# oregon 450 vs delorme pn-60



## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

Who has experience with the delorme units? I haven't bought a gps yet, it's on my "to get soon" list. I've narrrowed down the oregon 450 as my choice from garmin, but I've just been looking at the delorme pn 60 and I like it a lot, it's seems to be a comparable unit with some nice bonuses like the ability to hold multiple maps (street, topo and bonus satellite photos) at once as compared to only one at a time and having to swap cards with the garmins. Am I correct in that comparison? How is the delorme bike mount? How is customer service and what are the quirks and disadvantages of the delormes? Sorry for all the noob questions.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

masterofnone said:


> Who has experience with the delorme units? I haven't bought a gps yet, it's on my "to get soon" list. I've narrrowed down the oregon 450 as my choice from garmin, but I've just been looking at the delorme pn 60 and I like it a lot, it's seems to be a comparable unit with some nice bonuses like the ability to hold multiple maps (street, topo and bonus satellite photos) at once as compared to only one at a time and having to swap cards with the garmins. Am I correct in that comparison? How is the delorme bike mount? How is customer service and what are the quirks and disadvantages of the delormes? Sorry for all the noob questions.


You can load multiple maps onto Garmins, too. Otherwise, I have never used a Delorme so can't say much. All I know is that they work a little differently than Garmins and Delorme's TopoUSA has a learning curve if you're used to other software.


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

So once a card is downloaded into the garmin's memory there is no need to swap cards, just click from one screen to the other? The delorme offers quad maps which appear to show multiple features e.g. combined topo and street maps, do the non-garmin sites offer this? With little gps experience I'm gonna have a learning curve with the software regardless. Sorry for more noob questions.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

With Garmin, imagery is handled differently than vector maps (street maps, topos, transparent trail maps).

However, there is a submenu that lets you enable or disable the maps you wish to see. 

On the Oregon, it's under Setup> Map> Map Information (Select Map)

It will show all the maps loaded (including custom maps).

While the Oregon has a limit on how many custom raster map tiles may be shown at once, you can load many more than that. I just get a warning telling me that they cannot all be displayed when I turn the GPS on.

Loading the maps is done differently for .kmz maps and vector maps. With the vector maps in Mapsource or Basecamp, you have to select ALL of the map tiles you wish to load. For example, you want to load street maps and topo maps. You have to select all the street maps you want, then switch mapsets to select all the topo maps you want before you send them to the GPS. Garmin's software puts all vector maps into a single file on the GPS when you send them to the GPS. That file always has the same name. Every time you send new maps, the software overwrites that file, rather than add on to it. .kmz maps can be given any name. For example, I have 3 different areas of .kmz maps loaded onto mine and each area has a file with a different name. I can delete one of those, add another, or whatever if I want to add new maps without disturbing the .kmz files already there.


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## Paladin54 (Nov 18, 2010)

I have a Delorme PN-40 that I use for Geocaching and hiking. The unit is fairly easy to operate, the 60 series is supposed to be even easier with the icon screens. 

Buying the Delorme you get full mapping included. But there are free maps available for the Garmin's. Delorme's mapping program has a steeper learning curve because it can do much more than the Garmin map program will. But it is easy to transfer the maps to the unit to use.

I don't think you could go wrong with either one.


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

I think the touch screens of the garmins would be a disadvantage while wearing gloves, advantage delorme. The bike mount for the delormes is a huge disadvantage, from what I can see I don't like it, according to its specs it doesn't fit modern bar sizes. The ram motorsport mount seems like a solution, but it appears bulky and cobby looking. I would be mounting a gps on my stem (not the bar), the oregon has a simpler but decent one.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

masterofnone said:


> I think the touch screens of the garmins would be a disadvantage while wearing gloves, advantage delorme. The bike mount for the delormes is a huge disadvantage, from what I can see I don't like it, according to its specs it doesn't fit modern bar sizes. The ram motorsport mount seems like a solution, but it appears bulky and cobby looking. I would be mounting a gps on my stem (not the bar), the oregon has a simpler but decent one.


The icons on the Oregon are big enough that it was not a problem for me wearing warm softshell gloves to operate the GPS. Panning the map with gloves is tricky, but basic operations aren't a problem.


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

The problem I've learned with taking the path less ridden is sometimes your left by yourself. With garmins there are a lot of different websites to download maps. I understand the delorme has excellent maps on their website already, but can you download from aftermarket sites or is everything proprietary?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

masterofnone said:


> The problem I've learned with taking the path less ridden is sometimes your left by yourself. With garmins there are a lot of different websites to download maps. I understand the delorme has excellent maps on their website already, but can you download from aftermarket sites or is everything proprietary?


I do not know of any aftermarket maps for Delorme. entirely proprietary as I understand. not that Delorme necessarily needs 3rd party maps. While Garmin's proprietary maps are okay (they're better now that they've finally started offering 24k maps and satellite imagery), Delorme's are still better. But the free third party map options available for Garmin receivers tip the scales, IMO, because there's some really good stuff available from 3rd parties that Delorme just doesn't offer.


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## jkmacman (Mar 5, 2009)

i like my Delorne. I have the PN-40. I heard the PN-60 is better on battery life. I bought the recharbeable delorne battery and it was a waste of 40 bux. I use standard rechargeables with the standard recharger. I have some nice printed hiking maps. from what i understand, to use them with a delorne, you need to purchase a subsription then you can scan them and they will work with your device.

I find for new jersey the delorne works good enough for me as I loaded the several neighboring states into the device. the scan option is pretty decent but most of the trail maps are publisher by hikers and there's no bikes allowed. for 200 bux the pn-40 w/topo 8 was worth while investment in my book:thumbsup:









_almost lost my delorne recently, flipped bike over to ajust the rear dr after a branch hit, spent a half hour looking for the device as it was near this log_


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## Paladin54 (Nov 18, 2010)

Here is the PN series Ram mount on my bike. It holds the unit in securely. If I remember right you can position the mount the way you want.


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

NateHawk said:


> I do not know of any aftermarket maps for Delorme. entirely proprietary as I understand. not that Delorme necessarily needs 3rd party maps. While Garmin's proprietary maps are okay (they're better now that they've finally started offering 24k maps and satellite imagery), Delorme's are still better. But the free third party map options available for Garmin receivers tip the scales, IMO, because there's some really good stuff available from 3rd parties that Delorme just doesn't offer.


 Sorry for all the nube questions, but what "really good stuff " would that be that delorme doesn't offer? I may not know what the hell they are anyway though...


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

Paladin54 said:


> Here is the PN series Ram mount on my bike. It holds the unit in securely. If I remember right you can position the mount the way you want.


 Your pics are much better than what I could barely see on the website, thanks. Could you mount it on a wider stem rather than the bars?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

masterofnone said:


> Sorry for all the nube questions, but what "really good stuff " would that be that delorme doesn't offer? I may not know what the hell they are anyway though...


Using Topofusion, you can put: B/W aerial imagery, Color lower-res aerial imagery, High-res urban aerial imagery (where available), Landsat 5/7 imagery, USGS topo, MyTopo, OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap, blended combinations of the above, overlay GIS layers and multiple GPS tracks, and even add entirely new mapsets because you have the ability to program Custom WMS Servers.


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## jkmacman (Mar 5, 2009)

i have the same mount. i acually busted one, the spot were the caddy connects to the piece on the bars busted so i ordered a whole additional unit, i now i have an extra handle bar mount i may put on a road bike for epic type rides. my handle bars is a flat race face bar and is oblong, it was wobbly so i put some black electric tape on to secure it, the reason it popped off was i turned the bike upside down to pull a branch out rear dr, which was bent, i took off rear wheel bend dr back and after a couplt of minutes noticed that the delorne was missing. 

another time i turned bike updside down to fix flat i scracthed the screen. i have screen protectors for my delorme but never used them i have used them for my droid, but it just gathered dirt and grit.

getting back to the op about the pn60, i think pn40 is good for me, if you go deep in woods you may want to buy that service that sends distress signal via pn60, you need that extra device too. battery life said to be better on pn60, but since i abandonded delorne rechareable battery and went back to standard rechargeables i have no problems.

if off road mtb is your thing, delorne works well, there softwhere is used at a professional level as recently i mtbed wild cat ridge here in jersey they had an entire map of the region created using delorme softwhere. yes they do not play so nice with othere softwares, file formats gis etc. but for one stop gps shopping good enough for my mtb off road needs :thumbsup:


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## Paladin54 (Nov 18, 2010)

masterofnone said:


> Your pics are much better than what I could barely see on the website, thanks. Could you mount it on a wider stem rather than the bars?


Mount will fit a rail diameter from 1 to 1.1 in


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

The topofusion site looks awesome and lots of maps to pick from. OK, to cap this thread I think I'm gonna swing to the oregon 450. The delorme looks like a fine product, but the bike mount is not going to fit any of my stems or my bars (are you listening delorme?), they need to "modernize" to newer bike standards. And according to jkmacman much of the trail maps are hiker only oriented. One more question, I promise - how is the reception inside a car? I intend to use it as a navigator on occasion while driving.


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## jkmacman (Mar 5, 2009)

masterofnone said:


> The topofusion site looks awesome and lots of maps to pick from. OK, to cap this thread I think I'm gonna swing to the oregon 450. The delorme looks like a fine product, but the bike mount is not going to fit any of my stems or my bars (are you listening delorme?), they need to "modernize" to newer bike standards. And according to jkmacman much of the trail maps are hiker only oriented. One more question, I promise - how is the reception inside a car? I intend to use it as a navigator on occasion while driving.


mounts are made by 3rd party. i missedf the reason the mount don't work on your stem, i use electric tape and its working okay, today it took mtb but used my droid. if you need mostlt care nav, droid might be better as screen is bigger, imho pn40 screen too small to view whn you drive. i tried to use it in the car once to get to a mtb trail head, and i got more lost. it doesn't update route on the fly like a cheap garmin car gps does.

i like topofusun as it renders routes in 3d beeter then delorne software:thumbsup:


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

All of my bikes have stems thicker than 1 1/4" and up, and to put it on the bars away from interfering with shifters and brakes it is that thick also. The 1-1.1" mount needs to be updated as almost all newer bikes have changed standards. Thanks for the input :thumbsup:


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## Paladin54 (Nov 18, 2010)

FWIW,

I mounted the GPS on my new bike, a 2010 Specialized Rockhopper. It doesn't fit perfectly, but I don't see it going anywhere either.


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## jkmacman (Mar 5, 2009)

i busted another ram caddy this week, but i have the mount on handle bar. i still have this handlebar but now i have an epic frame


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