Earthmate Gps Bt-20 & Pda

[DennyG]

**sigh** So much for the good ole days of getting lost.....

Not exactly. Electronics are no nearer perfection than humans - just quicker at some stuff some times. There are, you know, stories of people driving off the road because their navigation system said "turn here".

 

Can I assume that we will soon have photos of the new GPS taken with the new camera?

[Jennifer]

My guess is that the Palm with the DeLorme software is somewhere between. I can't imagine DeLorme not supporting navigation between all contiguous maps but, unless there is some base map that I'm unaware of, there would be no way to navigate between disjoint maps. This is something you could test, up to a point, with what you have. Load a couple of contiguous maps and then a couple far far away. First off, it's possible it won't even let you do that and only supports the loading of one contiguous area. If it does let you load them, try plotting routes between various points and see what happens. Another test would be to use the desktop version to plot a route that runs outside of areas loaded into the Palm and see what happens when you download the route.

 

OK, I just did a test with the DeLorme Palm application. On the Palm, I have several maps that I exported from my desktop, including Indianapolis, Columbus, OH and Waterbury, CT. I exported a route from the desktop software going from Indianapolis to Waterbury. When I view the route details (text form) on the Palm, it gives me the complete written directions. If I view the route on the map, it shows the entire route...starting in Indianapolis, where I have a detailed maps, it views the route on the map. As I pan east, the route only is still visible, with no map details. The text directions are still onscreen, telling me how much time /distance to the next turn. As I continue to pan the map, it continues to show how far to the next turn. As soon as I pan into an area with a detailed map (i.e., Columbus), the detailed map appears, even though they are actually separate files on my Palm.

 

That seems to be exactly what I want! This scenario was when I created the route on my desktop and sent it to the Palm. As to doing the same thing directly on the Palm (creating a route between non-contiguous maps), unfortunately the maps I have are far apart and creating a route on the Palm is painfully slow if the distance is too long.

 

I still expect that my typical usage for the GPS and the routes/maps will be to give me street level detail in an unfamiliar area, be it rural farmland, mountains or New York City. However, it is nice to know that I can create a route on the computer and export it to the Palm. My next "want to have" feature is tracking on the Palm so I can export that back to the computer, and the it seems the BT-20 / SA2008 combo does that. Voice directions seem like a cool feature too, though I'd probably use that fairly infrequently. Probably only when I am using it to find something specific.

 

I think I might also need to invest in a multiple car charger/splitter thing so I can have the Palm and the BT-20 charging at the same time. I also need to get a cradle for the Palm, but I assume I can get a universal model anywhere.

 

Calling DeLorme...

[Jennifer]

Not exactly. Electronics are no nearer perfection than humans - just quicker at some stuff some times. There are, you know, stories of people driving off the road because their navigation system said "turn here".

 

Can I assume that we will soon have photos of the new GPS taken with the new camera?

 

There is a commercial that shows someone turning into a building at the GPS' command!

 

We can definitely take some photos...perhaps with the new camera, perhaps with the Nikon...watch this space!

 

 

**sigh** So much for the good ole days of getting lost.....

 

There are plenty of times we won't use it and we'll get lost if you really want to!

[DennyG]

OK, I just did a test with the DeLorme Palm application...

That sounds like exactly the "correct" behavior. A bit better than hoped for, actually.

 

It's kind of funny - and another example of "one size doesn't fit all" - that some of the things you're discounting are what I find most attractive in the PDA approach. I'd love to have a route that I've carefully crafted with SA faithfully read back to me as I follow it. "Faithfully" is the key word here. The SA+Quest combination usually does a tolerable job but it can be extremely irritating when it doesn't.

[Jennifer]

That sounds like exactly the "correct" behavior. A bit better than hoped for, actually.

 

It's kind of funny - and another example of "one size doesn't fit all" - that some of the things you're discounting are what I find most attractive in the PDA approach. I'd love to have a route that I've carefully crafted with SA faithfully read back to me as I follow it. "Faithfully" is the key word here. The SA+Quest combination usually does a tolerable job but it can be extremely irritating when it doesn't.

 

 

Well, I might use it, but it depends upon whether I'm following a route I know (like the aforementioned Indianapolis to Connecticut Interstate route I could do in my sleep - and actually have!). LOL

 

However, if I was going to do a backroads journey and planned the route on the computer, then yes, I might...however as you can see, I'm treading carefully with this - since Pat is not too keen on the idea!! My guess is once he sees it in action he'll think it's very cool and get into the idea. When I was using DeLorme to follow along an old auto trail in Indiana, he thought it was!

 

That sounds like exactly the "correct" behavior. A bit better than hoped for, actually.

 

It's kind of funny - and another example of "one size doesn't fit all" - that some of the things you're discounting are what I find most attractive in the PDA approach. I'd love to have a route that I've carefully crafted with SA faithfully read back to me as I follow it. "Faithfully" is the key word here. The SA+Quest combination usually does a tolerable job but it can be extremely irritating when it doesn't.

 

As to the "faithfully" part, I'd say that it's faithful, since it's the DeLorme software on the Palm coming from its desktop counterpart. Combining it with a DeLorme GPS, let's hope it all works as I hope it will!

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Actually, I was encouraged by the Delorme Forum discussion because they weren’t saying it didn’t work. They were saying that not all the functions worked as well on a PDA. In fact the complaint I tracked related to the Find function.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me that finding a street address might be slower on the TX than on my laptop. The PDA has tiny memory and a slow processor (by comparison) so a search for an address would take longer than on my laptop.

 

If my TX was working I would buy the BT-20 just to try it out. But I’m living a happy and full life without my TX, and I’m resentful of the Palm repair policy which really amounts to selling me a refurbished machine at a profit.

 

So Jennifer, I’m looking forward to your results. Maybe the Delorme BT-20 will work so well, I’ll overcome my annoyance at Palm and get it fixed. Just be sure you use a hard metal case, or you too may be looking at half a map one day.

 

Keep the Show on the Road

[Jennifer]

Actually, I was encouraged by the Delorme Forum discussion because they weren’t saying it didn’t work. They were saying that not all the functions worked as well on a PDA. In fact the complaint I tracked related to the Find function.

 

I noticed that...one person on there said it wouldn't find street addresses, and all they had to do was select "Street Address" from the list...

 

It wouldn’t surprise me that finding a street address might be slower on the TX than on my laptop. The PDA has tiny memory and a slow processor (by comparison) so a search for an address would take longer than on my laptop.

 

Makes sense...I don't have a problem just locating an address on a map, but definitely creating a route is painful. I doubt I'd create a long route on the Palm anyway - I'll do those on the desktop and transfer them to the Palm. If I don't create a route on the Palm, can a GPS simply track me wherever I go if I start a log?

 

So Jennifer, I’m looking forward to your results. Maybe the Delorme BT-20 will work so well, I’ll overcome my annoyance at Palm and get it fixed. Just be sure you use a hard metal case, or you too may be looking at half a map one day.

 

The only thing I read on the DeLorme forum was the BT-20 gets "flaky" if it gets too hot or cold. I will be sure not to leave it in the car (I typically take my MP3 player with me too, and don't leave it in the car, so I'm used to gathering up the electronics anyway...) But what about when it's operating? Is there a good place to position the receiver so it's not baking on the dashboard in the sun? Some people mentioned behind the rear view mirror or the visor. Any thoughts?

[DennyG]

...If I don't create a route on the Palm, can a GPS simply track me wherever I go if I start a log?

I'd expect track logging to be completely independent of routing. Of course, with the PDA, getting off the route might involve dragons.