more»DeLorme Earthmate GPS PN-20
User Reviews
Average Rating:
Reviewed by 4 Trailspace users
I stumbled into buying this unit after purchasing…
Reviewed by
Rex
December 16, 2008
Rating: 
Price Paid: $230
I stumbled into buying this unit after purchasing a very disappointing Magellan Triton 400 and National Geographic Software package. It turned out to be a marriage from Hades, so I carried it back and purchased the PN-20 packaged with Delorme's Topo 7.0.
This was a wonderful marriage compared to the Magellan Triton experience. Software worked great and allows all kinds of possibilities with downloading maps, aerials, NOAA charts, you name it! The unit is built very well and I am very pleased at the quality for the price.
The only negative things I might add is that the display is small and the learning curve is a little more than average to get up and running the way you want it with the features you want.
This unit is an excellent and economical choice in my opinion if you have already owned and played with prior GPS units. If you are new to purchasing a handheld GPS unit, you may become very confused, very fast. It just offers so much that a new person might easily become confused. On the contrary, if you have owned and played with maps and GPS units in the past, you will find that this is one powerful unit!
As of this writing (12-16-2008), I suspect they are getting ready to stop making the PN-20 and continue with their PN-40. The price continues to drop each week. From what I can tell, the PN-20 will not accept SD cards larger than 2 Gig while the PN-40 will support SD cards up to 32 Gig. This affects the amount of map details and areas you want in one package but hey, for the money....if you don't mind maybe downloading areas from your software into your GPS as you go on some different trips.....The Delorme PN-20 and Topo 7.0 are wonderful products! The receiver by the way, works very well.
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The display is spectacular. The Delorme unit has all…
Rating:
Price Paid: $369
The display is spectacular. The Delorme unit has all the standard features of a handheld GPS. You can download TOPO-USA maps to this GPS unit, and get high resolution maps for any place in the country. This is great!
However:
-- the unit is very slow to acquire satellites, compared to either my handheld Garmin or Magellan. From a window seat of almost any airplane I can get a fix with my Garmin and read the names of the cities that we are passing over. Even after many repeated attempts, I have never succeeded in getting a fix on my PN20 from a window seat.
-- the software is awkward and clumsy. With my Garmin,
you set a waypoint, say at the beginning of the hike, and then when you want to turn around you select "go to waypoint" and it automatically updates the direction to
the waypoint and the distance.
As far as I can tell, with the PN20 you need to first create a "route", then follow this route back to your waypoint. If your path is not straight, and you veer off the route, you will need to re-create the route. Ridiculous.
So now I carry my PN20 *and* my Garmin with me! The PN20 provides wonderful maps, if I have enough time to sit and fiddle with it. The Garmin gives me an instant update on my position and orientation.
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I own 4 Garmins. They are all easy to use. I bought…
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I own 4 Garmins. They are all easy to use. I bought a PN-20 for the Quads and sat photos capability. The PN-20 has been a nightmare to load maps into since day one.
My son and I are of average intelligence. I am a physicist and he is an engineer. I gave him the unit, he fiddled with it for a couple of days and gave it back.
I just spent 5 hours with an upgrade to TOPO 7.0. Unit won't recognize the maps that are sitting on it internally, never mind the SD card. It has been like this from day one. Forget the quads we ordered for the stupid thing. We got them to load once. Darn if I remember how.
The documentation is an endless do loop and useless. The menu driven commands don't do what they are supposed to. The PN-20 and its software are definitely not ready for prime time. Get a Garmin 76 series unit.
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I only had the PN-20 for 25 days and it already broke!…
Rating: 
Price Paid: $400
I only had the PN-20 for 25 days and it already broke! It fell off my bike when I was riding it… The screen cracked! I contacted Delorme, they told me that THEY need to determine if it’s covered under warranty or not! Be careful not to drop this thing!! I will let you all know if they stand behind their product or not. Wish me luck!
Steve Barron - August 16th, 2007
Update: August 28, 2007
It's steve barron again... I was very pleased with how Delorme treated my case. I was charged a very fair price for the repair. I also got it back very fast. I am very pleased!
Steve
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Description
The Earthmate GPS PN-20 is a gps receiver made by DeLorme. It has an average rating of 3 stars (out of 5), based on 4 user reviews
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
The Earthmate- GPS PN-20 is a low-cost, high-sensitivity, fully integrated handheld GPS that delivers capabilities previously unavailable at any price. A Powerful Partnership ''Fully integrated'' means you can use DeLorme vector-based topographic and street-level desktop mapping software to plan your outings, then upload maps, routes, waypoints, and aerial imagery to the PN-20. Tracks and waypoint data created in the field can then be downloaded to and managed within the desktop software. Physical IPX-7 waterproof standard, impact-resistant rubberized housing Device dimensions: 2.43'' W x 5.25'' H x 1.5'' D Weight: 5.12 ounces Performance New high-sensitivity NMEA-compliant 12-channel GPS receiver with low-power baseband and RF chipset STMicroelectronics chip technology with SiGE front-end and DeLorme firmware for faster acquisition times and outstanding signal retention Proprietary Kalman filter for enhanced GPS accuracy 75 MB available internal flash memory for user-uploaded maps Power Uses 2 AA batteries (included) Optional Power Travel Kit Receiver WAAS-enabled, 12 parallel channel GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites to compute and update your position Acquisition Times: Warm: Approximately 15 seconds Cold: Approximately 60 seconds Update rate: 1/second, continuous GPS accuracy: Position: Velocity: 0.05 meter/sec steady state WAAS accuracy: Position: * Subject to accuracy degradation to 100m 2DRMS under the United States Department of Defense-imposed Selective Availability Program. Display Sharp high-resolution 2.2'' Transflective TFT color display (220 x 176 pixels) Memory & Storage SD card slot for up to 2 GB additional map storage (1GB SD card and Reader included) Holds up to 10 tracks (10,000 waypoints per track), 1,000 user-defined waypoints, and 50 routes
Take the DeLorme Earthmate PN-20 GPS with you when you road trip, hike off-trail, geocache, sail around the bay, or tour a new city. The WAAS-enabled DeLorme Earthmate comes loaded with US highway maps and a basic world map, plus you get Topo USA 7.0, a DVD that includes US street and topographic maps. USGS 7.5-minute quads, aerial and satellite imagery maps, and nautical charts are available for purchase and download from DeLorme as well. Hook your GPS up to your computer (Windows Vista, XP, or 2000 OS-compatible) using the included USB cable and transfer maps and trip data back and forth. This GPS tracks for you and includes tide charts, search capabilities (such as finding an address), and sunrise/sunset and moon phase info.
Many of the terrific features and functions of the PN-40 in a device for shoppers looking for a high-quality entry-level DeLorme GPS. "You can load it with high-resolution satellite or aerial photos a the most powerful backcountry GPS we've tested." Outside Magazine (July 2008)
DeLorme, famous for its topographic and street map detail, has created a GPS receiver to enable anyone to use a wide variety of detailed maps and aerial imagery for all outdoors activities. The Earthmate GPS PN-20 is a low-cost, high-sensitivity, fully integrated handheld GPS that delivers capabilities previously unavailable at any price. No extra maps to buy. Includes DeLorme Topo USA 7.0 DVD software with full, updated U.S. topographic & street maps to export as needed to your PN-20. Also includes an on-device highway-level world base map and a 3 DVD set for easy map transfer. Includes $100 worth (400 sq. km) of DeLorme Aerial Data Packets of your U.S. areas of interest. Download Aerial Data Packets containing black & white aerial imagery (DOQQs), Sat-10 colorized satellite imagery, and scanned USGS 7.5-minute quads using Topo USA's NetLink tab. Includes Topo USA 7.0 DVD mapping software with full U.S. topographic and street maps, plus aerial imageryNMEA-compliant 12-channel receiverFast acquisition times, outstanding signal retentionHigh-resolution 2.2" TFT color screen for total clarity under a variety of lighting conditions75 MB of user-available internal flash memorySD card slot for up to 2 GB additional memoryHolds up to 10 tracks (10,000 points per track),1,000 user-defined waypoints, and 50 routesAerial imagery available for free downloadPre-loaded worldwide highway/major road base map3 DVD map transfer setWaterproof to IPX-7 standardImpact-resistant rubberized housingOn-device road routingRuns on 2 AA batteries (included) or available lithium-ion rechargeable batteryWAAS-enabled for accuracy within 3 metersDevice dimensions: 2.43" W x 5.25" H x 1.5" DWeight 5.12 oz.
- Campmor
Where to Buy
Buy Online
We found the DeLorme Earthmate GPS PN-20 at 1 outdoor retailer:
| Store | Product Description | Price |
 Mountain Hideaway |
GPS PN-20 | $249.00 | Buy Now |
