I've been having a VERY HARD time with my DeLorme PN-60 GPS when hiking. I'm actually mainly wanting it for kayaking, but hiking has been the best way for me to test it out so far.
It generally has the speed as being too high and the mileage is usually off (For example, It had me down for 5.9 miles, which was correct, but it was for 1hr. 40 min. with the PN-60 saying an average of 5.3 mph. hiking speed, which was wrong.) . This is when hiking in rather dense forest in Bloomington, IN.
The store I purchased it from his given me a couple more days (till 5/23/11) to decide whether I want to keep it.
I'm considering trading it in for a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx.
What's your opinion about my PN-60 problem and about the PN-60 vs. the Garmin GPSMAP76CSx?
I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you. Take care.
Darwin
daroos@indiana.edu
My wife and I both have Garmin …
Map 76-CSX and love them.
We used them for approximately 700 miles this past winter in the Florida Keys, Everglades and 10,000 Islands.
And we also used them in two races, where they corresponded exactly what the official timing had us at.
Jack L
I still don’t use GPS, but tracking
hikes on twisty trails with possibly sharp elevation changes is going to be harder than tracking the broader movements of paddle craft on the “level playing field” of rivers, lakes, oceans.
No way to discuss the unit’s performance with Garmin or your dealer? I know my local REI would try to help. Anyway, don’t throw more money at the problem until you’re sure it won’t work on water.
PN60…
..Do you have the correct "activity" highlighted on "activities" page for your intended purpose ? I have A PN60 , just bought it about a month ago...the jury is still out on it but it is a tad more complicated than my Garmin Rino530 to use ..Routes/waypoints/active tracks seem to be harder to navigate thru the menu's and delete and according to Delorme.....some things can only be deleted after hooking up to a computer...not very "field-friendly" IMO.I had a Garmin Oregon400 previously...the operating system crashed on it( 1 yr old ! ) ..went round and round with Garmin over it...they reloaded the OS but it never seemed to work as well as it did B4 the crash, so i junked it. Obviously ..I'm not a Garmin fan at the moment over the issue. good luck. PS: I only know 1 person who uses the Garmin76 , and he really likes it.
Trout
Trout,
Thank you for your input. Yep, I’m selecting the right activity. Good thought, though.
I hope things go ok with you and your PN-60.
Take care.
Darwin
Spikes or Units
1)Are you sure that you are in miles per hour and not kilometers?
2. Losing satellite lock (under heavy tree cover) may cause a spike (a jump in position) which could inflate speed.
Try it in your car with good satellite reception.
I have a PN-30…
…well I think that’s it’s the 30 but I’m too lazy to go downstairs to check. Anyhow it has worked fine the few times that I’ve used it while kayaking. I do like Delomre’s maps and pricing.
I have an old Garmin 60c that I’ve used a couple of times while kayaking and it reported that on one stretch I hit 22 mph… probably not, me thinks!
I think that at the slow speeds we tend to travel at the units sometimes think we actually aren’t moving when we are and then when they’ve figured out that we aren’t stationary, their calculations get fracked up.
In any case Garmin seems to make good units (for the most part) but I like the PN pricing and supplied maps.
get the garmin
The 76csx has a new better antenna. I would guess that is what your issue is with the unit you were using in the woods.
I use older garmin 76map and 76smap. On my fishing boat I added $10 external antennas and they perform like a much more expensive and new unit.
The garmins are good old workhorses…