of the Delorme PN-40 and I'm always happy to recommend it. I have never used the other GPSr that you mention so somebody else will need to address that particular unit. What I'll try to do is address both the Pros and Cons of owning a PN-40 as I see them (every GPSr has it's pros and cons and a quick look around this GPS and Technology forum will confirm that). I could just tell you only the Pros of the Delorme PN-40 but that would not help you to make an informed decision. I guess just to try and keep it varied I will kind of go back and forth between the pros and cons. Of course since I love my PN-40 I can guarantee that I'll start with a pro (hey, I never claimed to be totally unbiassed).

 

Pro: This awesome little caching machine is great for geocaching since it allows you to paperless geocache! I'm going to assume you know what that is and won't waste your time describing that, but if you do have questions about that aspect feel free to ask and somebody will answer.

 

Con: This is NOT anything I have any knowledge at all on, but if you own a Mac you may want to inquire about whether the PN series is ok for a Mac or not. I've seen some discussions on this, but I'm not a tech type of a guy so I never could understand whether or not the PNs play nicely with Macs.

 

Pro and Con: The good news is the PN-40 will route you in your vehicle as close as you can get to ground zero in your car and then you can easily switch over to hiking mode where it will direct you where to go on an a straight as the crow flies route for the remainder of the way. As you can probaly guess that was the Pro portion. Now for the con of that point. Yes, it will certainly route you, but in my opinion it is kind of slow calculating what route you should take and recalculating the route if you get off track somehow. Since I don't like waiting for it to reroute me I just tell it to route me, but don't reroute me if I get off track for some reason. For me I prefer to backtrack myself and get myself back on track. Is this on the road routing as good as a GPSr that's devoted to only being used for a cars navigation? Heck no, but it does get the job done so overall I'd classify this as a Pro. Basically it's not perfect, but it's good enough for me.

 

Pro: Included with your PN-40 you'll get a really cool orange colored Delorme bumper sticker. Well I got one so I assume everybody gets one.

 

Pro: Since the last Pro was really a pretty small one let me tell you another Pro which I'm sure will sound a lot better. Included with your new PN-40 you'll get the following maps all included (did you catch that, they're free!) U.S. streets and topo maps, Canadian street maps and Mexican street maps. Like I said I don't know anything about the other unit you're considering, but that's a few hundred dollars worth of free maps. Free is a good 4 letter word!

 

Con: The Delorme PN-40 does get thirsty and likes to suck the juice right out of batteries quicker than any other GPSr I've owned. Don't let that worry you though because the solution is so incredibly simple that it really neutralizes this con. The solution is to take 4 extra little AA batteries with you and then you'll be good for a whole days fun. Now remember you'll only have to carry 4 AA batteries so it's not like you'd have to carry 4 car batteries. You won't even notice the weight in your geocaching back pack they're so lightweight.

 

Pro: With a Delorme PN-40 you can get the optional yearly subscription to Delorme's Map Library. Now don't panic you really do get all the maps I mentioned above so those really are free. The subscription to the map library allows you to download aerial imagery. Imagine looking at the screen on your Delorme PN-40 and on it you have a choice to see the screen in a normal map mode. Or, if you want to see something sweet change to aerial imagery mode and right on your GPSr screen it will look like you're looking at a Google Earth picture with the roads highlighted and named and also it shows the caches imposed on the aerial image you're looking at.

 

Con: I hear lots of people mention the screen size. To me it's pretty comparable to say a Garmin eTrex Vista screen size. To me it's the perfect size since I want a GPSr that fits comfortably in my hand. If it was any bigger of a screen then it wouldn't fit my hand as comfortably since they would probably have to enlarge the case to accomodate a larger screen. The bottom line is it's plenty big enough to show all the detail I could ever want on both map view and aerial imagery views.

 

Pro: I found both the Delorme PN-40 and the software that comes with it to be very easy to use. I still haven't gotten around to reading any of the owners manual except for one small section when I was trying to change the welcome screen message. Yep, there were a few times where I kind of figuratively started banging my head against the wall, but I certainly don't blame Delorme for that since I've never bothered to read the owners manual. Even without reading the manual I can load individual caches from gc.com, I can manually input coordinates, I can mark where I park my car, I can load pocket queries onto my PN-40, I can download aerial imagery to my computer and then transfer it to my PN-40, I can write field notes while out in the woods, I can transfer those field notes directly to gc.com, I can use GSAK to send geocaches to my PN-40 and I'm sure there are other things I've taught myself that I just can't think of. You'll want to keep in mind that all of those things were really pretty easy for me to figure out without even reading the owners manual and trust me I'm very far from being tech savvy. I don't know if there is such a word, but I'm what I'd call a techniphobe.

 

Con: It's not very intuitive to learn or has a hard learning curve or a steep one. As you can tell from my Pro right above this Con I don't agree with that. However, there are folks who say this is a true Con for this unit so I thought I'd better share it with you. Since all of the above were things I taught myself being a non tech savvy kind of guy and not reading the owner's manual all I can do is guess maybe that steep learning curve is maybe in areas that most cachers like me would never have any interest in doing with the software. So far I've found it to be very easy to use, but you will find others that disagree.

 

Pro: It's a really cool orange color! Ok, that takes a while to grow on you, but it does have a useful purpose. If you set your PN-40 down in the woods it's much easier to find a bright orange GPSr instead of a green one. Oh don't forget you also get a really orange Delorme bumper sticker too (well mine did so I assume all buyers get one).

 

Con: At this time it's my understanding that the only maps available with this unit are the ones I mentioned above. So if you plan on doing a lot of caching outside of the U.S., Canada or Mexico then you'd have no maps for other countries. Ok, that's not 100% true, but basically it was correct. Let me explain. There is a worldwide base map that comes pre-installed on your PN-30 or PN-40. However, like Garmin and probably other GPSr models the base map is pretty useless so you might as well say there's no maps outside of North America.

 

Pro: You can frequently find this awesome GPSr on sale. The last time I looked at Walmart.com it was on sale for I think $305 and a before that it was on sale at REI.com for $260. Also, Amazon.com recently had the PN-40 on sale for $297. So the moral of the story is to shop around. Don't quote me on this, but I think I've recently seen the Delorme PN-30 on sale at Amazon.com for $200 so if you can live without the altimeter and electonic compass you could save some serious money by downgrading to a Delorme PN-30.

 

Conclusion: BUY A DELORME PN-40! Ok actually what you should do is maybe go to Amazon.com and maybe read the reviews of not only the Delorme GPSr's, but also for the other unit you are considering. When you do buy a GPSr make sure you save all the packaging materials and the receipt so if you find out you made a mistake most reputable retailers will accept returns.

 

Good luck in your search for the right GPSr for you (Psst, buy the Delorme PN 30 or 40 :) ). Of course as another person pointed out there are also lots of other threads here in the GPS and Technology forum where different GPSr's are discussed and I'm sure you can get some information from them too. Sorry this stretched out so long. Hopefully you'll find a tidbit or two in this that will help you make an informed decision. MC :)

Edited by Michigan Cacheman
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user13371

+user13371

Posted
Posted (edited)

OzoneLayer, reviews from geocachers who own these units are here:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/reviews/gps_garmin_oregon-550t

http://www.geocaching.com/reviews/gps_delo...earthmate-pn-40

 

You won't go wrong with either one, but the Oregon 550T is a better GPS for geocaching, geotagging photos, hiking, and driving -- and it costs about twice as much as the PN-40. You just have to ask yourself (not anyone else) if you really want (need) the built-in camera, the big screen, being able to store five times as many waypoints -- and if you want them enough to spend the extra money.

Edited by lee_rimar
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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

Remember that, if buying the OR, you will also need to buy routable maps should you wish the GPS to route. These are an added $100 or so.

 

There's talk that the waypoint limit will be raised soon for us PN owners, I caution this is merely talk and not known if/when it'll be addressed...we are hoping it will be done soon!

 

Makes you do a dance to calibrate? OK, maybe you do need to do a little "dance" but it truly isn't difficult. I personally have not calibrated my unit in a few weeks or more and have no troubles...mainly because I don't change out batteries (you should calibrate with each battery change).

 

No need to drag and drop with Cache Register, you just run a PQ and then Cache Register will sync it for you. Quick and simple, the easiest way to do this IMHO (and some others as well lol).

 

A friend has a Garmin 550T and she loves it. I own the PN-40 and I love it as well. My friend and I often have little "arguments" about which is better, but we both agree that they are very good units and I believe either will suit your needs! You only need to ask yourself what features you nwant...and how much you're willing to spend!

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twolpert

+twolpert

Posted
Posted

Aaagh. No way I'm jumping on this one again :P If you have an REI in your neighborhood, suggest you head over there (preferably during a time when they are not hugely crowded). You will be able to examine both units, probably even taking them outside for comparison. You can read about the features, read the reviews, etc. -- but there's no substitute for holding them side by side.

 

One other note -- you're probably paying something of a premium for the camera on the 550t. If you're comparing on price, might want to consider stepping down a bit on the OR -- say to the 400t. The feature sets, particularly with regard to the inclusion of 1:100K topos, will be more nearly comparable that way.

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user13371

+user13371

Posted
Posted (edited)
Aaagh. No way I'm jumping on this one again (... and then proceeds to offer opinions...)
Haha, I tried to stay out of it too but couldn't resist. They're really such different units, aimed for different market segments and price points. Toyota vs Mercedes comparisons (for someone trading up from an old Ford Escort) kept coming to mind. Edited by lee_rimar
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twolpert

+twolpert

Posted
Posted
Aaagh. No way I'm jumping on this one again (... and then proceeds to offer opinions...)
Haha, I tried to stay out of it too but couldn't resist. They're really such different units, aimed for different market segments and price points. Toyota vs Mercedes comparisons (for someone trading up from an old Ford Escort) kept coming to mind.

Shopping advice, not opinions on the merits of the units. No way I'm goin' there :P

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Summer Walks

Summer Walks

Posted
Posted

I had the Delmore 1st, used it for about a 1000 caches and it is a very fine machine. But only holding 1000 caches ...

 

Look for some coming changes :mad:

 

You know somethink we don't? Is DeLorem plannong something more like the Oregon 550T? Spill it!!! Going to let users storemore waypoint? Add a camera and geophototags and bigger screens and international maps? When is gonna be released and what will it cost?

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Horny Imps

+Horny Imps

Posted
Posted

Hi there, I'm fairly new to Geocaching and recently my hubby bought us an Oregon 550t. We are more than happy with it and seems to everything that we would need for finding those elusive caches. However, I have come accross one problem; that is, how do you remove cache details after you have found them? It is easy to remove waypoints but not the details stored in the Geocache file. As there is provision to hold around 5000 waypoints there isn't a problem with storage but I do like to keep my details 'tidy'. Any advice would be welcomed.

 

Once again, a fantastic unit that is comfortable to hold, large clear screen, reliable and does everything (except was the dishes!).

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snow_rules

+snow_rules

Posted
Posted

Just to follow up on this see the following site for the update (check in the what new tab)

 

DeLorme Xmap 7

 

With this improvement I was able to have 100 (could have had more) GPX files with up to 1000 caches/waypoint each on the PN40.

 

does that apply to the PN30 also?

 

I can't say for certain but I would think that it would. I think they just announced it and it hasn't been released yet so I would say that there will be more details coming up.

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snow_rules

+snow_rules

Posted
Posted

Just to follow up on this see the following site for the update (check in the what new tab)

 

DeLorme Xmap 7

 

With this improvement I was able to have 100 (could have had more) GPX files with up to 1000 caches/waypoint each on the PN40.

Ok, there's my justification for buying Xmap. Thanks for the update!

 

Am I reading correctly that the price is $250?

 

XMap may not even be needed to use the upcoming feature, but it is a cool piece of software. Usually that have a discount for PN users, you just need to call them to if you want to order it.

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RRLover

+RRLover

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just to follow up on this see the following site for the update (check in the what new tab)

 

DeLorme Xmap 7

 

With this improvement I was able to have 100 (could have had more) GPX files with up to 1000 caches/waypoint each on the PN40.

Ok, there's my justification for buying Xmap. Thanks for the update!

 

Am I reading correctly that the price is $250?

 

XMap may not even be needed to use the upcoming feature, but it is a cool piece of software. Usually that have a discount for PN users, you just need to call them to if you want to order it.

In my very brief perusal, I thought one needed Enterpri$e! That hill's a little too steep for this choo-choo!

Or a consist of four, for that matter.

It is really cool to see a two way dialog twixt the SD & EM, that opens the possibilities for future features

immensely!

 

Norm

Edited by RRLover
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Maingray

+Maingray

Posted
Posted (edited)

.. I want to down load geocache straight from my computer to my GPS. No where around here has both to go in and compare them.. How easy are they to use..

 

Just with that information, hard to split the two. They can both download caches straight from the website and show full information. A better comparison, if the price difference is worrisome, is between the PN-40 and the Oregon 300/400 (or even the Colorado 300). I'd expect to see deep reductions in the garmin paperless range price very soon, at least at REI winter sales. I have a Oregon 300, after using a PN-40 for a while, and for my personal caching style and needs the PN range didn't fit.

 

So...what else is important to you?

 

Accurate street routing?

Aerial imagery?

Touch screen / button entry?

Maps outside the US?

Price of extra maps?

Geotagging?

Number of caches onboard?

Edited by Maingray
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Entropy512

+Entropy512

Posted
Posted

I'm thinking about taking a major jump from a 10 year old Magellan Map 330 to a Garmin Oregon 550T or a Delorme PN-40.. $200 price difference is a big problem.. Wanting a color screen. I like the screen size of the Garmin.. But have read on here peoples opinions on which one to buy.. I want to down load geocache straight from my computer to my GPS. No where around here has both to go in and compare them.. How easy are they to use.. I still don't know which one to buy...

Any particular reason for choosing the 550T over a lower priced unit, especially since your biggest concern is the price difference?

 

I would personally reccommend, if price is your primary concern, an Oregon 300 with a MicroSD card and one of the free topo maps from www.gpsfiledepot.com - Most people feel that in 95%+ of situations, the gpsfiledepot maps exceed Garmin's standard national topo in detail and quality, and my experience is that the gpsfiledepot maps exceed DeLorme Topo 8's detail and quality too. (I owned the PN-40 for about two days before it bricked itself on me, it went back and I overpaid significantly to get an Oregon 300 on short notice at Dick's Sporting Goods and haven't regretted that purchase at all despite paying significantly more than what I would have if I'd had the time to hit Amazon.)

 

One of the nice things about the Oregon is that with this series, Garmin has made a pretty serious move towards open standards for data interfaces. The data cable is standard mini-USB, you can drag and drop GPX files from pocket queries right to the device to load geocaches, and as of the latest beta, you can create image overlays in Google Earth and save them to the device to provide custom raster maps. The device acts as a standard USB mass storage device. The PN-40 has a slight edge in that it uses slightly cheaper/more widely available SDHC cards instead of MicroSDHC like the Oregons.

 

The method for getting raster maps is slightly less user friendly than DeLorme's "select areas and download" method, however it doesn't require a $20/year subscription, and you can import arbitrary raster imagery sources, which for DeLorme devices requires purchasing XMap. For DeLorme-like functionality, gpsvisualizer.com has a KML network link that lets you get a ground overlay KMZ that meets all Garmin restrictions on image format and resolution with just a few clicks in Google Earth.

 

The PN-40 in theory has on device road routing out of the box, I never had a chance to try it before mine bricked itself, but I haven't seen a single person claim that it is lightyears ahead of the PN-20 and Street Atlas Handheld products, which it would have to be in order to even come close to what you'd get with basically any other solution. (I have used the PN-20 and Street Atlas Handheld on both PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices, despite the latter devices having more than enough CPU to do realtime road routing with a 3D display with TomTom, SAHH typically took 5-10 minutes to generate a 20 mile route.) If you spend the $80 or so for City Navigator maps, the Oregon 300's road routing will be lightyears ahead of the PN-40's, although still not as good as spending around $100 on a basic TomTom or Nuvi you can leave in the car.

 

I would strongly reccommend checking the DeLorme forums at delorme.com, and check to make sure the power supply reliability issues they had earlier have been resolved. (They were still unresolved as of last summer) If a clear root cause has not yet been identified and a fix documented, I would not purchase a PN-40. If it has been fixed, it could have potential if you have a severely limited budget, but since you are considering the 550T it seems like you are in more of a "do I get what I pay for" situation. I don't think the 550T is worth the extra money, but the 300 is worth the extra money over a PN-40.

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

I'm thinking about taking a major jump from a 10 year old Magellan Map 330 to a Garmin Oregon 550T or a Delorme PN-40.. $200 price difference is a big problem.. Wanting a color screen. I like the screen size of the Garmin.. But have read on here peoples opinions on which one to buy.. I want to down load geocache straight from my computer to my GPS. No where around here has both to go in and compare them.. How easy are they to use.. I still don't know which one to buy...

Any particular reason for choosing the 550T over a lower priced unit, especially since your biggest concern is the price difference?

 

I would personally reccommend, if price is your primary concern, an Oregon 300 with a MicroSD card and one of the free topo maps from www.gpsfiledepot.com - Most people feel that in 95%+ of situations, the gpsfiledepot maps exceed Garmin's standard national topo in detail and quality, and my experience is that the gpsfiledepot maps exceed DeLorme Topo 8's detail and quality too. (I owned the PN-40 for about two days before it bricked itself on me, it went back and I overpaid significantly to get an Oregon 300 on short notice at Dick's Sporting Goods and haven't regretted that purchase at all despite paying significantly more than what I would have if I'd had the time to hit Amazon.)

 

One of the nice things about the Oregon is that with this series, Garmin has made a pretty serious move towards open standards for data interfaces. The data cable is standard mini-USB, you can drag and drop GPX files from pocket queries right to the device to load geocaches, and as of the latest beta, you can create image overlays in Google Earth and save them to the device to provide custom raster maps. The device acts as a standard USB mass storage device. The PN-40 has a slight edge in that it uses slightly cheaper/more widely available SDHC cards instead of MicroSDHC like the Oregons.

 

The method for getting raster maps is slightly less user friendly than DeLorme's "select areas and download" method, however it doesn't require a $20/year subscription, and you can import arbitrary raster imagery sources, which for DeLorme devices requires purchasing XMap. For DeLorme-like functionality, gpsvisualizer.com has a KML network link that lets you get a ground overlay KMZ that meets all Garmin restrictions on image format and resolution with just a few clicks in Google Earth.

 

The PN-40 in theory has on device road routing out of the box, I never had a chance to try it before mine bricked itself, but I haven't seen a single person claim that it is lightyears ahead of the PN-20 and Street Atlas Handheld products, which it would have to be in order to even come close to what you'd get with basically any other solution. (I have used the PN-20 and Street Atlas Handheld on both PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices, despite the latter devices having more than enough CPU to do realtime road routing with a 3D display with TomTom, SAHH typically took 5-10 minutes to generate a 20 mile route.) If you spend the $80 or so for City Navigator maps, the Oregon 300's road routing will be lightyears ahead of the PN-40's, although still not as good as spending around $100 on a basic TomTom or Nuvi you can leave in the car.

 

I would strongly reccommend checking the DeLorme forums at delorme.com, and check to make sure the power supply reliability issues they had earlier have been resolved. (They were still unresolved as of last summer) If a clear root cause has not yet been identified and a fix documented, I would not purchase a PN-40. If it has been fixed, it could have potential if you have a severely limited budget, but since you are considering the 550T it seems like you are in more of a "do I get what I pay for" situation. I don't think the 550T is worth the extra money, but the 300 is worth the extra money over a PN-40.

 

Yes, I too suggest you check the DeLorme forums where you'll find up-to-date info instead of outdated info from someone who only used their unit for a few days. Not badmouthing the poster, just saying that it's not wise to go by someone's opinion that was formed because of a bad experience likely due to bugs and QC issues when this unit was in it's "growing" stage.

 

Having been the owner of a JUNK OR 300 (which was returned as defective), I can tell you that neither company was/is exempt from releasing products which were/are "buggy" upon release. Neither company was/is exempt from having QC issues with their products.

 

As a PN-40 owner, I can tell you I am very satisfied with my PN-40 AND with the people behind the product, DeLorme CS is top-notch should you encounter a problem.

 

As a PN-40 owner, I can tell you I am very satisfied with the routing feature on my unit, I use it often. It is definitely not a dedicated car nav unit, but neither is the OR or any other handheld unit...the OR does have a few pluses in the road routing, but not enough I'd buy it merely for this reason....and I found the OR to be just as likely to give me incorrect driving instructions as my PN does! If road routing were my main concern, a car nav is cheaper to buy than the difference between the OR and the PN (remember, you'll need to buy routable maps with the OR, these are around $100). I see the poster stated he hadn't used the PN-40 for routing, but states the OR is "lightyears" ahead of it? While a touch slow, I've not had the PN take even a minute to calculate a 20 mile route...or even a much longer one! ;)

 

While some complain that the map software which comes with your PN purchase (Topo 8) is hard to learn, it is a powerful tool. I've yet to scratch the surface of all it is capable of doing...and it is free with your purchase! The ability to add more than a 100sq mile section of aerial is just one of it's features...the 100sq mile limit is what Garmins currently have...and I believe most Garmin users are experiencing issues with larger files (not sure how large, but I'm under the impression it's smaller than the limit).

 

For caching or outdoor uses, I find my PN-40 to be the very best bang for the buck, the unit I prefer over the higher priced Garmin. This is my personal preference though, others have different uses which might make them lean towardanother brand....it's good to have choices! :rolleyes:

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39_Steps

39_Steps

Posted
Posted

I would strongly reccommend checking the DeLorme forums at delorme.com, and check to make sure the power supply reliability issues they had earlier have been resolved. (They were still unresolved as of last summer)

The new PN-30/40 firmware included with the pre-summer release of Topo8 seems to have addressed earlier power supply issues as well as providing a new Base Map for the USA. Door to door routes with the PN-30/40 are now calculating with reasonable quickness. The middle portions of long routes may still take some user intervention with the insertion of vias, depending on personal preference.

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NordicMan

NordicMan

Posted
Posted

Yes, I too suggest you check the DeLorme forums where you'll find up-to-date info instead of outdated info from someone who only used their unit for a few days. Not badmouthing the poster, just saying that it's not wise to go by someone's opinion that was formed because of a bad experience likely due to bugs and QC issues when this unit was in it's "growing" stage.

 

Having been the owner of a JUNK OR 300 (which was returned as defective), I can tell you that neither company was/is exempt from releasing products which were/are "buggy" upon release. Neither company was/is exempt from having QC issues with their products.

 

Not meaning to start an argument Roddy but, aren't those two paragraphs totally contradictory??

 

Didn't YOU own an Oregon for only a few days (or was it a week?) and you're passing horrible judgement on it? Despite (if I recall correctly) you too sorta agree that your particular unit was probably not in good working order?

 

Honestly, I don't understand how your account of your Oregon experience is any different than Entropy's PN-40 observations

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

Yes, I too suggest you check the DeLorme forums where you'll find up-to-date info instead of outdated info from someone who only used their unit for a few days. Not badmouthing the poster, just saying that it's not wise to go by someone's opinion that was formed because of a bad experience likely due to bugs and QC issues when this unit was in it's "growing" stage.

 

Having been the owner of a JUNK OR 300 (which was returned as defective), I can tell you that neither company was/is exempt from releasing products which were/are "buggy" upon release. Neither company was/is exempt from having QC issues with their products.

 

Not meaning to start an argument Roddy but, aren't those two paragraphs totally contradictory??

 

Didn't YOU own an Oregon for only a few days (or was it a week?) and you're passing horrible judgement on it? Despite (if I recall correctly) you too sorta agree that your particular unit was probably not in good working order?

 

Honestly, I don't understand how your account of your Oregon experience is any different than Entropy's PN-40 observations

 

I pointed out the good points which differed from the PN, I didn't "badmouth" merely for the sake of making the unit look bad and I stated that mine went back as defective...where is this anything like Entropy's post? My OR was junk, and I stated why, I also pointed out it was likely the fault of QC and stated neither company was exempt. Again, I believe I was more than fair and balanced as opposed to Entropy who slammed the unit at every point.

 

And no, I owned the unit for a bit longer than two weeks IIRC and gave it plenty of time to be tested thoroughly (or as thoroughly as I wished to do at least)...definitely NOT 2 days! :) Had I come in and just bashed the OR, I could understand someone complaining, but I didn't, I gave as accurate an evaluation I could. Aside from the jumpiness and the completely useless (as many have also stated) compass, I was able to use the unit completely, I have given a fair and HONEST accounting of this more than once! :D

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snow_rules

+snow_rules

Posted
Posted (edited)

1 lightyear = 5.87849981 × 10^12 miles

 

So if my PN40 take 20 seconds to calculate a 50 mile route in an urban area (St. Louis) then the oregon would take ..... (I think "lightyear" is an exaggeration)

 

Edit - Still trying to calculate how quick the oregon is!

Edited by snow_rules
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Searching_ut

+Searching_ut

Posted
Posted

I'm thinking about taking a major jump from a 10 year old Magellan Map 330 to a Garmin Oregon 550T or a Delorme PN-40.. $200 price difference is a big problem.. Wanting a color screen. I like the screen size of the Garmin.. But have read on here peoples opinions on which one to buy.. I want to down load geocache straight from my computer to my GPS. No where around here has both to go in and compare them.. How easy are they to use.. I still don't know which one to buy...

 

I think you'd be happy with either unit. The PN-40 is the better value in my opinion, the Garmin a little more refined, and has more software options available for it that interface directly. Either one will get you to where you're going quite accurately, and from what I've seen are fairly comperable in the performance of the basic waypoint, off road navigation, and geocaching abilities and functions. Both have all sorts of mapping options available to you, with the ones for the Garmin being slightly better in my opinion (Except aerial photo ability), but at significantly higher cost. The software that comes with the PN-40 is quite the jack of all trades product, but doesn't necessarily stand out in any one area.

 

If the $200 dollars is quite significant to you (It will be more than that when you factor in maps and accessories) your best option is probably the PN-40, especially if you don't have any specific requirements for your handheld GPS beyond geocaching. It really is quite the bang for the buck, and in my opinion is about as good as any of them get for geocaching type use.

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2FastLX

+2FastLX

Posted
Posted

I was looking at at the Oregon 550t vs the Delorme and am in the same dilemma. For me it's not so much the price difference, but the features. I like the fact that the 550t has a built in camera. It seems every time we find a cache away from the car and we want to take a pic we realize we forgot the camera. Other than what I've read I really don't know a whole lot about either GPS. Being new to all this just leaves me confused and ready to just buy the Garmin based on the camera feature. I wish there was a way to rent the two units to get a first hand opinion on which one to buy.

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was looking at at the Oregon 550t vs the Delorme and am in the same dilemma. For me it's not so much the price difference, but the features. I like the fact that the 550t has a built in camera. It seems every time we find a cache away from the car and we want to take a pic we realize we forgot the camera. Other than what I've read I really don't know a whole lot about either GPS. Being new to all this just leaves me confused and ready to just buy the Garmin based on the camera feature. I wish there was a way to rent the two units to get a first hand opinion on which one to buy.

 

If money is no matter and you want the camera, buy the 550! Both units are great caching units, you'll need to buy maps for the Garmin is the only drawback for the Garmin....aside from pricing.

Edited by Rockin Roddy
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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted (edited)
you'll need to buy maps for the Garmin is the only drawback for the Garmin....aside from pricing.
It depends on what you want to do with the maps. If turn-by-turn routing isn't on your list, then the 550t will do nicely. Plus, there are free maps available that are routable as well. So, maybe not that big of a drawback.

 

--Marky

Edited by Marky
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Native20559

+Native20559

Posted
Posted

i did not see this addressed in the links so thought i'd ask ...

 

has anyone done a comparison of the reception/sensitivity of these two units? if so, does either perform significantly better under suboptimal conditions (tree cover, etc.) or is it a wash?

 

I compared my Oregon with my PN-40 in some of the mountainous areas here (canyons, lodgepole pine tree cover) in CO and found no difference in their respective accuracy. Both were spot on.

 

Be safe.

 

N

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twolpert

+twolpert

Posted
Posted

i did not see this addressed in the links so thought i'd ask ...

 

has anyone done a comparison of the reception/sensitivity of these two units? if so, does either perform significantly better under suboptimal conditions (tree cover, etc.) or is it a wash?

 

I compared my Oregon with my PN-40 in some of the mountainous areas here (canyons, lodgepole pine tree cover) in CO and found no difference in their respective accuracy. Both were spot on.

 

Be safe.

 

N

I suspect Native20559 was asking about the ability to acquire and hold lock in adverse conditions. Any significant differences there?

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Native20559

+Native20559

Posted
Posted

I suspect Native20559 was asking about the ability to acquire and hold lock in adverse conditions. Any significant differences there?

 

Thx Twolpert, that's correct, I should've been been clearer in my post. Neither unit had any difficulty acquiring and maintaining their lock here in the mountains.

 

Oh and Roddy was misinformed about "having to" buy maps for the Garmins. The 24k topos available on gpsfiledepot.com (amongst other shareware maps available elsewhere), especially the ones built by Oz and Maps4U, are superb and entirely free and easily better than any of the Garmin made topos I have ...

 

Be safe.

 

N

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

I suspect Native20559 was asking about the ability to acquire and hold lock in adverse conditions. Any significant differences there?

 

Thx Twolpert, that's correct, I should've been been clearer in my post. Neither unit had any difficulty acquiring and maintaining their lock here in the mountains.

 

Oh and Roddy was misinformed about "having to" buy maps for the Garmins. The 24k topos available on gpsfiledepot.com (amongst other shareware maps available elsewhere), especially the ones built by Oz and Maps4U, are superb and entirely free and easily better than any of the Garmin made topos I have ...

 

Be safe.

 

N

 

Ummm, NO, I wasn't. I know there's free maps out there, just not free ROUTING maps. Before claiming I'm mistaken, please ask for clarification...this isn't the first I've discussed maps, the OR, Garmin OR DeLorme. :)

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Native20559

+Native20559

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ummm, NO, I wasn't. I know there's free maps out there, just not free ROUTING maps. Before claiming I'm mistaken, please ask for clarification...this isn't the first I've discussed maps, the OR, Garmin OR DeLorme. :angry:

 

Rong Rockin Roddy........

 

Yes, there are free routing maps.

 

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

 

Thanks Red, that's exactly what I was referring to ... apology accepted Rodney. :) You really need to get that Garmin chip off your shoulder buddy ...

Edited by Native20559
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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

Ummm, NO, I wasn't. I know there's free maps out there, just not free ROUTING maps. Before claiming I'm mistaken, please ask for clarification...this isn't the first I've discussed maps, the OR, Garmin OR DeLorme. :angry:

 

Rong Rockin Roddy........

 

Yes, there are free routing maps.

 

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

 

Thanks Red, that's exactly what I was referring to ... apology accepted Rodney. :) You really need to get that Garmin chip off your shoulder buddy ...

 

I believe we've already discussed these maps and have agreed they aren't "all that"...maybe my memory is off. At the very least, it's odd that only a couple of people ever bring them up.

 

No chip, telling people the facts of the matter. If these bother you, my apologies, but I'm not going to mislead people or tell them there's a free map if I don't trust the quality. You can do as you please.

 

btw (W)rong.... :angry:

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

Can either of these units edit the cords in the field?

 

So say you just found part one of a multi and want to edit the original cache cords instead of creating a new one.

 

Thanks

 

With the PN, you can simply edit the existing coords (or add new ones as a waypoint if this is your thing), on the GArmin you need to make a new waypoint. At least that's how my OR was, the 550 may have changed this.

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

Ummm, NO, I wasn't. I know there's free maps out there, just not free ROUTING maps. Before claiming I'm mistaken, please ask for clarification...this isn't the first I've discussed maps, the OR, Garmin OR DeLorme. :angry:

 

Rong Rockin Roddy........

 

Yes, there are free routing maps.

 

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

 

Thanks Red, that's exactly what I was referring to ... apology accepted Rodney. :) You really need to get that Garmin chip off your shoulder buddy ...

 

btw, it's Roddy or Rockin Roddy...my friends also call me Rod. :angry::blink:

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