Home > Consumer Reviews > DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS [OLD VERSION]

This is a difficult item to review simply....in part because it is three different items (hardware, software, compatibility). I'll review them separately. I am an established Delorme customer, with a long history of their products (10-12 states of TopoQuads, a Xmap license, both 1.0 and 2.0 versions of 3D TopoQuad software).

The GPS unit itself is really a gem of a product in its own right and an update of the earlier Earthmate GPS units. I rate the LT-40 highly (5/5). It is small light and accurate/fast, from my experience. On a cross-country trip, it rarely was off the road centerline. My only gripe is very poor (well -- Non! ) support of this unit in earlier software products XMAP and 3DTopoQuads. This is not documented by Delorme, and in fact there is an Earthmate link and a USB option in the earlier software. Also, their web site suggests it should work, and there are instructions for installing a Serial-USB emulator that will allow it to work as an NMEA device (it didn't work!). I also obtained some support from Delorme trying to get it to operate. But their tech support had to eventually say "we don't guarantee backward compatibility..." for their own product to work with their own product. 5/5 (but see compatibility below...)

The software is good to work with in 2-D mode and follows the tried-true Delorme right panel/bottom panel navigation model. The 3-D mode does have a nice "big number" mode that is useful on the road, although the 3-D view reminds one of a bad video game and is only useful for people who absolutely cannot read maps. The routes one chooses do have to be checked and if necessary "fine tuned" by adding "via" points, but that is surely true of all navigation software. I like the customizable preferences for speed/road type. Yes the Microsoft Mary and Mike voices are dreary, but one can't blame that on Delorme (I am waiting for Microsoft Obama.....with proceeds going to the Hillary campaign fund!!). But the voice interface has great potential for vehicle work, and I plan to experiment with a microphone for software control. Voice speed can also be tinkered with, and we found that slowing Mike down made him more understandable. My main complaint is that the top-line interface is non-intuitive, with no "File/Edit" bar and just a bunch of fairly non-customizable icons. 4/5

Compatibibility: poor. No, completely lame. I think it is unconscionable how poor the support of the LT-40 is for earlier Delorme TopoQuad software, and, for that matter, why can't Street Atlas support earlier state 3-D topo quads. This is either bad design/engineering by Delorme, or extortion of users to have to re-purchase data products (I have $1500 or so invested now). This is complicated by the fact that the state TopoQuad series no longer exists and one now has to purchase the whole country in DVD (same maps...) to get new software that will work with this GPS. Come on guys -- patch your supported products to allow us to use the LT-40 with Topo Quads, or patch street atlas to work with topo quads. If the LT-40 is not supported by earlier Delorme products then you should at least have the courage (chutzpah?) to state this in black and white in marketing materials and on your web site. 0/5

Average 3/5 for an excellent little GPS unit, from a very frustrated Delorme user.....

I have had several of these over the years. I drive from the Mid-West to the west coast several times a year. This is great both in my truck and the RV. I opted to upgrade to the newest version. Due to the fact that it draws its power from the USB port on my laptop. My older ones connect to the com port and required batteries in the GPS. It makes it so easy to find food, fuel and points of interest on my journeys. I even use it to navigate the small country back roads here in Indiana. I will probably purchase another in a few years when they update the version.You just can't get anything better for the price. I like this much better than my Garmin GPS I use on my boatfor 12 times more money. I hope they will come out with a Marine version soon. I drop my Garmin in a heartbeat.

This is my 4th version of Street Atlas USA (2009, w/ LT-40 GPS) First one was given to me by my wife as a birthday gift, and I've grown to love the program. I use an old laptop (Compaq 1800T)w/ Windows 2000 Pro, w/14.2" screen in my car, prop it up on a pillow on the center console, and Voila! -- a much better presentation than the many squinty-eyed 4"X4" screen versions that proliferate the market. In addition, my touch pad is near the user end of the computer, making it easy to access while I'm on the go, and the speakers are also on that same side of the computer, making voice commands easier to hear.

True, DeLorme Software takes a while to get used to, especially if you are a typical Windows user. But after a while, getting around the Nav screen gets easier and pretty soon its real easy to use.

To give it a true test, I recently made a trip from Florida to Wisconsin & return, 3000 miles in all. In previous versions, there was a definite problem with intermittent satellite signal loss, but not so with the 2009 LT-40 GPS version. During the entire trip, I never lost the satellite signal -- not even once, which I found to be remarkable.

My computer only has 196MB RAM, although DeLorme recommends 256MB as a minimun -- in spite of that the program worked great -- sometimes a little sluggish, especially when changing screen ratios during 3D view, but nothing I couldn't live with.

The 3D presentation in this version is, in my opinion, perhaps the greatest improvement DeLorme has made to this program. It looks like you're flying, as the top of screen always represents the direction in which you're driving, so the map, contours, etc., rotate constantly on the screen as you turn corners, round curves, and so on. Reminds me of flying -- like you're looking out of the cockpit of an airplane. You can go down to a very low ratio where you're flying along, and you can see exits, and crossroads fly by at an amazing clip. Or you can back out to a point where your map actually ends at the curvature of the earth. Or anywhere in between. Totally cool.

So I am a confirmed Street Atlas USA user. Very happy with this latest version and would recommend it to anyone.

I've had a chance to own and use the DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-40 2009 for a few days now. I must say I'm impressed. I'd like to throw in a little bit of honesty though. Having used other GPS devices in my car, I thought I was going to be able to rip open the box, sprint to my car, and talk to my new Gadget like it was HAL-9000 from Stanley Kubricks Space Odyssey. Poor assumption -- It turns out that I needed to do a little bit of reading first. So back to the manual. After spending about an hour reading the F1-key help menus, I was able to navigate the included software like an old pro. I discovered that the included GPS receiver is able to get a good fix on multiple satellites in under 30 seconds. I'm willing to wait 30 seconds if it helps me save a half hour by not getting lost and cussing like a sailor. The receiver was able to maintain a solid group of satellites even when I drove under canopy of trees and through tall buildings. I planned a couple of routes with multiple stops at points of interest along the way and found the experience of following the voice and screen prompts along the way very simple. There are several navigation views to choose from depending on what you want to see on the screen. I like the two dimensional view for planning trips. It shows your heading (Will the sun be in my eyes?) and info on points of interest along the way. The three dimensional navigation view is great for getting there. The maps are clear and easy to read. I like to opt to see the GPS data to show my speed, heading, and elevation.

Minor complaints - I took a couple of obscure back roads to test the maps data accuracy and found that while the GPS is able to correctly position me on the maps as I travel, the voice prompt would keep telling me that I was off route and that it needed to recalculate. This never happened in the city or on major highways in my area. My solution was to just turn down the volume until I got back to major road. I can look at the map and tell that I'm clearly on the right road that I need to be on.


I'm using an Acer Aspire One. The Acer Aspire does not have a CD or DVD ROM drive. I used my home network by sharing a DVD drive of another computer and copying the files from the computer with the DVD drive to the Acer Aspire via the network connection. It took a few minutes to copy the 2.25GB of data over the network. I know some people use USB DVD drives. Where is the fun in that? The software installed without a hitch. The registration process was simple.

Conclusion: I highly recommend this device if you are looking for a feature rich software/hardware package to meet your recreational traveling needs. One caveat - If you don't have the time or desire to do some light reading and learning, I would encourage you to look into a Garmin or TomTom device.

This baby gets the full five stars as it exceeded my expectations. First of all, using this in a car is possible but who really drives and uses a laptop at the same time? Get a nice hand held GPS if you need driving directions. I got the Delorme just in case as a backup to my portable GPS. I travel and cannot be without one while on the road. For $50 you can't beat this product and it is well worth the money. The main reason I chose this was to use when I am a passenger on a commercial aircraft (I like to track my position but not all airlines allow this). Most hand held GPS will not work while flying. This one does, and very well. It will show exact position, speed and altitude. For this purpose, the map need not be highly detailed. In addition, this is one of the few GPS to feature included Mexico maps. Overall, this is a great buy for those who want a PC-based GPS. The software has many more features than portable GPS receivers. If this sounds like what you are looking for, you can't go wrong with this.

Pros:
Works great, even on aircraft
Includes Mexico map
Low Cost
WAAS-enabled
NMEA-compliant 16-channel receiver
STMicroelectronics new high-sensitivity Teseo chipset
Proprietary Kalman filter for enhanced position accuracy
Maximum Velocity: 1000 knots
Works on XP or Vista
Software has many, many features


Cons:
Long time for satellite lock (Like all GPS but stays connected once locked)
PC-Based so portability is an issue. Hard to use in a vehicle
Maps not highly detailed