DeLorme Earthmate GPS Receiver

[rickety]

Here I go again, another dumb question. Does anyone use the DeLorme Earthmate for laptop a lot, and are they (GPS') hard to learn to use? I am of the old compass school, and have a problem learning new tricks (old dog). Phyllis and I got a call the other day, and a guy and his wife came to the house and made an offer we couldn't refuse, so it puts us about 2 years ahead of our original FT date. Now, I have to start moving fast as they want to move in in about 4 months. I'll probably be posting more silly questions, so, Thanks to all ahead of time for putting up with me.
Rick

[Dave e Victoria]

I have used DeLorme as well as other GPS software and now use a Garmin 2620 self contained GPS. All of these devices and programs have eccentric behavior that leads to at least some learning curve. The good news is that they come with demo features that allow you to learn how to use them in the comfort of your office chair at a desk. The biggest frustrations come when people try to use these things on the road before they have learned to use them "off line".

As to usefullness, I don't find the nav functions very useful when on the road except to monitor how far we have to go and how far to the next rest stop. In local areas, it is another story. Finding a directions to a local address can be amazing. Having said that, the experience is ALWAYS better if you spend the time before the trip to plot out and understand the route. It really prevents surprises. The last thing you want to do is bring your eyes into the cab to study the thing while rolling down the tarmac. It is even more dangerous than talking on the cell phone. (Just imagine someone doing both.)
Dave

[Parrothead]

We have the Earthmate (DeLorme) GPS that plugs into the USB port of your laptop. I agree with Dave, it takes a little practice and you should plot out route, stops, etc. before you take off. Also I firmly believe this is a two person project while traveling. Driver and navigator. You also should do some test runs before you start on a long trip. I plotted to the store first, then further, etc. on routes I knew well to give me an idea of what it was doing. We really like ours and it was not that expensive ($140 about). I ordered it online from DeLorme. The good thing is there are quite a few MOC members using GPS and you can get a lot of assistance right here on the forum.
Happy trails......................

[richfaa]

we use the Garman GPS-18 that plugs into the laptop with the N route software.The GPS is a great travel aid and they all do the job.As Dave says when you are in or near a city is were they shine.No reason to spend a lot of $.The plug into your laptop versions do everything the others do AND the screen is a lot bigger. Definitely a two person job.Think the cost of any of the plug into you PC units are around 150.00 and can be found a lot cheaper if you shop around...While you are careening down the interstate is no place to learn how to use the unit..You can learn at home and everything will work..EXECPT..the house will not move no matter how hard you try//// Are they accurate..Had the antenna out on ther garage roof right outside my PC room window while practicing...when I pulled the antenna inside the room the status monitor said I had traveled 12 feet at 2 MPH.

[rickety]

Thanks for the information, Phyllis will be the navigator, I am the shofer. A friend of mine has one, and he is always messin' with it. I finally told him one day that I would drive and he could play. I also am a strong believer in that if you are going to drive, then DRIVE.
I like the idea of the in-town use, as I can get lost leaving my driveway.

[jrgwdenner]

Wow, how exciting! Not the GPS but the fact that you got a great offer so you need to be out of your house in four months. I bet your mind is in a whirl. Have fun with the transition and enjoy many safe adventures down the road.

[sreigle]

Congratulations!

I recently switched to Microsoft Streets and Trips to try that for awhile but used the Delorme Earthmate and laptop for many thousand of miles while fulltiming. I use the navigation features a lot. I use it to tell me how far to the next turn, when to turn, name of the road, etc.

There is more of a learning curve with SA than with S&T, from what I'm finding. However, SA is a very powerful package. It is not without gremlins, however. Both SA and S&T have those. I'd recommend you plot your route, then zoom in and check it carefully. There are times when it finds the "shortest" route to be to have you exit the interstate, cross the cross highway and re-enter the interstate. Not often, but occasionally. Or it will route me across a shortcut I'm not sure I want to take with Montana in tow. There are ways to make it conform to the using the road you want, though.

In other words, yes, there is a learning curve. But once you figure it all out it is a very nice thing to have helping you navigate. I'd suggest you play with it both for mapping and for navigating in your local area first. Post questions here on MOC. There are a number of knowledgeable users here willing to help and answer questions.