Give DeLorme a hand for its GPS
By Gary Garth, Special to The Courier-Journal
Maine-based DeLorme -- the company that makes the enormously useful Atlas & Gazetteer state topographic paper map series -- finally has entered the hand-held global positioning system market with the Earthmate GPS PN-20.
GPS users and other techno junkies will like what they see.
DeLorme produces some stunning electronic cartography -- from a world base map and U.S. highway map to richly detailed 2-D and 3-D topography and aerial and colorized satellite imagery.
These mapping tools and more come with or are available via download for the PN-20. The result is a tremendously valuable and surprisingly easy-to-use tool for on-road, off-road and on-the-water travelers. You can locate, mark and track trails, campgrounds, creeks, streams -- even the submerged stump at Taylorsville Lake that produced your largest bass last year.
And you'll have a multilayered road and topographical atlas in the palm of your hand.
GPS technology tracks movement and location by satellite signals. These handheld GPS gadgets are remarkably accurate and relatively simple to use. With the push of a few buttons, they will mark the user's location within 20 feet anywhere on the planet.
Track sun and moon movements, tide schedules, compass headings, speed of movement and estimated time of arrival.
Enter any designated location (called a waypoint), and a GPS also will provide direction guidance from point A to point B and back again. Fishermen can use this technology to mark underwater structure, a channel break or a specific hot spot. GPS units have become standard equipment for many guides and most tournament anglers. They're equally useful to hunters, hikers and paddlers.
Most handheld units available today will perform these basic navigational functions. What makes the Earthmate PN-20 unique is its incorporation of Delorme's electronic mapping technology.
The PM-20 has an easy-to-see, high-resolution 220 x 176 pixel color screen (1¾ by 13/8-inch viewing size) and large, raised function keys that are easy to use. The manufacturer claims the unit is waterproof to a depth of six feet for 30 minutes.
The unit is powered by two AA batteries, which are included. A rechargeable battery pack is available.
The 12-channel, NMEA-compliant PN-20 receiver includes STMicroelectronics chip technology with SiGE front-end noise reduction. It is WAAS-enabled for accuracy within a few meters.
Minimum hardware requirements include Pentium III 600 MHz or higher processor (1.8 GHz is recommended), 700 MB of disk storage and a DVD-ROM drive. A 3-D video card with 32 MB VRAM is needed to view 3-D maps on your desktop.
The PN-20 weighs 5.12 ounces and is about the size of a TV remote control. The suggested retail price is $370 and includes Windows-friendly software. A package that includes a 1 gigabyte SB card and reader for additional storage and faster downloading of maps is $420.
The unit currently is available only from DeLorme but should be at some retail sporting-goods outlets by late spring or early summer. Find out more at www.delorme.com or phone 1-800-561-5105.
Maine-based DeLorme -- the company that makes the enormously useful Atlas & Gazetteer state topographic paper map series -- finally has entered the hand-held global positioning system market with the Earthmate GPS PN-20.
GPS users and other techno junkies will like what they see.
DeLorme produces some stunning electronic cartography -- from a world base map and U.S. highway map to richly detailed 2-D and 3-D topography and aerial and colorized satellite imagery.
These mapping tools and more come with or are available via download for the PN-20. The result is a tremendously valuable and surprisingly easy-to-use tool for on-road, off-road and on-the-water travelers. You can locate, mark and track trails, campgrounds, creeks, streams -- even the submerged stump at Taylorsville Lake that produced your largest bass last year.
And you'll have a multilayered road and topographical atlas in the palm of your hand.
GPS technology tracks movement and location by satellite signals. These handheld GPS gadgets are remarkably accurate and relatively simple to use. With the push of a few buttons, they will mark the user's location within 20 feet anywhere on the planet.
Track sun and moon movements, tide schedules, compass headings, speed of movement and estimated time of arrival.
Enter any designated location (called a waypoint), and a GPS also will provide direction guidance from point A to point B and back again. Fishermen can use this technology to mark underwater structure, a channel break or a specific hot spot. GPS units have become standard equipment for many guides and most tournament anglers. They're equally useful to hunters, hikers and paddlers.
Most handheld units available today will perform these basic navigational functions. What makes the Earthmate PN-20 unique is its incorporation of Delorme's electronic mapping technology.
The PM-20 has an easy-to-see, high-resolution 220 x 176 pixel color screen (1¾ by 13/8-inch viewing size) and large, raised function keys that are easy to use. The manufacturer claims the unit is waterproof to a depth of six feet for 30 minutes.
The unit is powered by two AA batteries, which are included. A rechargeable battery pack is available.
The 12-channel, NMEA-compliant PN-20 receiver includes STMicroelectronics chip technology with SiGE front-end noise reduction. It is WAAS-enabled for accuracy within a few meters.
Minimum hardware requirements include Pentium III 600 MHz or higher processor (1.8 GHz is recommended), 700 MB of disk storage and a DVD-ROM drive. A 3-D video card with 32 MB VRAM is needed to view 3-D maps on your desktop.
The PN-20 weighs 5.12 ounces and is about the size of a TV remote control. The suggested retail price is $370 and includes Windows-friendly software. A package that includes a 1 gigabyte SB card and reader for additional storage and faster downloading of maps is $420.
The unit currently is available only from DeLorme but should be at some retail sporting-goods outlets by late spring or early summer. Find out more at www.delorme.com or phone 1-800-561-5105.
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