DeLorme Earthmate PN-40

When it comes to hand held GPS navigation, DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 is my idea of a perfect navigation unit. There is perhaps no harm in saying that a state of the art design and a solid performance has always been a trade mark of this company. The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 calls for undivided attention when you actually look at it and think of purchasing one. And, if you are a professional who is in dire need of a hand held GPS navigation system, count blindly on PN-40. It will never let you down! You can take me at my words because I have some experiences with this device. Just to give you a feel of what it really means, I decided to take you through a small review wherein I will try to cover as many features as possible.

The overall look and design:

It is rugged, it is waterproof (IPX7 standard, which means that the device will survive for 30 minutes under water at a depth of 30 feet) and is an outright performer when the outdoor conditions are very demanding. The screen is transflective and can be easily read in daylight conditions. This TFT screen of 65-K colors is produced by Sharp and is suitable for any kind of light conditions. Going deep into the hardware, the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 uses 32-channel STMicroelectronics Cartesio GPS chip set, which is highly sensitive. The chip set has images and maps preloaded on it.

Features that impress:

I came across a very interesting and impressive feature and I personally feel that not mentioning it in this review will be an outright injustice. To begin with, the most interesting thing that will come to your notice is that DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 data layering. In this feature, the device allows the user to select the type of image or map that he or she wants to use for any particular location. It therefore allows a more comprehensive and encompassing view of the geography in his or her surroundings! That is cool. Honestly speaking, when I do nothing and get bored, I switch to different types of images and maps and learn more about my immediate location. It is fun!

Advanced and updated:

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 is equipped with the updated and advance DeLorme Topo USA mapping software. This software is the full version of the Topo USA software and includes all the enhanced GPS and desktop features. DVDs for East, West and Central regions are also included and contains maps which cover every single details on the streets of USA and its topography. The box contains Quick Start Guide, one 1-GB SD card, two AA batteries, and detailed user manual, annual subscription for a Map Library worth $29.95, which allows unlimited data downloading.

Is it really rugged?

I asked this question to one of the experienced users of the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40. He informed me that the device has been used in expeditions in the Antarctic and Arctic regions. I was really unable to respond but he continued and said that the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 stays fully functional under situations of high humidity, sustained humidity (90% sustenance level) and heavy rain. It also copes with the situations of high vibration. Last but not the least; the biggest surprise was still to be highlighted! The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 has an operating temperature range of -20°C and +75°C. I am surely going to die in any of these two extremes! He also mentioned that DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 rapidly adjust to temperature changes between this range. I somehow finally managed to say WOW!

Conclusion:

It is really difficult to find a GPS navigator of this stature. With dual-core processor, raster rotation of 360°, electronic compass having 3-axis, the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 is undoubtedly the best GPS navigator that money can buy for you. If you think twice, it is better that you go for something else otherwise, stop thinking and get a PN-40, which surely will become your lifetime asset.

Suunto X10

Adventure trekking has always been one of my favorite activities and if the hiking trip is supported by GPS navigation, the margin for error is minimized! Perhaps the producers of Suunto X10 know this! My search for a modest and portable GPS navigation device for my hiking expeditions really came to an end with the new Suunto X10. Now that I have used it for a couple of months, I am quite satisfied and glad to key down a short review of what exactly I found in this small but sexy GPS NAVIGATION WATCH!

The Hardware talk:

To start off, the Suunto X10 is a smart and portable GPS navigation device that plays a dual role. The sleek and sexy curves of the device surely call for some attention. Although it is a bit heavy, you can use it as a watch for your day to day use and trust me, you are going to get accustomed to the weight of the device. It uses a state of the art and durable plastic with small metal parts scattered here and there. The first metal you will notice is the buckle. As far as the battery is concerned, the Suunto X10 is superior to the prior versions and the battery run time has increased by 33%. Life expectancy of the battery is 5-7 hours with all the functions running in tandem. I mean: heavy GPS usage, data storage, compass functions and back light- all running at a time and continuously. However it will survive for 3 long months (claimed by the manufacturer) with minimal usage which includes only date and/or Baro/Alti mode! The hardware of Suunto X10 is resistant to water up to a depth of 100 meters and thus if rain or water evokes your desire to get wet, feel free to do so.

The Software talk:

There is nothing really interesting that I encountered. It only allows me to edit way point or add some new way points on my trip. Planning a trip on Google Earth and then importing it back to the device is not possible but it surely allowed me to export my routes and view them on Google Earth. For the purpose of planning I had to bring the maps in any of the following image formats: .gif, .bmp or .jpg. There is another alternative as well! I can manually draw the maps but I accept that I hate drawing maps!

Words on Features:

Keying an exhaustive list of the features available on this GPS navigation system is really out of the scope. However, some of the features are discussed below:

• Barometer:

  When I turn on the barometer screen, it allows me to see the barometric pressure of the place at the sea level in that particular geographical region. The presentation is graphical and the barometric pressure development in the last six hours in that particular area is shown. The presentation is shown every 15 minutes.

• Altitude:

  Suunto X10 is fully capable of measuring the altitude of a place from barometric pressure and the calculations are far more accurate than those made by the GPS. It is to be borne in mind that changes in the barometric pressure can lead to change in altitude.

• Alarm:

  Now fellow, you cannot really afford to think of this as a simple alarm to pull you out of your dreams. The watch can actually be used to set altitude and weather alarms. The barometric alarm always informs me of any changes in the level of barometric pressure.

• Compass:

  Want to save the battery life? Use this compass and turn off the GPS. Well, you need to know how to use a compass in the first place. The compass has an additional feature called bearing lock. Fix the target bearing and hit ‘Start’. Now follow the destination and you can see your deviations from your target point. That is charming I must say!

• Navigation:

  In this particular mode, you can create way points as well as routes by using your computer or while you are on the go! The activity mode will show the speed, location etc but in navigation mode you can see the distance to be covered, the direction to be followed, the estimated time for your arrival for every single way point on the route.

Conclusion:

Suunto X10 is a hi-tech gadget for GPS navigation at higher altitudes. There is hardly any drawback to be pointed out and if you claim that the inability to import routes from Google Earth is a shortcoming, I will say that you are expecting way too much. Be happy with the extraordinary features of the Suunto X10! Trust me, I am happy!

If you’re a keen hunter out in the wilderness, then using a hand-held GPS unit could be useful to you in many different ways. From being able to locate a deer blind in a flash to signaling the exact location of yourself and prey to your fellow hunters, using a GPS device can really make your hunting trip an even more enjoyable experience.

Planning your hunting trip.

Using your GPS unit to help with planning your hunting trip could save you endless amounts of time you might otherwise have to spend pawing over maps. The topographical maps that you can download on to your GPS unit can help you to quickly identify likely deer funnels, creeks or rivers abutting a bluff etc. Then, having identified them, when out in the wilderness, you can read off the exact locations and move to those spots with ease and speed.

Remembering useful hunting spots.

Want to be able to locate him more quickly when hunting?

If you’re on a hunting trip spread over a few days you’ll want to remember where those buck scrapes, beds and feeding spots are. Using one of the better hand-held GPS devices you can mark way-points for each feature you want to remember, which will then build up into a database of knowledge on your GPS unit. Apart from being useful for the rest of the hunting trip, when you get home you can download them on to your computer and study the patterns that your prey makes. So that next time you’re out there, you’ll already know how that beast behaves, all their favorite spots and the most likely places to locate them.

Safety when hunting with GPS.

Safety when you’re out hunting is, of course, of paramount importance. Having a GPS unit will help you in this respect by you being able to communicate with your hunting buddies exactly where everyone is, to help avoid cross-fire shootings. Also, should you or one of your hunting party become lost in the wilderness, the GPS unit will give an exact position to guide in the rescuers.

Garmin Oregon 400T

I was looking for a handheld GPS navigation system for quite some time now and ones I was coming across had some serious shortcomings. Either they were highly priced and the included features did not justify the price or they were low on performance. The bottom line was that none of them impressed me. I really gave up all the hopes of finding a GPS navigation unit that would suit my style and requirements. But just when I was about to retreat from the market, I heard a confident voice that surely called for my attention and yes, it was the Garmin Oregon 400T. It was one of the greatest technological leaps from Garmin to enter the paradigm of handheld GPS navigation units segment. Well, I was impressed and here is what I found:

Design and look:

Wow… out of the box and smaller than what I thought! It easily fitted in my palm. Well, if you have a big palm, you may think of it as a bug! Jokes apart, the Garmin Oregon 400T was also a bit heavier than what I thought it to be. I found a clip at the back of the device which is used for attaching the carabiner included in the box and the same clip also helps in accessing the battery slot. Well, the clip positioning may be the area of concern for many when it comes to water leakage but the Garmin Oregon 400T did an excellent job. It is waterproof. Just at the bottom is a rubber gasket and it is responsible for hiding the USB port. A small loop at the bottom is used for attaching the lanyard but the hole being very small made my life difficult when I was trying to push in a cord through it.

Well, Garmin really hates button and is probably a perfect match for me as even I hate buttons except for the most necessary ones. The Garmin Oregon 400T has only one button placed on the right side of the device and it is the power button. For any other function, use the screen… Garmin has made it a touch screen for you (also for me).

Screen, maps and navigation:

The screen of the Garmin Oregon 400T has surely attracted some praise and some criticism from me. There is water and mud on the screen? Wipe them out and stop worrying. There is no problem at all. You have fat fingers? Well, the screen understands and responds. So, your life is made easy. All functions can be used in a breeze but the concern comes when I tried map panning. I really had to press hard before I managed to get what I wanted. Another problem is the readability and the screen is almost unreadable in different light conditions. Out in the sun and you are in trouble with the view.

Well, the Garmin Oregon 400T did an impressive task with the maps and the unit has US topographic maps which are based on 1:100k resolution data. With fast screen redraws, the maps looked spectacular especially under low light conditions with the back light on! There are numerous POIs and the only concern here was that the maps were pre-loaded and cannot be used with computer. You can also use the 3D display of the maps if you don’t really like the 2D format. Well, use the Garmin Oregon 400T and learn the terrain from a ground perspective.

For navigation, you also have an electronic compass that can help in direction determination. Barometric altimeter is just an additional treat for the users like me who desire a lot.

Interesting facts:

There are different settings that I prefer for different outdoor activities. Unlike other GPS units (which require a lot of reconfiguration to get what I need), the Garmin Oregon 400T allows me to choose different profiles like map views, route-instructions view etc. There pre-configured profiles are recreational, geocaching, marine, automotive and fitness. I just need to select the profile and I am ready for enjoying the outdoors.

Chipset and speed:

The signal acquisition was on a bit lower end especially when it is turned off for a couple of days or when the battery is replaced. This may be because the almanac/ephemeris data was wiped out in both the events! I really hate this…Garmin, you need to fix this. The track log view certainly exposed some serious shortcomings and there were a couple of blips in track log. Wow… it showed us moving at a speed of 30,000 mph and we moved 30-40 miles in a matter of few seconds! Ah, I felt like a supersonic hero! Now Garmin, here is another thing that you need to fix- the chip set accuracy.

Conclusion:

Now, difficulties are there and despite the few shortcomings, the Garmin Oregon 400T is a great handheld GPS unit at a reasonable price. No doubt, Garmin will come up with something better but till then, Garmin Oregon 400T remains my companion! You may have a different choice though!