YARMOUTH, ME- DeLorme, the leader in mapping and GPS technology for serious outdoor adventures, today announced an update for its Earthmate PN-40 and PN-20 handheld GPS receivers. The update, which has been a closely guarded secret, adds the Tuppahware Detector—this trailblazing tool gives hard-core geocachers the edge they need in the field.

“Development was a two-part process. Once we created an instrument capable of sniffing out plastics, we had to fine tune it to detect only those plastics that contained geocache materials. Thankfully, we discovered that the combination of plastic containers, notebook paper, pen ink, and small children’s toys emits a very specific chemical signature,” explains Greg Wright, director of hardware development.

“While testing has shown great results, we have noted occasional false-positive readings near discount stores. To avoid the problem of hordes of geocachers stampeding stores, we’ve partnered with all the major chains. They are simultaneously releasing the Anti-Tuppahware Detector Force Field. The field will be deployed around each store. You can be comfortable knowing that if you are out geocaching you won’t inadvertently end up in a discount store.”

Product design manager Chip Noble believes the Tuppahware Detector is a huge breakthrough that will change the geocaching world. “A multi-billion dollar satellite system, millions of GPS receivers, and hundreds of thousands of geocaches hidden around the world but still we had to search for containers through the use of reasoning, sight, and instinct. Now, it’s all done for us. Technology has completed the circle. These caches practically find themselves!”

While critics of the system like to point out that not all caches are hidden in plastic containers, DeLorme feels that cache owners everywhere will be scrambling to upgrade their caches to get in on the ground floor of this innovative technology.
 
“Who is going to want to search out some hard-to-find ammo box, when they can let their GPS receiver display the container location directly on the screen? Searching time is reduced to practically nothing. In the field, we have found 200 caches in the time it used to take us to find 25.” said Noble. “With plastic containers and the Tuppahware Detector, it’s all fun and no work.”

“To celebrate this release we are giving away a PN-40 with Tuppahware Detector (Just pay the $499.95 shipping and handling charge). Enter your name at aprilfool@delorme.com.”

UPDATE: See Caleb’s comment below for information on shipping.

DeLorme.com is now accepting pre-orders and has been updated with new content about the PN-40 and the PN-40se. 

Those who order first will be at the head of the line for shipments when we receive inventory in late October. We are anticipating tight inventories at product launch so encourage you to get your order in now if you are serious about ordering either model. The SE model will only be available direct from DeLorme.

Check out the Flash demo for some videos detailing the performance of the PN-40.

Earthmate GPS PN-40

From our email newsletter today:

Effective in October with the release of the PN-40, customers will be able to download large amounts of supplementary maps for use with Topo USA and the Earthmate GPS (all PN-20 and PN-40 models).

Every customer who purchases a PN-Series GPS receives a certificate with their Topo USA software enabling them to download and sample our various supplementary datasets. At the time of this writing, these datasets include: 7.5-minute topographic quads (available for all 50 states); aerial imagery (available in various resolutions for various U.S. locations), and NOAA nautical charts of the U.S. coastlines and Great Lakes.

After you have exhausted your sample data ($40 will be included with the PN-40), you can pay a $29.95 annual subscription for access to the full download library. All of these supplementary map types can be layered on the PN-Series GPS, allowing you to switch among data types in gaining the most comprehensive lay of the land available. You choose exactly the areas and data types you want for each geographic location. Once downloaded, they are yours to keep and use.

This new subscription plan will make it easy and cost-effective to build up your map and imagery collection.

From our email newsletter today:

We will begin selling two new PN-Series GPS models in mid-October. The PN-40 has already been announced, but we are announcing the PN-40se – a select edition GPS to be produced in limited quantities and available exclusively direct from DeLorme.

The PN-40se is exactly the same as the PN-40 in every way except it will ship with 8-GB of internal Flash memory (versus the 1-GB on the regular model), and will retail for $499.95 as opposed to $399.95 for the regular model. Having extra internal memory will allow you to quickly transfer more detailed maps and imagery to the internal memory without needing to manage your SD cards to the extent you may be doing now with the PN-20. Both models are terrific choices and offer a fast new dual-core processor and GPS chipset.

We are anticipating very high demand and potential shortages for components for both models so we encourage you to sign up now to be notified about either or both models. We anticipate taking pre-orders in early October and will contact those people who have asked to be notified here in the order they sign up. Those at the head of the line will be contacted via email first.


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PN-40 Available for Pre-Order

We’ve created a new web site for the Earthmate GPS PN-40 at www.GetSeriousTool.com. It will continue to grow but for now you can enter our free Serious Tool t-shirt giveaway.

Innovative Map and GPS Provider Hosting Related Event at Outdoor Retailer Show

SALT LAKE CITY, UT ― DeLorme, the leader in mapping and GPS technology for serious outdoors adventures, today announced it will be one of the sponsors of North Pole ‘09, as American explorers John Huston and Tyler Fish endeavor to ski to the top of the world with no assistance of any kind.

Huston and Fish would be the first Americans to accomplish the feat, which they describe as “an expedition of optimism, humility, and responsible action.”

A History of Supporting Arctic Expeditions

DeLorme was the GPS provider for a pair of recent Baffin Island, Canada expeditions. The rugged, reliable Earthmate® GPS PN-20 was used on Will Steger’s Global Warming 101 trip in 2007, and Ed Viesturs’ 2008 Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health. Huston, who was base camp manager for Steger, also relied on a PN-20 during a trip he led to the South Pole.

DeLorme’s North Pole ‘09 sponsorship announcement comes on the first day of the Open Air Demo event, a prelude to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008 trade show scheduled for Aug. 8-11 at the Salt Palace. The company will unveil a new GPS, the Earthmate PN-40, at this year’s show.

“We are exceptionally pleased to support the North Pole ‘09 expedition,” said DeLorme vice president Jim Skillings.

“We’ve developed a reputation as a provider of serious products that stand up to even the most demanding customer needs. It absolutely fits our corporate mission to support John and Tyler as they undertake this extraordinary challenge.”

North Pole ‘09 Event at Outdoor Retailer

Huston will be at the DeLorme exhibit (Booth 19010) from 4-6 p.m. MT on Saturday, August 9. His presentation will focus on the North Pole ‘09 expedition, its objectives, his and Tyler Fish’s methods of preparation, and their experiences in previous polar journeys. The presentation will be open to all show attendees.

“It’s a fascinating and inspiring presentation, and we urge people to stop by, meet John, and learn more about North Pole ‘09,”added Skillings.

Ellesmere Island to the North Pole – the Hard Way

In March, Huston and Fish will embark from the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, Canada pulling all of their supplies in sleds while propelling themselves across the polar ice cap on cross-country skis.

The trip is fraught with extreme challenges. It will be entirely over the Arctic Ocean on large sheets of ice, called “pans.” These pans will be, in most cases, anything but smooth, and frequently strewn with ice “rubble and debris” that are a consequence of the severe conditions.

In addition, the polar winds and ocean currents may sometimes push the ice pans backward at a rate faster than Huston’s and Fish’s forward progress. There will be numerous instances when the two will have to don dry suits and swim from pan to pan, with the added challenge of securing their sled and supplies during the water passages.

Other dangers include polar bears, the extreme cold (temperatures may reach -60°F), and the potential for injury in this most unforgiving environment.

Huston and Fish hope to complete the 475-mile trek in 55 days. Along the way, they will chronicle their adventure with daily entries, via satellite phone uploads. To learn more, visit www.northpole09.com.

About North Pole ‘09

North Pole ‘09, an expedition without outside assistance or supply drops, will be an endeavor of absolute optimism and humility, thorough preparation and selfless cooperation. This enormously challenging expedition will endeavor to inspire people to embrace challenge. The live online expedition journal will focus on the mental approach to seemingly insurmountable challenges. “As we, as individuals and as a society, face the daunting challenges of today, we believe we have the responsibility to tell a more uplifting story. We need more simple stories of achievement and passion that inspire positive, forward-thinking action rather than negative stories that lead to increased passivity and feelings of hopelessness.”

Expedition components include a climate change education program and several research projects. For sponsorship information, visit www.northpole09.com.

About John Huston

Huston is a seasoned polar explorer, having most recently led a 720-mile ski expedition to the South Pole for NorthWinds Adventures. That trip spanned 57 days from November 2007 to January 2008.

Prior to that, he was the only American chosen to participate with the Norwegian team in an event that reprised the 1911 competition between Norwegian and British explorers to reach the South Pole. Featured on BBC and the History Channel as the “Race to the Pole,” the expedition was set in Greenland and duplicated the 1911 journey by using 1911-style equipment, clothing, and food.

A former Outward Bound instructor, the Northwestern University alumnus is a cross-country ski racer, writer, and educator.

About Tyler Fish

Tyler Fish has expeditions on Baffin Island, the Canadian Arctic, and Hudson Bay to his credit. He has also led many month-long white water canoe trips on remote Canadian rivers. An elite cross-country ski racer and coach, he is also a speaker, family relationship coach, and wilderness skills expert.

A graduate of Bates College in Maine, he has spent 13 years working for Outward Bound and is currently a youth programs coordinator and supervisor.

About the Earthmate GPS PN Series

DeLorme’s Earthmate GPS PN-20 and PN-40 receivers are designed for serious outdoors adventures. They deliver the unique ability to display proprietary DeLorme topographic maps, as well as USGS 1:24,000 quads, four different types of aerial imagery, and NOAA nautical charts. WAAS-enabled for accuracy to within three meters, the PN series receivers are waterproof with a rock-solid design that has proven its reliability in the most challenging environments on Earth. For more information, go to GetSeriousTool.com.

About DeLorme

Based in Yarmouth, ME, DeLorme offers a unique set of core competencies across the complex areas of map data creation and management, software development, and integration with GPS. The ability to develop all the critical components necessary to compete in the fast-changing navigation world provides a distinct competitive advantage. DeLorme is one of a handful of mapmakers that still own and produce their own content, and its Earthmate GPS, Street Atlas USA®, Topo USA®, and Atlas & Gazetteer™ products have introduced countless first-to-market innovations. For more, visit www.delorme.com.

One of the great things about working here at DeLorme is we get to try just about every type of GPS being made.  My own evaluations lead me back to the same place everytime: there are pros and cons with every system and every map database. That’s why it is important (and so difficult to know in advance of buying) what it is you want your GPS to do for you.

Almost every customer I’ve talked with agrees that DeLorme maps, especially our integrated topos and street maps, are far more detailed and useful than what’s typically out there. Are we perfect? Of course not — no one is and much of a user’s perception is formed based on testing against known areas. But I’ve seen all kinds of examples where Google has it right and DeLorme has it wrong and Google has it wrong but DeLorme has it right. In the end, it is all a bit of Russian roulette.

Which leads me to my main point here: knowing that every GPS and mapping solution is going to be flawed at some point, isn’t is better to plan in advance and depart on a lengthy road trip with the best preplanned information you can assemble? It is for me.

Sure the on-dash navigators are excellent at many things but the first time they send me on a route I don’t feel comfortable about, one that I cannot tell for sure is correct because I cannot get much context on the relatively small screen, I start to panic. I just blindly follow and hope it eventually gets me out of trouble but oftentimes end up pulled over to the side of the road reaching for a paper atlas.

Instead, I’ve started using Topo USA, which is included free with the Earthmate GPS PN-20, to plan my long trips in advance on the desktop. This way I can preview the routes and make sure I am going the way I prefer. Then, I can search the DeLorme places of interest and add them to my itinerary. Oftentimes I do want more information so I go online and get a phone number or two and check out a hotel rating before booking. Sometimes, if it is a very important stop, I’ll reference what Topo USA shows versus what Google Maps shows. It’s a sanity check well worth doing. Who wouldn’t rather have two sources of information versus just one?

Just so you don’t think I’m a hopeless DeLorme pitchman — sure, there have been times when Google showed a new local road that we didn’t have. (As said before, the opposite has also been true.) But you know what? When we don’t have a local road that is important to my trip, I can add it to our database and include it in my route. How cool is that?

Once I have planned my trip on the desktop, done some Internet checking, and saved my map — then I transfer it to the PN-20. Once in the car, I bring up that route and mount the PN-20 to the windshield and listen for the turn beeps and keep an eye on the screen (occasionally) to make sure I’m going the way I wanted. No need to constantly stare at the screen, no need to become anxious as happens when an on-dash model suggests a new way that feels wrong. I’ve already selected exactly the way I want to go so as long as I do what the GPS says, all will be fine. (This is another topic all in itself — when man wrongly overrules machine and pays the price.)

Depending where I’m going, I also enjoy the fact I can bring the PN-20 with me when I go off-road. The GPS fits nicely in my coat pocket, is waterproof, and the screen actually gets brighter and clearer when you tilt it into direct sunlight. My weary eyes like that a lot.

Sure..sometimes I need to perform spontaneous routing while on the road, although honestly with my preplanned route information I don’t stray much or often. With firmware 1.4 loaded on the PN-20, I have found the device quickly can find nearby food, lodging, and other travel places. No, it does not like highly complex on-device urban routing but it does the job for me.

In fact, in all my city trips around the U.S., only once did I not get the automatic route I wanted and later I discovered it was my fault — I had placed a waypoint off beside the actual road so the routing logic could not actually complete to the end.

Anyway, this is how I use the PN-20 for trip planning. But I mostly use it for hiking and backcountry exploration as DeLorme is one of the very few companies offering 1:24,000k USGS quad maps for the entire country — not just the state parks as some do.  The PN-20 does very well for me and is now the only GPS I use when out and about. 

–Caleb

The PN-20 provides BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad) field technicians with access to the company’s track and milepost data, displayed against a background of DeLorme’s USA street-level or topographic base maps. The ability to view aerial imagery enhances field intelligence for better decision making.

Field personnel will be able to search on BNSF data for track defects, view and query track and milepost locations, and create waypoints with basic descriptions. Armed with location data that has been custom-cut for BNSF, field technicians will have the ability to automatically download defect information directly from BNSF geometry cars to the PN-20 GPS handheld.

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