About a year ago during a visit to the Yarmouth, Maine headquarters of Delorme Maps (see note below) I purchased the Street Atlas 2006 and Earthmate GPS package. Delorme has been a leader in digital mapping since the early days of graphical displays on computer systems. Even with the variety of online services available today and some that I had come to use on a regular basis I still wanted maps on demand when I didn’t have an internet connection available. I my opinion I got all that and more!

A screenshot of Street Atlas 2006 with a travel route shown.

Initially I used the Street Atlas for mapping directions and routes. The mapping features are probably the most accurate I have encountered for a product in this price range - $39.95 for the Street Atlas. There are settings to customize your personal view and maps with graphic pins and labels. You can quickly set any map location as a start, stop, or end point and compute routing.

The real value to the package is the ability to attach the USB GPS receiver to your laptop and follow the directions when you get off track or in a confusing crowded area. We did just that on one of our first trips this year. We had taken a wrong turn while towing and found ourselves in an area that maneuvering for the quick turn around just wasn’t available. I pulled off the road and pulled out the laptop, attached the GPS receiver. 

The software/GPS found our location within a few seconds and I was able to plot a path back to our route. I decided to let the GPS guide us through the maze of intersecting roads and rush hour traffic. This was definitely learning as you go because the laptop is too large to safely use solo and Maureen had never seen the software in action. 

We followed the soft feminine voice guiding us with just a little bit of difficulty. I highly recommend a couple of trial runs to get used to the command sequence and the fact that there are sometimes some awkward names for on and off ramps and short connectors. Even with this trial under fire I feel that the package worked quite well and got us back on track.

Most of us do not travel with the laptops operating while underway. There are battery life issues and even screen visibility. I have a late model Gateway with an advanced wide screen and even at full intensity some light conditions just leave me staring at a washed out display. Unless you have a second person to operate the GPS this is not a safe way to travel. 

I have lots of experience with aviation GPS’s both hand held and panel mounted. I just haven’t found the need for a small hand held for road traveling. The superior mapping of Delorme Street Atlas with the added utility of the GPS package make this an ideal solution for my needs.

As a package Street Atlas DVD with GPS LT-20 is $99.95. A reasonable alternative to the cost of a dedicated GPS unit with a much smaller screen.

RECOMMENDATION

Take your time getting used to the software operation before you head to the vehicle. The interface and controls are a bit different that what you might expect, but with about an hour of playing and reading the help section you’ll find yourself using the software like a pro.

More information at www.delorme.com

About Delorme

A visit to Delorme headquarters in Yarmouth, ME is a must do if your in the area. Home to Eartha, the worlds largest revolving and rotating globe with multi-level view opportunities it is great entertainment and education for visitors of all ages. You can find out more about Eartha at the Delorme website above.