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Field Report: DeLorme Earthmate GPS
LT-20
Date: November 15, 2005
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in
(1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77
kg)
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western
West Virginia, U.S.A.
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Backpacking Background:
Last year I
finally acted on a long time
interest in backpacking, starting out slowly by day hiking, researching
backpacking products and
techniques, purchasing gear, and doing a few
overnight trips, including one solo. This year I’ve turned into a
“weekend
warrior”, taking a number of short trips, and hoping to take a longer
trip next spring. I hike and backpack
mainly in
the
hills and valleys of West Virginia, and use a hammock sleeping system.
For a
two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg), and I’m
striving to
lighten that a bit. |
Product
Information:
Manufacturer: DeLorme
Year of manufacture: 2005
Date of Delivery: September 2, 2005
Weight of unit: 2.8 oz (
79 g)
Size: Unit - 1.8 in (4.6 cm) x 2.6 in (6.6 cm) x 0.6 in
(1.5 cm)
Cord -
approximately 5 ft (1.5 m) long
Color: Yellow with black base
Manufacturer Website: http://www.delorme.com/
MSRP: $99.95
U.S.
Included Software: Street Atlas USA 2006
Included Accessories: Suction cup |
Earthmate GPS LT-20 Manufacturer
Specifications:
- NMEA-compliant 12-channel receiver
- WAAS-enabled
- Low-power baseband and RF chip set
- Warm start: < 38 seconds Hot start: < 3 seconds
- Full power:165mW Sleep mode: < 55mW
- Maximum Velocity: 1000 knots
- Advanced high-sensitivity algorithms
- Weak signal tracking: < 145dBm
- Proprietary Kalman filter
- Noise rejection for high EMI environments
- Operating temperature range -40 C to +85 C (-40 F to 185 F)
- Storage temperature range -55 C to +100 C (-70 F to 212 F)
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Minimum computer system requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 (Service Pack 3 and higher): 64 MB
RAM
(256 MB recommended)
- or Microsoft Windows XP: 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
- Intel Pentium 300 MHz or higher processor (600 MHZ
recommended)
- 700 MB of available hard-disk space
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later
- 32x CD Drive
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Computer information:
2001
model Compaq TC 1000 Tablet computer
977
MHZ Crusoe Transmeta processor
744 MB RAM
30 GB
hard drive
2 USB-2.0 ports
Tablet
enhanced Windows XP operating system
No integrated CD Rom Drive
(auxiliary CD/DVD drive connects via USB port)
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The Earthmate LT-20 Global Positioning System is powered by a laptop
computer through a USB port. In addition to the Street Atlas USA
2006 mapping software, Delorme provided me with Topo USA Version 5.0
software to use in testing the unit, however this software is not
included in the purchase price of the unit, while the Street Atlas
software is.
Information
on packaging, included instructions, and my experiences getting started
with the Delorme Earthmate LT-20 GPS can be found in my Initial
Report.
Field Information:
The DeLorme Earthmate LT-20 GPS has been tested so
far in my Jeep Grand Cherokee, while traveling West
Virginia highways and backroads. I've used
it while driving to several trail heads in areas including Roaring
Plains, Cranberry Wilderness, and Tea Creek Backcountry of the
Monongahela National Forest, Kanawha State Forest, and Charles Fork
Lake. I've also experimented with it in my work in three counties
in the western part of the state. Elevations
have
varied from around 550 to 4000 ft (150 to 1200 m). Temperatures
have
ranged from lows just below 30 F (-1 C) range to highs around 90F
(32C), with varied weather conditions ranging from dry to wet, and from
moderate to very humid.
When I use the DeLorme Earthmate LT-20,
it rides on my dashboard connected via the USB cable to my tablet
computer which is usually sitting on the passenger seat or center
console top in my Jeep. An inverter powers the tablet computer,
although sometimes I run it off the computer battery instead.
Experiences:
I have quite mixed
experiences using the DeLorme Earthmate LT-20
GPS. The GPS unit itself seems to do a remarkably good job, but
the mapping software has given me very mixed results. Sometimes
it's very, very good and sometimes it's very, very bad.
GPS Unit:
The GPS
unit has maintained a signal very consistently, very seldom dropping
the signal totally, usually only when I pass under an overpass.
It usually obtains a 3-D signal in only a few minutes, and usually
stays in 3-D, rarely dropping down to a 2-D signal. As an example
of the reliability of the unit, on one 137 mile trip, the
signal was not lost a single time. The unit took 9,239 readings
on
this trip. On another 80 mile trip, the signal again was not lost
a
single time, and 8,155 readings were taken. This seems especially
remarkable to me, since both of these trips involved travel to
mountainous areas, ending up on narrow roads with overhanging tree
cover. The GPS unit doesn't always perform perfectly
though. On a 120
mile trip to one of our council Girl Scout camps, the signal was lost 2
times during 7,857 readings. It should be noted during the trip,
I
passed under two interstate overpasses, which is where I guess the
signal was lost.
The GPS unit usually stays quite well on the dashboard of my jeep,
although occasionally a sharp, fast turn will cause it to fall
off. I've grown used to the cord dangling down from the dashboard
to my computer, and haven't found it interferes with seeing gauges or
operating various buttons or switches of the instrument panel.
Mapping program:
On the positive side, the mapping program is relatively easy and
intuitive to use. There are, however, several drawbacks to the
program, which I will detail in the appropriate sections below.
Across the top of the screen are shortcut buttons for file management
(New file, Open file, Save file, and MapShare; shortcut buttons and
drop down lists with the most recent locations used for Start and
Finish; Go (calculate route); Set route stop; Start/stop GPS; and
Options. Pressing the Options button brings up a dialog screen
which will allow settings to be changed for the GPS unit, Voice module,
Map display and features, and keyboard shortcuts. I've used the
file management buttons quite often, and the Start, Finish, Set route
stop, and Options buttons occasionally. I have the program set to
automatically calculate the route, so I don't use the Go button at all,
and usually use the GPS tab at the bottom of the screen to start the
GPS unit.
Across the bottom of the screen are menu command tabs for file
management (Map Files), locating address or points of interest (Find),
planning and editing routes and trips (Route), GPS commands, settings,
and information (GPS), adding or editing map notes, symbols, lines, and
roads to the map (Draw); an Info tab which will display information
about any spot selected by right clicking on the map, including the
location, type of road, city, county, zip code, state, country,
longitude, latitude, data zoom level, and AM & FM radio channel
coverage in the area; printing and print/printer settings (Print);
Voice command information and settings (Voice); a link to DeLorme
Value-Added Content (NetLink); and file export management for Handheld
units (Handheld Export). I often use the Map Files tab, Find tab,
Route tab, and GPS tab; sometimes use the Draw tab and Print tab; and
have not yet used the Voice tab, Netlink tab, or Handheld Export tab.
Map File Tab:
This tab contains buttons fairly normal buttons for file management -
new, open, save, and a drop down list with the same commands plus save
as and recent files. The commands are easy to use and have always
worked. There is also an exchange button to allow files to be
swapped with GPS units or handheld Palm or Pocket PC units, however I
have not used this function since I don't have another GPS or a
handheld with mapping software.
Find Tab:
This tab contains a quick search button, point of interest button, GPS
radar button, and advanced button. I've often used the Quick
Search button to find locations or addresses. If the address is
fairly standard it works well, but it does not find rural route
addresses or newer street addresses. I haven't had any luck with
it finding trails or trailheads, and also found it didn't find a lake
in an adjacent county that has been there for many years. I've
had mixed results searching for points of interest - I can choose a
location and maximum distance for restaurants for example, and the
program will find some restaurants, but not list all of them. The
GPS radar button performs a similar type of search, but uses the
current GPS position instead of a map location to base the area to
search and displays directions to selected points of interest.
Advanced simply allows more information to be input to refine the
search. The result of a search for restaurants within 10 miles of
my home listed 3 small independent restaurants (2 of which have went
out of business and one which is primarily a bar), and 4 fast food
chain restaurants. I know of around 6 independent restaurants and
at least 20 franchise restaurants within a 10 mile radius. Based
on these results, I don't feel this function would be very helpful in
representing a true selection of nearby restaurants or businesses when
traveling in an unfamiliar area.
Route Tab:
This tab contains buttons used to plan or edit a route. This tab
is more or less the backbone of the program, allowing me to plan trips
and providing a route for the GPS to track to help me arrive at my
destination. There are several ways I can input data to plan a
route, such as clicking on a start or finish button and then clicking
on the appropriate area on the map, right clicking on the map and
selecting create route, or typing the start and finish destinations
into boxes on the Route tab. I can also insert or add stops and
vias in the same manner. When adding stops and vias, they are
placed into the route in the order they are added, and then driving
directions are calculated based on the input order. When
inserting a stop or via, the program calculates the stops and vias in
the order that they would be approached from the start point to the
finish point. A nice feature is that when the insert button is
clicked, a pop up reminder shows the information on the difference
between inserting and adding. I've been glad of this feature
several times, as I often have a hard time remember whether I should
use insert or add. Buttons are also provided to clear the route
from the map, show the route, and calculate the quickest or shortest
routes. Calculate isn't necessary if the option for auto
calculate is selected.
Route calculation unfortunately is one of the downfalls of the
program. It often fails to calculate the route that is most
efficient. I've found it will try to route me down small gravel
roads that take longer to travel when a blacktop road will take me to
the same destination faster. I once calculated a route, and found
it wanted to route me to an Interstate exchange to the north, have me
travel 7 miles south on the Interstate, exit the Interstate, get back
on the Interstate and travel 24 miles north. Needless to say, I
ignored the suggested route and saved myself 14 miles of unnecessary
travel by just getting on the northbound Interstate at the first
exchange.
Another example of odd routing is shown on the map below. I input
a trip starting at home, going to a destination, and returning directly
home, with the program set to automatically calculate the quickest
route. For some strange reason the program routed me in one way
and out another. The map labels show the distances for both
roads, with one being 0.75 m (1.21 km) longer than the
other. Ironically, the longer road also has a lower speed limit,
which would make traveling that road even more time consuming.
Probably the most frustrated I became with the routing feature was
during a trip to a trailhead in the Cranberry Wilderness near
Marlinton, WV. I had directions from a fellow hiker, but allowed
the program to route me in a different way. Big mistake on my
part. About 20 miles from my destination, the road turned to
gravel, and then within a few miles was closed to all but local
traffic. Not knowing the reason for the closure, and not being
local traffic, I used the program to re-route the trip by marking the
gravel road as a "no way". Frustrating, but giving the program
the benefit of the doubt, I concluded perhaps this road had only been
closed a short time ago for temporary repairs and this was really
beyond the ability of the program to know. Low and behold, the
new route was identical to the directions I had been provided by the
fellow hiker. Only trouble is this route approached from the
south, and I was in the north, a long ways from the suggested
route. I then used the GPS to obtain a new route from my current
location. Confident I was back on track, I followed the
directions, until I came to another closed gravel road, barred by a
gate. This time, I couldn't give the program the benefit of the
doubt, because once I was there I remembered this road. It was a
forest road that was closed to vehicular traffic and gated even when I
was a child, and to my knowledge has never been open since that
time. Getting extremely frustrated, I marked this road as a "no
way" and waited for the program to re-route me yet again, wishing all
the time I had just followed my fellow hikers directions. For
some reason, the program decided to go into a temporary tailspin and
wouldn't calculate the route for quite some time, making me even
further behind schedule. When it finally gave me a new route, I
followed the directions, and having the voice module tell me to bear
left at an interchange, did so, only to have the program tell me in a
minute or so that I was "off route" and try to have me turn left into a
field in an attempt to get back on route. UGGGHHHH!!!! I
just turned around and finally got back on route, and eventually was
directed back to a highway and finally to my destination without
further mishap. However, even though I had allowed an extra hour
of travel time, I ended up 30 minutes late at the trailhead.
Fortunately most of my fellow hikers were held up and arrived a bit
later than I did, so I was spared the embarrassment of making excuses
for being late.
One of the nicest features I've found in the Route tab is the ability
to edit roads, marking them one way, no turns in various directions, or
"no way" roads. Fortunately once marked, I can save the road
edits indefinitely by starting a new route from an old map and using
the "Save as" button. So far I have 3 "no way" roads marked on my
base map. Another nice feature under the Route tab is that once a
route has been calculated, the Directions button can be pressed to
display turn directions, distances between turns, and estimated travel
times between turns. Once calculated, a summary of the trip
distance and time displays in the New/edit screen and the Advanced
screen. Available under the Advanced screen is a reverse route
feature, which is handing traveling back from a trailhead after a
trip. Although I had trouble with the directions seeming to be
off the first time I used it, it has functioned well in several uses
since. The Show Turns button is available when the GPS unit is
interfacing with the software, and will show the next turn direction
and distance. The voice module will announce the directions as
well if enabled. The Plan Trip button allows further information
to be input for long trips, such as the number of hours or miles I want
to travel a day, and information to calculate fuel breaks such as the
size of my gas tank, the miles per gallon my vehicle gets, and at what
level of gas in the tank I want to refuel. I haven't used this
feature yet, but it looks simple and handy.
GPS tab:
GPS commands and information are available on this screen. I
usually start the GPS from this tab, clear old GPS trails when making
new routes in my base camp, and find it interesting to see how fast I
am traveling and in what direction. Turns can also be shown under
the GPS tab, and I have often used this. A satellite button will
display information on satellites when selected, but I don't use this
button often, as it's not really essential in planning or traveling a
route.
An interesting feature of the mapping program located under this tab is
the ability to save
not only a map route, but the GPS log. The log can then be
reviewed by clicking the GPS tab, then the GPS Log button, and then
clicking the play arrow and choosing a playback speed (either 1x, 2x,
10x, 25x or 50x). Choosing File under the GPS tab will allow the
options of previewing the logged GPS route on the map, viewing the file
details, renaming the file, deleting it, opening an existing file, or
starting a new file. A variety of information is available when
the file detail button is
selected, including the start and finish time, distance, average speed,
maximum speed, minimum, maximum, and average elevation, average status
of the signal, number of times the fix was lost, number of readings,
and the time to acquire the signal.
Additional tabs:
The Print tab has allowed me to choose whether I want a single map
printed, turn details, directions, or a travel package. I've
found all of the options work well. I've played with the options
under the Draw tab a bit, but haven't really used them in my routes or
travel yet. The Voice tab interests me, but so far I haven't
seemed to have the time to work with this feature. Hopefully I
will be able to do so during the long term test phase.
Additional features:
On the right side of the screen, are data zoom buttons, but I've found
it's easier to zoom in and out on the map by using my tablet pen or
mouse stick and dragging on the map. At first I often over
zoomed, but have found it easier to control with practice. Scroll
buttons are also located on the right side of the screen, but I've
found it easier to hover my pen or mouse near the edge of the map, and
when it turns to a hand symbol to grab the map and move it on the
screen to "scroll". One handy button on the right side is located
in the center of the scroll button and returns the map to the previous
location and zoom level and I've used that several times when I goofed
in zooming or scrolling. A compass showing the map orientation to
North is located below the scroll buttons, and below that longitude and
latitude for the area indicated by the mouse arrow are displayed.
A neat measuring tool is located near the bottom right side, which
allows distances to be measured in segments with the total displaying
when finished. A shortcut print button is located adjacent to the
measuring tool, and the map scale is displayed underneath. At the
very bottom right corner, an overview map displays.
I've found I like Microsoft Sam for the voice module, and while the
voice sounds artificial, it is plain and clear. I usually have to
turn the volume to the highest setting to hear it over highway noises
when I am traveling. The voice module usually keeps up with the
directions quite well, but does occasionally lag behind, so I usually
try to check the on screen directions before the next turn.
Another feature I really like is the address book. I can add
locations that aren't found through a search to the address book, and
the program remembers where they are. Then I can select them by
name when planning routes and the program finds them.
Testing
plan:
Over the remaining course of the test, I'll be
continuing to monitor the following:
Ease of use - do I learn more shortcuts that make the software easier
and faster to use?
More advanced route planning - is drawing roads in
helpful? Does adding vias and inserts become easier?
Do I find more roads I need to mark as "no way"? Do I find more
problems with the maps not being current?
Voice commands - can I get this feature to work
with my current headphone set with integrated microphone, and how easy
it is to use?
Does the GPS continue to get a good signal in the mountainous
wooded
terrain of West Virginia?
Do pauses or stalls in the information occur
frequently? Does my computer lock
up when using the program?
Personal impressions – How well do I like the
Delorme GPS
LT-20 overall? Do I plan to continue to
use it after the test period?
Likes
–
GPS unit is compact
Easy to operate
Computer interface allows a large viewing screen
Dislikes –
Inefficient or poor routing
on numerous occasions.
Inability to find some addresses and points of interest.
Thanks to DeLorme and BackpackGearTest for
the
opportunity to test the Earthmate GPS LT-20.
Read more reviews of Delorme gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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