DeLorme Earthmate PN-60W Portable GPS Navigator with SPOT Satellite
- Includes SPOT Satellite Communicator
- Create Freeform Satellite Text Messages and Emergency SOS
- Stay in touch when there is no cell phone coverage from locations worldwide
- Unrivaled Map and Imagery Choices
- Supports up to 32GB SD cards
This groundbreaking bundle pairs SPOT’s renowned lifesaving Satellite Communicator with DeLorme’s high-performance PN-60w GPS. Imagine typing freeform text messages on the go, sending messages to multiple user groups, and managing your contacts via a contact manager in your SPOT account online. Peace of Mind Wherever You Go This groundbreaking bundle pairs SPOT’s renowned lifesaving Satellite Communicator with DeLorme’s high-performance PN-60w GPS. Imagine typing freeform text messages on the go, sending messages to multiple user groups, and managing your contacts via a contact manager in your SPOT account online. Communicate with family and friends from locations worldwide. Cell phone coverage can be un
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Adam
February 14, 2014Dissapointed… but progress,
1. BEWARE! SPOT will require you to purchase yet an additional package on top of your normal service if you want to send custom text messages (AKA Facebook and Twitter). This is likely the main reason you are all buying this device. Very annoying given they don’t mention that anywhere in the DeLorme or SPOT web site.
2. Mostly my overlook.. but the actual SPOT part of the device is a separate unit (you have to carry 2 pieces). Early product shots with an arrow between them gave me the impression that the SPOT bit was actually snapped on the back where the battery compartment is now. Just to being clear to those wondering as well. There are 2 units.
3. Comes shipped with firmware that wont allow for pairing of the two units. You must update firmware on the PN-60w first.
4. The DeLorme mapping application for your PC is very hard to use and doesn’t really follow typical UI and human computer interaction conventions (yes I’m qualified and certified to make that statement :). The browsing and panning and zooming is a lot like Nat Geo TOPO. Both suffer from same Application UI issues.
5. SPOT Customer Service is very rude and unprofessional. Take a deep breath and try to be patient 🙂
6. GEOS Rescue however is top notch.
Hope these warnings help those window shopping.
Safe trails!
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|M. Bramel "map addict"
February 14, 2014Breakthrough communications in a GPS,
These are the improvements I particularly like:
* Improved battery life (I see 15 hours with NiMH AA’s; 21 hours with a non-OEM rechargeable Li-Ion). Improved power savings strategies can stretch this out considerably more.
* Activity profiles allow recall of specific info fields, screen display rotations, and other settings associated with different activities such as hiking, biking, or geocaching. Since there’s a lot of customization possible, it’s helpful to recall a specific setup with a push of a button.
* You can save and use as many track and waypoint files as memory allows (virtually unlimited).
* The SPOT Communicator allows for predefined and custom message transmissions well beyond cell phone range. I’ve found transmissions fairly reliable, although it helps to position the Communicator to have a good view of a clear sky (foliage has little effect on the PN-60w reception, but adversely affects effective SPOT transmission). Both my wife and I feel a little safer about my solo hikes.
* Warning sounds are easier to hear than with prior PN models.
As with prior models, the MapPack annual subscription provides reasonably easy access to special imagery such as 1:24K USGS topo quads or NOAA nautical charts. The newly available DigitalGlobe subscription provides detailed satellite imagery, but the high memory requirements limit the coverage one can carry on the device. Both subscriptions cost $30/year each.
Another review mentioned difficulty in transferring geocache data to the Topo North America program. I think this problem was a temporary one stemming from changes at the geocaching site; after initial setup I’ve found updating geocache data to require a single click of the mouse. The free CacheRegister applet available for download from the DeLorme site offers an alternative to Topo North America for cache management.
I’d like to see a larger screen yet. It’s highly-readable and adequate for the job, but about as small as they come on a GPS. Beyond that, DeLorme has done an admirable job of responding to the user requests that they have received. I’d echo the suggestion of others to take advantage of the help available on the DeLorme Users Forum and at DeLorme customer support.
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|Abbey W. Magruder
February 14, 2014Delorme Earthmate PN-60W,
Loading geocaches into the PN-60W is easily done when attaching it as an external drive to a computer and moving an entire pocket query from GC.com. Sending individual geocache files to the PN-60W from the website using the plug-in software has been problematic, however, and fails more often than not. Delorme obviously has some work to do in that area. Advertised features of the PN-60W include wireless sharing of GPX files with other PN-60W units, but this feature is not in the current user manual and a call to Delorme revealed that this feature may be part of some future firmware update.
While the screen is smaller than comparable Garmin units, the graphics are easy to see and understand. The user interface, while not as slick as that on the Garmin, is similar, and I was able to use it in the field after less than a half hour of study and experimentation. The actual process flow of selecting a geocache to find, navigating to it, and recording the find is very similar on the PN-60W to that of the Colorado. Marking a waypoint or geocache on the fly is almost as easy on the PN-60W as on the 60CSx, and making a projection only slightly more difficult.
One of the strengths of the PN-60W is the large amount of memory. With a 32 gig SDHC card, it can easily hold massive amounts of map data, several times that of any other unit I am aware of. I’m looking forward to combining satellite photos with topo maps on the unit when geocaching. The accuracy is also as good as advertised, with the PN-60W easily holding its own when compared against the Garmin 60CSx and 62ST. It’s nice to have the accuracy of the 60CSx and also be able to look up the cache details, logs, and hints on the same unit, so finally I am going paperless with the PN-60W. As reported by others, all this power has a price: the PN-60W can eat up batteries quickly, but then so do the comparable Garmin units. At the moment I’m using only high capacity lithium batteries, but plan to purchase the Delorme rechargeable battery pack and car kit and give it a try shortly.
Overall, this is a very sound unit and great for geocaching, with tons of memory and super accuracy. A larger screen would be nice, but what Delorme really needs to do is fix the ability to send individual cache files from the cache page to the unit, and allow units to trade GPX files wirelessly. An added bonus would be to allow the PN-60W to trade GPX files wirelessy with other manufacturers’ units, such as the Garmin Colorado, Oregon, or 62ST. That would be a hard package to beat!
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