Delorme PN-30

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

Ok well I do like the Lowrance Endura Out&back a lot. Got it for a good price too but heard so much good about the Delorme Pn series and just had to try one out b4 the return policy on my Endura is up. Got the PN-30 for a good price as well and gotta say the maps are killer for this and for $200 being able to auto route is amazing.

 

The biggest reason I chose to try the PN-30 is because of how slow the Out&Back got when I put 400 caches on it. I am glad I found this out b4 my return was up. It was slow but got painfully slow when more caches were put on it. I couldn't tell at times if it was froze or just taking extra long to bring up the information page. I may just be willing to forgo the touchscreen for a much quicker unit that has full maps and can auto route. Not to mention it being a 32 channel GPS which almost negates the need for the compass. I can be walking very slow to a cache and it points in the right direction every time.

 

I was worried it would be too hard to figure out from what I have read but that was not the case. Very easy to use so far with no problems. Great unit and can't wait to give it a full test this weekend b4 making my final choice.

[+Team_Searchgeo]

Yea I have a PN-40 and really like it. Just bought a Lacrosse BC-9009 battery charger so it don't break me in batteries . I was kind of curious though as to how the PN-30 does on batteries? Anyway did you buy it new or used? If new I would send in the card so that you get the topoNA 9.0 and 2.8 F/W. It makes it so that you can load PQ's directly to the SD card. Instead of the 1000 limit of the internal memory you can have as many as your SD card can hold. I have a 16 gb SDHC card and have tons of aerial imagery and topo 1:24K's on it and about 2000 or so caches plus 900 benchmarks and am using only 29% of the card. The only thing bad about it is that a 1000 PQ can take a minute or two to load but once loaded it is right there and stays there until you close the file even when changing the batteries.

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

Got it in the Cabelas bargain cave. Guess it was used or a display model. No card which stinks. Do these have the ability to project a waypoint. The Out&Back can't do it and was hoping this one would. Got a week or so to decide which model to keep.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Druce_n_Eulla

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

Well have an update. Maybe it is just this unit but I was outside and got a strong Satellite signal on both The PN-30 and Out&Back and came back in. Sat down on the couch in the living room and almost immediately lost the sat signal on the Delorme. My Endura kept tracking Sats with no problem sitting side by side. That is the deal breaker. If it can't hold the Sat fix in the house how will it be under thick tree cover. Like I said, could just be a bad unit so can't condemn the company for this. I think this is a huge check mark for the slower Out&back and I will be returning the Delorme. Faster isn't always better. Auto routing is great but I need a trusty GPS-r when I am out hiking in the woods geocaching and the Out&Back seems to have slightly better battery life as well.

[+Team_Searchgeo]

Never had an issue with my PN-40. Did the Boone Cliffs cache which is thick heavily wood terrain and never once lost a signal. You can barely see sky there and I still had 8ft accuracy. Actually when I got to the cache the PN-40's compass pointed in a direction and distance was 1.2 ft and my son looks down and says here it is.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Team_Searchgeo

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

Never had an issue with my PN-40. Did the Boone Cliffs cache which is thick heavily wood terrain and never once lost a signal. You can barely see sky there and I still had 8ft accuracy. Actually when I got to the cache the PN-40's compass pointed in a direction and distance was 1.2 ft and my son looks down and says here it is.

Nice, as noted in my previous post this is either a return or display model so there may be something up with the unit. It cost $170 the Out&Back $137 so I am saving money on a unit that may be messed up. Can't afford a new one since I am in school right now or I would try that. I jotted down the positives and negatives of the units side by side and chose the Out&Back anyway. Screen looks more up to date and is easier to read and navigate using the touchscreen or buttons. Don't get full maps or auto routing but I dealt with my etrex h for over a year and that has no maps. I don't hate Delorme and will probably go back to them in the future when it is time to upgrade again.

[+RRLover]

Did you allow the PN to download the full data while you were outside?

Any unit on a cold start in a new environment takes roughly 20-25

minutes to get the full ephemera.

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

All was good was ran prior to this test and upon start up was faster to link to the Sats than my etrex h. Upon entering the house the first to lose Sat was the PN soon followed by the etrex. Out&Back kept reception the whole time.

 

On start up the PN took mere seconds to connect, the etrex about a minute and the Out&Back was still loading(My only gripe). I like both units but I can only have one. I just had to try the Delorme b4 I got stuck with the Endura. There is still at least a chance that the Endura will be able to project waypoints where I'd have to purchase the new maps for the more recent updates since it does not work with topo 8.0. That's an extra $100 that I don't have, so the money saved by buying a used model doesn't offset what I'd have to spend for full functionality. Delorme's are definitely the most complete GPS-r out of the box but a returned model is definitely not the way to go due to the recent TOPO maps and firmware updates.

[+Team_Searchgeo]

Well be honest if you bought the Pn-30 from a retailer then you would be eligible for the upgrade. I don't think that it being in the bargain bin makes a difference. I would imagine if you call delorme or just go to their forum and ask them you would get an answer rather quickly. Also if there is an issue you should still have a year warranty also. I know I have bought discounted/returned items before but you still get the warranty because it is still considered new. I think the only way that would not be true is if cabelas put it out as a used item which I have never really seen a big retailer do.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Team_Searchgeo

[+Druce_n_Eulla]

Well be honest if you bought the Pn-30 from a retailer then you would be eligible for the upgrade. I don't think that it being in the bargain bin makes a difference. I would imagine if you call delorme or just go to their forum and ask them you would get an answer rather quickly. Also if there is an issue you should still have a year warranty also. I know I have bought discounted/returned items before but you still get the warranty because it is still considered new. I think the only way that would not be true is if cabelas put it out as a used item which I have never really seen a big retailer do.

I was under the impression that if the card was not in the box then I would not get the offer. I will give them a call later today and find out for sure. Gonna hold onto it for a week and try it out on a few caches and see how it goes. Have a road trip coming up this weekend and I will be able to make a final decision then. I love all the features of it but I can't get past the dated look of the screen after using the Out&Back. Being able to see in the sun is a plus though.

[+embra]

My understanding is that the card is a way to make sure customers know they are eligible for the upgrade, but if you can provide DeLorme a receipt documenting the purchase date they will provide the upgrade anyway (there is still a $10 S/H charge).

 

Good luck with either side of the fence you come down on. It's nice to have two attractive options.

[+dakboy]

My understanding is that the card is a way to make sure customers know they are eligible for the upgrade, but if you can provide DeLorme a receipt documenting the purchase date they will provide the upgrade anyway (there is still a $10 S/H charge).

You also have to send in the UPC code off the box.

[+firesign3000]

I just picked up a new in the box PN-40 from Ebay for $200+$16 shipping. From what I've read the 40 is a better unit. Maybe you might want to consider going that route?

[+TotemLake]

I just picked up a new in the box PN-40 from Ebay for $200+$16 shipping. From what I've read the 40 is a better unit. Maybe you might want to consider going that route?

The 30 is the 40 without the barometric sensor and electronic compass.

[+firesign3000]

I just picked up a new in the box PN-40 from Ebay for $200+$16 shipping. From what I've read the 40 is a better unit. Maybe you might want to consider going that route?

The 30 is the 40 without the barometric sensor and electronic compass.

Well, some might consider that better.