Hands on with the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40
UPDATE: Two newer models have now been introduced, the DeLorme PN-60 and the DeLorme PN-60w.
The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40
- A dual-core processor makes map redraws and menu navigation very fast, correcting the biggest flaw in the PN-20
- Tri-axial electronic compass (meaning there is no need to hold it dead level)
- Barometric altimeter
- SDHC high-capacity SD card support
- A more detailed base map
Quick links
More DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 reviews
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 resources
How much does it cost?
And hardware isn’t the only improvement. The previous ala carte imagery plan is gone; an annual, all you can eat
download $29.95 subscription plan now gets you aerial imagery, USGS topos and NOAA marine charts galore. It’s an incredible deal.
With that overview,lets take a detailed look at the PN-40.
DeLorme PN-40 interface
The interface can seem a bit complex at first, but I found it to be fairly intuitive. Here’s a tip — the Menu button will bring up a different set of options for each screen; you’ll end up using it frequently. For example, to search for geographic POIs, you press Find > Menu > Natural Features.
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Like many Garmin handhelds, the PN-40 sports Page and Quit buttons, with the former advancing through pages and the latter doing it in reverse order. I love units that offer this easy way to navigate screens. I typically put the most important screens just ahead or behind the map screen, knowing I can easily access them with this feature.
The placement of the Power button makes it easy to accidentally press, but you have to confirm that you want to shutdown by pressing Enter, so this isn’t really that big of a deal.
Tones to warn of turns default to little chirps; great in the woods as they sound kind of like bird calls, but they’re a poor substitute for spoken directions for auto navigation.
The screen is relatively small compared to other recently released GPS units (see below), but it is much more visible in various daylight conditions than some of the high-resolution units on the market.
DeLorme PN-40 imagery
While the PN-40 comes with DeLorme’s Topo USA 7.0, giving you detailed vector topo maps for the unit, I can’t imagine anyone getting the PN-40 and not ponying up for the $29.95 annual imagery plan. It includes:
- 1:24,000 scale USGS topo maps
- B/W aerial imagery
- Color aerial imagery
- High-resolution color aerial imagery for 133 U.S. cities
- NOAA marine charts
- SAT 10 imagery
These are downloaded and transferred to the unit via Topo USA. Don’t expect super sharp imagery at every zoom level; this would require additional raster imagery and dramatically increase memory requirements. The PN-40 handles this pretty well though, switching from one type of imagery to another as you zoom in or out. This layering of map data can be customized by the user. Here are some sample screen shots of the different types of imagery…
DeLorme PN-40 on the road
While the PN-40 can be used for highway routing, it’s really not comparable to having a dedicated auto GPS unit. You’ll only get a 2-D view, like the screen to the right. The worse drawback is that there are no spoken directions, just beeps and chirps. The maps are not as complete or current as those found on most auto units either.
EDIT: My testing was more extensive on the trail than on the road. For a more detailed look at the PN-40′s highway routing capabilities, see this comment below.
DeLorme PN-40 on the trail / Using TOPO USA
It’s really wonderful to have access to USGS topos and aerial
photos right on the PN-40. I live back east now, underneath dense
southern Appalachian hardwood canopy, where aerial photos are of
limited value on single-track trails. But the imagery really shines in more open landscapes, urban areas, fire roads, etc. Folks using the PN-40 in such settings may find aerial photos very helpful indeed.
In my experience, the PN-40 did an excellent job of navigating to individual waypoints and trackbacks.
When I prepare for a hike, I typically load a track showing the exact location of the trail. I usually find these to be much more accurate than the trail placement on any maps. If the trail is new to me, I search for tracks online at places like MotionBased.com. One of the great advantages of the PN-40 and Topo USA is the ability to convert such .gpx tracks to routable lines, giving you an accurate “distance to destination” rather than straight line mileage. This is really wonderful — accurate trails on the map, showing accurate distances.
Nevertheless, I found taking advantage of this to be a frustrating experience. Topo USA is very powerful mapping software, but is renowned for its learning curve, partially due to a non-standardized interface. Neither downloading and transferring maps, nor importing tracks and waypoints was that difficult. But I found that converting tracks to routable lines, utilizing them in routes, and getting them to work the way I wanted on the PN-40 to be the most challenging aspect of using the package.
Oh, one quick backcountry tip before I leave this section — to navigate to a point on the map, pan the map and then mark a waypoint there.
Geocaching with the DeLorme PN-40
With the recent public beta 2.5 firmware (you must be logged in to see the download links), the PN-40 now supports paperless geocaching (screen shots below).
DeLorme has a “Send to GPS” feature on geocaching.com, and pocket queries will be easier to handle once they release their Cache Register widget.
DeLorme PN-40 pros
- Aerial imagery, USGS topo maps
- Reasonable priced all you can download imagery subscription plan
- Detailed hard-copy owners manual included
- Topo USA included in purchase
- Triaxial electronic compass
- Fast redraws
- Paperless geocaching
- Good visibility in various daylight conditions
- Excellent support forum
DeLorme PN-40 cons
- Small screen
- Detailed maps and imagery are limited to the U.S.
- There is no altimeter / elevation screen, and while you can display the maximum and minimum elevation in user-selected data fields, there is no way to see your overall elevation gain; likewise, while you can display the ambient pressure, you cannot view a pressure plot over time
- Unintuitive software (Topo USA)
Conclusions and recommendations
The PN-40 is, hands down, the best GPS on the market with aerial photos and USGS topo maps. It is also one of the best units on the market for geocachers.
I still like the Garmin Oregon’s paperless geocaching interface better than the DeLorme, but urban cachers and others in open landscapes may find aerial imagery more important.
If you go to Groundspeak, geocaching.com’s message board, you can clearly see that DeLorme has captured the hearts and minds of many in the geocaching community.
I am recommending the PN-40 as the best handheld for anyone interested in aerial imagery and USGS topo maps. I’ll also be updating my
geocaching, hiking and biking pages, adding the PN-40 to my list of recommended units. It’s that good.
The powerful but complex Topo USA program must be considered as well, however. As a result, I am reluctant to recommend the PN-40 for first-time GPS owners, people who have difficulty learning new software, or anyone who wants a grab n’ go unit letting them hit the trail with minimal prep time.
One final comment — I’m not sure how big of a market share DeLorme can grab with the PN-40, but for the first time in years, Garmin has some real competition in the handheld GPS market. And that is a good thing because monopolies don’t foster innovation.
More DeLorme PN-40 reviews
-
Consumer-authored DeLorme PN-40 reviews
have been posted at Amazon
- GPSReview.net has posted their own DeLorme PN-40 review
- About.com gives a 3.5 out 5 star rating in their PN-40 review
- A personal review of the PN-40
- SingleTracks.com has also posted a DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 review; here is part 2
- A PN-40 review from TripleBlaze.com
- A first impressions review of the DeLorme PN-40
- Waterfall Chasing reviews the PN-40 and DeLorme’s Topo USA 7.0
- A negative PN-40 review on Groundspeak
- DailyHiker.com reviews the PN-40
- A geocacher’s DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 review
- TripleBlaze.com reviews the DeLorme PN-40
- Geocacher reviews of the PN-40
- Rave and Review has posted their own DeLorme PN-40 review
I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other DeLorme PN-40 resources
- A PDF version of the DeLorme PN-40 owners manual
- The DeLorme PN-40 message forums are excellent resources
- The official DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 web page
- A DeLorme PN-40 wiki
- My DeLorme RAM mount review
Compare prices on the DeLorme PN-40 at these merchants:
- Check the current DeLorme Earthmate PN-40
- Get the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Handheld GPS with Topo 7.0 & 1GB SD Card
at TigerGPS, where you get free shipping on orders above $250
- Check out the deal on a DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS Bundle
at REI.com, where satisfaction is guaranteed and members get 10% back on eligible purchases
- Get the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40
for an amazing price on eBay
About Rich Owings
I don’t sell anything. I just link to sites that do.
Thanks for checking Rich. I wish I could remember the forum I read that in so I could go back and correct the poster.
After surfing the web for the last week looking for information and reviews about what would be the best GPS for me to purchase, your site seems to be the most complete and informative one that I have found. This will be my first GPS unit that I have purchased and just wanted to get your opinion on which unit would best fit my specific needs. You seem to have a lot of great general information on a number of units. I’m looking more at something that I will use mostly for fishing & hunting. As for the fishing I notice that the PN-40 has the NOAA marine charts included in the subscription fee and just wondering if you knew how those compare to the different aftermarket lake map chips available for handheld units? I’d use the unit to mark and catalog fishing spots and trolling routes, decide and find fishing locations based on the lake contours using aftermarket lake chip or NOAA charts. As for hunting I’d like to use it to map trails, property boundaries, stand & food plot locations and estimate acreage. As for driving features just looking for something basic that will show roads, towns, and basic map info, but don’t necessarily need turn by turn directions. I’d be new to using a GPS but am fairly good and picking up new programs and applications that are computer related. I don’t really want something that is a base model but don’t necessarily need something that is top of the line with a bunch of options that I’d never use. The units that I’ve been looking at most and are in the price range I’m looking for have been the DeLorme PN-40, Garmin 60CSX and the Lowrance Endure Safari (only because the salesman at the store recommended it but have noticed that it has had mostly negative reviews online). Any other recommendations would be appreciated as well. Sorry for the long post just trying to get and opinion from someone that actually knows what they are talking about rather then a salesman that probably has never used one outside of the store.
If you’ll go to this page you can click on the map and zoom in to get a detailed look at any area you want…
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=1404&pvID=2691#coverageTab
I imagine there is an online source of the NOAA charts to compare; just not sure where.
The Lowrance units were pretty bad when they came out, but they’ve gotten some fans after the latest software updates.
There are a couple of other Garmin units you should look at too — the Colorado 400i (recently discontinued, but will be supported for many years to come) and the Oregon 400i.
Hope that helps. Feel free to follow up with more questions.
I was planning on getting this unit but see that the “detailed maps and imagery are limited to the US” we are moving to BC within the next year so does this mean that you aren’t even able to download international info? Is there a gps you’d recomend that we will be able to use mainly in Canada and the US and possibly other countries. Prime usage will be for geocaching, hiking, fishing but also sometimes in cities but not as important. In the 200-350 price range. Thanks!
For Canada and other countries, I would definitely recommend a Garmin, the Oregon 450 if you can swing it. Some people are seeing it for around $300 now, after the current $50 rebate. This would give you access to free maps (http://gpsfiledepot.com), custom maps (http://gpstracklog.com/tag/garmin-custom-maps) and BirdsEye aerial imagery (http://gpstracklog.com/tag/birdseye).
I need mapping software that shows land use – BLM, state, private – accurately along with topo features.
I am looking at the delorme pn40, the garmin 60CSx, and the lowrance enduro sierra. (I was looking at the oregon 550, but bad reviews have made me reconsider).
I know that the lowrance has great BLM land use maps with good topo, but it seems their machines are slow and lock up.
I have not been able to see comparable map displays on the delorme or garmin pages.
Can you help?
What state are you in? I just came across these…
http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/
You hit a home run with that answer. I’m in Montana and I need it for both hunting and fossil collecting, and those maps are perfect, or as close as I’m going to get to perfect.
I’ll probably go with the garmin 60CSx since it seems to be the most universally appreciated workhorse, is being heavily discounted right now, and these maps work with it.
Any comments will be appreciated.
Cool!
The 60CSx is probably getting ready to be discontinued. It will still be supported, but you may want to look at its successor, the forthcoming 62st, or the Oregon 450, which has a much better screen than the 550. Unlike the 60CSx, either one should let you load aerial imagery, which could be nice.
Although the PN-40 attaches by USB, it does not show up as a device or port in the system. Basically, you can use it with Delorme software and little else. Too bad (after spending the money).
Yes, they have a Serial Emulator. It does not work with 64-bit systems, nor Windows 7.
So, you’d think a query to Delorme tech would give some answer with hope. The answer was that they DO NOT intend to support 64-bit systems and NEVER support Windows 7. Great. Put it in your advertising, huh?
It was a pretty nice unit until this find.
Delorme needs to stick with what they do best (maps), fire their software designers and partner with someone who can make a more functional GPS!
After considerable research, I purchased my first GPS, a PN-20, primarily because of Delorme’s reputation for great maps. The PN-20’s graphics were terribly slow, so I returned it and made the mistake of buying the newly-released PN-40. One would think that the second generation would have incorporated many more improvements, but the only difference I found was better graphics speed.
Some of the main problems/complaints I have about the PN-40 are:
- It’s slow to acquire satellites.
- It’s not reliable. You can’t rely on it to self-start – you must turn it on, wait for it to acquire satellites, and make sure the tracking is working before you start to walk. Even in open areas, it may not acquire satellites if you start moving first. PLUS, after a period of time it just quits trying to acquire satellites and displays a “should I continue trying” message (duh – the answer is “yes” if I have it on!) If you don’t tell it to continue, it stays on, doing nothing but wasting batteries.
- Once it is on and working it sometimes will lock up – and you’ll never know it until you stop to check it. Also, there have been several occasions where it just quit working until I could get it home to install new software.
- The map on the screen can give great detail, but it’s awkward to use to view a larger area. Zooming out decreases detail in dramatic steps, panning at higher zoom/detail is slow, and zooming out, panning and then zooming in on where you want to see detail is hit-or-miss (and also slow).
- It eats up batteries! One simple solution would be to have the screen turn off after an adjustable time period, and add a button to quickly toggle to screen on and off.
- It’s too heavy and bulky. To mount it on a shoulder strap, the type of case needed to hold it securely would make it less accessible. I’ve tried various things to mount it for easy access, but haven’t come up with anything that works well.
- It’s not practical for highway use. The graphics have a hard time keeping up and sometimes get stuck. On longer trips, the tracks file gets too large the unit locks up.
Several months ago I was in the backcountry with my brother, who had a Blackberry. The blackberry was faster and the practical use of its map (zooming, panning, etc.) was MUCH better. (Not to mention the blackberry costs less, is lighter and can do other things.) A side-by-side comparison didn’t last long – my PN-40 locked up and wouldn’t restart until I got it home updated its software.
The software interface for the computer, Topozone, is one of the most non-intuitive programs I’ve ever had the displeasure of using. I’ve had almost two years to become familiar with Topozone, but still find it very difficult and awkward to use. It WILL do almost everything I need and want it to, but each time I have to re-learn exactly what/where to click to get what I want.
Now Delorme has the PN-60 (with some great advertised features) and an updated version of Topozone. However, I don’t think it’s possible for a company that made a product with such a lack of “fundamental” functionality and performance to make a decent product, regardless of its features. While I don’t expect perfection in the first generation or two, I DO expect something with better basic design and is easier to learn and use.
Worst purchase ever. It won’t hold a charge. Says fully charged, but dies within minutes. I have it on power save and know how to use it. I’m good with computers and have never had problems figuring anything out. That is not the case. The USB cord won’t work to connect to the computer in order to upload maps either. I wrote to their support email and they recommended using alkaline batteries. Who wants to buy a new pack of batteries every time they use a GPS without any maps on it! Do not waste your time and money!!!
What kind of batteries are you using? You’re not trying to charge them thru USB are you? The PN-40 has a miserably short battery life, but it shouldn’t be that bad.
I ran my new PN-40 today for 4 hours straight today with the GPS and back light on full time , calculated several routes ; using 50 % memory on first charge rechargable batteries and only consumed 25 % of the battery life .
I was getting about 12 hours out of cheap budget grade Ray-0-Vac “AA” Alkaline cells from a Wal*mart 30 package . The same type of batteries that came included with the unit .
I planned a familiar 413 mile trip from PA to Indiana and got almost identical turn by turn directions as mapquest . Beeps prompting approaching next turn were loud enough that I could distinguish them over road noise and I’m hearing impaired .
Trip function isn’t as highly detailed as a dedicated automotive unit , however ; I find it suitable for basic road trips road trips without a navigator .
Sounds good. I’m not sure you can trust the battery level indicator though. You’ll need to run a set all the way down to get a good idea of battery life.
There is also an option to choose from 4 different battery types from a menu to calibrate the GPS unit and the battery meter for greater accuracy .
Device setup > system > System > Battery Type
[ ] Alkaline
[ ] Lithium
[ ] Lithium Ion [rechargeable]
[ ] NiMH
and 3 power option
[ ] Normal [GPS use]
[ ] Power Savings [back lighting parameters]
[ ] Dis-able GPS function
I’m presently using 2 marked pairs of NiMH – AA cells .
I couldn’t be more pleased
NOTE : Read your instruction manual thoroughly .