DeLorme Earthmate Car GPS Receiver

Update Aug 2009: I have a bunch of GPS units by now. If you get some different ones, you can do a comparison. The Garmin Street Pilot is still the best, easy to use, and the triangular shape lets you place it on the dash easily so you can see it, it takes me everywhere. The flat ones don't work because you have to put them in your pocket or hold them in your hand. Also, I have some different Sanyo GPSs including nvm-4370, don't know why they are in the business, the software is strange, can't find anything, mapping is wierd, the chick keeps yelling at you to turn-turn-turn, Sanyo website says they don't make GPSs, the 4370 just stopped for no reason and won't start up, almost new and dead-dead-dead. The DeLorme remains a favorite, because of the big screen.


Update June 1, 2007: I have bought various GPS units, and can now compare them. I got a Garmin Street Pilot C320 at Frys-Anaheim for $200. It is probably the easiest GPS there is to use. It is easy to set up and use. There is a learning curve (like doing what it says). Also, like not asking for directions any more (Do you want directions to my house? NO!). It gives you a little note above the display which tells you what is coming up, and arrows to direct you. I think it is really easy to use for girls. We are having a lot of fun with it. I used to get really heated up when I was close to my destination and I was lost, and now I don't. The difference between the C320 and the C330 is that the maps have to be loaded off the internet for the 320, and the 330 comes pre-loaded so it costs more. It took about an hour to load the maps for all of the US and some of Canada. I think it is great, and is a welcome addition to the Delorme, which obviously has bigger maps and more detail. So, I stick the Garmin C320 on the windshield.

Update 11-19-2006: I just bought a Garmin handheld. Need to figure out to use it. The idea is that I work on projects which use GPS, and the DeLorme is too big to haul around all the time. But I prefer the DeLorme, and am planning on getting the TOPO software.
Update May 31, 2006: I just got a Bluetooth Earthmate. Now I have to figure out how to use it. I have some bluetooth stuff, and it appeals to me that it can go wireless.
Review: Oh My Goodness, DeLorme! Whoa! It looks like your friendly local rocket scientist almost missed out on GPS technology. But, the DeLorme (pronounced dealer-may) unit has crossed all of the boundaries to lead me into the world of GPS. I was first exposed to the DeLorme unit by Dr. Beamon in Huntsville, when he and I went on a trip to Moontown airport. I handled the laptop computer while he drove his MG. He had the topo map software which is excruciatingly amazing. It shows all of the mountains and how you can navigate around them by taking the freeway.
My unit is the new USB unit with the 2005 software. The box has the little GPS unit, a USB cable, and the software. My first thought was with the packaging, which is so nice, that I was hoping it was reusable, and sure enough, it is. Most of the time, you have to destroy the packaging just to get the items out. Nice thought, DeLorme!
The software loaded onto my HP laptop easily. There are two disks, one for installation, and one for data. Then, I attached the GPS, and nothing happened. So, then I walked outside, and the thing tried to find the satellites, and then it did, and told me that I was in Landers CA, at our cabin in the desert wilderness. I don’t know how it found me. But there I was. Scary.
So I got into my PT Cruiser. The software can be easily set to show more and more detail. So I pressed the zoom button 4 times, and it showed me driving around the house, going out of the driveway. I hung a right on Hilton and started to drive to John’s Place in Yucca Valley for breakfast. Going down the dirt road, I was first impressed with the names of all of the streets in our neck of the woods. I don’t know how they found all of those streets. Did someone drive down all of our streets/roads? Then, I was driving along, and was going to go down a road, but there was no road on the map. So, I drove down it anyhow, because I’ve been doing that for a 6 months. Sort of driving through a field. Welcome to the world of mapping.
So, anyhow, I drove to Yucca Valley and had breakfast. I shut down the laptop and saved the map. After breakfast, I went to Walmart and got my second map. Then, I drove back to the cabin and got a third map.
So, what’s so wonderful? First of all, it shows you where you are. Then it shows you where you are going. Then it shows you where you went. Well, I’m really estatic that I now have some control over what I’m doing. Another thing is that the mapping shows the name of all of the streets in your neighborhood, where you have been going for years and never knew. It shows your speed real-time, so you can tell how fast you are going. It gives you GPS-time, which is very accurate. It shows you roads which you wondered about, but weren’t really sure they were streets (We have a neighbor with Berkeley Street going through his property, and sure enough, his chain-link fence is spaced around the street, which basically doesn’t exist. Now, maybe I can go drive my quad down Berkeley Street).
Then, I drove back home to Rancho Santa Margarita, and had the laptop set up to have the screen go off after one minute to save battery power. The battery went dead 5 miles before home. I recharged to laptop, and fired it up this morning, and it seems that the thing went all the way home (I have to re-check that tonight). On the way home, I could tell how fast I was going, which was good because the Highway Patrol was out last night in force. I also became aware of new stuff which I had bypassed many times, like Belltown CA off to the right of the freeway. I’ll have to check that out. Also, all of those streets which you didn’t know about. I plan to check them ALL out.
So, what’s wrong with this unit? Dr Beamon and I decided it is unwieldly for a pilot, because the laptop combination is too big. It should not be used while driving, looking down while you should watch where you are going (I had no problem with this while driving). Which brings me to the main reason why you should get a DeLorme: When you go to get a GPS, you get a little hand-held job which is actually hard to read. I had got a basic ETREX, and returned it because it couldn’t handle more than one trip at a time, the screen was miniature, and was black and white. I noticed that if you wanted to save trips, you need a lot of memory. As you get into the more expensive units, you can easily get really expensive. Why? Because you are trying to buy all of the things which are already in your laptop computer! My ETREX was little, with a little screen, little memory, and it was nice and light, but hard to see, so I just returned it. So then I got the DeLorme, because that is what I wanted anyhow. I took a good look at the Microsoft unit which also has a GPS (maybe) and software, but just couldn’t figure it out, but it appears that you need additional stuff. The DeLorme works out of the box, and mighty fine, thank you!
Maybe you need a little ETREX as well as a DeLorme. Either way, I am sure that you should not miss out on the idea of GPS, and this unit makes it easy for beginners, and is obviously powerful for people who are familiar with GPS. Try it, you will love it. DeLorme has obviously done their homework in making a powerful unit which is easily installed and used for those not familiar with GPS. You will find yourself looking up in the air, wondering where those satellites are.
So where am I going with this GPS? Don’t know for sure, but it looks like I am going to accumulate a lot of info about where I am going, and what I am doing, by keeping track of where I am. I think GPS is exciting, and DeLorme has made it exciting for me. I think that anyone interested in GPS should get a DeLorme to check out GPS, because if you have a laptop, you already have the big screen, memory, and connectors, and if you get this sensor, you can get started easily at a low expense ($79 at Fry’s in Anaheim). Later you can get a little GPS for 3 or 4 hundred which you can use when you are hiking. This DeLorme Earthmate is inexpensive, exciting, and easy to use. Welcome to GPS!