Help Deciding GPS

[+rturiak]

hey all, its my first post, So Hi guys [=

 

Anyways, I am trying to figure out which GPS to get, Im going between the Delorme Earthmate PN-40, And the Magellan Triton 2000.

 

Takeahikegps.com has good deals on used units of these GPS's, Im leaning for the Delorme, but I'm not sure which to get. Can you guys tell me which you would buy?

 

Links...

 

http://www.takeahikegps.com/used-delorme-earthmate-pn-40-gps.html

 

http://www.takeahikegps.com/used-magellan-triton-2000-gps.html

[+rturiak]

Oh, also the Garmin Dakota 10

[+rturiak]

I have been doing a lot of research and I think the megellen is out for me... I can hardly find any good reviewed about it, its just all the pretty features making me want it. So its down to the best of the 2... the dakota 10 and the Pn-40

[hunkajunk]

My 2₵ I just picked up my pn-40 a month ago. It has a lot of good features. My 3 primary uses will be geocaching, off-roading, and hunting. I've found it to be pretty accurate, and intuitive. I can't say the same for the Topo, but it's not that bad.

Edited August 16, 2011 by hunkajunk

[+BuckeyeClan]

I have a Delorme PN-40, and am happy with it. Delorme units have some limitations--detailed maps are only for North America, and harder to use with a mac computer, and they aren't compatible with some of the free maps out there that Garmin units can use. But if those limitations don't affect you, then Delorme units are a great everything included, bang-for-your-buck gpsr. If you want to enter a lot of text in the field, a touchscreen unit would be better, but the buttons on the PN units are easy to operate, and can be done right or left handed. It takes some time to just sit down and figure out what all the menu options are, but once you get a feel for everything, it's not difficult to use. I love the paperless feature--I personally wouldn't want to be without it.

 

The TOPO software that comes with the PN-40/60 is software for the *computer*, not the gpsr. It's useful if you want to save and edit track files, or create a track on the computer and download to the gpsr. If you don't care about doing any of that, you won't even need to install it on your computer. Map sections can be loaded to the PN-40/60 directly from the included disks, and Delorme has a free download program called Cache Register that makes transferring PQ's and field notes really easy.

[+HJGT]

I don't know any of the others.

I have a Garmin Oregon 550t, I use it for Geocaching, I use GSAK to filter and transfer geocaches to it.

 

Every second day I put on my heartrate monitor, it links wirelesly to the Oregon, and then I run.

Monitoring Speed, Heartrate, distance and altitude....

And then when I get home I upload to Endomondo, so that I can see my run, and the PPL I know can see how well I'm doing.

I have opened my endomondo profile for you to have a look: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/user/685765

 

I know it's outdated (since garmin have new products out) and I know it's big for running.

But it takes fairly good pictures, it does the job for geocaching and running.

 

J;-)

[+rturiak]

Thanks for the replays guys.

I really am stuck between the pn-40 and dakota 10.

the pn-40 has a digital compass and better maps,

the dakota 10 has way way way better battery life, and a "better interface"

 

I just can't wait the pros and cons to come to a decision, i can get the pn-40 for 170$, and the dakota 10 for about 140$

[+mpilchfamily]

Delorme units are some of the best priced units on the market. You can get more for your money. But Garmin units are a bit more universal in ease of use. I have a Dakota 10 and the only things i wish it had are available in the Dakota 20. You may also want to look at the Oregon 450 and 550. They are pretty much the same as the Dakota but with a couple of extra minor features and a larger screen. But you will have to spend a bit more.

 

While the PN-40 has better base maps there are all kinds of free maps you can get for the Dakota. So that really is a none issue. But having an electronic compass can be very helpful. With the Dakota you'll have to start walking in a direction for it to know which way your heading. Then it can adjust the pointer to point you in the right direction of the cache. So that and the lack of an SD card slot are the only down sides i see to my Dakota 10. Like i said before the Dakota 20 has that but i didn't have the money for the 20.

[+BuckeyeClan]

I will say the PN-40 eats batteries for breakfast! We go caching infrequently, so I usually use single-use lithium. If you cache frequently, you'll want some good rechargeables. Delorme makes a rechargeable battery pack that you might want to look at; there is also an individual that makes rechargeable battery packs that get good reviews on the Delorme forums. You might also want to check out the Delorme forums here. It's a hard decision! I'm not sure what I would choose if I were in your shoes. I bought the PN-40 before the Dakota line existed, and I don't feel the need to change to something else, but the touchscreen sure would be tempting!

[texasgeoman]

Delorme units are some of the best priced units on the market. You can get more for your money. But Garmin units are a bit more universal in ease of use. I have a Dakota 10 and the only things i wish it had are available in the Dakota 20. You may also want to look at the Oregon 450 and 550. They are pretty much the same as the Dakota but with a couple of extra minor features and a larger screen. But you will have to spend a bit more.

 

While the PN-40 has better base maps there are all kinds of free maps you can get for the Dakota. So that really is a none issue. But having an electronic compass can be very helpful. With the Dakota you'll have to start walking in a direction for it to know which way your heading. Then it can adjust the pointer to point you in the right direction of the cache. So that and the lack of an SD card slot are the only down sides i see to my Dakota 10. Like i said before the Dakota 20 has that but i didn't have the money for the 20.

 

hello!

 

I'm also looking to buy a GPS (my first - other than the Nuvi I plan to keep for use in the car). Budget right now is not a problem, and I'm looking at a couple of higher-end units: Garmin Montana and Garmin 62st for example.

 

My use would be for hiking, geology field trips, and occasional geocaching.

 

The Dakota 20 has the same list price as the GPSMAP 62 ... difference is touch screen?

 

Everything these days is going with touchscreens, and it works well on Blackberries, tablets, etc. How well does it work on GPS?

 

Some people refer to "mapping" - does that mean ability to read topo maps, for example, or does it mean somehow making your own map of an area?

 

Also, some units are described as "pre-loaded" with topo maps, and others say "additional maps can be loaded". What are pros and cons of "pre-loaded" vs adding later? How are new maps loaded? Do they reside on microchip or loaded into units memory?

 

AND, some units advertise 3Gb memory, others only 500 Mb... why the big difference, and what does it mean for the user?

 

thanks!

paul

[+geodarts]

The Dakota 20 has the same list price as the GPSMAP 62 ... difference is touch screen?

 

I tried to respond to most of your questions that you posted on the other thread, but there are a few differences between the Dakota 20 apart from touchscreen and the 62 - form (the size of the unit itself) and that the basic 62 lacks sd support come to mind right away. The Garmin site has a handy comparison chart you can use for their products.

[+mpilchfamily]

Delorme units are some of the best priced units on the market. You can get more for your money. But Garmin units are a bit more universal in ease of use. I have a Dakota 10 and the only things i wish it had are available in the Dakota 20. You may also want to look at the Oregon 450 and 550. They are pretty much the same as the Dakota but with a couple of extra minor features and a larger screen. But you will have to spend a bit more.

 

While the PN-40 has better base maps there are all kinds of free maps you can get for the Dakota. So that really is a none issue. But having an electronic compass can be very helpful. With the Dakota you'll have to start walking in a direction for it to know which way your heading. Then it can adjust the pointer to point you in the right direction of the cache. So that and the lack of an SD card slot are the only down sides i see to my Dakota 10. Like i said before the Dakota 20 has that but i didn't have the money for the 20.

 

hello!

 

I'm also looking to buy a GPS (my first - other than the Nuvi I plan to keep for use in the car). Budget right now is not a problem, and I'm looking at a couple of higher-end units: Garmin Montana and Garmin 62st for example.

 

My use would be for hiking, geology field trips, and occasional geocaching.

 

The Dakota 20 has the same list price as the GPSMAP 62 ... difference is touch screen?

 

Everything these days is going with touchscreens, and it works well on Blackberries, tablets, etc. How well does it work on GPS?

 

Some people refer to "mapping" - does that mean ability to read topo maps, for example, or does it mean somehow making your own map of an area?

 

Also, some units are described as "pre-loaded" with topo maps, and others say "additional maps can be loaded". What are pros and cons of "pre-loaded" vs adding later? How are new maps loaded? Do they reside on microchip or loaded into units memory?

 

AND, some units advertise 3Gb memory, others only 500 Mb... why the big difference, and what does it mean for the user?

 

thanks!

paul

The touch screen is as good if not better then your Nuvi.

 

Great thing about most Garmin units are there ability to update the maps. There are all sorts of free maps available at sites like GPSFileDepto.com. There are also ways you can make your own custom maps or overlays. You'll see at GPSFileDepot that some of the maps are overlays. These are typically made buy other people and will add hiking trails or special points of interest to any existing map. I don't know how to go about making your own map or overlay but there are sites that walk you through it. I do know you can take a track you create on your GPSr and have it transferred into a map.

 

Typically the units have a preset amount of waypoints/geocaches they can hold. Mostly that 24mb or 500mb is the ammount of memory available to upload maps. But the units in your price range all have a micro SD card slot and may even come with an SD card already in the unit. The cards allow you more space to upload maps and in some cases to store more waypoints.

 

The Montana is a newer unit and as a result is still getting some of the bugs out of its firmware. But overall i've heard good things about it and the firmware will continue to be updated. I know the 62 has been around for a bit but its no where near the end of its life cycle.

 

Personally i prefer the touch screen over buttons. When you do have to enter stuff into the unit it goes a little quicker with a touch screen. Such as when your plugging in an additional waypoint to go to the next stage of a puzzle or multi cache. I started out with a Nuvi 1300 and moved up to the eTrex Legend H. The buttons where a bit cumbersome plus it wasn't a paperless unit and it wasn't color. So this past tax season i got myself a Dakota 10.

 

I offset the lack of electronic compass by using a regular compass. I'll soon have a new watch that has a built in Electronic compass to make things easier.

Edited August 16, 2011 by mpilchfamily

[+rturiak]

I keep going between the 2 still, the pn-40 sounds great, and i could just pick up some batteries, but the dakota 10 sounds terrific, and its a garmin... Most gamins are pretty decent. Can anyone tell me that has used both units which one is better for geocaching? I know theres a decated menu on the dakota 10, and the pn-40 sounds like its pretty intrusive, I'm not worried about the learning curve, I'm good with pretty much all electronics, and can figure it out. I'm also 17, so reading the screen is not a problem. I just wanna know if its worth it to spend a little more to get the pn-40, which has the digital compass and expansion slot.

[+BuckeyeClan]

I keep going between the 2 still, the pn-40 sounds great, and i could just pick up some batteries, but the dakota 10 sounds terrific, and its a garmin... Most gamins are pretty decent. Can anyone tell me that has used both units which one is better for geocaching? I know theres a decated menu on the dakota 10, and the pn-40 sounds like its pretty intrusive, I'm not worried about the learning curve, I'm good with pretty much all electronics, and can figure it out. I'm also 17, so reading the screen is not a problem. I just wanna know if its worth it to spend a little more to get the pn-40, which has the digital compass and expansion slot.

 

I've never used the dakota 10, so I can't really compare the 2. On the PN-40, the expansion slot allows you to add more memory for maps. The unit has a basemap installed, but it can't hold all the topo maps for all of the US. Having a memory card installed means that you can hold topo maps for a bigger area. Otherwise, if you are travelling or something, you just have to uninstall your local area and then install the area that you need. That would be a pain if it's something you have to do weekly, but if you don't travel out of state much it's not that big of a deal.

 

For the magnetic compass--our first gps didn't have a magnetic compass, and I never thought it was a big deal. But some people love it. Maybe it has to do with if people use the map screen or compass screen when finding a cache? I always use the map screen, so I always found that just walking at a steady pace kept the arrow pointing where we needed to go. Maybe when people "follow the arrow" on the compass screen, the magnetic compass is more important.

[+rturiak]

Yeah, Instead of walking to see which direction the cache is on on the compass screen, you can stand still, and it point directly to it, it also makes it much more accurate, a lot of times the GPS will make the compass spin when standing, or moving slowly. Its just more accuracy.

[+Team Laxson]

I have the PN-40, PN-60W, 60CS, 60CSx, and have tinkered with many others.

 

Between the Dakota and the PN-40 I'd lean (personally) towards the 40. I'm not a fan of touch screen, and I didn't like the (lack of) sensitivity on the screen when a screen protector was on it. As rough as we are (can be) on GPSr, I really want to have the screen protected. Additionally, the screen brightness in sunlight was pretty rough too.

 

The PN-40 eats batteries faster than cookie monster can devour a fresh batch. It's one of the things I don't like about it, but with the RAM mount for mobile transportation your 'disconnected' time is minimal (depending on the cache you're looking for). I've been a Garmin user for a long time, so learning the Delorme software was a bit interesting, but I'm getting used to it.

[+rturiak]

I can just pick up a set of good rechargeable batteries if i get the pn-40. I don't mind the dakotas touch screen because everything else i have it touch screen. I just can't figure out in my mind if the garmin or the pn-40 is better for me.

 

can you get free maps on the pn-40 without paying the 30 dollar a year subscription fee?

[+BuckeyeClan]

I can just pick up a set of good rechargeable batteries if i get the pn-40. I don't mind the dakotas touch screen because everything else i have it touch screen. I just can't figure out in my mind if the garmin or the pn-40 is better for me.

 

can you get free maps on the pn-40 without paying the 30 dollar a year subscription fee?

 

It comes with the latest version of the topo and road maps. If you want more up-to-date maps in a year or two, you have to buy the latest version of Topo. The $30 subscription is if you want satellite views, or some other more detailed maps? I'm a little fuzzy on that, because I've never used the subscription. With Garmin units, there are various sources of free maps. And in some areas, people make map files with trails and things, and then make them available online. Those kinds of maps won't be compatible with the PN-40. IIRC, the free maps available for Garmin units aren't routable, but if you buy the Garmin maps they are. The PN-40 maps are routable; I rarely use that, though. It works okay, but I wouldn't want to depend on it to get me through an urban area.

[+rturiak]

Yeah.. I understand,

ugh so hard to decide!!!!

[+rturiak]

I can get a pn-40 for about 150$.... used of corse, should i do it?

[texasgeoman]

I can just pick up a set of good rechargeable batteries if i get the pn-40. I don't mind the dakotas touch screen because everything else i have it touch screen. I just can't figure out in my mind if the garmin or the pn-40 is better for me.

 

can you get free maps on the pn-40 without paying the 30 dollar a year subscription fee?

 

It comes with the latest version of the topo and road maps. If you want more up-to-date maps in a year or two, you have to buy the latest version of Topo. The $30 subscription is if you want satellite views, or some other more detailed maps? I'm a little fuzzy on that, because I've never used the subscription. With Garmin units, there are various sources of free maps. And in some areas, people make map files with trails and things, and then make them available online. Those kinds of maps won't be compatible with the PN-40. IIRC, the free maps available for Garmin units aren't routable, but if you buy the Garmin maps they are. The PN-40 maps are routable; I rarely use that, though. It works okay, but I wouldn't want to depend on it to get me through an urban area.

 

with all the "free" maps out there, why would I get one of the more expensive Garmin units that come with topo maps preloaded, compared to the same model without maps? Am I missing something here ....?

 

thanks,

paul

[+BuckeyeClan]

I can just pick up a set of good rechargeable batteries if i get the pn-40. I don't mind the dakotas touch screen because everything else i have it touch screen. I just can't figure out in my mind if the garmin or the pn-40 is better for me.

 

can you get free maps on the pn-40 without paying the 30 dollar a year subscription fee?

 

It comes with the latest version of the topo and road maps. If you want more up-to-date maps in a year or two, you have to buy the latest version of Topo. The $30 subscription is if you want satellite views, or some other more detailed maps? I'm a little fuzzy on that, because I've never used the subscription. With Garmin units, there are various sources of free maps. And in some areas, people make map files with trails and things, and then make them available online. Those kinds of maps won't be compatible with the PN-40. IIRC, the free maps available for Garmin units aren't routable, but if you buy the Garmin maps they are. The PN-40 maps are routable; I rarely use that, though. It works okay, but I wouldn't want to depend on it to get me through an urban area.

 

with all the "free" maps out there, why would I get one of the more expensive Garmin units that come with topo maps preloaded, compared to the same model without maps? Am I missing something here ....?

 

thanks,

paul

 

I don't have a Garmin, but my best guess(es) would be 1. quality, 2. convenience, and 3. the ability to auto-route. The free maps may vary in quality, depending on your area, so some places may not be that good. Some people are probably happy to pay for the Garmin maps for the convenience of having them already on the unit, or on a disk or memory card. It's just easier than having to search and download from the web. And finally, my understanding is that you can't auto-route using the free maps. If you want to select the cache, hit "go to", and have the gps beep at you when you need to turn, you need to buy Garmin's maps. If those don't apply to you, then save yourself some cash, and go with the free maps. If you aren't happy with them, you can always buy the Garmin maps later.