Delorme pn-60 update

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. 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. A third issue, the only one that made any difference to me, is that the PN calculates the tide, sun, and moon data for the wrong date because the default date is the "current" date, which the PN thinks is in A fourth issue is that, naturally, the unit is useless for getting the current date when you're signing geocaching logs.

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 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 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. 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 and worked until they are free to retract and extend. Both of these solutions are only temporary fixes. 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.

The conversion is not that difficult but soldering is required. Everything proceeded as advertised and now the PN 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. I performed the WD 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! 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 You make it sound like the PN 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 And it's much slower.

It reminds me of my PN 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 never dreamed of and I could care less about. Well, the Forum is a godsend for someone with a PN 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 and happened to note on one screen the date. Went thru all the menus trying to find where to fix the date. Was thinking only the time came from the satellite signal.

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 in the field. When roaming on sand trails in Michigan's Upper Peninsula you can get surprisingly far from people in some areas.

The PN 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. 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. That inaccuracy doesn't enter into these measurements. 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. Still, I did get some good info. Does anyone know if the PN consumes more power when the satellite signals are weak? You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Paste as plain text instead.

Only 75 emoji are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor. Upload or insert images from URL. All Activity Home Geocaching and Followers 2. Reply to this topic Start new topic. Recommended Posts. Posted December 25, Inside the battery compartment is a full-size SD card slot. The improved battery life results from power management changes such as use of an ambient light sensor to control the screen backlight, and letting the accelerometer sense when the device is not in motion, allowing GPS tracking to be temporarily minimized or disabled.

These two features are enabled by placing the device in Power Saving mode. The interface remains very similar to previous models, though I believe the main menu has improved graphical elements….

I covered this in more detail in my PN review. Most testing was done with the units mounted on the handlebars of my mountain bike, although some testing was also done while hiking. All tests consisted primarily of out and back segments; each track from the devices was examined for track separation errors — how far each track varied on the way out compared to on the way back.

I prefer this type of test because it mostly removes issues related to satellite constellation variability, aerial photo registration accuracy, etc. Performance was generally comparable to that of the other units. Sometimes the PNw performed better, sometimes one of the Garmin units.

I did notice occasionally delays of a second or so in response to button presses. To load caches, you can transfer a single geocache directly from geocaching. I found the PN series to be as accurate as my Garmin 62s, settling down just as quickly. Shown below are some geocaching screenshots. Unfortunately you have to scroll down to get to the logs; there is no separate menu item to access them. Perhaps a bigger downside is that there is no ability to filter caches on the basis of difficulty, terrain, size, etc.

The PN utilizes a file system for data management. This has advantages and disadvantages. You can have waypoint files for specific areas and track files for specific trails, and only load the ones you need.

On the downside, you cannot load a file of waypoints and a pocket query file of geocaches at the same time. There are ways to combine data sources, and get them all into one. And you can only load one track file at a time, so if you have trails for a given area set up as one trail per track file, you cannot see all the trails.

Again, with data manipulation in Topo USA, it is possible to overcome this. Navigating to waypoints and geocaches, and following routes, functions pretty much as expected. The image at right shows a track being navigated. You can display the distance to the end of the track, but not to waypoints along it.

One advantage the PN series has is the built-in ability to do highway navigation. Unfortunately, this is compromised by the small screen, difficulty entering an address, and limited database. I would not suggest using this as your primary auto GPS, nor would I depend on it to get me to a job interview in a strange city. However, hikers, geocachers and others may find it useful for getting them to the trailhead locally.

It is probably best used in conjunction with POIs, waypoints or geocaches on the device, as opposed to addresses you have to enter. Screenshots below…. Highly recommended for previous DeLorme Earthmate owners looking to upgrade.

The PN is a powerful device, with an extensive feature set and capabilities. Nevertheless, I find myself reluctant to recommend it beyond this, partially due to its small screen. I also have concerns recommending it for first-time handheld GPS owners. Rich is the owner, editor and chief bottle-washer for GPS Tracklog. Connect with him on Twitter , Facebook or Google Plus. That the 24k maps available with subsciption from Delorme were all raster.

My understanding is that the with the vector maps the quality at high zoom is better and that you can pull data such as elevations right from the vector maps.

Is this true and can you elaborate? How could there not be 24k quality vector maps compatable with Delorme units? Can you explain? The PN comes with very good quality vector maps. Vector maps technically have no scale, since they can zoom continuously.

The DeLorme PN-series will not allow you to show the distance to the next waypoint in a multi-point route. But it can dispaly distance to the end of a track or distance to a single waypoint. I have been using the DeLorme Topo for about 4 years now. I have Topo 7. The interface can be a little intimidating, but once you get the feel of how it works, the frustration factor goes way down. I bought this software at a time when it was quite a novel idea to be able to load Satelite images, USGS maps, etc, to your map files.

For a yearly subscription, you can load all the data you want. I do not have the new Garmin 24K maps. It is free and it works. I have come so close to pulling the trigger on the DeLorme PN units more than once, but that screen is simply too small. All that boring stuff said, to make the point: I really wish DeLorme would develop some new hardware! I think that DeLorme Topo is the best value for mapping software out there for the GPS user, especially the avid hiker.

I can see why it is appealing. And oh boy, do I agree that they need new hardware with a bigger screen. Plus, as a small company, they are doing good to bring out one major release per year. With the new products from Magellan and Garmin, it is difficult to see how DeLorme hardware can compete. That is why the new Etrex 30 interests me. So I can handle complex instructions.