How To Upload Routes To Delorme Pn 60

Reviews > Navigation and Map Gear > GPS > Delorme Earthmate GPS PN-60 > Possessor Review by Edwin Morse

DELORME EARTHMATE PN-sixty GPS
Past EDWIN MORSE
Possessor REVIEW
March 24, 2013

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME:	Edwin Morse
E-mail:	ed dot morse at charter dot net
Age:	75
LOCATION:	M Traverse Canton, Michigan, U.s.
GENDER:	M
HEIGHT:	five' viii" (ane.73 m)
WEIGHT:	145 lb (65.80 kg)

I started backpacking in 1979 with 2 weeks in northern Michigan along the Lake Superior shore. My gear was cheap, heavy and sometimes painful. My starting pack weight was lxx lb (32 kg) with food merely no water. Since then I have fabricated one- and two-calendar week trips in Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Florida. Now my pack weighs between 22 and 32 lb (10 and fifteen kg). I'yard slowly learning what lighter gear works.

Production Data

Manufacturer: DeLorme
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.delorme.com/
MSRP: U.s.$299.95
Listed Weight: Without batteries: 5.35 oz (152 g)
with Li-Ion rechargeable battery: half-dozen.seven oz (190 g); with alkaline AA batteries: 7.00 oz. (198 g)
Measured Weight: 5.iv oz (153 one thousand) without batteries
vi.3 oz (179 g) with 2 AA Energizer Lithium batteries
Device dimensions: two.43 in x 5.25 in x 1.5 in (6.17 cm ten thirteen.34 cm x 3.81 cm )
Display screen dimensions: 1.35 in x 1.69 in (3.iv cm ten 4.three cm )

Waterproof (IPX7) I don't know what the IPX7 means merely I take continued to use the PN-lx in difficult rainstorms with no problems
iii-axis electronic compass - when calibrated closely agrees with my magnetic compass, allowing for declination
Sensitive barometric altimeter - which I've never used
Power is supplied by 2 AA batteries - I've used alkali metal and Lithium (not mixed)
In that location is an Optional Travel Power Kit with DeLorme-supplied rechargeable Li-Ion battery
Acquisition Times, according to DeLorme:
" " Hot Start: 5-vi seconds
" " Warm Start:
" " Cold Showtime:
I have not attempted to cheque this. I accept noticed that if I turn the unit off, say for a lunch break or to modify batteries, acquisition is very quick. If I turn the PN-sixty off and drive 60 mi ( 97 km) and so getting "3D" position seems to take several minutes but is probably close to the threescore seconds stated for a cold offset by DeLorme.
DeLorme states Positional GPS accuracy as: "
Retentiveness & Storage = 3.five GB internal wink memory,
Supports SDHC high-capacity SD-cards - upward to 32 GB
Holds up to 10 tracks (xx,000 points per track), one,500 user-defined waypoints, and 100 routes; endlessly expandable via GPX transfer to SD cards
Operating temperature range for the PN-60 is -20 C (-four F) to +75 C (167 F). I don't await to operate outside this range either very often. Most winters I've been out snowshoeing a few times at the low end of the stated range but not since I got the PN-60.

Full general Data

The PN-threescore is the 3rd in the Earthmate series I've purchased and used. Hither is a flick of my PN-sixty.

PN-sixty

There are nine buttons near the bottom and beneath the screen, some are direct commands for activeness and others are for moving around and within various pages. The buttons accept dissimilar actions depending on which page is displayed, some of the buttons have different results depending how long they are held down.

I first used the PN-twenty, then when the PN-40 came out I before long put in my order. I delayed ordering the PN-sixty, since the PN-40 was doing well, until I could not store every bit many tracks equally I wanted. When I bought the PN-lx the DeLorme map program North America Topo five 9 was included in the purchase toll. Two months later they started including version 10 instead. The Topo programme is required to download the various maps from the DeLorme map library to my computer and then transfer from my computer to the PN-60. I usually download at least the quad maps for the area I intend to hike so the PN-60 is my about convenient map. By paying the $29.95 annual map library subscription I have access to not only the USGS 1:24K quadrangle maps but also several other types of maps.

I received the PN-60 in early July 2012 only two days before a backpacking trip. I did not have much time to larn the operation of the PN-60. I did manage to download and install the quadrangle maps for the surface area of the trail I intended to hike. I soon found that in many small ways the PN-lx operation is very unlike from the PN-40.

The PN-60 GPS receiver is a feature-rich device. There are 8 activities divers on the ACTIVITIES page; Hiking, Cycling, Hunting, Driving, Geocaching, Boating, Angling and Off-Roading.

The only one of these I'm interested in is hiking. My nigh frequent use is to decide how far I hike each twenty-four hours. Whether I'thousand backpacking or 24-hour interval-hiking, which includes snowshoeing and cross land skiing, I carry the PN-threescore in a pocket on my pack shoulder strap. I always prepare the trip info dorsum to goose egg before I beginning each day so I volition know how far I hike. I usually marking a waypoint at the vehicle before I leave. When backpacking I also mark a waypoint where I ready my tent each night and some other where I hang my food bag.

My 2nd, closely related, employ for the PN-60 (and the PN-forty previously) is exploring for new trail reroutes. One goal of the Due north Land Trail Association is to get as much of the trail off roads as possible. I download both quad maps and aerial maps to the GPS unit. And so, with a plat book in hand to show local country ownership, I get-go hiking. My objective is to find the near scenic road possible for the new trail while staying on public land. I record the track as I hike. After I save the track and upload to the Topo North America programme. So I impress maps showing the tracks where I think the new trail should be built. Oftentimes considerable editing is required to eliminate less desirable tracks and just show the all-time for print.

When I showtime turned on my new PN-60 receiver I was asked to enter my name. After I did this my name appears during startup each fourth dimension I plow on the PN-sixty. The Home Folio appears after the unit completes the first up procedure.

Dwelling house Page

The Pointer Keypad in the center is used to motility effectually pages and screens. Scrolling to left or right two spaces will move to the 2d dwelling folio.

Home Folio two

Reckoner INTERFACE

The DeLorme Topo North America map program is sold with the PN-60. It is the link between DeLorme map library and the PN-threescore. I'm using version 9 since that was included when I bought the PN-threescore. Now version ten is included.

I use Topo v 9 to download maps from the DeLorme map library. I also utilise the plan to upload tracks and waypoints from the PN-lx to the Topo programme. I tin can edit both tracks (to some extent) and waypoints. I tin can add together other symbols and notes. Afterward I have done all the editing I desire I can print maps or I tin salvage the map as moving picture or .jpg file. My printed and saved maps are first used as planning tools in exploring possible trail routes. I often add notes which my friend and I review earlier and during the adjacent exploration hike. Later a final, cleaned upwardly version is submitted to the Section of Natural Resources every bit an showroom with the trail proposal.

FIELD USE

I've used the PN-60 on two backpacking trips, both in Michigan. I received the unit on July 2, 2012. Two days later on I started a iv-solar day hike about the village of Vanderbilt, Michigan. The weather varied from a depression of 55 F (13 C) during a astringent pelting and thunder storm to warm and sunny 85 F (29 C). I carried the PN-sixty in an open top pocket on the shoulder strap of my backpack. I lost the poorly marked trail during the hard rain. I used the hard copy map and the PN-60 to get dorsum on the trail. The PN-lx continued to operate even in a downpour when I had to wipe off the water to read the screen.

In August I did a 12-twenty-four hours hike on Isle Royale. I had the 1:24000 quadrangle maps downloaded and transferred to the PN-lx. Using the PN-sixty I ever knew how far I hiked each twenty-four hours. When I stopped for luncheon I knew how much farther I had to hike to my planned camp site. I could as well precisely locate my position using the quadrangle maps on the PN-60. While hiking on the island there were a few days of more often than not pelting when the temperature held around 60 F (sixteen C). In that location were a few mostly cloudy days with sudden brusk rain showers, every bit well every bit several sunny days with highs of 84 F (29 C).

Since early on November, while using the PN-60, I have done at least l day hikes, or about iii each calendar week. A few hikes were in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Several were in the Manistee National Woods. The majority were in the Pere Marquette State Forest, which is southward and east of Traverse City, Michigan.

Perhaps a skillful mode to explain the use of the PN-sixty is to review the steps I follow on a typical hike.

When I get to a trailhead to start a hike I first turn on the GPS and put it on top of the vehicle while I get my pack on, by so the PN-lx will be set up to go.

I open the Maps page, then I press the Folio push button twice to go to the Trip Info Page.

Trip Info Page

Then I printing menu and set everything dorsum to zero. I and so printing Quit twice to become back to the Map Page and first hiking. Before starting a recent hike I opened a previous track file. To practise this I used the Runway Folio to open up the track file I wanted and so I could tell where I had hiked previously.

Track Page

After opening the rail file I wanted I Quit back to the Map page and started hiking. I followed a road around the curve then I wanted to hike straight east along the department line. I used the Compass Page to start on the correct bearing.

Compass Page

Most of the time I keep the GPS attack the Map folio, sometimes switching between colour aerial maps and quadrangle maps. Here is a view of the Map page subsequently a recent hike where we had been exploring for a trail relocation. In this view I only had the quadrangle map open.

Map Folio

The reddish line is the opened track for a previous hike and the green line is the agile track.
Here is a map of some other hike in the same area with the colour aerial map displayed and uploaded to the Topo North America v 9.

Aerial map in Topo North America

There are two other pages I often use when hiking. The Waypoints page lets me locate nearby waypoints I've previously saved.

Waypoint Page

When I'm backpacking I refer to the Dominicus and Moon page so I know the time of sun rise and sunday set.

Sun and Moon Page

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

I had issues with the backlight at start in very overcast or shady conditions. I had to exist in bright sunshine to read the screen. Then I discovered the backlighting could be adjusted much brighter in the Setting page and so now I can read the screen in any conditions. I also found that in wintertime with vivid snow I could read the screen easier in shade if I took off my photograph gray glasses.

I have primarily used lithium batteries which often last five or six days of hiking in the summertime and three or four days in winter cold weather. I have only used alkaline batteries when I ran out of Lithium batteries. The batteries are accessed by removing the cover on the back of the unit using the two thumb screws. Here is a picture with batteries in place.

Battery Access

I tin display any previous twenty-four hours'due south track, in red, in improver to the active track which is always shown in green. I tin can modify the colour of a saved track on the GPS just I prefer to do all rails editing on the computer using the Topo Due north America programme.

I tin save much longer tracks on the PN-60 than I could with the PN-40. I can view a saved rails on the GPS in addition to the agile rails. I accept non tried to edit tracks on the GPS unit of measurement. I ofttimes edit tracks after I've uploaded to the Topo North America program. It can exist a irksome process but I have cut off extraneous parts of tracks and combined two or more tracks.

Tracks and downloaded maps tin can be saved to either internal memory or to the SD bill of fare. The SD card is installed by removing the batteries. Here is a moving-picture show of the SD menu installed.

SD card

I have quadrangle topographic maps for all of Island Royale stored on a 16 GB SD card. I also have over 160 miles of the North Country Trail, about a mile (two Km) each side of the trail downloaded to the same card. I also accept colour aeriform maps downloaded for most of this surface area. I have found I can get more information nigh the terrain and features around me by switching back and along betwixt aeriform and topographic maps.

Nigh of the problems I have with unit of measurement tin can be solved with a picayune study of the PN-60 Manual I downloaded from the internet. When I actually become stuck and tin can't find a solution to a problem I tin can look in the DeLorme Forums or put in a request for DeLorme technical help.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

THINGS I Similar

Small and lite enough to hands carry on my pack
Satellite reception is commonly quick
Buttons are easy to use with one hand
Bombardment life is practiced and replacement is easy
The PN-60 seems to exist the most dependable however of the serial

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

The included Transmission is too general, it tells me what I can practise - not how to do it
In the winter I have to take off my gloves to employ the buttons
The screen is too minor to meet terrain details over a large expanse
In that location is a learning curve - the performance of the PN-60 has not been easy for me to learn

Determination

Overall, the PN-60 is a useful and fun improver to my hiking gear. With the ability to download different types of maps for areas I plan to hike it is more than useful than any paper map. It has more features and capabilities than I ever wait to use. My interests might all the same change enough to utilise a few more features. I highly recommend the PN-sixty with the Topo North America computer program.

Reviews > Navigation and Map Gear > GPS > Delorme Earthmate GPS PN-threescore > Owner Review past Edwin Morse

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