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The PN-Series Power Kit provides a complete Lithium-Ion rechargeable power solution for the Earthmate GPS PN-Series device
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Technical Details
- What's in the box?- A/C Wall Charger and 12-Volt DC In-Vehicle Charger Each has an eight-pin connector on one end for connecting directly to your PN-Series GPS handheld. New sturdy connection ideal for ATV, motorcycle, and in-vehicle usage
- R. CR-V3 LI-ION Approved Battery This is the only approved Lithium-ION battery for the PN-Series.Cautionary Note: Use only a PN-Lithium-ION battery provided by DeLorme. There is a risk of explosion if battery is replaced by an incorrect type.
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By JWKilgore (Chattanooga, TN)
I received a new Delorme PN-40 for Christmas (thanks, Santa!) and immediately ordered this travel kit from Amazon. While waiting on the order I used both Energizer "Industrial" alkaline batteries (one set, lasted probably 12+ hours but I didn't time it) Ray-o-vac el-cheapo batteries (lasted about 8 or so hours, again, didn't time it). But I usually use a GPS receiver while geocaching, and I'm very often in a vehicle, on an ATV, or on a bicycle. My truck and the ATV have 12V power points, so why not use them for power?
[Edit: corrected mAh comments]
When I got the kit I immediately installed the batteries, plugged in the 110V charger, and let it sit overnight. The next morning I unplugged it and turned it on, seeing 4 green bars. Unfortunately, this had dropped to 2 yellow bars within 20 minutes, so I start checking things out. That's when I notice that the battery was only rated at 1400mAh, which is on the small side, but still should be adequate. An average rated alkaline battery can have a much higher mAh rating, and high capacity batteries can have well over 2000mAh. So possibly the battery capacity bar is based on the highest capacity battery, so even when fully charged it's slightly over half of maximum.
This was disappointing, and worth a deduct of 2 stars (from the battery life rating), but I could deal with it. I always keep several spare AA batteries to feed my flashlight and headlamp, so I'd just throw a couple extra batteries in the pack if I needed more than extended outings.
About three days after getting the kit I go on an extended geocaching outing. A little less than 300 miles driving with about 8 miles walking/biking over 26 stops. Maybe 8 hours in-vehicle and 7 hours out. While driving, the receiver was always plugged into a 12V power point. I assumed the battery would last me all day; any amount discharged while walking SHOULD have been recharged while driving to the next destination. Wrong. About 1/2 through the trip, I got a low battery warning while walking (meaning it was down to 1 bar). About 3/4 through the trip, I got a critical battery warning while walking and the receiver shut off. I replaced with a pair of alkalines from my pack and kept walking. Back at the truck I kept it turned off and let it charge to the next stop. I had enough power to last for one geocache, then it shut off again. It turns out that just because it's plugged it, the receiver is running on external power, and the battery type is set to "rechargeable", that doesn't mean the batteries are actually getting charged. They aren't running down, but they aren't filling up either. I had to work a bit to make sure the status said "charging", usually requiring shutting the unit down and re-starting. This is a more serious problem. I would have deducted far more than 1 star from the "convenience" rating, but I feel this is more of a receiver problem than of a battery/charger problem.
Ultimately, though, this is a good purchase and worth the money. It's much cheaper than buying each item individually, and if you use it a lot, it's much cheaper than buying lots of alkalines to throw away.
Pros:
- allows the use of external power while driving, even if using alkaline batteries
- reduces waste having to throw away dead batteries
Cons:
- low capacity battery
- battery sometimes doesn't charge when the receiver is running and plugged into the 12V adapter
By Bilius (Ashland, OR USA)
If you are going to buy an Earthmate series GPS you have to get the power kit. For the dollar savings on batteries and reduced hassle factor of not having to open the unit to charge it - it is totally worth it. You can charge off a USB but the wall plug-in seems much faster. I am not sure the total life of the battery - the longest I have used it in a PN-30 is 6 hours so far.
By pebblepuppy (Missouri)
Purchased with Delorme PN-40. These are essential items. I would suggest buying another battery though as a backup since the life is about 5 hours on this one.
By Ron Durshordwe (Buffalo NY)
Do not buy this from AMAZON, I think they are selling used batteries.. The first one would not charge up to 100%. The second one charged up to 100% but in 10 minutes went down to 85%. After that it only lasted 7 hours. I spoke to Delmore and they sell there kits for the same price as amazon. And you can call them and get a person with a heart beat on the end of the phone. I missed the return date by 3 days so I have to eat this battery and will be buying one from delmore.
By Gene N. Benson
The not so good stuff.
This is not the easiest GPS and software package to use. That is mainly because the combination does so many things. It is not the best automatic trip route selection software. Not an overly large screen. There, that is all of the less than great stuff.
The good/great stuff.
Topographic maps in your handheld GPS receiver. The ability to download aerial photos, NOAA charts and/or USGS topo maps into your GPS receiver and to see them as layers using the GPS in the field. The DeLorme $30 per year subscription fee gets you unlimited downloads from their library. Very cool stuff there.
The GPS is fast to find it self. The screen is very clear. The battery life is long. With the supplied LiIon battery pack usually more than 8 hours.
Routes and tracks are very editable using the Topo software. Additionally, the software does a great job of calculating trail lengths and resource areas. The feature rich environment provides many more functions than any other GPS receiver I've ever used.
I'm using this on the handlebars of my dual sport motorcycle and for GeoCashe walks. It is working great. This is my 4th or 5th GPS receiver and the quickest working so far. The GPS receiver and the software that is included is one of the best systems for folks who work on the ground. Folks who are doing any sort of natural resource management should investigate this package. Highly, highly recommended.
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