This isn't exactly Photo equipment. However, more and more of us are using GPS in the field to follow trails as well as mark locations that are important to us, so I thought a review might be of interest to many.
I bought the unit 2 weeks ago from Delorme(the only place to get it is their on line store). I have been using Delorme Street Atlas for about 10 years and like it a lot. The GPS unit is of the same high quality.
I bought the NP-20 model with AA batteries. I use rechargeable 2500 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. These seem to give long life and are economical.
The unit itself is light weight and coated to make it water proof. The screen is easy to read and the Back Light is bright enough to read in daylight. You can set the display to stay lit for a variety of times.
Delorme includes its latest version of topographical maps called Topo 6.0. The internal memory of the hand held has a basic map of the entire world with major cities and roads. Topo software has detailed roads, hiking trails and topographical details with 50 foot elevation lines.
The internal memory of the unit is only 75 MB, so you really must add supplemental 2 Gig SD card to expand the mapping on the unit. You load the detailed regional maps you need, for instance New England and NY, to enable route creation. you can create a route on your lap top or the unit itself. However doing it in advance on a lap top is easier and faster. The result is the usual GPS navigation functions with the map being displayed either on the hand held unit or your lap top. The routes created are accurate with excellent step by step route directions. While there is no voice commands from the unit, there are beeping sounds to alert you of upcoming turns. They could be louder however. The unit tells you how far and how long to the next turn. Off route recalculation is done on the hand held unit.
Using the unit for hiking is the same as in a car. You can pre-plan a route or hike a trail and track your progression for retracing on the way home. Way points can be added to mark those special locations so finding them later is a snap.
The purchase price includes downloading of up to 400 sq km of birds eye satellite images of the US. These may be loaded into a map of a hike or trip to give you visual references during navigation. This is fun, but not completely necessary.
Things are not completely rosy however. I find the manual leaves a lot to be desired. It took me a long time to figure out what it was trying to tell me when it describes the location of the SD card slot (it's hidden under the batteries and folds up. After the card is inserted the slot folds back down and the batteries are reinserted). It also took me a while to figure out that I not only had to load the maps and detailed selection of topo info, but also had to do an additional up[loading of the route directions so I could navigate. It is written in the manual, but not in a clear way for my feeble mind to get the first time.
I find the satellite reception to be outstanding. Driving throughout upstate NY with the unit on my console I almost always had reception and solid lock from 6 satellites and some times as many as 10! I did not have any need for external antenna.
I am sure there are many other features I have not yet explored. Those I have used are great - except for the manual.
So, if you are in the market for a GPS for hiking and road navigation I highly suggest Delorme NP-20. The $400 (tax and shipping included) is more than some, but it includes a full set of detailed road maps and topographical maps.
Discussion
0 repliesI bought the unit 2 weeks ago from Delorme(the only place to get it is their on line store). I have been using Delorme Street Atlas for about 10 years and like it a lot. The GPS unit is of the same high quality.
I bought the NP-20 model with AA batteries. I use rechargeable 2500 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. These seem to give long life and are economical.
The unit itself is light weight and coated to make it water proof. The screen is easy to read and the Back Light is bright enough to read in daylight. You can set the display to stay lit for a variety of times.
Delorme includes its latest version of topographical maps called Topo 6.0. The internal memory of the hand held has a basic map of the entire world with major cities and roads. Topo software has detailed roads, hiking trails and topographical details with 50 foot elevation lines.
The internal memory of the unit is only 75 MB, so you really must add supplemental 2 Gig SD card to expand the mapping on the unit. You load the detailed regional maps you need, for instance New England and NY, to enable route creation. you can create a route on your lap top or the unit itself. However doing it in advance on a lap top is easier and faster. The result is the usual GPS navigation functions with the map being displayed either on the hand held unit or your lap top. The routes created are accurate with excellent step by step route directions. While there is no voice commands from the unit, there are beeping sounds to alert you of upcoming turns. They could be louder however. The unit tells you how far and how long to the next turn. Off route recalculation is done on the hand held unit.
Using the unit for hiking is the same as in a car. You can pre-plan a route or hike a trail and track your progression for retracing on the way home. Way points can be added to mark those special locations so finding them later is a snap.
The purchase price includes downloading of up to 400 sq km of birds eye satellite images of the US. These may be loaded into a map of a hike or trip to give you visual references during navigation. This is fun, but not completely necessary.
Things are not completely rosy however. I find the manual leaves a lot to be desired. It took me a long time to figure out what it was trying to tell me when it describes the location of the SD card slot (it's hidden under the batteries and folds up. After the card is inserted the slot folds back down and the batteries are reinserted). It also took me a while to figure out that I not only had to load the maps and detailed selection of topo info, but also had to do an additional up[loading of the route directions so I could navigate. It is written in the manual, but not in a clear way for my feeble mind to get the first time.
I find the satellite reception to be outstanding. Driving throughout upstate NY with the unit on my console I almost always had reception and solid lock from 6 satellites and some times as many as 10! I did not have any need for external antenna.
I am sure there are many other features I have not yet explored. Those I have used are great - except for the manual.
So, if you are in the market for a GPS for hiking and road navigation I highly suggest Delorme NP-20. The $400 (tax and shipping included) is more than some, but it includes a full set of detailed road maps and topographical maps.