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DeLorme's first handheld effort a great value.
**** (4) stars from me for price-performance value.
***+ (3.5) stars for overall performance.

If you are looking to buy your first handheld GPS and want a solid performer that's loaded with features, this is a terrific buy. With the 2008 release of DeLorme's PN-40, the upgraded version of this unit, the PN-20 is a veritable steal. You won't find another feature-rich color handheld GPSr at this price.

I'll get right down to what I consider the important points of the PN-20:

GREAT STUFF:
* Maps are colorful and easy to read.
* Layered imagery...you can layer topo over SAT-10 images of your terrain.
* Bright LCD display, even in bright sun.
* Accuracy.
* Mapping software (Topo 7) is excellent.

GOOD STUFF:
* Solid, robust construction.
* Buttons give a good response and provide easy navigation through menus.
* It's waterproof and works well in all sorts of weather.
* SD card slot is tucked away and not exposed to the elements.
* On-screen help in software is more useful than the manual.
* Digital compass is steady and more accurate than the Garmin.
* Alkaline batteries provided plenty of power for three solid treks, approximately 15 hours.
* DeLorme firmware upgrades (free) have fixed some early issues.

DISAPPOINTMENTS:
* Reception is good, but not as sensitive as it could be. (This was fixed with the release of the PN-40.) A Garmin 60CSx was able to pick up satellites in my basement and even in my dining room when the PN-20 would not. Once the PN-20 does lock on, it's quite accurate. (The Garmin had trouble keeping one set of coordinates and bounced around a lot.)
* Screen refreshes are very slow. The processor in the PN-20 simply could not keep up with scrolling and movement the way it should. This was also fixed in the PN-40.
* Ergonomics. This is a compact unit, lengthwise, but is thicker than other GPSr units. It does fit in your hand well and has a rubberized texture over most of the unit that should help keep your grip even in damp conditions. Also, why do manufacturers put the lanyard loop at the top of a unit? If you hang this around your neck while hiking, you have to lift it up and turn it around to view it. With the lanyard connected to the bottom, you would simply lift the unit to look at it.
* Screen size is smaller (2.2") than the Garmin 60CSx (2.6"), it's closest competitor.
* In order to have USB connectivity you must attach a separate adapter piece that snaps on to the back of the unit. If you are a person with limited organizational skills, this is likely to become lost.
* For geocaching, it is not as friendly as the Garmin, although (again) the PN-40 is quite geocache-friendly and easy to use. There are workarounds for the PN-20 that can be found on forum sites.

BOTTOM LINE:
If you are considering the purchase of a GPSr as an entry-level user, this is a fabulous value. The learning curve for the software is a bit steep, but do not be intimidated. You will get a lot of GPS for the money; a solid performer that is hard to beat at this price point.

Let Me Down Every Time
As I have been contemplating purchasing another device bad thoughts of my PN-20 fill my mind.

It has failed EVERY time I needed it.

Sometimes it couldn't pickup satellites.
Other times the battery died with no warning (unpleasant when it is not noticed for an hour when I needed a bearing)

After 3 or 4 new rechargeable batteries from the company (none of which lasted more than a few hours) I gave up and started using alkalines. These lasted longer.

As others have said the desktop mapping software is cumbersome to use

And I had difficulty entering an absolute lat long destination directly into the PN-20. this might have been my fault but it sure wasn't obvious.

Looking at the new pn-40 I just keep thinking "fool me once, shame on you.. fool me twice, shame on me"

I still desire the functionality. But this hasn't worked for me for more than several miles on foot.

PS: I just loaded the 1.5 ROM and will try this device again. But I have little to no hope.

First Impressions
Santa brought me an Earthmate PN-20 for Christmas. I've only been playing with it for one day. I'll come back after I have been using it for a while and update my review, but here are my first impressions.

The Earthmate PN-20 is very light and fits well in my hand. It's perfect for hiking (which is what I wanted it for). It won't weight you down or take up too much room in your pack. You can easily slip it into the pocket of your safari vest or cargo pants. It also has a lanyard, but the lanyard isn't particularly useful. It is too short, so any time you want to use the device you will have to mess with taking it off your neck and then putting it back on. If you want to carry it around your neck you should order a better lanyard to go with it.

The pre-installed base map is very simple. It only shows highways and major roads. That is not a problem, as it includes extra maps at no cost that are fantastic. I'm not talking about the ones you download, I'm talking about the Topo USA 7.0 maps. These maps have a lot of extra detail and are fine for getting around town.

For more detailed maps, including satellite and aerials, you can download them through DeLorme's Map Library. There are tons of maps to choose from there, and so far the coverage seems really good. I'm in rural Nevada and the maps from the DeLorme site are much more detailed that anything on Google Earth. This service is not free, but you receive a certificate worth $100 in free downloads, plus DeLorme offers an unlimited download service that is only $30 a year. One of the main reasons I wanted this one rather than a Garmin is because the maps were much, much more afforable.

Of course, when talking about the maps that brings us to the software. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the software is not at all user-friendly and the help files aren't much help. Be prepared to spend at least a day or two figuring out how the software works. I have taken a star off for this, but only one. The software, in my opinion, is definitely not a deal breaker. Once you figure it out it is very powerful. It allows you to make trails and cut custom maps to use when you are out hiking. You can also mark spots you have visited and add photos, which is pretty cool.

In order to take full advantage of the PN-20's features you need to get a few SD cards. The internal memory is not large enough to hold much information, and even if your map is small enough to fit it takes a long time to transfer the files through the USB cord. The unit I purchased directly from Amazon came with a 1 GB SD card. That really is not big enough. Fortunately, SD cards are cheap as chips. You can pick up a decent 4 GB card for $10 or less. So I recommend when you buy this device to throw a few SD cards into your cart along with it, and I recommend you spring for the 4GB cards.

The ability to use SD cards with it was a major selling point for me. It seems a lot of user want to just have larger onboard memory. I think that is kind of silly. Maps are huge files. In order to be able to store a decent amount of maps onboard this device would probably need to be about two times the size it is now. I would much rather have a smaller device that uses SD cards.

As I said at the beginning. I'm just getting used to my new GPSr. If I have any problems I will come back and update.

Great hand held GPSr! I love it for hiking!
The Earthmate PN-20 has exceeded my hopes and expectations. We bought it for use while hiking and are not dissapointed at all! It can do so much that it will probably take us quite awhile to learn it all. The maps are much better than Garmins and the low price of downloading more is a even more of an advantage. While it is too slow for my taste in redrawing the maps for use in a vehicle, for hiking and biking it is more than what we need. Besides, with a screen as small as handhelds have, I wouldn't want to rely on them for vehicle use (we have the Nuvi 350 with a 4.5" screen and great software for vehicle use, so we are spoiled in that regard). If you have a need for speed spend more money and buy the new PN-40 which will give you the compass and some more. But if you want a very reasonably priced unit for geocaching, hiking or bicycling, and can walk (which will then allow the PN-20's compass to track)then go for this one. Are the unit and the map program easy to learn and use? No, but with all they are capable of that is a cheap price to pay.

Earthmate GPS
My Earthmate GPS works great. The only thing I would change is the USB plug on the devise. It sometimes fails to make good contact and needs to be cleaned befor connection. I also would like to have control over the device odometer so I can match it up with the actual miles I have on my bike.