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Thanks.   Everything I have heard about the buyout has Garmin completely abandoning anything about Delorme except for the inreach. Oh well.  I do have version 3.6.2 on my HD.  I would like the latest though.  I had upgraded the firmware after I got the GPSr but have misplaced the newest version along the way.   My battery indicator never shows above 10% but keeps running until the unit shuts down, about 6 hours later with new batteries.   

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On 12/25/2018 at 3:34 AM, Capt. Bob said:

If your PNXX is displaying a date that ends in 1999 then a v3.6 firmware update will not correct that issue.  The problem is an End of Week (EOW) rollover and, as of now, neither Delorme nor Garmin intend to bring the PNXX into compliance. 

https://www.gps.gov/cgsic/meetings/2017/powers.pdf

As with all PNXX users, all current waypoints and tracks are recorded and saved with the 1999 date.  AFAIK, I do not see any resultant decrement in its functional capabilities.  However, for those that I wish to retain as gpx files, I use WordPad to simply change the date to 2018.

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24 minutes ago, Capt. Bob said:

Looks like Garmin has released v3.7 to cure the 1999 EOW issue.  This updated firmware with replace v3.6.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=dXCDWk3aIZ3A0Ly9z8uym5

 

Garmin could just as easily not published any updates for these units and urged owners to 'update' to newer Garmin models, but they did not.

 

Kuddos to Garmin Customer Service!

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On ‎12‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 5:14 AM, Atlas Cached said:

 

Garmin could just as easily not published any updates for these units and urged owners to 'update' to newer Garmin models, but they did not.

 

Kuddos to Garmin Customer Service!

Ditto that. That's going to win over a lot of customers down the line when its time to replace these badass devices.

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24 minutes ago, TotemLake said:

Ditto that. That's going to win over a lot of customers down the line when its time to replace these badass devices.

All they had to do to win the DeLorme customers was what they did: buy DeLorme and cancel the PN line. Garmin's the only game in town now.

 

Still, it was nice of them, although they could have just as easily released the code and let someone else do it. I'm actually impressed they figured out how to compile the DeLorme firmware.

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On 12/28/2018 at 4:48 AM, Capt. Bob said:

Looks like Garmin has released v3.7 to cure the 1999 EOW issue.  This updated firmware with replace v3.6.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=dXCDWk3aIZ3A0Ly9z8uym5

I am very grateful for the link above.  Initially, I did not take the advice to remove the SD card literally, and the update did not implement although I pasted it into main storage.  Then, I finally decided to remove the SD card, reinstall batteries, and restart.  Surprisingly, the update took place and now v3.7 is active.

 

Thanks, Capt. Bob!

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2 hours ago, Team CowboyPapa said:

I am very grateful for the link above.  Initially, I did not take the advice to remove the SD card literally, and the update did not implement although I pasted it into main storage.  Then, I finally decided to remove the SD card, reinstall batteries, and restart.  Surprisingly, the update took place and now v3.7 is active.

I didn't remove the SD card, but instead I put the release on the SD card instead of the internal disk. That also worked.

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I'm happy I stumbled on this post. Thank you! My PN-60 still works but the "1999" date is a bit disconcerting. I'll try the update tonight when I get home. Now if I could just find a replacement data/recharging cable ….

 

Jim

The Waysiders

 

P.S. I sure do miss the old DeLorme forum with CowboySlim, LugNut, Twolpert, TotemLake and the gang. I still have my "Serious Tool" t-shirt.

Edited by The Waysiders
typo
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OK Jim, two things here, PN-60 update to record correct date and cable.

 

1.  PN-60 Update: IM(not so)HO, there two issues that will occur prior to update, wrong year on recorded tracks and on recorded waypoints.

1a.  For tracks, the 1999 will be noted in the track title, or file name, which is easy to modify.  Also, it will be in the recorded data for each time slice. Now this is not usually a big deal; however, to fix it I would open the file with MS Word, or equivalent, and then do an Edit, Search and Replace all occurrences of 1999 with the current year.

1b.  For waypoints, the 1999 will be recorded internally; I would open the file with MS Notepad, or equivalent, and delete 1999 and then replace with current year.

 

2.  Cable:  Lack of cable has two impacts, data management and recharging internally located battery.

2a.  With the exception routes created externally using the DeLorme Topo software, all other data can be imported to or exported from the folders on the SD card.  Waypoints and tracks both ways and maps imported.  Routes can be created on the PN, but really not very feasible.

2b.  Only AA cells, either rechargeable externally or non-rechargeable must be used.  The DeLorme internally rechargeable battery pack can only be recharged with the proprietary cable.  I use only the commonly available cells nowadays as my DeLorme rechargeable has expired.

 

Any further info needed, let my know, and I will be glad to provide.

 

AKA as CowboySlim

Edited by Team CowboyPapa
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6 hours ago, Team CowboyPapa said:

1.  PN-60 Update: IM(not so)HO, there two issues that will occur prior to update, wrong year on recorded tracks and on recorded waypoints.

1a.  For tracks, the 1999 will be noted in the track title, or file name, which is easy to modify.  Also, it will be in the recorded data for each time slice. Now this is not usually a big deal; however, to fix it I would open the file with MS Word, or equivalent, and then do an Edit, Search and Replace all occurrences of 1999 with the current year.

1b.  For waypoints, the 1999 will be recorded internally; I would open the file with MS Notepad, or equivalent, and delete 1999 and then replace with current year.

A third issue, the only one that made any difference to me, is that the PN-60 calculates the tide, sun, and moon data for the wrong date because the default date is the "current" date, which the PN-60 thinks is in 1999.

 

A fourth issue is that, naturally, the unit is useless for getting the current date when you're signing geocaching logs. :-)

 

6 hours ago, Team CowboyPapa said:

2.  Cable:  Lack of cable has two impacts, data management and recharging internally located battery.

2a.  With the exception routes created externally using the DeLorme Topo software, all other data can be imported to or exported from the folders on the SD card.  Waypoints and tracks both ways and maps imported.  Routes can be created on the PN, but really not very feasible.

2b.  Only AA cells, either rechargeable externally or non-rechargeable must be used.  The DeLorme internally rechargeable battery pack can only be recharged with the proprietary cable.  I use only the commonly available cells nowadays as my DeLorme rechargeable has expired.

I discovered -- from these forums, probably -- that the rechargables were, in reality, just a standard camera rechargable, so I bought a couple spares that kept me going until the firmware bug made me think I had to change to a Garmin, so I left my PN-60 behind. :-(

 

The problem with both recharging externally and transferring by taking out the SD card is that it's such a pain to take off the back cover. I use my PN-60 very little nowadays, but so far I can get my cable to work with a little wiggling. Once the cable dies completely, I doubt I'll go to the effort of removing the back every time I need to charge the batteries or load a PQ.

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14 hours ago, The Waysiders said:

I'm happy I stumbled on this post. Thank you! My PN-60 still works but the "1999" date is a bit disconcerting. I'll try the update tonight when I get home. Now if I could just find a replacement data/recharging cable ….

 

Generally there are two cable failure modes.  Broken wires at the connector due to bending fatigue or the spring loaded contact pins become inoperable due to contamination.

Sometimes the broken wires can be cut, soldered together and covered with a heat shrink tube.  The contact pins can be sprayed with WD-40 and worked until they are free to retract and extend.  Both of these solutions are only temporary fixes.

 

141935186_FinalSolePlate_Compressed.jpg.dd0e18021b96c838917710cb313649c6.jpg

 

I found that taking apart the connector and replacing the contact pins with larger ones (large contact area and heavier spring) then adding several layers of heat shrink tubing is a permanent solution.  I did both data and re-charge cables many years ago (~ 5 yrs) and haven’t had a problem since .  The conversion is not that difficult but soldering is required.

 

551080760_PinComparison(2Views).jpg.94a48de22630df622e18bb148dfcd7b9.jpg

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I performed the Garmin-provided update to my DeLorme PN-60 last night. Everything proceeded as advertised and now the PN-60 has the correct date. The old fellow has held up well over the years of abuse fun and still gets us close enough to hunt geocaches and find the car. The recent update was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for all for the wise advice regarding the update and my cable situation. When the cable does fail completely, I'll follow CowboySlim's recommendations and continue to use our PN-60 until it FTFs the electronic recycling bin (or is inducted into The Waysider's Old Gadgets Hall of Fame). I performed the WD-40 procedure on the retractable pins on the data cable and noticed an immediate improvement. I was sure that it was a broken wire, as has happened many times in the past, but it is working and charging for now. By the way, I'm still using an old CabBat that doesn't hold a charge like it used to but gamely tries to keep up like a favorite coon dog that is getting on in years. I'm not ready to say goodbye to the DeLorme and CabBat just yet. Thanks again!

 

Jim

The Waysiders 

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3 minutes ago, The Waysiders said:

I performed the Garmin-provided update to my DeLorme PN-60 last night. Everything proceeded as advertised and now the PN-60 has the correct date. The old fellow has held up well over the years of abuse fun and still gets us close enough to hunt geocaches and find the car. The recent update was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for all for the wise advice regarding the update and my cable situation. When the cable does fail completely, I'll follow CowboySlim's recommendations and continue to use our PN-60 until it FTFs the electronic recycling bin (or is inducted into The Waysider's Old Gadgets Hall of Fame). I performed the WD-40 procedure on the retractable pins on the data cable and noticed an immediate improvement. I was sure that it was a broken wire, as has happened many times in the past, but it is working and charging for now. By the way, I'm still using an old CabBat that doesn't hold a charge like it used to but gamely tries to keep up like a favorite coon dog that is getting on in years. I'm not ready to say goodbye to the DeLorme and CabBat just yet. Thanks again!

 

Jim

The Waysiders 

 

Good stuff!

 

I often ponder (to waste time mostly, I suppose) what the current handheld GPSr market might look like were Magellan, Lowrance and DeLorme still in the business....

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34 minutes ago, The Waysiders said:

The old fellow has held up well over the years of abuse fun and still gets us close enough to hunt geocaches and find the car.

You make it sound like the PN-60 is obsolete technology, and that certainly makes sense given its age, but what I've found over the last few months is that my brand spanking new 66st isn't any more accurate or quicker to settle than my PN-60. And it's much slower. It reminds me of my PN-40 every time I have to wait for it to draw the map, load caches, or sort the cache list. I assume that's because even though it has more CPU power, it's doing a hundred things "to improve the user experience" that my PN-60 never dreamed of and I could care less about.

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Well, the Forum is a godsend for someone with a PN-60. Got it back when they had a deal a couple years ago. Was more sad than surprised when I found out later that Garmin had acquired them, but pleased that Garmin came out with this patch. Maybe there are still some DeLorme folks as part of the mix there.

 

I was flummoxed a week ago when I was testing the PN-60 and happened to note on one screen the 1999 date. Went thru all the menus trying to find where to fix the date. (Duh!) Was thinking only the time came from the satellite signal. The notes on here and using the direct USB connect to the GPS plus finally pulling the SD card out (Thank You!) got the update to install. 

 

My first GPS was a Magellan 315 and it's first real trek was into the barren area of ruins in Texas' Big Bent Park in 2000. Ended up being the featured story almost two decades ago in my "Latent Images" column in a publication for professional (ASPP) photographers and photo editors.

 

Being a technology lover and electronics geek I'll share something I found useful with the PN-60 in the field. When roaming on sand trails in Michigan's Upper Peninsula you can get surprisingly far from people in some areas. I like to visit sites of 1930-40s CCC Camps, some of which were converted to Prisoner of War Camps. The PN-60 is pretty power hungry and I was looking for a way to keep it powered. Having batteries in it and running from a USB Power Pack it seems the Power Paks first provides power and the unit switches to internal batteries when that is exhausted. That's a kind of fail-safe that is perfect for my needs.

 

This may get a little confusing so let me know if you have any questions. With the cable attached you can power it the GPS from a Li-Ion 5v power pack. I decided to do that and have been doing some power measurements using an in-line USB power meter with LCD display that shows current consumption in Milliwatt Hours. I hooked the PN-60 thru this to a fully charged 20,000 mAH Li-Ion USB pack (less than 2 years old and regularly used and charged) that had it's own LED '% capacity remaining' readout but seems of questionable accuracy. That inaccuracy doesn't enter into these measurements.

 

I also had two fully charged EneLoop NiMH AAs in the PN-60. I found that the USB battery pack capacity rating is not being lived up to. I noted the total power consumption and power draw readings regularly. When I came back to check the GPS one time the  power pack was off and it's power display showed 00%. The way it had been tracking it should have been at 30-35%. The unit had switched to the internal batteries and they were at about 80%. Still, I did get some good info.

 

With the USB Power Pack connected it provided power to the GPS for ~84 hours (3 1/2 days) running continuously and with the GPS laying on a window ledge where the satellite signal was pretty modest. Does anyone know if the PN-60 consumes more power when the satellite signals are weak?

 

When the Power Pack was exhausted the GPS had started working off the AAs and the PN-60 showed them at about 80% capacity still.

 

I'll probably do more testing. I have a couple of the 20,000 mAh power packs.

 

Hope someone finds this useful or interesting!

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