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does DeLorme come with Canadian maps when sold in Canada?


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I'm wanting to buy a GPS unit and I am leaning towards the DeLorme PN-40. I tried to order if from Amazon.ca (I'm in Canada) but the product description says it comes with Topo USA. Is there anybody here from Canada and were you able to buy it with Topo Canada maps instead?

 

Also, the description on Amazon lists Windows OS that are compatible, but no mention of Mac OS. Will it work with a Mac?

 

TIA.

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The PN-40 comes with Topo USA. When you get it that way, it does include Canada (despite the software name). I haven't used them, but the CD I have says "Canada and Mexico Road Maps". So, again despite the software name, they don't seem to be Topo maps, but road maps. Go figure! These are "pre-cut" maps, ready to be transferred over to he PN-40.

 

There are also available for download Canadian "1:50K Sheets". I think those are Topos, but can't swear to it. Once in Topo USA, they can be uploaded to the PN-40. When I bought my PN-40, you get $40 of "download credit". You can also get an unlimited amount of downloads for an annual membership to the Delorme "netlink" system, for (I believe) $30. Good deal.

 

By the way, I'm very happy with my PN-40.

 

Klemmer

Edited by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama
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If you're considering a DeLorme, and aren't in the US, I'd suggest waiting till the PN-60 comes out (a month or two). It will have much better Canadian coverage in the basemap and TopoUSA.

 

TopoUSA is Windows only and is tricky to get working in VMWare.

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The Pn-40 and PN-60w packages also includes several DVDs with the pre-cut detail topo, road maps. I don't have a Mac, but note the detail from Amazon regarding Mac compatibility with the map

DVDs for the PN-60w and the same may be true for the PN-40.

 

Check here for more detail on the PN-40:

http://www.amazon.com/DeLorme-Earthmate-PN...8973&sr=1-1

 

Similarly for the new PN-60w:

http://www.amazon.com/Earthmate-Portable-N...8528&sr=1-1

PN-60 Canadian map detail:

Maps

Whatever your preferred activity, you’ll never have to settle for just one map. Find your position on up-to-date DeLorme Topo USA 9.0 maps (included). Navigate worry-free with complete U.S. topographic detail, extensive trail coverage, U.S. and Canada streets, roads, and places of interest including campgrounds, boat launch sites, unique natural features, prime hunting and fishing spots.

 

...the PN-60W comes with up-to-date DeLorme Topo USA 9.0 map detail included, both on PN-Series Map DVDs (Mac-compatible) for transfer to the GPS, and in a PC desktop software program.

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Will the PN-40 or 60 do routes in Canada now? My dad has a pn-20 and got Canadian streets into it, and it knew where we were and the little triangle followed the streets beautifully, but if you asked it to figure an on road route, the best the machine could do was direct us to the nearest US border crossing, as the crow flies, and then back to where we wanted to go, again as the crow flies :)

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Will the PN-40 or 60 do routes in Canada now? My dad has a pn-20 and got Canadian streets into it, and it knew where we were and the little triangle followed the streets beautifully, but if you asked it to figure an on road route, the best the machine could do was direct us to the nearest US border crossing, as the crow flies, and then back to where we wanted to go, again as the crow flies :ph34r:

I just reloaded Ontario, Canada, Delorme Topo8 detailed maps onto the PN-40 to verify that the door to door routing still worked from California, USA to some location chosen at random in Ontario. It did.

 

Then I loaded BC and AB detailed maps onto the PN-20, but was unable to complete a route from California, USA to a POI chosen at random in Calgary, AB. The PN-20 is a little slow and may have timed out, but more likely it needed the intervening US states which were not on the SD card in addition to the base maps. After that the PN-20 successfully completed a door to door route from a POI in Calgary to a POI in Edmonton.

 

The map upgrade conversion of the PN-20 to the Topo8 maps for both the Us and Canada was a little tricky and may have even required the use of a Windows PC (not a Mac) to accomplish easily. Or the PN-20 may have needed a separate firmware upgrade. But the PN-20 Mr Kaswa was using should be able to do road routing in Canada in most areas.

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The PN-40 does routing in Canada just fine. Lots of POI and accuracy is good. I am in Manitoba and the moment I took the PN-40 out of the box I ran the installer to put the Canadian regional and street maps on the device. They are as up to date as any other maps I have seen and very complete in major centres. It was immediately able to tell me I was at my address on my street.

 

I did install the Topos but I have to say I wasn't very impressed with them. I ended up removing them from the PN until I need them because the device seemed to forget occassionally that I had turned them off.

 

So, I think the only real question is whether the installer works ok on a Mac or whether you can figure out how to do that. You might still want to hold off on the PN until the 60 comes out because even if you don't want the 60 there is some chance the price of the 40 will drop.

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So, I think the only real question is whether the installer works ok on a Mac or whether you can figure out how to do that.
As I wrote above, there is no installer. You just put the DVD in the drive and copy the file(s) you want to the internal memory or SD card. You can do it this way on Windows too, they just give you a point & drool interface for doing it on Windows as well for convenience.
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DeLorme here. In mid-June we will be shipping Topo North America 9.0, which will be the first time DeLorme has provided topographic maps for Canada. I believe if you buy a PN-40 from Amazon in Canada now they will provide you the upgrade when it comes out at no charge. So this means you will have streets, topos (with contours), and points of interest for Canada and the US.

 

The product will also provide the Map Library downloads we currently offer plus a new subscription plan for those who want the most detailed aerial imagery available, which we will be providing from a new source. The current DeLorme Map Library subscription includes the official Canadian "Map Sheets" -- the best available 1:50k raster maps for Canada.

 

There are many new improvements coming in this version -- including an easy one-button synch mechanism to maintain parity between the GPS and desktop software for your various files (think mp3 file methods), but also still with custom controls for those who want to have precise control over what files reside on the GPS and which on the desktop.

 

We also have new BLM lands for the western U.S. with a new hatch pattern on parks to make it clearer to see when you stray over certain boundaries. These maps are important for hunters who hunt on private lands with permission from the land owners. And we've added in the descriptions from our paper atlas books about attractions and natural features, so you get the complete write-ups on the GPS when out and about. These will be great to have as we have researched them ourselves over the course of many years and they include everything from vineyards in CA to attractions in FL.

 

Plus many new street, trail and topo map updates. This product also includes roads for Mexico but not topographic data at this time. Cache Register will be included within the software but still available for Mac users and others who only care about geocaching and don't want/need the topo software as well. All new data DVDs will be included for GPS users as done in the past (e.g., you buy a new GPS from us, you get the new data included on five DVDs plus the software).

 

Hope this helps and we will publish the latest schedule for this and the new GPS devices very soon once we hammer through a few final details. But expect Topo NA 9.0 around June 11.

 

-- Team DeLorme (Caleb)

Edited by kidcabe
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NEW BLM LANDS!!! Hooray.

 

Having this information is so essential to people out west. Public lands are the only land me and my children will ever own or hunt on. It's nice to have attention to this data! V9.0 sounds like a significant improvement over the older versions.

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DeLorme here.

<snip>

Cache Register will be included within the software but still available for Mac users and others who only care about geocaching and don't want/need the topo software as well. All new data DVDs will be included for GPS users as done in the past (e.g., you buy a new GPS from us, you get the new data included on five DVDs plus the software).

 

Hope this helps and we will publish the latest schedule for this and the new GPS devices very soon once we hammer through a few final details. But expect Topo NA 9.0 around June 11.

 

-- Team DeLorme (Caleb)

 

I'm curious about what DeLorme's future has in stock for those Mac users that aren't so much

interested in cacheing, but want to use the Topo software w/out a bunch of 'half-fast' hacks(using

emulators and such) to only get bits 'n' pieces of the functionality?

 

Were the 2.6 software update installer & CachRegister the "last hurrah"?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Perhaps I'm getting jaded, but somehow I'd expected just a little more. Not that I'm too

disappointed(feelings I own), but I really thought there'd have been more than hobbyist

offerings, and some substantial mapping capabilities sooner than never.

is the Mac initiative gone "Night, Night" or what?

 

Norm

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I'm curious about what DeLorme's future has in stock for those Mac users that aren't so much

interested in cacheing, but want to use the Topo software w/out a bunch of 'half-fast' hacks(using

emulators and such) to only get bits 'n' pieces of the functionality?

 

Were the 2.6 software update installer & CachRegister the "last hurrah"?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Perhaps I'm getting jaded, but somehow I'd expected just a little more. Not that I'm too

disappointed(feelings I own), but I really thought there'd have been more than hobbyist

offerings, and some substantial mapping capabilities sooner than never.

is the Mac initiative gone "Night, Night" or what?

Not to pile on too much with a "me too!" but...yeah, what he said. I had really high hopes for future Mac-compatible offerings back in December '08. Now I'm left wondering.

 

Even on Windows, TopoUSA is showing its age (and I've only used T7 & T8). I haven't seen T9 yet but if it's evolutionary rather than revolutionary, I really hope TopoUSA 10 (or whatever it ends up being called) gets a total overhaul. At a bare minimum, it needs multi-threading - I should be able to do other things with TopoUSA while downloading from the Map Library, and while I appreciate that the single-threadedness of map cutting means that I still have one core left to do my regular tasks, that process should be easily parallelizable to enable the exploitation of multiple cores/CPUs (and Snow Leopard, with Grand Central Dispatch & the ability to tap into the GPU for processing tasks, can really boost some of this stuff - hint, hint).

 

And while you're rewriting to take advantage of those, why not take the opportunity to split the code up to make it more easily ported to other OSes, especially those which offer easier access to GPUs & multiple cores/CPUs?

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Intentions, plans, what someone might have heard, or what you hoped for don't amount to (much)... Dakboy and RRLover, remember that remark? I edited a bit because the original wording offended Team DeLorme. But I originally offered that in reply to Norm's evangalizing on the future of Mac support for the PN-40, back in March 2009.

 

Keeping this on topic, relating back to the OP's quest: While the PN-40 is great for Geocaching, I'd hesitate recommending it for a Mac user in Canada. Unless the sole intended use is for geocaching, and the other things WePlayOutside mentioned don't matter. But if "Mac support" and "Canadian maps" are more important, my recommendation would have to start with G.

 

As for making a recommendation based on what I've heard about a product that isn't shipping yet? I can't bring myself to do that - not for DeLorme, Garmin, or any other company. A promise or hope is not a shipping product.

Edited by lee_rimar
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The Lowrance Endura series is probably the most Mac friendly stuff I have *researched* (not first hand used) but there aren't Canadian Mapping options available to my knowledge which is a total bummer. I'd totally get an Endura tomorrow IF they had Canadian mapping out of the box. But as it sits now the G is where it's at - and even it isn't super great (Mac wise anyways).

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