From GpsWiki
Links to Most Recent Versions
- Most recent production Ver 2.8 - WARNING: This version only works with Topo North America 9
- Most recent XMap Pro 7 version 2.7
- Most recent production version 2.6 RTM
- Most recent beta version 2.5b4 (obsolete)
Version 2.2 Beta
Released on Nov 26, 2008
- The Connect to Computer dialog on the PN-40 should now be more reliable. This should resolve cases where the dialog did not appear on the PN-40, and your PC did not make the "USB Device Connected" sound.
- The PN-40 should no longer reset or lock up when connecting/disconnecting the USB cable on the device side. If it does lock up while performing this action, the wait for a reset is now less. Remember, as with most USB devices, best practice is to connect the USB cable to the device before powering it on.
- Battery type (1-Cell Li-Ion vs 2-Cell Alkalines) detection has been improved. This should prevent the device from shutting down too soon when swapping from Li-Ion batteries to NiMh. Please note that battery type detection only changes the Type between Li-Ion and Alkaline. If you boot with NiMh batteries, you will still need to change the setting from Alkaline to NiMh in order to have the correct battery profile.
Link to announcement: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16216
Version 2.2 RTM
Released on Dec 02, 2008
- The Connect to Computer dialog on the PN-40 should now be more reliable. This should resolve cases where the dialog did not appear on the PN-40, and your PC did not make the "USB Device Connected" sound.
- The PN-40 should no longer reset or lock up when connecting/disconnecting the USB cable on the device side. If it does lock up while performing this action, the wait for a reset is now less. Remember, as with most USB devices, best practice is to connect the USB cable to the device before powering it on.
- Battery type (1-Cell Li-Ion vs 2-Cell Alkalines) detection has been improved. This should prevent the device from shutting down too soon when swapping from Li-Ion batteries to NiMh. Please note that battery type detection only changes the Type between Li-Ion and Alkaline. If you boot with NiMh batteries, you will still need to change the setting from Alkaline to NiMh in order to have the correct battery profile.
Link to announcement: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16329
Version 2.3 RTM
Released on Dec 05, 2008
- Fixed an issue where the PN-40's Internal storage could display in My Computer as "Invalid" instead of "EM_USERMAPS". This would occur when Map Transfer...Transfer to Internal was selected from the Connect to Computer screen on the PN-40.
- Fixed an issue where USB would not always connect when the PN-40 was started in Support Mode.
- Several internal changes (nothing visible to users) for production.
Link to announcement: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16400
Version 2.4
Relased on Dec 17, 2008
- Fixed a case where the PN-40 could display as an Invalid Removable Drive when set to either SD Transfer Mode or Internal Transfer Mode
- Resolved an issue where the PN-40 USB connection might not respond properly when receiving commands from unknown desktop drivers/applications.
- Resolved an issue where it might take longer to change from Data Exchange mode to Map Transfer mode when connected to certain desktop systems.
- Resolved an issue where disabling WAAS, then disabling/enabling GPS would improperly enable WAAS again. The WAAS preference setting should be independent of the GPS setting.
Link to announcement: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16651
Version 2.5 First Public Beta (Beta 3)
Released on Feb 13, 2009
Geocaching support:
- Geocache/Waypoint Comment character limit increased from 800 to 15,000 characters. This is only for Geocaches sent to the PN-40 using the Send to GPS Plugin (http://www.delorme.com/geocaching/plugin/).
- Added graphics to the Geocache Comment page which indicate Size, Difficulty and Terrain.
- Moved the Hint to the bottom of the Comment for Geocaches sent from the Send to GPS Plugin.
- Added a new Geocaching page, which separates Geocaches from Waypoints. This page allows you to sort Geocaches by Name/Distance/Logged/Not Logged.
- Added new Geocaching Symbols to match those used by www.geocaching.com.
- Field Notes support allows you to create field notes directly on the PN-40, which can then be uploaded through your account at www.geocaching.com
- Geocaching wizard steps you through the process of Routing to a Geocache, Logging your Geocache find, Entering a Field Note then moving on to the next Geocache you want to find (closest, or selected from the list).
- Geocaches page now remembers the highlight position if you look at a cache, then quit back to the list.
- Changed Found/Not Found to Logged/Not Logged.
Memory Management:
- Added a Memory Use page which allows you to view the number of Waypoints/Geocaches/Tracks/Routes on your device, as well as how much free space you have on both the SD card and Internal Memory.
- Added a Memory Management page which allows you to easily delete all Waypoints/Geocaches/Tracks/Routes.
Routing:
- Added an option to allow the user to specify the speed for Direct Routes.
Device UI:
- Adjustments to font sizes to make data within info fields easier to read.
- Added a setting which allows the PN-40 to automatically switch to Midnight colors at Sunset, and back to normal at Sunrise.
GPS:
- Added support for Predictive Ephemeris. This allows the PN-40 to predict satellite positions up to 2 days out, and within a 100 mile radius, resulting in faster acquisition times at startup.
- Improvements to WAAS which allow the PN-40 to lock onto a WAAS satellite at lower signal strengths.
Improvements:
- Change to Barometer, to smooth out some random spikes.
Known Issues:
- The Use Midnight at Sunset setting may not always take affect when starting the PN-40, and may inappropriately take affect when panning the map to the West.
- When Deleting a large number or Waypoints/Geocaches, the PN-40 will appear to not respond. An activity indicator hasn't made it into this version of the firmware yet, but is planned for Release.
- Geocaches sent from DeLorme desktop applications (Topo USA 7.0 / XMap) are still limited to 800 characters in the comment, and do not contain the new graphics in the Comment. You also cannot create Field notes for these Geocaches.
- There is the possibility of a device reset while traveling with Imagery on the map and the device set to Power Save mode. We are investigating this issue based upon comments from our Beta testers.
Link to announcement: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=17506
Version 2.5 Second Public Beta (Beta 4)
Released April 17, 2009
New Features:
- New button functions while virtual keyboard is displayed.
- In Button deletes last character
- Out Button inserts space
- Find Button performs shift
- Mark Button jumps highlight to OK
- Added a View Field Notes menu option to the Geocache page. Note that this is view only. You cannot edit existing field notes on the device. Caches are identified by GC number in this list.
- Prepared firmware for interaction with future desktop products
Fixes and Minor Improvements:
- Fixed several issues which could lead to corrupt Waypoints/Geocaches
- As soon as you log your geocache find, routing stops automatically
- Predictive ephemeris has been extended from 3 to 5 days
- Further WAAS improvements have been made
- GPS position indicator is now yellow (on the map) when you have a predictive fix
- Improve reacquisition after losing your fix
- Fixed Use Midnight at Sunset to function properly
- Fixed a reset when adjusting Info fields on the Compass page
- Arrange Info fields on Compass page no longer brings up the Compass Arrow menu
- Fixed a scrolling problem in Delete Wpts/Caches by Symbol
- Text display change so that seconds display in larger font until hours are available, then they return to small font
- Fixed a problem that could cause ellipses to appear at the end of lines in geocache comments
- Fixed an issue where converting a geocache to a waypoint could create duplicate waypoints
- Changed titles for Geocache page to "Not Logged Caches" and "Logged Caches" depending on menu choice.
- Added number of geocaches/waypoints to the titles of those pages
- Changed Direct and Road route options to Hike and Drive for all routing scenarios (including non-geocaching routes)
- Resolved an issue that could cause the device to reboot when navigating/tracking on CDOQQ data while in power save mode
- Entering power save mode while in track playback now ends track playback
- Made performance and reliability improvements to the routing engine
- Made performance and reliability improvements to the Wpts/Geocache Manager
Issues:
- Some users report erratic road routing results, especially when the route does not start at current position.
- Some users report that road routing sometimes hangs at about 90% complete. In some cases, this may just be impatience with slower routing.
- Road routing seems lower than 2.5b3.
- After marking a new waypoint (with the pushpin button) and saving, the waypoint screen is stuck in delete mode. Both View and Route buttons result in the delete confirmation message. Leaving the screen, or scrolling to a non-button seems to clear up the condition.
- Still sometimes suffers from "dancing red bar" syndrome after loss of fix.
- Noticeably slower DOQQ/CDOQQ redraws at highway speeds and while playing back tracks.
- When marking a waypoint, auto-numbering does not work if the chosen waypoint symbol is one of the special geocache symbols. [Closed: According to DeLorme, this is a feature, not a bug. Marking a location and saving it as a cache is not supposed to affect subsequent waypoint or cache numbering.]
Link to announcement and download
Version 2.5 RTM
Released on Apr 29, 2009
Geocaching support:
- Added a Geocaching page, which separates Geocaches from Waypoints. This page allows you to sort Geocaches by Name/Distance/Logged/Not Logged.
- Geocache/Waypoint Comment character limit increased from 800 to 15,000 characters. Currently, this is only for Geocaches sent to the PN-40 using the Send to GPS Plugin ( http://www.delorme.com/geocaching/plugin/ ). When Topo USA 8.0 and the Cache Register application are released, they will also support the 15,000 character limit.
- Added graphics to the Geocache Comment page which indicate Size, Difficulty and Terrain.
- Difficult/Terrain and Cache Size Info Fields (non-editable) now display directly within the Geocache Details page (as well as their standard location within the Geocache Comment)
- Moved the Hint to the bottom of the Comment for Geocaches sent from the Send to GPS Plugin and Cache Register
- Added a View Hint menu option to the Geocache Details page
- Added new Geocaching Symbols to match those used by Geocaching.com.
- Field Notes support allows you to create field notes directly on the PN-40, which can then be uploaded through your account at www.geocaching.com
- Added a View Field Notes menu option to the Geocache page. Note that this is View only. You cannot edit existing Field Notes on the device.
- Geocaching wizard steps you through the process of Routing to a Geocache, Logging your Geocache find, Entering a Field Note then moving on to the next Geocache you want to find (closest, or selected from the list).
Waypoints/Geocaches:
- Geocaches and Waypoints pages now display the number of each on the page's Title.
- General improvements to Waypoints and Geocaches to improve stability, reduce corruption and prevent duplicates. If you have been part of the Beta process (private or public), you may need to use Memory Management to delete BOTH Waypoints and Geocaches (check both boxes at the same time) in order to get back into a good state. People updating directly from 2.4 to 2.5 shouldn't have to do this.
Memory Management:
- Added a Memory Use page which allows you to view the number of Waypoints/Geocaches/Tracks/Routes on your device, as well as how much free space you have on both the SD card and Internal Memory.
- Added a Memory Management page which allows you to easily delete all Waypoints/Geocaches/Tracks/Routes.
Routing:
- Added an option to allow the user to specify the speed for Direct Routes.
- Road and Direct have been replaced with Drive and Hike in all routing scenarios.
- Routing method drop-down menu on the Create Route page has been replaced by a pop-up asking if you want to Drive or Hike after hitting the Navigate button.
- Prepared routing engine for release of Topo USA 8.0
- Resolved a routing problem that was reported in Public Beta 2
Device UI:
- Adjustments to font sizes to make data within info fields easier to read.
- Added a setting which allows the PN-40 to automatically switch to Midnight colors at Sunset, and back to normal at Sunrise.
- Remapped device buttons while virtual keyboard is displayed. In Button: Deletes last character. Out Button: Space. Find Button: Shift. Mark Button: Jumps highlight to OK
- Text Display change so that seconds display in larger font until hours are available, then they return to small font
- Added a Map Point Management button to the Map Setup menu. This brings up a page where you can control how POIs' / Waypoints / Geocaches display on the map. You can set them to display with Large or Small symbols, and control what Zoom levels they display at. There is also a new option here to Hide Logged Caches on the map (even though it can be fun to see all those Smilies, it can be useful to have a view that only shows Not Logged only).
GPS:
- Added support for Predictive Ephemeris. This allows the PN-40 to predict satellite positions up to 5 days out, and within a 100 mile radius, resulting in faster acquisition times at startup. A Predicted Ephemeris fix is indicated by Yellow satellite bars and a yellow GPS position indicator on the map.
- Improvements to WAAS which allow the PN-40 to lock onto a WAAS satellite at lower signal strengths.
- Improvements to GPS reacquisition after a loss of signal.
Link to announcement and download Link to revised user manual announcement and download
Version 2.6 RTM
Released on Jul 6, 2009
Navionics Electronic Charts support:
- Added support for viewing Navionics HotMaps Premium Lake Maps and GOLD+ Marine Charts
- Added pick info on Navionics Charts
- Added support for viewing Port services on GOLD+ Marine Charts
- Added support for Navionics Tide stations
Geocaching support:
- Enhanced Geocaching details page
Device UI:
- Improved Average Speed calculation
- Improved Tide Station accuracy
Electrical:
- Reduced chance of reset when device is hot swapped on the USB port
USB:
- Reduced chance of receiving "Parameter is Incorrect" message when transferring maps to the device.
NOTE: Navionics HotMaps Platinum, Marine Platinum and Platunum + are not supported
Link to announcement and download
Version 2.7 Pro
Released on Nov 23, 2009
This update is primarily of interest to XMap 7 users. However, the features for GPX file management are useful to everyone. There have, however, been reports that the unit fails to properly parse some GPX files containing geocache data. Follow the forum topic containing the announcement for more information.
Chip Noble posted a DeLorme blog entry regarding use of 2.7 with geocaches. He also pre-announced the availability of 2.8 (Spring 2010) which will have full support for geocache data with similar file management features. See his blog post here.
Firmware version 2.7 includes the following updates for XMap 7.0 users:
- Added support for forms created with XMap Forms in XMap 7. See XMap Forms for more information about forms.
- Added support for editing form data and re-classifying data. Forms must be created with edit permissions to edit/classify on the device.
- Added ability to work with GPX files on an SD card. Point layers can be sent to the PN-40, with or without an associated form, using XMap 7's "Send to PN-Series Device" option. This places the layer, saved to a GPX file, on the SD card. When a GPX file is opened, its contents are transferred to the PN-40's internal memory. Data can be edited and new points can be created. These changes can then be saved back to the SD card for merging into the originating layer in XMap 7.
- Added ability to copy a saved track to an SD card as a GPX file.
- GIS layers saved to the PN-40 from the Handheld Export tab now display as unique layers within Map Setup > Data Layering. This allows each GIS layer to be individually enabled or disabled.
- Added a Layer Details menu option to Data Layering. This allows you to determine the database and server from which each GIS layer originated.
Link to announcement and download
Version 2.8
Released on Jun 29, 2010
This firmware release must only be installed if you're using Topo North America 9. DO NOT INSTALL if you are using Topo USA 8, 7, or 6.
WARNING: Once a PN-Series device is updated to the 2.8 Firmware, it will:
- no longer synch with earlier versions of Topo USA (Topo 8, 7 or 6).
- change some exchange functionality within XMap 7 and the ESRI Extensions.
- New file management (waypoints/geocaches/tracks can be saved and loaded from GPX files stored on the SD card)
- Project a waypoint/geocache~"Look ahead" feature for sighting downrange
- Stealth mode added~enforces sound and light discipline
- Button locking~ prevents accidental unit activation or data input (enabled using the Power button)
- Screen flipping
- Ability to use track to compute acreage
- Can now view Atlas and Gazetteer symbols (with descriptions)
- Changes to power button functions (including taking screenshots)
- New Topo North America 9.0 base data
